Education Department headquarters will relocate as part of Trump’s dismantling

WASHINGTON – The Education Department will relocate from its Washington headquarters as part of the Trump administration’s dismantling of the agency, officials said Thursday. The agency has seen its ranks thinned by mass layoffs since President Donald Trump took office, and its headquarters building has been 70% vacant, the Education Department said. The Energy Department will assume the lease in the building. Education Secretary Linda McMahon hailed it as a milestone in the administration’s efforts to shutter the agency, which Trump ordered to move toward closure a year ago this month.

European ministers in Ukraine for Bucha atrocities anniversary as drones hammer Russian oil ports

KYIV, Ukraine – Top European diplomats are visiting Ukraine to mark the anniversary of atrocities committed in a town near Kyiv by Russia’s invading forces four years ago. With U.S.-led efforts to end the war on hold and Washington’s attention gripped by the conflict in the Middle East, European governments are keen to keep a spotlight on the Ukriane war, now in its fifth year. A group of 12 European foreign ministers arrived by train on Tuesday in the Ukrainian capital, where they were welcomed by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who noted the “grim anniversary” of the atrocities in Bucha. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s long-range drones hammered Russian oil facilities in the Baltic Sea Monday night.

Supreme Court rules against Colorado ban on ‘conversion therapy’ for LGBTQ+ kids

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has ruled against a law banning “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ+ kids in Colorado, one of about two dozen states that banned the discredited practice. The high court majority sided Tuesday with a Christian counselor who argues the law banning talk therapy violates the First Amendment. The justices agreed the law raises free speech concerns and sent it back to a lower court to decide if it meets a legal standard few laws pass. President Donald Trump’s Republican administration supported the counselor. Colorado said the measure simply bars a practice of using therapy to try to “convert” LGBTQ+ people to heterosexuality, a practice that’s been scientifically discredited and linked to serious harm.

Sanctioned Russian tanker docks in Cuba after U.S. allows passage despite energy blockade

HAVANA – A Russian oil tanker has reached Cuba with a huge shipment, easing a dire fuel shortage after months without deliveries. The ship docked at the port of Matanzas on Tuesday, carrying about 730,000 barrels of oil. Cuban officials and residents celebrated as blackouts have dragged on and shortages of food and medicine grow. Cuba makes only about 40% of the fuel it needs. Experts say the cargo could cover diesel demand for around nine or 10 days. The Trump administration let the tanker proceed despite U.S. pressure on Cuba. The vessel also faces Western sanctions tied to Ukraine.

– The Associated Press