'I just fell apart crying heartbreak to you': A murdered journalist's years-long relationship with Osama bin Laden

That was the perspective Khashoggi took to Afghanistan when bin Laden invited him to come cover the conflict. The CIA — with the financial assistance of Saudi intelligence — was backing the mujahedeen for strategic Cold War purposes: to counter and weaken the Soviets. But for Khashoggi, the time he spent with bin Laden and his fellow warriors was a personally moving experience.

Why Pope Francis probably isn't worried about U.S. bishops' vote on Communion guidance

Despite opposition from the Vatican, which has cautioned Catholic leaders against politicizing the Eucharist, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on Friday voted 168-55 to advance draft guidance that could call into question whether Catholic politicians who support abortion rights, including President Biden, are eligible to receive Communion. Pope Francis has remained silent about the vote so far, which Vatican officials told The New York Times is a sign he's not concerned that the final version of the guidance will actually pass. Under church law, the Times reports, the final document would require either unanimous support, or two-thirds support and Vatican approval.

Sweden's government topples as prime minister loses historic no-confidence vote

Sweden's prime minister, Stefan Lofven, on Monday morning became the first leader in Sweden's history to lose a no-confidence vote in parliament, leaving him just one week to decide whether to hold snap elections or resign. Of the parliament's 349 members, 181 supported the vote, 109 opposed it and 51 abstained, with Lofven's red-green coalition voted down by an unusual combination of the former Communist Left Party, the far-Right Sweden Democrats, and the right-wing Moderate and Christian Democrat parties. "The Left Party has linked up arms with the right-wing conservative bloc and used that to create an unholy alliance to fell the government," Annelie Karlsson, the Social Democrat's parliamentary leader, told parliament before the vote.

Fewer than a third of Iowans would vote for GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley if he seeks an 8th term, poll finds

The survey, conducted by widely respected Iowa pollster J. Ann Seltzer, found that only 27 percent of likely voters would re-elect Grassley if the election were today; 64 percent said they think it's time for someone else to occupy the seat Grassley has occupied since 1981. Iowans generally have a positive opinion of their senior senator — his favorability rating is 50 percent, with 37 percent having an unfavorable view — but Grassley's job approval rating has slid to 45 percent, his lowest approval number since 1982, the Register reports. "Grassley's approval rating has occasionally hit the 80 percent threshold during that time."

Imran Khan: Pakistan PM causes stir with remarks on Afghanistan and Xinjiang

Pakistan's prime minister has created a stir over comments he made about US operations in Afghanistan and China's treatment of Uyghur Muslims. In an interview with Axios HBO, Imran Khan categorically stated that he would not allow the US to use Pakistan as a base for its Afghan operations. The interview with Mr Khan was aired early on Monday morning and immediately started gaining traction as people began discussing his comments.

‘Come here boy.’ Man tries to kidnap 12-year-old mowing his lawn, Tennessee police say

A 12-year-old Tennessee boy escaped an attempted kidnapping at his home, police say. The boy was mowing his lawn in Kingsport on Thursday morning when he saw a maroon car pass by the house, according to a news release from the Kingsport Police Department. Police say they arrested the suspect Saturday afternoon and obtained a warrant charging him with “attempted especially aggravated kidnapping,” “aggravated burglary” and “simple assault.”

Liz Cheney spent at least $58,000 on bodyguards after Jan. 6, wants to teach GOP basic civics

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) has no regrets about opposing former President Donald Trump and his lies about the 2020 election, even though it cost her her position in House Republican leadership and earned her death threats, she tells The New York Times. "We've got people we've entrusted with the perpetuation of the Republic who don't know what the rule of law is," Cheney said. There has been a cost to Cheney's crusade.

Thanks, Greg Abbott: You give Texas a border wall and lotsa guns, but not electricity

Ivin Adkins, Flower Mound If you don't like it, move To all the complaints I've seen lately about Gov. Greg Abbott, all I can say is: If you don't like our conservative Texas, maybe you should move to California, New York or Illinois. I appreciate the conservative values of our leaders. Donna Bierd, Keller Tax, don't eliminate them So, Christine Emba of The Washington Post wants a world “where billionaires are impossible” and where success is a moral failure.

Royal Caribbean sails first ‘simulator’ cruise ship from Miami, as industry set to restart

A Royal Caribbean International cruise ship left from PortMiami with 600 passengers on board Sunday evening — part of a test sail trip as the cruise industry gears up for a grand restart later this summer. The two-day trip on the Freedom of the Seas is a simulation with volunteer passengers, many of whom are Royal Caribbean employees, set to test whether cruise ships are safe. It's a major milestone for the cruising industry after it came to a sudden halt last year during the COVID-19 pandemic and has not sailed with passengers for 15 months.

McManus : Why Republicans are suddenly reluctant to condemn political violence

The Republican Party has a problem with political violence: It's not sure whether it's for it or against it. In the first days after a mob loyal to former President Trump stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 to try to block Congress from certifying President Biden's election, GOP leaders delivered a sensible, unified response: There's no place in our constitutional system for that kind of violence. Since January, though, some leading Republicans have been backsliding — offering excuses for the insurgents who sought to overturn the election through extralegal means.

Coronavirus latest news: Booster vaccine rollout in autumn needs to be planned now, warn senior NHS leaders

AM Clinical data for booster jabs should be available in next few weeks, says Matt Hancock Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the Government is working on the booster jab programme and should have clinical data in the next few weeks. He told BBC Breakfast that second jabs offer very strong protection "but there is more protection still that we think that you can get from a booster jab and we're currently trialling which combinations of jabs are the most effective". "When we know the results of that, then we will set out the full plans for the booster programme over the autumn," he said.

