Great Falls Tribune
Teenage shooter kills 4 at elementary school
Authorities are investigating a deadly shooting at an Oregon elementary school where police say a teenage suspect killed three children and a teacher before being fatally shot by a witness. Police officials say the 16-year-old suspect shot his way...
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Justices side with GOP in campaign ad dispute
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court once again sided with the Trump administration in a dispute over radio and television advertising rates in the runup to the November midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. Democrats are challenging a...
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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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Federal agents search home of Ilhan Omar
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, decried a federal search of her home as “political intimidation,” saying on social media, “I will not be silenced.” By the morning of Oct. 12, a block in northeast Washington, DC, had been taken over. Federal law...
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Cornell students push for change
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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Movement touts addictive drug as beneficial, but dangers persist
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 admin ends disability hiring rule
For Alicia Deal, disability advocacy is deeply personal, forged through years of fighting the very workplace barriers she works to dismantle. Deaf and hard of hearing since childhood, Deal later learned she has ADHD and autism. She says she has had to...
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Mamdani calls Trump after ICE shooting
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot a man in New York City’s Marble Hill neighborhood on Oct. 8, according to Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who said agents surrounded the man and a 5-year-old child in his car before firing multiple...
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Common infections drive cancer cases
Millions of cancer cases worldwide, about 1 in 8, have an underlying cause that is not only treatable but entirely preventable, according to a new study. h The answer lies in infections, according to research published in early October in The Lancet...
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Loud sounds have hidden health risks
The human body is remarkably good at getting used to the environment around it. You’ve probably experienced this if you’ve ever gone to a matinee and emerged from the dark theater into sunshine. Your eyes sting, so you squint and shield your face until...
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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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Yemeni government forces retake strait
Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have secured effective control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemen’s Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani told Reuters on Oct. 5, though fighting continues with Houthi forces in the area. The government forces...
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The AI of the storm
Artificial intelligence has revolutionized weather forecasting in just a few years, with global AI weather models now able to produce forecasts that rival some of the world’s best physics-based prediction systems. h This remarkable progress has been...
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‘Systemic breakdowns in vetting’
Flush with cash to fulfill President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement began a hiring spree last year that more than doubled its number of agents and officers. In the first half of this year, nearly 3,000...
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PUMPING PRICES
President Donald Trump’s move to reduce the sticker shock on new cars by rolling back federal economy rules could end up costing most drivers more money in fuel costs than they would save on new vehicles, according to analysis from Trump’s own Highway...
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Report: AI is being used to plan violence
Did a college student charged with murder in Florida turn to ChatGPT for help not with homework but with planning a mass shooting that left two dead and five wounded? Evidence against him suggests he did, according to a new report citing court records...
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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. h Set to Van Halen’s “Jump,” with a montage of 1980s cultural references and images of Trump in various...
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U.S. ban hits Canadian alcohol
WINNIPEG, Manitoba – As a U.S. ban on many Canadian alcohol imports took effect on Sept. 29, John Cote had hoped to boost domestic sales of his Black Fox artisanal whiskey and gin by tapping a wave of “buy Canadian” sentiment during the trade war with...
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U.K. probes alleged plot involving U.S. airbase
FAIRFORD, England – British police said on Sept. 28 they were investigating whether individuals acting for a foreign state were involved in an apparent plot to attack an airbase used by the United States but said five suspects they had arrested would...
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PATCHWORK OF POLICIES
Standing in your local retail store, it can be mindboggling to try to weigh the pros and cons of all the packaging options. Take shampoo, for example. Shampoo can come in a rigid plastic bottle, a flexible squeeze tube, a refillable metal canister or...
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Experts: Recess important for child development ‘THEY NEED TO PLAY’
MILWAUKEE – Demands are high, and school districts are always looking for ways to get the most of their students’ academic performance. That might mean free time and recess could be at a premium, as schools try to eke out as much time for academics as...
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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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At U.N., Iran says it won’t surrender
UNITED NATIONS – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a speech at the United Nations on Sept. 23 that Tehran would never surrender to the United States but still believes in diplomacy, a day after President Donald Trump used the same forum to...
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Trump threatens to ‘annihilate’ Iran
UNITED NATIONS – President Donald Trump urged world leaders to join the United States in isolating Iran, using an address before the United Nations General Assembly to justify the war that’s unpopular with most Americans, talk up his tariffs and...
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Some voters turning to AI for election info
Creating recipes, finding news, generating images, answering research questions, writing emails, helping with job applications: the list of what people are using AI for goes on and on. But researchers suggest that the 2026 midterms are inspiring...
