Burlington Free Press
Tips on how to navigate Vermont film festival
Film fans in and around Burlington love this time of year. The weather is cooler and grayer, so people come inside, and there aren’t many ways to spend a better time indoors than seeing a movie or two — or, if you catch every film at this year’s...
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Trump clemency erases $1.7 billion in penalties
President Donald Trump loves a good pardon. His generosity is so well known, in fact, that an industry of lobbyists, lawyers and other insiders has reportedly sprung up to facilitate clemency for wealthy criminals. Clemency, meaning mercy or leniency,...
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Quick thinking saved soccer coach after collapse
On Tuesday, Sept. 1, Chris Smith went through his typical practice routine as the longtime assistant girls soccer coach at Champlain Valley Union High School. Early for that’s day training, the 71-year-old Smith ran a few sprints. Smith, who retired...
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Cornell students push for change after assault case
ITHACA, NY – Raven Schwam-Curtis took a breath, steadying her voice: “I was a freshman. He was an upperclassman. I said no multiple times.” About 100 Cornell University students gathered for an Oct. 5 student-led town hall on sexual violence. The...
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REBRANDING NICOTINE
An ironic development emerging alongside the “Make America Healthy Again” movement is the portrayal of nicotine as a wellness and performance-enhancing product. Across social media, podcasts, wellness communities and tech startups, prominent wellness...
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Trump uses federal power to boost GOP
Americans are seeing taxpayer-funded television ads promoting President Donald Trump, government checks are hitting nearly 1 million mailboxes across the country, and federal agents are scouring voting rolls as a midterm election marked by Trump’s...
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Cornell investigation draws expert criticism
Cornell University, campus police and the local prosecutor’s office are all facing intense scrutiny over their investigation into 2024 gang rape allegations, and experts say key changes early in the case could have had a big impact on the...
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Cornell
At the time, Van Houten “indicated he did not believe the case met the elements of a hazing charge,” and he decided to allow the university to criminally punish any students involved in serving alcohol to minors, according to police records. As for...
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Burlington bakery closes as focus shifts
A Burlington bakery will shut down this month and fully turn its Pine Street space into a production facility for frozen cinnamon sticky buns. Haymaker Bun Co. began in Middlebury in 2017 and expanded to a second shop in Burlington in 2024. The...
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Many voters don’t see a robust job market
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump and the Republican Party will carry a 4.2% unemployment rate into the congressional elections in early November, a low number by historical standards and in line with what most economists would regard as full...
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High-profile cases await Supreme Court
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court’s new term features a closely watched climate change case, but it is just one of several politically charged disputes that will be decided over the next few months. The court – which has a 6-3 conservative majority − is...
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‘WE OFFER FRUSTRATION’
Every year for the past 28 years, Mike and Dayna Boudreau have shorn 24 acres of corn into a labyrinth designed to flummox even the most adept adventurers. The Great Vermont Corn Maze in North Danville is the largest in New England, and it takes...
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The art of dying
John Killacky placed the fragile plaster casts inside the old upright apple crate. They were casts of his legs, legs that had failed him these last three decades since a surgical mishap left him temporarily quadriplegic. h This would be his newest art...
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Over 30 events to check out in October
Nature’s art is always lovely this time of year. The relatively cool summer already has Vermont’s maple leaves changing their tones, converting pretty green hillsides into stunning, almostevery-color-under-the-sun tableaus. The art indoors in October...
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The long afterlife of QAnon
On Election Day in 2024, as voters cast their ballots, Elon Musk posted a campaign music video supporting Donald Trump’s bid for president. Set to Van Halen’s “Jump,” with a montage of 1980s cultural references and images of Trump in various strongman...
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Unusual hurricane season continues
The 2026 hurricane season has been remarkable, from the potentially record-breaking calm in the Atlantic Ocean to the hyperactive eastern and central Pacific Ocean. Only seven tropical storms have formed in the Atlantic, while 18 tropical storms and...
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Taliban, Pakistan go from friends to foes
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s air force struck 10 locations in Afghanistan on Sept. 24, its second round of strikes in four days after three months of relative quiet along the two countries’ 1,600 mile border. Islamabad said it struck militant hideouts in...
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Turkey vultures surge with more roadkill, warmer temps
Nature’s baldheaded janitors, turkey vultures, have surged in presence by 158% the last few decades in Vermont. You’re far more likely than in years past to spot those dark-feathered birds lolling about on the highway in search of roadkill. Why’s...
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Trump, Xi exchange toasts, gifts at dinner
Wild mushrooms are in their peak season across the United States in late September – and for a second time, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan were treated to the fungi at the White House. On the menu for the state dinner hosted by...