Post Office scandal: 'I just forgot how to laugh'

The Sethis are a Post Office family. Anjana and Baljit Sethi used to run two branches near Romford in Essex where they raised their three children. It was all Anjana had known, she grew up in a Post Office as her dad was a sub-postmaster too.

A Florida man pulled out a gun on a Starbucks employee who turned out to be the local police chief's daughter

A Florida man pulled out a gun on a Starbucks employee for getting his order wrong earlier this week. The employee was the daughter of Miami Gardens Police Chief Noel-Pratt. The man identified as Omar Wright was arrested and charged.

I'm a Trump voter from Arizona. My state's Democratic Senator, Kyrsten Sinema, needs to support Joe Biden's American Jobs Plan.

Joe Biden's American Jobs Plan will create good jobs, and I'm calling on Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to support it. Until the pandemic hit, my wife Tessa and I were living out our dream in Greenlee County, Arizona, owning our own auto-detailing business and raising sheep and horses. The problem, though, is there are few good jobs left in Arizona, and when working people are struggling, small businesses like ours just can't stay afloat.

Parul Khakhar: The Indian stay-at-home mum trolled for poem on Covid dead

She posted the mournful 14-line dirge called Shabvahini Ganga (A hearse called Ganga - the Indian name for river Ganges) on her Facebook page, where she has more than 15,000 followers. The Gujarati-language poem speaks about the wrath of the virus, leaving a trail of death and devastation in its wake. Khakhar writes about floating corpses, funeral pyres and the crematoria chimneys melting under the load of the burning dead.

A gay couple faced harassment for 5 years. Handwriting analysis led to a suspect: A neighbor.

For five years, we were living here and wondering which of our neighbors, who were all being kind and neighborly to us, is actually harassing us,” McLean said. Then the perpetrator made a mistake. The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, signed the couple up for a Boston Globe subscription, but McLean and Furze already had a subscription.

Chris Christie says 'not much was accomplished' during Biden's trip to Europe, but 'no damage was done'

Chris Christie says that "not much was accomplished, but no damage was done" during Biden's trip. The G-7, NATO, and Geneva summits were Biden's first international meetings since taking office. While in Geneva, Biden had a long-awaited meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Taliban Mock Hasty U.S. Withdrawal: ‘Losers Never Look Back’

KABUL—America's war in Afghanistan featured all manner of bangs: IED blasts, car bombs, airstrikes, and the “mother of all bombs”—the most powerful non-nuclear ordnance ever used. For two decades, Bagram Air Force base was the centerpiece of the U.S. mission to clear out the Taliban and support the fledgling Afghan government. Now, it is scheduled to be handed over to the Afghan government on June 20 with as little fanfare as possible.

Photo shows a Dubai princess who claims she's being held hostage by her family on a 'European holiday' in Spain

Princess Latifa tried to flee Dubai in 2018 but was caught and subsequently vanished. A video of her emerged in February in which she said she was being held hostage by her family. A photo posted to Instagram Monday by a Dubai teacher showed Latifa at an airport in Madrid, Spain.

'It's a national tragedy': Young victims of Alabama highway crash were traveling home from beach trip when tragedy struck

What was supposed to be the end of an exciting beach trip ended in a horrific 17-vehicle wreck Saturday that killed 10 people, including several young children, on an interstate just south of Montgomery, Alabama. One week after their trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama, began and less than two hours from home — a Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch van caught fire, killing eight children inside. Four young teens who were residents of the ranch, and two children who had accompanied the group on the beach trip, died in the van's wreckage, Alabama Sheriffs Youth Ranches CEO Michael Smith said late Sunday afternoon.

• 
  Nine children, one adult killed in Alabama crash

  Reuters Videos
• 
  13 dead in Alabama due to Claudette, including 9 children in van crash; storm heads for Carolina coast

  MarketWatch

Fact check: Image claiming to show Joe Biden sleeping at G-7 Summit is altered

Some social media users are now using a manipulated photo of Biden resting his head on a desk with his eyes closed to claim he was asleep while meeting with world leaders. "Summary of G7 and the Biden/Putin Summit," reads the caption of a June 16 Facebook image with more than 1,000 reactions. While the image appears to have been satirically altered, the comments indicate some users took the post seriously.

Ammon Bundy, the anti-government militant who led an armed takeover of a US wildlife refuge, is running for governor of Idaho

Ammon Bundy announced Saturday he is running for governor of Idaho as a Republican. The anti-government activist is known for taking part in armed standoffs with the government. Ammon Bundy, the anti-government activist who led the armed takeover of a national wildlife refuge in 2016, announced Saturday he his running for governor of Idaho.

• 
  Anti-government activist Ammon Bundy running for governor in Idaho

  The Week
• 
  Ammon Bundy is running for governor. Here’s his pitch to Idaho voters

  Idaho Statesman

Subway was sued for allegedly mislabeling its tuna as tuna. The New York Times tried to get to the bottom of the mystery.

After a lawsuit alleged Subway tuna isn't actually tuna, the New York Times did its own analysis. The newspaper used a commercial lab to analyze tuna samples bought in Los Angeles. The sandwich chain has dismissed claims its tuna isn't 100% authentic and has called the lawsuit meritless.

Their ancestors died before they could fully enjoy the reparations they received. Years later, the money 'played a big role' in going to college.

A Black community in Rosewood, Florida was destroyed by white vigilantes in January 1923. The survivors of the Rosewood massacre received reparations in 1994. When Breeana Larkins was a teenager growing up in South Florida she learned a "life-changing" detail about her family tree.