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Senate confirms Hamilton to lead FEMA and clears more than 70 other Trump nominees

The Senate on Friday confirmed Cameron Hamilton as head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, returning the former Navy SEAL to the embattled agency he led temporarily last year only to be fired after he publicly opposed eliminating it. Hamilton was among a group of 74 nominations approved by the Senate, including President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Transportation Security Administration, David Cummins, and his choice for ambassador to Brazil, Daniel Perez. Upon his swearing in, Hamilton will take over an agency whose future has been uncertain since Trump threatened to ...

More than 50 bodies found improperly stored and decomposing at Chicago funeral home

CHICAGO (AP) — More than 50 bodies were found improperly stored and decomposing Thursday at a Chicago funeral home run by a couple who previously operated a crematory that was similarly shut down because of mishandled remains, authorities said. Illinois state officials, meanwhile, suspended the license of one of the funeral home’s directors, alleging bodies were being kept in an unrefrigerated area in “deplorable conditions.” The discovery came months after neighborhood residents began noticing a “stench” emanating from the funeral home, which led some to complain to the ...

Senate passes sweeping Russia sanctions bill negotiated by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate overwhelmingly approved a punishing Russian sanctions package Friday, the result of a yearlong campaign by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham to reinforce U.S. support for Ukraine and try to force President Vladimir Putin’s hand as the grinding war drags on. The bipartisan legislation, which passed 86-11, would penalize countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas and other exports seeking to deprive Putin of revenues fueling the war. It comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Capitol last week following Graham’s funeral, met with ...

Today in History

On Aug. 8, 2023, a series of wind-driven wildfires broke out on the Hawaiian island of Maui, destroying the town of Lahaina and killing more than 100 people. Also on this date: In 1814, during the War of 1812, peace talks between the United States and Britain began in Ghent, Belgium. In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte set sail for St. Helena to spend the remainder of his days in exile. In 1876, Thomas Edison received a patent for his electric pen — the forerunner of the mimeograph machine. In 1908, Wilbur Wright made the Wright Brothers’ first public flying demonstration, at Le ...

North Korea conducts ballistic missile test days before US and South Korea begin drills

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the sea on Thursday, its neighbors said, resuming weapons tests days before its rivals, the U.S. and South Korea, begin annual military drills that North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal. The launch from North Korea’s eastern coastal Wonsan area was detected around 5 p.m., South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding that South Korea’s military has bolstered its surveillance posture and is closely coordinating with the U.S. and Japan. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told ...