Author: Reporter

Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles to stop protests against his immigration crackdown is not the first time an elected U.S. official has sent troops to thwart unrest over civil rights. But National Guard troops are typically deployed, for a variety of emergencies and natural disasters, with the permission of governors in responding states. Trump, a Republican, sent about 1,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles despite the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, both Democrats. Confrontations began on June 6 when dozens of protesters gathered outside a...

On this small island in rural Nagasaki, Japan’s Hidden Christians gather to worship what they call the Closet God. In a special room about the size of a tatami mat is a scroll painting of a kimono-clad Asian woman. She looks like a Buddhist Bodhisattva holding a baby, but for the faithful, this is a concealed version of Mary and the baby Jesus. Another scroll shows a man wearing a kimono covered with camellias, an allusion to John the Baptist’s beheading and martyrdom. There are other objects of worship from the days when Japan’s Christians had to hide from...

Rice is essential to Japanese culture, tradition, and politics. People take pride in the oval-shaped sticky Japonica grain, which is still a staple even though total consumption has fallen over the decades. But since last summer, prices have soared as supplies have fallen short of demand. The government has long paid farmers to cut back on rice acreage, and change to other crops to keep rice prices relatively high. To cope with shortfalls this year, the government has released rice reserves. But the grain has been slow to reach supermarket shelves. Anger over that was part of the reason...

About half of U.S. adults approve of how President Donald Trump is handling transgender issues, according to a new poll, a relative high point for a president who has the approval overall of about 4 in 10 Americans. But support for his individual policies on transgender people is not uniformly strong, with a clearer consensus against policies that affect youth. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey conducted in May found there is more support than opposition on allowing transgender troops in the military, while most do not want to allow transgender students to use the public...