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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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Shaping safety standards
University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute associate director Jingwen Hu’s research aims to draw attention to the ways in which vehicles are less safe for any human smaller, fatter or taller than the industry standard crash test...
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U.N. mission details U.S., Iran allegations
GENEVA – A United Nations factfinding mission on Iran said on Sept. 17 it had reasonable grounds to believe the United States was behind two military strikes on a school and sports facility in Iran in February, and that these constituted war...
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Massie moves to impeach Hegseth over Iran war
WASHINGTON – Republicans in the House of Representatives abruptly canceled the chamber’s last day of work before a roughly eight-week recess, punting a sensitive vote on impeaching Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth until after the midterm elections. Rep....
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USPS mail ballot changes blocked
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court on Sept. 14 declined to let the U.S. Postal Service tighten the use of mail-in ballots ahead of the November midterm elections that will decide control of Congress. The ruling was a loss for President Donald Trump,...
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Second judge blocks mail-in voting rules
A second federal judge moved late Sept. 13 to block President Donald Trump’s administration from implementing a new U.S. Postal Service rule that would tighten mail-in voting requirements, though the U.S. Supreme Court is still weighing the...
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DIGITAL DETOX
A trove of recent articles bemoan the collapse in recreational reading among younger Americans, with COVID-19 pandemic-related reading declines, artificial intelligence and social media often described as causes. But as the authors of “How Gen Z...
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ICE releases seriously ill detainees in hospitals
Jose Chajon-Raxon’s casket was carried on the back of a pickup truck through his hometown of San Juan Sacatepéquez, Guatemala. An American flag covered the casket – a symbol of the country where the 39-year-old immigrant had sought a future, and where...
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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. h A quarter-century...
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A GENERATION OF AFTERSHOCK
Aquarter-century later, 9/11 still echoes. The worst terrorist attack in U.S. history has been followed by other seismic events, from a once-in-a-century global pandemic to the rise of artificial intelligence that is transforming commerce, education...
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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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‘TRUMPAPALOOZA’ TO PUSH BRAND
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has a solution for his party’s midterm woes as Republicans struggle to match Democrats’ election enthusiasm and face major headwinds to keep control of Congress: More Trump. It’s almost time for “Trumpapalooza,”...
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UNPLUGGED
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced in-person classroom instruction to go virtual, students suddenly needed to have their own laptops or tablets in order to interact with teachers and complete assignments. Most states used federal pandemic funding to...
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TX governor’s race on midterm map
BEEVILLE, TX – The makeup and toys on Valencia Macias’ table are items people buy on impulse at discount stores. But on a sweltering summer day in South Texas, she is trying to sell them to turn them into gas money, grocery money, student loan money:...
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Speaking Colonially
Did loyalists to the English crown think that George Washington, John Adams and Ben Franklin were a bunch of snollygosters and belswaggers brabbling as they droiled and desudated in the July heat? h Did their hearts ake, missing the wimmin and dawters...
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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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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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U.S. pounds Iran, Tehran hits bases
WASHINGTON – Iranians and their Arab neighbors feared a return of war on Sept. 2 after the biggest exchange of fire between Tehran and Washington since July, with U.S. forces striking Iran’s southern coast and Iran firing at American bases across the...
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U.S. launches new strikes around Strait of Hormuz
DUBAI – The United States launched new air strikes on Iranian targets on Sept. 1, quashing hopes that a recent exchange of fire might not herald a wider renewal of hostilities. Oil prices had already risen after that first exchange of direct attacks...
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Iran is still seeking negotiated end to war
DUBAI – Iran is still seeking a negotiated solution to its conflict with the United States, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Aug. 31, a day after the two countries resumed hostilities for the first time since late July, driving oil prices up more...
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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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Cattle ranchers fume over Trump plan
POWER, MT – When Tim Brunner was at an auction barn recently, he was surprised to see decent cows selling several hundred dollars cheaper than they were just a few weeks earlier. He largely blames President Donald Trump, and he’s not the only...
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Officials call USPS ballot rule impossible
Current and former election officials said it would take something close to “an act of God” for their states and localities to comply with a new U.S. Postal Service mail-in ballot rule just weeks before the midterm elections. The rule, which the...
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Glacier collapse may have triggered flood
The volume and speed of the wall of mud, boulders and debris that rushed more than 60 miles down a river through Nepal on Aug. 26 shocked even experienced researchers who study mountains, glaciers and waterways in the Himalayas. “The force of this...
