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By Matt Spetalnick and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S sees it as a “very open question” whether Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro can win re-election if he holds a free vote in July, and Washington is trying to ensure the ballot is credible in the face of significant obstacles, a senior U.S. official said on Friday. The Biden administration is engaging with Venezuelan “stakeholders” as well regional and European […]

CHICAGO (AP) — Paul Skenes struck out 11 over six no-hit innings in his second major league start, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 9-3 on Friday. Skenes allowed just one baserunner — Michael Busch on a full-count walk on the eighth pitch of the fifth-inning plate appearance — in an utterly dominant performance. After pitching through some nerves in his big league debut against the Cubs last […]

DENVER (AP) — Frontier Airlines, which has struggled more than other U.S. carriers to recover from the pandemic, says it is eliminating change fees on some tickets and creating four fare classes to boost its appeal to more travelers. The Denver-based airline said the changes taking effect Friday would make buying a ticket less complicated. Frontier, like rivals Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air, advertises low fares but tacks on more […]

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Friday banned four more Russian media outlets from broadcasting in the 27-nation bloc for what it calls the spread of propaganda about the invasion of Ukraine and disinformation as the EU heads into parliamentary elections in three weeks. The latest batch of broadcasters consists of Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti, Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta, which the EU claims are all under control of […]

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump said Friday his campaign has accepted an invitation from Fox News for his yet-to-be-chosen running mate to debate Vice President Kamala Harris, and he urged her to accept as well. In fact, Harris has already said she’ll debate — but on a rival network. President Joe Biden’s campaign signaled it would reject Trump’s offer, an official pointing to the acceptable debate parameters it detailed […]

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — GOP infighting and a record-breaking, 50-hour Democratic filibuster on Friday killed a Republican push to make amending Missouri’s constitution harder, an effort in part aimed at thwarting an upcoming ballot measure on abortion-rights. The GOP-led Senate adjourned Friday morning — nearly eight hours before the 6 p.m. deadline for lawmakers to pass legislation this year — without passing what was a top priority for Republicans […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — An upside-down U.S. flag has long been a sign of dire distress and versatile symbol of protest. But in January 2021, when it flew over the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, it was largely seen in connection with a specific cause: the false claim by then-President Donald Trump’s supporters that the 2020 election had been marred by fraud. The revelation this week about the flag […]

Federal wildlife officials declared a rare lizard in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas an endangered species Friday, citing future energy development, sand mining and climate change as the biggest threats to its survival in one of the world’s most lucrative oil and natural gas basins. “We have determined that the dunes sagebrush lizard is in danger of extinction throughout all of its range,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service […]

Voters in Colorado and South Dakota will have a say on abortion rights this fall after enough signatures were collected to put measures on the ballots. South Dakota voters will get a chance at direct democracy on the contentious issue in a conservative state where a trigger law banning nearly all abortions went into effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Colorado’s measure, which made the ballot Friday, would enshrine […]