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WHEATLAND, Wyo. — Oliver Baez spent two months rehearsing a scene for a school play in which his character confronts another student about bullying a gay student who takes his own life. After much preparation, the 12-year-old’s small scene turned into a big problem among school officials in Wheatland, Wyoming. …

WASHINGTON — In a new wave of student loan forgiveness, the Biden administration is canceling $5 billion in debt for 74,000 borrowers, many of whom worked in public sector jobs for more than a decade. President Joe Biden said that 44,000 of Friday’s approved borrowers were having their education debt …

BANGKOK — A 30-year-old Thai man is facing a record 50 years in prison for insulting the royal family based on dozens of social media posts perceived as criticizing the monarchy, his lawyer said, after an appeals court on Thursday added more jail time to his initial conviction. Mongkol “Busbas” …

WASHINGTON — Congress passed a bill on Thursday that would prevent a partial government shutdown this weekend and keep federal funds flowing through March 1 and March 8. The Democratic-led Senate voted 77-18 on final passage after considering a few amendments. The Republican-led House soon followed suit, passing it by …

If you were hoping to snatch a unique, sports bar-inspired flavor in your lip balm, you’ll now have to wait. On Wednesday, balm specialists Burt’s Bees announced a collaboration with Hidden Valley Ranch to create balms inspired by classic wings-adjacent flavors. In a release published Wednesday, the companies said they …

Pakistan carries out retaliatory strikes in Iran

Texas is refusing to comply with a cease-and-desist letter from the Biden administration over actions by the state that have impeded U.S. Border Patrol agents from accessing part of the border with Mexico. In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton rejected the Biden …

WASHINGTON — During a candlelit dinner with Mar-a-Lago members in late December, former President Donald Trump walked around the table as the conversation turned to one of the biggest decisions he’d have to make should he become the Republican nominee: Whom should he pick to be his running mate?  That’s …

A New York City judge on Wednesday declined to dismiss the case against Daniel Penny, the Marine veteran who placed a Black subway rider, Jordan Neely, in a fatal chokehold last year. Penny, 25, pleaded not guilty in June after a grand jury indicted him on charges of second-degree manslaughter and …

Was Donald Trump buying or leasing the Republican Party when he descended that escalator in 2015? At the time, many a longtime Republican tried to argue that Trump was no Republican, let alone a conservative. Just about every major figure in the party circa 2015 viewed him as an interloper, …