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Cursive is making a comeback in schools
Learning to read and write cursive was once a rite of passage for practically every American schoolchild. Until the early 20th century, children in the United States were generally taught to write in cursive or script, rather than the print writing...
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New film shows VT’s rallying spirit under floods, hardships
Following a series of documentaries about heavy issues facing Vermont such as opiate addiction, foster care and homelessness, Bess O’Brien decided her next film had to be about mental health — hers in particular. She wasn’t sure she could dive into...
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Artists take larger role at revamped Grand Point North
This year’s Grand Point North felt familiar in many ways. Vermont rocker Grace Potter, who organizes the annual event, headlined two nights as usual at Waterfront Park. Musical guests who’ve joined her in the past, including Jackson Browne and the band...
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Jury
dubbed “summons anxiety.” Before voir dire even begins, potential jurors may stress about the possibility of spending days or weeks away from their responsibilities at work and at home while being paid very little. “We found through some of the...
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The invention of lactose intolerance
Lactose intolerance makes drinking milk or eating ice cream a literal pain. For some people, eating a dairy treat can lead to bloating, nausea and diarrhea. You might’ve experienced its effects yourself. If so, you may think of lactose intolerance as a...
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Book looks at ‘black sheep’ of famous Vermont family
Most Vermonters probably hear the names Ethan and Ira Allen and recall a patriotic legacy of Revolutionary War heroism. The reality, of course, is much murkier. And so it is for Levi Allen, their oftenoverlooked brother, who in fact served as a...
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President Trump to face skeptical world leaders
WASHINGTON – When President Donald Trump addressed the United Nations a year ago, he touted the U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites just months earlier as “totally obliterating everything” and said he had brought peace between Israel and...
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Pick your own apples at these VT orchards
As September welcomes fall to New England, the kids are back in school, pumpkin spice is back in your cup, and soon the leaves will once again transform into a vibrant palette of oranges and reds. Now, all that’s left to do to welcome the autumn...
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EPA
reductions are critical to prevent further increases in global temperatures. Each of the past 10 years has been among the 10 warmest on record globally. The meteorological summer that just concluded in the United States was the warmest in 132 years of...
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Make-A-Wish
“Star Wars” costuming organization whose members participate in charity events around the world. According to the announcement, Make-A-Wish Vermont & Northeast New York has partnered with the group on multiple wish celebrations and reveal events...
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Love apple cider?
It’s apple season in Vermont, and New England fall lovers know there is no better feeling than biting into a juicy red apple at one of the state’s various scenic orchards. Of course, the fruit also produces many favorite fall treats, including apple...
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PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
Lil Durk found not guilty on all counts in murder-for-hire trial Lil Durk, born Durk Banks, has been acquitted of multiple criminal charges in his federal murder-for-hire case. Following a weekslong trial, the rapper, 33, was found not guilty on...
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Families bring independent school back from the brink
Three decades of education seemed gone for good last February when Bellwether School in Williston announced its closure. The move marked the end of an independent school where teachers tailored lessons to the interests of their pre-K and elementary...
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25th anniversary of 9/11 commemorated
NEW YORK – As the United States marked 25 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Americans across the country gathered to honor the nearly 3,000 people who perished and reflect on the day that forever changed the nation. A quarter-century...
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‘Bean Voyage’
Ryan Miller took the stage at Radio Bean and spoke a few heartfelt words before the band he was playing with, Freeway Ryde, even struck a note. “We’re honored to be here,” said the Williston resident best known as the vocalist for Guster, “on the last...
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SEX-TRAFFICKING CRACKDOWN STALLS
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration has repeatedly said the fight against sex trafficking is one of its top priorities. But investigations have stalled and prosecutions declined because of staffing shortages, funding cuts, immigration enforcement...
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Fall festivals to check out, from Oktoberfest to fairs
It’s September, meaning fall is on its way to New England, ushering in a season full of apple picking, pumpkin carving and scary movie watching. Fall is also full of festivals and fairs in Vermont, including everything from historic county fairs to...
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One of Vermont’s oldest restaurants closing Sept. 12
ESSEX JUNCTION — Janice Clark’s cluttered desk at Ray’s Seafood Market & Restaurant holds a pair of particularly noteworthy objects. The salt shaker evokes the Atlantic Ocean, home of the lobsters, clams and other seashore delicacies Ray’s...
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Kennedy sought change to measles tally
WASHINGTON – Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked his new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director to remove a reference to two Pennsylvania deaths from the agency’s online measles tally after he questioned whether...
