MIAMI (AP) — The Justice Department was expected to announce a criminal case Wednesday against former Cuban President Raúl Castro as the Trump administration escalates pressure on the socialist government, according to two people familiar with the matter. Federal prosecutors in Miami were preparing an indictment related to Castro’s alleged role in the 1996 downing of two planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Castro, now 94, was Cuba's defense minister at a...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two police officers who helped defend the U. S. Capitol from an attack by a mob of Trump supporters sued on Wednesday to block anyone — including Jan. 6, 2021, rioters — from receiving payouts from a new $1. 776 billion settlement fund for people who claim to be victims of politically motivated prosecutions. The officers' attorneys filed the federal lawsuit a day after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the fund's creation during a congressional hearing. a on...

NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists have spotted two humpback whales that made separate, record-breaking crossings between Australia and Brazil. The whales were identified by their distinctive tail markings at the two locations about 9,000 miles (14,500 kilometers) apart. They traveled in opposite directions and journeyed farther than any humpback known so far. “It’s a very rare event, but it is a really wonderful demonstration of just how wide-ranging these animals are,” said Phillip Clapham,...