Month: December 2021

By JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated Press A North Carolina man who came to Washington armed with guns and threatened to shoot House Speaker Nancy Pelosi the day after the Jan. 6 riot was sentenced to two years and four months in prison. Cleveland Meredith Jr. planned to attend President Donald Trump’s rally on Jan. 6, but

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A NASA spacecraft has officially “touched” the sun, plunging through the unexplored solar atmosphere known as the corona. Scientists announced the news Tuesday. The Parker Solar Probe actually flew through the corona in April during the spacecraft’s eighth close approach to the sun. Scientists

By The Associated Press Captain Kirk finally made it into space this past year. William Shatner was part of the new wave of civilian travelers sponsored by names like Bezos, Musk and Branson who are heading upward 10 years after NASA’s shuttle program ended. But there are big differences. What does entrepreneurial space travel have

By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A review by The Associated Press in the six battleground states disputed by former President Donald Trump has found fewer than 475 cases of potential voter fraud, a number that would have made no difference in the 2020 presidential election. Democrat Joe Biden won Arizona, Georgia,

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — O.J. Simpson is a free man. A Nevada State Police spokeswoman said Tuesday the 74-year-old former football hero and actor, acquitted California murder defendant and convicted Las Vegas armed robber was granted good behavior credits and discharged from parole effective Dec. 1. Simpson’s lawyer, Malcolm LaVergne,

By ASHRAF KHALIL Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The District of Columbia has filed a civil lawsuit seeking harsh financial penalties against far-right groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers over their role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump. The suit also names dozens of the groups’

By STEPHEN McGRATH Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A well-known judge in Romania has been suspended from his position over videos he posted on the social media platform TikTok. The move has drawn widespread criticism and condemnation from the U.S. Embassy on Tuesday. A judge in Romania’s northern city of Cluj was suspended Monday

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been ordered by New York’s ethics commission to give up the millions of dollars he was paid to write a book about his response to the pandemic. An attorney for Cuomo immediately called the action unconstitutional and promised a fight. Cuomo was directed to turn over

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR and MATTHEW PERRONE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration deftly parried questions on crises ranging from the COVID pandemic to the opioid epidemic. Dr. Robert Califf’s collegial hearing Tuesday before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee seemed to bode well

By COLLEEN LONG and MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says the nation owes the families of those killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School nine years ago “more than our prayers. We owe them action.” In a video released Tuesday, Biden said that “no matter how long it’s been, every one

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico and the United States have begun work on the new framework that will govern their security relationship going forward and replaces the Merida Initiative, which had focused on building up Mexico’s capabilities to battle the drug cartels. The U.S.-Mexico Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Health and Safe Communities seeks to

By PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — The trial of a Harvard University professor charged with hiding his ties to a Chinese-run recruitment program is the latest bellwether in the Justice Department’s controversial effort to crackdown on economic espionage by China. Jury selection has started Tuesday in Boston federal court in the trial of

By MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press A man who was effectively sentenced to life in prison for a robbery he committed as a teenager in St. Louis has been granted parole. The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri says 42-year-old Bobby Bostic was granted parole Monday and will be released from prison late next year.

VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — Malta has decriminalized the possession and cultivation of cannabis for personal use by adults. Lawmakers also took steps Tuesday to set up what could become Europe’s first cannabis regulatory authority.   Under the new legislative package, it will become legal for anyone 18 and over to possess up to 7 grams

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A jury found a private contractor that accidentally dug into a Florida water main responsible for leaving nearly a quarter-million people without water for days. The verdict reached late Monday means Florida Communications Concepts could be held liable for tens of millions of dollars. During the weeklong trial, jurors learned

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press DAWSON SPRINGS, Ky. (AP) — In the desperate hours after the massive storm struck his state, Gov. Andy Beshear took time from his duties to do what many of his fellow Kentuckians were doing — making calls to track down a relative. The Democratic governor said Monday there was a

PARIS (AP) — The Paris prosecutor says 26 migrants have been formally identified in the tragic capsizing last month of a boat in the English Channel that cost the lives of at least 27 people trying to reach Britain.  They include seven women, a teenager and a 7-year-old girl. Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said Tuesday the

By BRIAN SLODYSKO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress has approved a $2.5 trillion debt limit hike, sending legislation to avert a catastrophic default to President Joe Biden for his signature. The flurry of action, which stretched into Wednesday’s early morning hours, came just shy of a deadline set by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for