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‘LOCAL LEGEND’
WINOOSKI — If you live near the river, you’ve likely seen the gaggles of Canada geese that make their seasonal homes on the banks. They’ve done so for generations. But you probably couldn’t pick one out of a lineup. All except for a big goose with a...
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AN IDLE THREAT
Abus company that left its buses’ engines running while parked in Boston neighborhoods has settled a lawsuit by agreeing to pay $5.6 million in damages for the resulting air pollution. The settlement came in a citizen-enforcement lawsuit under the...
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Catch these concerts before summer ends
The summer of 2026 only has a few weeks of life left, as it comes to an end Sept. 22. But what a delightful few weeks it’s shaping up to be, thanks to a summer concert schedule that doesn’t show any signs of going gently into that good autumn. Outdoor...
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PRESS UNDER PRESSURE
In his White House Correspondents’ Association dinner speech on July 24, President Donald Trump made his usual diatribes against the news media. He derided the “failing” New York Times and reiterated his complaint that CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins...
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Treatment plant to incorporate AI
The state’s second-largest city plans to build artificial intelligence into its wastewater treatment facility as part of a more than $40 million makeover. The estimated two-year construction at South Burlington’s Bartlett Bay treatment plant is set to...
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Shows to check out in Sept.
The Vermont arts scene in September represents a giant collision of summer seasons ending and fall seasons beginning. The weather is good enough for outdoor concerts to be raging, yet more and more shows start popping up indoors. Some warm-weather...
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‘ISOLATED’
Severe storms, heat waves and wildfires can shut down the social life of a community, flooding out festivals, canceling community events and keeping people indoors. They’re also evidence of how climate change isn’t just changing the environments we...
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Cup of care & ambition
In 1973, Dolly Parton wrote “I Will Always Love You” to soften the blow of leaving her business partner Porter Wagoner after years of producing hit country duets together. Parton was ready to pursue a solo career. So she played the song for Wagoner to...
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AUTUMN DRAW
If you’re looking for a spot to take in peak fall foliage in Vermont, Yankee Magazine doesn’t recommend traveling far. Yankee Magazine fall foliage experts Kim Knox Beckius and foliage expert Jim Salge named the best places in each New England state...
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Tickets, parking guide for Champlain Valley Fair
Thousands are all but certain to flock to the Champlain Valley Fair next week in Essex Junction. Vermont’s largest annual event, now entering its 104th year, starts Friday, Aug. 28, and ends Sunday, Sept. 6. The fair boasts live music, rides, classic...
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Colleges confront decline in reading
Anyone who has spent time on a college campus lately has probably heard laments from faculty about their students’ reading habits, or rather nonreading habits. Such complaints are more than an unfounded nostalgia for a bygone age. Reading – not just...
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Trump gets win in mail ballot dispute
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court said lower courts moved too soon when they partly paused President Donald Trump’s executive order cracking down on mail-in ballots before the midterm elections that will decide control of Congress. The court on Aug. 24...
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Activist focuses on lives hurt by oil, gas industry
Jane Fonda is upfront at the start of the new documentary “Gaslit,” which focuses on pollution caused by the oil and gas industry in Texas and Louisiana. “My celebrity,” the activist and twotime Academy Award-winning actor says in the film she...
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‘Chef Pops’ keeps on creating
MILTON — Months after closing his restaurant, Humble Revelry, Andrew Gonyon feels still like he’s lost part of his identity. The man’s nickname is “Chef Pops.” The work he did in his three-decade career, especially pouring so much of himself into his...
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Mirabelles moves into former Kitchen Table spots
SOUTH BURLINGTON — The Kitchen Table restaurant in Richmond and its café-market counterpart in South Burlington have closed. Now, the renowned Mirabelles Bakery will set up new, expanded offerings in both spots. Mirabelles owner Jacob Kent said the...
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Iran vows ‘devastating’ response to recent threat
DUBAI – Iran said on Aug. 21 that its response to any new U.S. threats would be “devastating” after Washington pledged to impose the toughest financial penalties in history with the aim of toppling the Iranian leadership. Washington prepared for...
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U.S. debt crosses $40 trillion threshold
WASHINGTON – Total U.S. debt has topped $40 trillion for the first time, the Treasury Department said Aug. 19, drawing fresh warnings that a fiscal crisis is brewing as ballooning costs for social safety-net programs and interest payments far outstrip...
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Trump plan could hit science funding
Most Americans don’t read the rules that govern the federal grants funding science. Those rules, called the Uniform Guidance, shape how cancer research is funded, graduate students are trained, clinical trials are sustained, universities stock their...
