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JOSH LEDERMAN, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) —
The presidents of the United States and Cuba have spoken by phone for only the second time in more than 50 years, setting the stage for a historic encounter between the two leaders at a regional summit starting Friday in Panama.
Associated Press
Hillary Rodham Clinton will end months of speculation about her political future and launch her long-awaited 2016 presidential campaign on Sunday, according to people familiar with her plans.
The first official word that Clinton will seek the Democratic Party's nomination will come via an online video posted on social media. She'll then make stops in key early voting states, including Iowa and New Hampshire, where she'll hold small events with voters.
One Democrat familiar with campaign rollout said Clinton's stops would include visits to people's homes in those early states.
The people familiar with Clinton's plans spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them publicly.
The former secretary of state will be making her second bid for president and will enter the race in a strong position to succeed her rival from the 2008 Democratic primary, President Barack Obama. Clinton appears unlikely to face a stiff primary opponent, though a handful of lower-profile Democrats have said they are considering their own campaigns.
Should she win the nomination, Clinton would face the winner of a Republican primary season that could feature as many as two dozen candidates. Among them, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who is expected to formally announce his campaign in Miami on Monday - a day after Clinton's announcement on social media.
Clinton will return to politics following a two-year leave from government. If elected, the former first lady would be the nation's first female president.
Republicans have been preparing for a second Clinton campaign since she left Obama's administration in early 2013. They intend to campaign against her by equating her potential presidency to that of a "third" Obama term, during which they argue she would continue his most unpopular policies.
Associated Press
Lauren Hill spent her final year polishing a layup and inspiring others to live fully. She succeeded at both as she fought an inoperable brain tumor.
The 19-year-old freshman basketball player at Mount St. Joseph University died at a hospital Friday morning, the co-founder of her nonprofit foundation, Brooke Desserich, told The Associated Press.
"She's made an impact on the world, more so than me - more than I ever will do," her coach Dan Benjamin said. "I've gotten so many emails and phone calls from all over the world. People are contacting me because they want to share her story."
Hill wouldn't let the tumor dictate her final days. Along the way, she became known simply as Lauren, someone who knew how to make the most of every day and who had a knack for encouraging others to do the same by the way she persevered.
"We are forever grateful to have had Lauren grace our campus with her smile and determined spirit," Mount St. Joseph President Tony Aretz said. "She has left a powerful legacy. She taught us that every day is a blessing; every moment a gift."
Her nonprofit foundation helped to raise more than $1.5 million for cancer research.
"She not only became a spotlight on the lack of funding for cancer research, but she most certainly has become a beacon guiding researchers for years to come," Desserich said.
A year and a half ago, Hill was just another high school student getting ready for college. She decided to play basketball at Mount St. Joseph, a Division III school in suburban Cincinnati. Soccer was her favorite sport, but basketball became her selling point.
A few weeks later, she started experiencing dizziness while playing for her high school team in nearby Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Tests found the tumor. Treatment didn't work. She knew she had less than two years left.