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Craig Venter, pioneering human genome decoder, dies at 79

Pioneering geneticist J. Craig Venter has died at the age of 79, according to his namesake research institute.

Pioneering scientist J. Craig Venter has died at 79. His "whole genome shotgun method" helped genome sequencing become faster and cheaper.

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'Fool me once…' Lawyers argue Kennedy Center should not meet same fate as the East Wing

A general view shows the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC on January 10, 2026. Two lawsuits are calling to halt the closure of the Center for renovations. Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio trustee, is also asking for the removal of President Trump

Lawyers made arguments in hearings for two separate lawsuits against President Trump and the Kennedy Center's board this week. Both lawsuits want to halt plans to close the performing arts venue for two years for renovations.

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The U.K. calls antisemitism an emergency as police investigate stabbing of 2 Jewish men

Members of the community watch as forensic officers search the area after two people were stabbed in the Golders Green neighborhood, that has a large Jewish community, in London, Wednesday.

The British government pledged to increase security for Jewish communities after a string of arson attacks and a double stabbing. But members of the community lashed out at the government.

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Iran war has cost $25B, Pentagon says. And, SCOTUS strikes blow to Voting Rights Act

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies before the House Armed Services Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on April 29, 2026, in Washington, DC. Hegseth testified on the Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request.

The Pentagon estimates the war with Iran has cost $25 billion so far. And, the Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana's 2024 election map was "an unconstitutional racial gerrymander."

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To catch colorectal cancer early, advocates push to make 'poop talk' OK

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It's a very treatable form of cancer if caught early, yet younger adults rarely get screened. Patient advocates want more people to talk to their doctors about risk factors and number 2.

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The Iraq vet redefining mindfulness, one bourbon at a time

Iraq war combat veteran Fred Minnick hosts a bourbon tasting dinner at Cordelia, a restaurant in ClevelandBottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man's Life.'/>

Like many vets, it took Fred Minnick time to find the best way to cope with what he would learn was PTSD. For Minnick, sense and peace came with bourbon — and "taste mindfulness."

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These fans are boycotting the World Cup. Will they make it a bust?

Ty Malugani posing at St. James Park, the stadium of Premier League team Newcastle United in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Some fans in the U.S. and around the world are unhappy with World Cup ticket prices — and U.S. immigration policies. So they're deciding not to come, raising concerns across the travel industry.

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Mirroring Gaza, Israel is destroying towns and villages in southern Lebanon

Two Israeli soldiers operate in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel, April 29, 2026

In southern Lebanon, towns near the border with Israel have been largely destroyed by Israeli demolitions and strikes. Israel says it has been attacking Hezbollah infrastructure, but civilian infrastructure has also been significantly affected.

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Supreme Court paves the way for largest-ever drop in Black representation in Congress

Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields is seen with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Wednesday at the Capitol. Fields represents the Louisiana congressional district at the heart of the U.S. Supreme Court

By weakening Voting Rights Act protections against racial discrimination in redistricting, the Supreme Court has paved the way for the largest-ever drop in representation by Black members of Congress.

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After lackluster tour turnout, Turning Point wraps things up with excited crowd in Idaho

People stand in line outside the Idaho Central Credit Union Arena at the University of Idaho on April 28 for the last stop on Turning Point USA

The final stop on Turning Point USA's college campus tour at the University of Idaho seemed more like the organization's previous events, with audience member debates and an energetic, young crowd.

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The U.S. economy shows resilience despite the war with Iran

Soaring gasoline prices have done little to dampen consumer spending. The Commerce Department reported solid economic growth during the first three months of the year.

The U.S. economy revved up in the first three months of the year, despite a spike in energy prices caused by the war with Iran.

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Activists say Israel has intercepted their Gaza aid flotilla near Crete

Boats carrying activists and humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza reposition in the port during a symbolic send-off as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, April 12, 2026.

Activists sailing on dozens of boats attempting to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip to deliver aid say Israeli forces intercepted them, detaining the crews while the flotilla was sailing near the Greek island of Crete.

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How rising jet fuel prices are driving up the cost of fighting wildfires

A firefighting aircraft drops retardant ahead of the Palisades Fire on Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles.

The Iran war has nearly doubled jet fuel prices in the United States. That means the bill for firefighting aircraft operations this summer will likely rise by tens of millions of dollars.

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How a father and daughter duped NYC's art world with fake Warhols and Banksys

A suspected forgery of an Andrew Wyeth painting is seen at RoGallery in New York, Tuesday, April 28, 2026.