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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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LOVE, ALWAYS
Dolly Parton, the “Queen of Country” singing and songwriting icon with a personality as bold as her signature blond coif and rhinestone-encrusted outfits, has died. She was 80. Parton’s death was announced by her family on her social media pages and...
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Trump announces hike on Canada auto tariffs
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said he’s doubling tariffs on imported automobiles and auto parts from Canada to a rate of 50%, further escalating a trade war with the United States’ northern neighbor that erupted over the weekend after...
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Embryo personhood debate gains notice
About 100,000 babies were born through in vitro fertilization in 2024, according to the most recent U.S. data. But IVF commonly involves trying to create multiple embryos, because success is never guaranteed. If unused, those embryos can be frozen,...
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Early access to Trump posts raises concern
President Donald Trump’s social media company is charging clients up to $100,000 a month for priority access to Trump’s own official announcements as well as other “market-moving” government news such as new tariffs and military actions. Just a few...
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Iran vows ‘devastating’ response to new threats
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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CLANCY TRIAL HINGES ON INSANITY DEFENSE
The question at the heart of a closely watched Massachusetts murder trial is not whether a mother killed her three young children, but whether mental illness means she can’t be held legally responsible. Lindsay Clancy, 36, is charged with three counts...
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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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PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
Fans mourn singer Tyler during hearse procession in Wales
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Trump orders cuts to South Korea drills
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Aug. 16 instructed the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with long-term Asian ally South Korea, citing the cost of the drills and Seoul’s refusal to take part in actions against...
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DOJ pressed, dropped officer assault cases
Christian Garcia admits that he threw a water bottle toward officers guarding a federal building near Los Angeles during an immigration protest last summer. The plastic bottle was empty, he said, and hit no one but Garcia himself – the wind blew it...
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Family’s road trip veered off course
SHEBOYGAN, WI – Elvira BenitezSuarez was napping in the passenger seat when she heard a noise and woke up. What she saw on the GPS alarmed her. “What are we doing in Canada?” she asked her husband, Ricardo Chavez, who was driving. They were way off...
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Judge warns of penalties over the Epstein files case
WASHINGTON – A federal judge presiding over a lawsuit on the release of the Epstein files warned Justice Department lawyers on Aug. 13 that he could penalize them and put a stain on their professional records if they don’t comply with his orders. “I’m...
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Iran, U.S. both claim to control Strait of Hormuz
DUBAI – The Strait of Hormuz is “under Iran’s control and management,” the recently appointed head of Iran’s Basij paramilitary unit said on Aug. 13, a day after President Donald Trump said the United States had “total control” of the strategic...
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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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Critics take aim at Trump vaccine order
President Donald Trump hailed his new order on childhood vaccines as a win for parental choice as doctors slammed the move, saying it could lead to greater risk of diseases that were rarely seen for generations. Trump signed an executive order Aug. 10...
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Officials seek to stop mail-in ballot rules
Less than 90 days out from the midterms, election officials are pleading with the Supreme Court to block the Trump administration from making changes that would allow the U.S. Postal Service to decide who gets mail-in ballots. And after the Postal...
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Military bases delay toxic PFAS cleanup
It’s been almost five years since Brandi and Brad Hyatt found out the well at their home next to an Army base in Washington is contaminated with “forever chemicals.” h They started using bottled water for everything from making coffee to rinsing off...
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Immigrants a key role in U.S. economy, experts say
For years, employers from Florida to Ohio have relied on immigrants taking part in a humanitarian program to staff hard-to-fill job openings for construction workers and home health aides. h In recent months, they warned, the Trump administration’s...
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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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Iran issues warning to Persian Gulf states
Iran has made a concerted diplomatic push with Persian Gulf states, warning them explicitly that Tehran will hit their oil, power and water plants unless they convince President Donald Trump to end U.S. strikes on Iran and instead seek a negotiated end...
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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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Man arrested for arson in WA wildfires
Authorities in Washington have arrested a man in connection with one of the major wildfires devastating the eastern part of the state, which has destroyed hundreds of homes and forced tens of thousands to flee. Aaron F. Farinacci, a 37-year-old...
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Wildfires in Washington force 60,000 to evacuate
About 60,000 people have evacuated from the Spokane, Washington, area as wildfires fueled by strong winds and dry conditions destroyed hundreds of buildings and knocked out power across the region, officials said. Three wildfires, collectively...
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Primary wins, GOP attacks draw attention to the left
Ahead of a challenging midterm election, Republicans have seized an opportunity to castigate their opponents as extremists after democratic socialists won Democratic congressional primaries in New York City, Colorado and Washington, DC. GOP leaders...
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