Tim Allen disclosed that Disney had approached both him and Tom Hanks, who voices Woody, about the possibility of another sequel

Support for the far-right Alternative for Germany climbed to a record, widening its lead over all three parties

By Ahmed Aboulenein WASHINGTON The U.S. government on Thursday will end the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency that allowed

Pope Francis' surgeon says the pontiff is following doctors' advice and he will skip Sunday's customary public blessing to allow him to better heal after abdominal surgery

The yen weakened beyond 140 per dollar for the first time since November as traders moved to price

The unraveling of Hunter Biden's plea agreement has thrust his criminal case into uncertain waters and given new fodder to Republican critics in Congress as they push ahead with investigations into the president's youngest son. Biden was supposed to plead guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor charges for failing to pay taxes. But U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika in Delaware put the brakes on the guilty plea after raising concerns during an hourslong hearing about the structure and terms of the agreement and another deal that would allow him to avoid prosecution on a gun charge if he meets certain conditions. Plea deals are carefully negotiated between defense lawyers and prosecutors over the course of weeks or months and it's unusual — especially in high-profile cases — for judges to not sign off on them. But Wednesday's hearing revealed that the two sides apparently did not see eye to eye on the scope of the agreement around a non-prosecution clause for crimes outside of the gun charge. A look at what happens now in the criminal case and what's next for the Biden investigations in Congress: WHAT HAPPENS NOW IN COURT? Noreika — an appointee of former President Donald Trump — told both sides to file written briefs addressing her concerns within 30 days. Among other things, Noreika took issue with a provision in the agreement on the gun charge that she said would have created a role for her where she would determine if he violated the terms. The lawyers said they wanted her to serve as a neutral fact finder in determining if a violation happened, but Noreika said that is the Justice Department's job — not the judge's. Hunter Biden's lawyers and the Justice Department also disagreed on the extent to which the agreement gave him immunity from future prosecution. A prosecutor said Wednesday their investigation was ongoing, and that the agreement protecting him from other potential charges was limited only to certain offenses over a certain time frame. Biden's lawyers said it was broader than that. After intense courtroom negotiations, the two sides appeared to agree to a more narrow non-prosecution clause. Biden's lawyers and prosecutors will now continue negotiations to see if they can salvage the agreement in a way that satisfies the judge. "They are going to have to go back and figure out how they can come to an agreement terms of the plea and they have to come to a meeting of the minds, which is clear they don't have here," said Jessica Tillipman, associate dean for government procurement law studies at George Washington University Law School. "So I think what you'll see is a renewed effort — or it's just going to collapse." The judge may ultimately accept the deal that was proposed or reject it. If the deal totally falls apart, Biden could eventually face a trial. WILL HE AVOID JAIL TIME? Even if the judge ultimately accepts the plea agreement, she will have the final say on whether he serves any time behind bars. Prosecutors have said that they will recommend probation, but the judge can decide not to follow that. The two tax charges carry up to a year in prison. And the judge suggested on Wednesday that it was too soon to say whether she's willing to sign off on probation. “I can’t predict for you today whether that is an appropriate sentence or not,” Noreika said. “I can’t say that I will accept the sentence recommendation or whether a different sentence would be more appropriate.” WHAT'S GOING ON IN CONGRESS? The collapse of the younger Biden’s plea deal Wednesday came as joyful news to House Republicans vying to connect him and his questionable business dealings to his father. Republicans had already slammed the agreement as a “sweetheart deal." “The judge did the obvious thing, they put a pause on the plea deal, so I think that was progress,” Rep. James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said Wednesday. “I think it adds credibility to what we’re doing.” He added that this will only propel their investigation to get answers “as to what the family did, and what level of involvement the president had.” Comer has been investigating Hunter Biden’s financial ties and transactions since gaining the gavel in January. The Kentucky lawmaker has obtained thousands of pages of financial records from various members of the Biden family through subpoenas to the Treasury Department and various financial institutions. Last month, shortly after Hunter Biden reached an agreement with the government, Comer joined forces with two chairmen of powerful committees to launch a larger investigation into claims by two IRS agents who claimed the Justice Department improperly interfered in the yearslong case. IRS supervisory special agent Greg Shapley and a second agent, Joe Ziegler, testified before Congress last week that there was a pattern of “slow-walking investigative steps” into Hunter Biden, including during the Trump administration in the months before the 2020 election that Joe Biden won. One of the most detailed claims was that U.S. Attorney David Weiss in Delaware, the federal prosecutor who led the investigation, asked for special counsel status in order to bring the tax cases against Hunter Biden in jurisdictions outside Delaware, including the District of Columbia and California, but was denied. Weiss and the Justice Department have denied that, saying he had “full authority” and never sought to bring charges in other states. Despite the denials, Republicans are moving forward with their probes, asking Weiss to come in and testify about the case directly. The Justice Department has offered to have the prosecutor come before lawmakers after the August recess. ____ Richer reported from Boston. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide White House attacks McCarthy’s impeachment gambit as ‘ridiculous, baseless stunt’ Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to two tax charges after chaos around deal Hunter Biden’s plea deal appears at risk of falling apart. What happens next?