A father and daughter in New Jersey have pleaded guilty to running a years-long counterfeiting scheme to trick art galleries and auction houses into buying forged paintings

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Trump says he is weighing reducing American troop presence in Germany after Iran feud

FILE - President Donald Trump meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office at the White House, March 3, 2026, in Washington.

President Trump suggested he could soon reduce the U.S. military presence in Germany as he continues to feud with Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the U.S-Israel war against Iran.

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Supreme Court appears to lean toward ending TPS for some migrants

The U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court appeared sympathetic to the Trump administration's move to end temporary protected status for Haitians and Syrians in the country.

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The Austrian nuns who fled their care home are now in Rome and visited the Vatican

Sisters Rita (right), 81, Regina (left), 86, and Bernadette (center), 88, at the convent chapel of the Goldenstein castle south of Salzburg, Austria, on Sept. 20, 2025. Supporters of the three nuns flocked to the convent in a show of solidarity.

The three octogenarian nuns, who made headlines last year after they broke back into their convent, joined others at St. Peter's Square for a general audience with Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday morning.

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House advances 3-year extension of federal surveillance program

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La, stands behind the rostrum on the House floor before an address by King Charles III at the U.S. Capitol on April 28, 2026.

The House has approved a three year extension of the surveillance program known as FISA Section 702. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it faces a difficult path to final passage.

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Long a dream, it's now real: a fast and accurate TB test that doesn't need phlegm

A scanning electron micrograph of Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, which cause TB.

TB tests use phlegm — not the easiest thing to get or work with. It takes time for results. And there can be false negatives and positives. A new test is more accurate and takes less than half an hour.

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DOD officials say Iran war has cost $25 billion so far during Congressional grilling

The Pentagon says that the cost of the war with Iran is estimated to be some $25 billion. Defense officials were appearing on the Hill for budget discussions.

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The Iran war now has a price tag ($25 billion), but still no end date

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testifies about the Iran war before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday. Hegseth described the military operation as a major success and criticized

The Pentagon estimates the war has cost $25 billion over the past two months. In congressional testimony, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not say when the war might end.

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Florida lawmakers pass a voting map that could help Republicans flip four House seats

A senator

The map drawn by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis boosts President Trump's effort to reshape voting before the midterm elections. The GOP likely holds a slight edge over Democrats in redistricting now.

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In court, Elon Musk accuses OpenAI of trying to 'have your cake and eat it, too'

Elon Musk arrives at the U.S. District Court in Oakland, Calif., Tuesday, April 28, 2026.

In his second day on the stand in the trial he launched against OpenAI, Elon Musk said the AI start-up he'd helped found had strayed from its charitable mission.

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How Trump's EPA head has transformed the agency — and sided with polluters

New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert says EPA chief Lee Zeldin has rescinded regulations, cut or eliminated departments and terminated the jobs of many scientists. Trump calls Zeldin "our secret weapon."

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'8647' got James Comey indicted. What exactly does it mean?

A demonstrator holds up an "8647" sign at a "No Kings" protest in Louisville, Ky., in June 2025. It

A grand jury charged Comey with threatening Trump's life through his since-deleted 2025 post of seashells forming "8647." Trump is the 47th president, and the term "86" has a few possible meanings.

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UAE OPEC

The UAE says it will leave OPEC, amid tensions with Saudi Arabia and the chaos of the Iran war.

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Supreme Court calls Louisiana's House map an 'unconstitutional racial gerrymander'

The U.S. Supreme Court

Although the court kept Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act intact, Wednesday's decision all but guts the landmark law that came out of the Civil Rights Movement and protected the collective voting power of racial minorities when political maps are redrawn.

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Senior citizens join the immigration fight to protect caregivers

Senior citizens gathered outside the U.S. Capitol on April 28, 2026, to advocate for Temporary Protected Status for immigrant caretakers.

As the Supreme Court weighs the Trump administration's termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Syrians, seniors are advocating for protections for their immigrant caregivers.

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Greetings from Syria, where a postwar olive harvest offers a long-lost taste of home

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In the warm sun, gathering handfuls of hard olives promised a taste of home that residents of a village in the Homs countryside had been missing for nearly 14 years of civil war.

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The Trump team is quietly eliminating U.S. support for birth control abroad

Prossy Muyingo spent a dozen years as a health worker in central Uganda. She

Congress has allocated more than $500 million for family planning work internationally. The Trump administration hasn't spent it — and the consequences are already being felt.

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