News

JACKSON, Miss. — Diversity initiatives would be defunded or banned from universities and other public institutions under a slate of bills pending in Republican-led legislatures, with some lawmakers counting on the issue resonating with voters in this election year.

WASHINGTON — As a growing number of Republicans oppose U.S. aid to Ukraine, the Senate’s leaders are arguing in strong terms that the money is crucial to pushing back against Russian President Vladimir Putin and maintaining America’s global standing.

BOSTON — A U.S. Customs and Border Protection dog sniffed out something unusual in luggage from a traveler returning from Africa — mummified monkeys.

U.S. Sen. Chris Coons and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were seeing double when they met in Washington, D.C., this week and went on social media to share their mirror image with the world.

TODAY IN HISTORY

LIMA — The goal of Family Promise of Lima is to help homeless families get back on the road to self-sufficiency, and Saturday’s fundraising dinner at Westside United Methodist Church aimed to help the agency continue that mission.

KHARKIV, Ukraine — Russia attacked the northeastern city of Kharkiv and the Odesa region close to Ukraine’s border with Romania overnight with at least 31 drones, the largest UAV strike so far in February.

BLUFFTON — The Bluffton Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing teenager.

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes killed at least 44 Palestinians — including more than a dozen children — in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Saturday, hours after Israel’s prime minister said he had asked the military to plan for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people there ahead of a ground invasion.

CAIRO — Cairo United Methodist Church will hold Ash Wednesday services at 7 p.m. Wednesday.