A powdery substance that was discovered at the White House Sunday evening, prompting a temporary evacuation of the complex, has been sent for further evaluation and testing, the Secret Service said.

More than 4,800 flights were behind schedule as rain and strong winds buffeted the US east coast.

A ballot measure approved by Oregon voters last November was supposed to disqualify state lawmakers who carry out extensive walkouts from being reelected for the following term

Hundreds of parents and others have observed Mexico's Mother’s Day with a march through the capital to demand justice for the country's disappeared

Hillary Clinton appeared on the Pod Save America podcast alongside a number of former Obama staffers, laughing as she was handed a t-shirt saying “Totally Impartial Potential Juror” after former President Donald Trump was indicted on 37 counts in connection to his alleged mishandling of national security information. The former secretary of state, senator, and first lady took part in the Monday evening recording released on Tuesday. “You’re kidding!” she said, laughing as the hosts spoke of Mr Trump’s fresh indictment. “I have a lot of reactions to it. And I think the best reaction publicly is, you know, let’s see it unfold and let’s see what happens.” After she was handed the t-shirt, she couldn’t resist pointing to its ‘Crooked’ logo and joking that it was the ex-president’s ‘nickname’. Meanwhile, Mr Trump appeared at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf course on Tuesday night, claiming that she “acid-washed” her emails, also contending that she stole china and furniture from the White House. “Hillary Clinton broke the law and she didn’t get indicted,” he said. “Hillary Clinton took hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of furniture, china, flatware, rugs and more from the White House and she wasn’t prosecuted,” Mr Trump suggested. “How about that one. She took the furniture and the china.” “It seems likely right now that he will end up the nominee,” Ms Clinton said of Mr Trump. “I mean, something can happen between now and when they start actually voting in the primary. But the Republican rules, as you know, favour winner take all.” “So the more people who get in against him, his chances actually go up. And then the response that we’ve seen in polling from Republicans suggests that they’re going to stick with him, that it’s more of a cult than a political party at this point, and they’re going to stick with their leader,” she added. “So I think that actually President Biden is in a very strong position to run a campaign that doesn’t have to talk about him. But I think other Democrats should and other concerned Americans should be asking hard questions.” “I have said now for months that Joe Biden had a remarkable first two years as president. I don’t think he gets the credit for it. And in part, that’s because he’s not a performer. He’s a producer. You know, he gets up every day and he goes to work for the American people,” the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee said. “In a time where in politics, not just in our country but elsewhere in the world, entertainment is really important. And the shock factor and the insult factor and the scapegoating and the finger-pointing, he’s really not doing it,” Ms Clinton said about Mr Biden. “And he is very careful about how he tries to present himself. I think that contrast is important. His accomplishments are important and trying to get people to focus on, okay, when the circus leaves town, what’s your life going to be like? How are you going to feel about your future and your family’s future and the big challenges that we have here at home and around the world.” “I think that’s the way to present a strong incumbent campaign against Trump,” she added. Ms Clinton said Republicans “refuse to read the indictment. They refuse to engage with the facts. There’s nothing new about that. And what they refuse to admit is this is on a track about him, not about anybody else. No matter how much they try to confuse people and how much they try to raise extraneous issues”. The former New York senator said that “it’s going to be fascinating, in a bizarre and sad way, to watch them spin themselves up”. “Their efforts to defend this man are truly beyond anything that I ever thought possible in our country. It is so profoundly disturbing how this could have ... been the opportunity to say, ‘Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for us. We really appreciate it, but this is kind of serious, and so we’re not going to continue to defend you,’” Ms Clinton said. “But no, they’re all in ... the psychology of this is so hard for me to fully grasp.” Read More Trump indictment — live: Trump 2024 rakes in $2m from Bedminster speech after federal charges arraignment Trump fundraises $2m from post-arraignment appearances Trump fans harass British reporter who asked him if he’s ‘ready for jail’ at Versailles restaurant Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

It was a week to forget in China, starting with data showing the worst export decline since February