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Mass hearings held in immigration courts
Lines have stretched out the front door of courthouses. Overflow seating has been set up in hallways. And there have been classroom-style exchanges, with judges asking people to raise their hands in response to generic questions about their...
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Blue Paddle Bistro ends 21-year run
A popular, long-running restaurant has announced its permanent closure in the heart of the Lake Champlain islands’ busy summer season. The Blue Paddle Bistro has served diners visiting South Hero for more than two decades. Mandy Hotchkiss, who ran the...
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Hundreds ride for Shiloh Skalka after fatal e-bike crash
Hundreds of cyclists brought traffic to a halt Wednesday as they rode Burlington’s South End in honor of Shiloh Skalka — the 16-year-old Burlington High School student fatally struck while riding her e-bike July 16. Local Motion, a biker- and...
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U.S. tells Iran it will step up pressure
LONDON – Transit through the Strait of Hormuz appeared to grind to a near standstill on Aug. 14 after two more ships were attacked there and the United States said it could maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely. A senior Iranian source said...
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‘As the sheriff, I wasn’t pleased’
Dan Gamelin comfortably won the Democratic race for Chittenden County sheriff over Kevin Bloom on Tuesday, according to unofficial tallies from the state. But the incumbent — who, with currently no opponents for November, will likely win another term...
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Al-Qaida, Islamic State group adopting AI
Artificial intelligence may not create a new kind of terrorism, but it makes existing tactics cheaper, faster and easier. That is the central argument of a July report from the U.S.-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies. h It...
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Pick your own peaches at these five orchards
August in New England is finally here, ushering in humid weather, summer’s final beach days and a new fruit season: peaches. Peach season typically lasts from late July or early August through early September, meaning if you want to get your hands on...
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Nonstop gross-out humor
WILLISTON — The most successful film franchise set (but, alas, not filmed) in Vermont is back in action, as tasteless and outrageous as ever. “Super Troopers 3” brings the filthyminded, prank-playing “Vermont Highway Patrol” — a most thinly veiled...
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Two Democrats aim for chance to unseat Gov. Scott
Gov. Phil Scott remains America’s favorite governor, but his support in the Green Mountain State is waning as he enters the final weeks of his sixth gubernatorial primary race. Scott’s approval rating was sitting at 48% as of July 21, the lowest since...
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New kitchen, new vision
Just like guests at The Harborvale, chef Doug Paine arrived after a journey. His took him through the restaurant industry, and the menu he’s made for the Burlington hotel reflects that. “It’s a bit of a retrospective of all the food I’ve cooked over...
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Reports: U.S. missile supply badly depleted
The war on Iran has severely depleted key U.S. missile stockpiles and left the nation and its allies in a vulnerable position for potentially years to come, several experts and reports say. U.S. missile stockpiles were low before President Donald...
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Gunshot detection tech ignites controversy
When gunshots ring out on America’s streets, bystanders face an instant, high-stakes dilemma. h Do I call the cops? Were those even gunshots? Maybe it was just fireworks. h Every moment of hesitation risks a delay in medical treatment or gives a...
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GOP-led House, Senate openly at odds
WASHINGTON – Congressional Republicans are headed into the home stretch of a crucial midterm election year bitterly divided over their competing legislative priorities. Between the Senate and House of Representatives, there are vastly different...
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George
other tools that we know disproportionately impact people of color and poor people,” she said. “It’s only when you are advocating for something that goes against the sort of status quo of prosecutors that people – people like the commissioner – at...
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Petition says Mamdani should skip 9/11 event
Some relatives of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks are urging New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani not to attend this year’s 25th anniversary remembrance ceremony, arguing that his presence would detract from what they say should remain a solemn day...
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Driver charged in crash
Local artist Douglas Knapp now faces charges from the crash that killed a 16year-old e-bike rider in Burlington midJuly. The teen, Shiloh Skalka, died after being struck by a minivan driven by Knapp on July 16, according to the Burlington Police...
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END-OF-SUMMER CONCERT GUIDE
This harsh reality is best not to think about, but August represents the last full month of summer. Didn’t we just get here? Wasn’t it only a couple of weeks ago that we emerged from our frozen hovels and squinted in the sun as spring’s first rays of...
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Attack sparks fears wars could merge
WASHINGTON – Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States insisted that leadersinKyivarenotplaying“agameofchess” with their recent drone strike on an Iranian ship and have no interest in leveraging theirconflictwithRussiaintoawider, global war in the...
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