Month: December 2021

CHICAGO (AP) — The lone Black juror on the panel that convicted Jussie Smollett of lying to Chicago police about what authorities say was a staged hate crime says he cannot get past how the actor put a noose around his neck when officers were coming to interview him. Andre Hope told WLS-TV in an

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — More than 50 years after his record-setting basketball career at LSU, “Pistol” Pete Maravich’s college letterman jacket has sold for nearly $117,000 at auction. According to The Advocate, last weekend’s auction of various Maravich memorabilia netted over $160,000, including the earnings from the jacket. The purple jacket was worn by

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Damson Idris transformed from his real life British-speaking Nigerian persona into a canny drug kingpin character with a West Coast accent on FX’s popular crime drama “Snowfall.” Idris made his presence felt as Franklin Saint, a young street-minded entrepreneur who was educated in an

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer Nothing can really prepare a person to go from New Jersey high school student to the lead in a Steven Spielberg adaption of “West Side Story,” but if anyone was up to the task it was Rachel Zegler. The 20-year-old triple threat was supposed to have her breakout moment

By NOMAAN MERCHANT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The United Arab Emirates is suspending talks on a $23 billion deal to purchase American-made F-35 planes, armed drones and other equipment, a rare dispute between Washington and a key ally in the Persian Gulf. The Emirati embassy in Washington said it would “suspend discussions” with the

By DAVID PORTER Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A landlord accused of demanding sex from his low-income tenants has agreed to pay more than $4 million to settle a federal lawsuit. The Department of Justice sued Joseph Centanni in August 2020, accusing him of engaging in “severe or pervasive sexual harassment” over a period

By ROB GILLIES Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Toronto police are asking for the public’s help to identify a suspect in the murders of Canadian drug company billionaire Barry Sherman and his wife, Honey. Det. Sgt. Brandon Price says police have not been able to rule out one individual who was captured on surveillance video

By DYLAN LOVAN and RUSS BYNUM Associated Press A Kentucky woman who worked her way up from school bus driver to become an administrator and school board member is among dozens of victims killed by tornadoes that ripped through five states in the Midwest and South. Sixty-five-year-old Jenny Bruce of Dawson Springs, Kentucky, worked for

By FARNOUSH AMIRI and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has voted to hold former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress after he ceased to cooperate with the Jan. 6 committee investigating the Capitol insurrection. It is the first time the House has voted to hold

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The leaders of Gulf Arab states have arrived in Saudi Arabia for their annual summit, a united meeting that comes amid heightened tensions over Iran’s nuclear program and after a yearslong boycott of Qatar. Tuesday’s Gulf Cooperation Council Summit, previously a contentious affair given that three out of the

MADRID (AP) — Authorities in the Spanish city of Zaragoza are bracing for a critical surge in the level of the Ebro River after flooding further upstream in recent days was blamed for two deaths. The river’s flow rate climbed Tuesday to almost double Sunday’s rate as water from torrential rain and thawing snow rushed

By RAF CASERT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — A ruling by the European Union’s top court has boosted the rights of same-sex parents and their children in the 27-nation bloc. The European Court of Justice said a child with two mothers certified in one EU nation must also be recognized by the other EU members

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is revamping the rules governing the movement of people and goods into and around Europe. It comes as coronavirus restrictions and fears over a “hybrid attack” from Belarus using migrants are straining Europe’s passport-free travel area. The Schengen travel zone includes 26 countries, four

By GRANT PECK Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — A local freelance photojournalist in Myanmar has died in military custody after being arrested last week during the course of his work. Colleagues and a friend of his family who spoke anonymously for their own safety, said Soe Naing was arrested Friday when he and a colleague

By JON GAMBRELL and ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog has warned that the restrictions faced by his inspectors in Iran threaten to give the world only a “very blurred image” of Tehran’s program as it enriches uranium closer than ever to

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian police are investigating two explosions that occurred on Tuesday in the border city of Cucuta and killed two policemen near the city’s airport. Defense Minister Diego Molano said the blasts were caused by “terrorist” groups that operate in the city of half a million people, which is located on the

By YONAT SHIMRON of Religion News Service and ILAN BEN ZION of The Associated Press Reform and Conservative Jewish movements have ordained women as rabbis for decades. Only recently has the Orthodox tradition begun tapping women for leadership roles. The Modern Orthodoxy movement is leading the way. But change is halting and somewhat uneven. A

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The organizers of a fundraiser that featured teachers on their hands and knees grabbing for dollar bills at a junior hockey league game in South Dakota are apologizing after the event was criticized as demeaning. The “Dash For Cash” Saturday night at the Sioux Falls Stampede arena was a competition

By DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — A top European human rights court has issued a ruling urging Russia to introduce measures tackling domestic violence against women, which it said is happening on a “staggering scale.” The European Court of Human Rights ruled in a case that four Russian women filed after suffering abuse

By JOHN ANTCZAK and JANIE HAR Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rain is drenching Southern California as a blustery storm charged down the state, triggering river rescue efforts and raising the threat of mudslides in areas scarred by wildfires. Los Angeles firefighters say three vehicles were swept down the Los Angeles River early Tuesday

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO, KWASI GYAMFI ASIEDU and DAVID CRARY Associated Press When Americans are asked by pollsters about their religious identity, the fastest-growing major group consists of those who don’t affiliate with any organized religion. Some are atheist, some agnostic, and many describe themselves as spiritual but not religious. According to one new survey

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department will release $8.7 billion to help increase lending to small and minority-owned businesses and to people living in poorer communities with limited access to banking. The funds from the Emergency Capital Investment Program will go to 186 community-based financial institutions. Vice President Kamala Harris and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen

MASON, Ohio (AP) — One of the Ohio cities that voted recently to criminalize abortion within its limits has reversed its decision. The city of Mason’s council repealed its ordinance in a 6-1 vote Monday. The decision came after two council members who supported the ban were expelled by voters in November and after over

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers have voted to approve new restrictions to curb the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a major revolt lawmakers in his own Conservative party opposed to the regulations. The House of Commons approved measures ordering masks to be worn

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer The Arctic continues to deteriorate as global warming increases. A new federal Arctic report card Tuesday highlights all sorts of problems for the world’s northern region. They now include expansion of beavers which are creating dams that worsen permafrost thaw. Greenland’s summit station this summer got its first ever

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Under Chair Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve is poised this week to execute a sharp turn toward tighter interest-rate policies with inflation accelerating and unemployment falling faster than expected. The Fed will likely announce that it will reduce its monthly bond purchases at twice the rate

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Authorities in North Macedonia have detailed 28 mostly Cuban migrants found crammed into a van driven by a suspected member of a migrant smuggling gang. The incident announced Tuesday was the second time in three days that a group of Cubans was intercepted being driven through North Macedonia. In both

By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press McMINNVILLE, Ore. (AP) — Thousands of towns across the United States that were wracked by the opioid crisis are on the precipice of receiving billions of dollars in the second-biggest legal settlement in U.S. history. The $26 billion from three drug distributors and a pharmaceutical manufacturer would address damage wrought