Month: November 2021

By JUWON PARK Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — TWICE, the nine-member K-pop band with over 9 million Twitter followers, says they feel their popularity growing overseas. The group’s third full-length album was released last week and it includes three English-language tracks. On Monday, TWICE announced announced a global tour kicking off Dec. 24

By REBECCA BOONE Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho lawmaker who publicized the name of an intern who reported she was raped by another legislator has been stripped of a committee assignment. Members of the Idaho House of Representatives voted on Monday to remove Rep. Priscilla Giddings from the Commerce and Human Resources

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer As the biggest cryptocurrencies flirt with record highs in value, they are increasingly becoming bigger sources of revenue for charities. However, the number of charities accepting the virtual currencies, known for their volatility, remains limited. According to CoinGecko pricing, the world of crypto recently pushed past $3 trillion in

By TERRY SPENCER Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Attorneys for Florida high school shooter Nikolas Cruz told a judge that detectives made false statements to obtain search warrants that let them seize evidence from his cellphone and bedroom. The attorneys asked Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer on Monday to bar prosecutors from showing jurors

MIAMI (AP) — Raul Rivero, a one-time foreign correspondent for official Cuban media before he broke with the government and was jailed for months in a widespread crackdown, has died. He was 75. Rivero’s death on Nov. 6 following respiratory problems at a Miami hospital was confirmed Monday by his wife, Blanca Reyes. She said

HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston hospital has temporarily suspended a doctor for spreading false information about COVID-19 to her patients and on social media. Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, an ear, nose and throat specialist who runs a private practice in River Oaks, had been granted provisional privileges at Houston Methodist Hospital within the last year.

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Film industry crew members have narrowly voted to approve a pair of contracts with Hollywood producers. The vote announced Monday comes after a standoff that nearly led to a strike that would have frozen productions across the U.S. The popular vote of members was within

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spanish rescuers say 10 migrants have died while trying to reach the Canary Islands archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. Rescuers said Monday they found a migrant boat drifting 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the Canary Islands and saved 40 people but recovered two bodies. The boat is believed to have departed

By ADEL OMRAN Associated Press TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Libya’s interim prime minister says he’ll run for president if that’s what the people want. The announcement comes a day after the son of the country’s late dictator Moammar Gadhafi emerged after years of hiding and announced his own candidacy for the country’s top office. The

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Las Vegas business executive whose voter fraud claim was featured by state Republicans in November 2020 as proof of tainted votes has agreed to plead guilty to voting more than once in the same election. According to a plea agreement filed Monday, Donald “Kirk” Hartle

By SAM MEDNICK Associated Press OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — The death toll for the weekend attack in northern Burkina Faso has risen to at least 28 officers and four civilians. The government gave the new toll Monday, saying it marked the deadliest attack on the West African nation’s security forces since jihadi violence started

By TODD RICHMOND Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — On the surface, it looked like prosecutors would convict Kyle Rittenhouse on at least one charge in his murder trial — being a minor in possession of a firearm. Rittenhouse was 17 when he shot three people during a protest against police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin,

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida lawmakers have begun debating a package of bills to combat coronavirus vaccine mandates, continuing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ fight against virus rules. The weeklong special legislative session in the GOP-controlled statehouse includes proposals to let workers opt out of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and allow parents

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Nearly 300 people trapped overnight in their vehicles following mudslides on a highway in British Columbia are being flown by helicopters to safety while authorities try to determine if anyone may have been swept up in the flow of debris set off by torrential rain. A yellow Cormorant chopper dropped

COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia district attorney has  pleaded guilty to several charges against him and agreed to resign from office. Mark Jones’ plea came as jurors were deliberating Monday after hearing evidence in the state’s case against him last week. Jones took office in January, overseeing the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit serving several counties

By DYLAN LOVAN Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Federal prosecutors in Kentucky have ended their case against four former coal company executives. A former safety director testified Monday about how he attempted to cheat underground safety rules. The former Armstrong Coal officials are accused of ordering workers to skirt dust sampling regulations. Ron Ivy,

Associated Press JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida-based company that owns the Firehouse Subs chain is in contract to be purchased by a Canadian company that owns Burger King, Popeye’s and Tim Horton’s fast-food restaurants. Restaurant Brands International said Monday that it had reached an agreement to acquire Jacksonville-based Firehouse Restaurant Group Inc. in a

By KIM CHANDLER Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) —  An Alabama judge accused of violating judicial rules with her criticism of the death penalty is going before a disciplinary court on ethics charges. A complaint before the Alabama Court of the Judiciary on Monday says Jefferson County Circuit Judge Tracie Todd wrongly became embroiled in

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are back this month with a new album of covers, 14 years after their surprise hit with critics and fans, “Raising Sand.” The new album, “Raise the Roof” out Friday from Rounder Records, follows the blueprint of the first, including

By LISA BAUMANN Associated Press BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — Days of heavy rainfall and high winds Monday coming from a powerful atmospheric river in Washington caused extensive flooding and mudslides that forced evacuations, closed schools and closed Interstate 5 south of Bellingham. More than 158,0000 customers were without power in western Washington Monday afternoon. Authorities

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A powerful Philadelphia labor leader and a city council member were found guilty of conspiracy charges in a corruption trial. The conviction Monday followed a lengthy FBI investigation. Prosecutors said John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty kept a union electrician-turned-Philadelphia City Council member Bobby Henon on the payroll to help his union keep a

By STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Federal safety regulators reach an agreement with Smithfield Foods to settle a contested citation of the company’s coronavirus safety measures during a massive outbreak last year at the South Dakota pork processing plant. The company will develop a plan to prevent infectious diseases at meatpacking

By DENISE LAVOIE Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Republicans are on track to win a majority in the House of Delegates, according to results certified by the state on Monday. But two races where Republicans are leading by razor-thin margins are eligible for recounts, leaving open a remote possibility of a 50-50 split

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Several thousand people have rallied in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, demanding that authorities in the ex-Soviet nation transfer the jailed ex-president to a civilian hospital amid reports that his health is deteriorating after weeks of being on a hunger strike. Mikheil Saakashvili, 53, announced a hunger strike shortly after his

By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer Health care costs rise every year, but the nation’s biggest employers still see insurance coverage as an important benefit to provide. They just struggle getting the health care system to deliver what their workers need, according to Elizabeth Mitchell, CEO of the Purchaser Business Group on Health. Mitchell’s nonprofit

LONDON (AP) — Members of a gang of international jewel thieves who stole millions in gems and other valuables from wealthy victims including Formula One heiress Tamara Ecclestone have been sentenced to prison terms by a British judge. Italian citizens Jugoslav Jovanovic, Alessandro Maltese and Alessandro Donati struck three London mansions during a two-week burglary

By BROOKE LEFFERTS Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — When Bob Mackie was 11, his uncle asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, and his response was a costume designer on Broadway. Mackie lived in California and had never been to New York, but he was fixated on the “color, excitement

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is proposing a $25 million investment to repair Miami’s Freedom Tower. The aging building is also known as the “Ellis Island of the South” because it housed the Cuban Assistance Center where refugees received government help after leaving the communist island following

By ANNIE MA and MIKE MELIA Associated Press The rollout of COVID-19 shots for elementary-age children has exposed another blind spot in the nation’s efforts to address pandemic inequalities. Health systems have released little data on the racial breakdown of youth vaccinations, and community leaders fear that Black and Latino kids are falling behind. Only