Month: February 2023

By JOHN ANTCZAK, AMY TAXIN and BEN FINLEY Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Emergency crews in California scrambled Wednesday to shuttle food and medicine to mountain communities stranded by back-to-back winter storms that have dumped so much snow some residents can barely see out their windows. In San Bernardino County east of Los Angeles,

By The Associated Press U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is wrapping up a brief tour of Central Asia in Uzbekistan before heading to India for what is expected to be a contentious Ukraine-dominated meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of 20. Blinken met Wednesday in Tashkent with senior Uzbek officials a day after

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says the country’s ban on same-sex marriage is not discriminatory, insisting that constitutional freedom of marriage only envisions heterosexual unions, a comment that triggered criticism he is backtracking despite his recent apology and meeting with LGBTQ people. Kishida’s governing Liberal Democratic Party, known for its

By ANDREW DALTON Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — The family of the late Kobe Bryant has agreed to a $28.5 million settlement with Los Angeles County to resolve the remaining claims in a lawsuit over deputies and firefighters sharing grisly photos of the NBA star, his 13-year-old daughter and other victims killed in a

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president has called Japan “a partner that shares the same universal values” and renewed hopes to repair ties frayed over Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. President Yoon Suk Yeol made the comments during a Wednesday speech marking the 1919 uprising against

By MARK THIESSEN Associated Press ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The second half-century for the world’s most famous sled dog race is getting off to a rough start. Only 33 mushers will participate in the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, the smallest field ever to take their dog teams nearly

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were higher Wednesday after reports on key measures of China manufacturing showed a strong recovery after anti-virus controls were lifted late last year. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index jumped 3.3% and Shanghai gained 0.9%. Purchasing managers’ indexes issued by a business magazine, Caixin, and

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court should reverse the conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell or grant a new trial on charges that she joined and enabled the sexual abuse that Jeffrey Epstein committed on scores of teenagers and young women for more than a decade, her lawyers argued in

By JULIE WATSON Associated Press SAN DIEGO (AP) — A California panel on Wednesday denied parole for Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan, saying the 78-year-old prisoner still lacks insight into what caused him to shoot the senator and presidential candidate in 1968, Sirhan’s lawyer said. That contradicted the decision by a different parole board

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Award-winning Haitian broadcaster Michele Montas, who was exiled three times and served as spokesperson for the former United Nations secretary-general, follows the chaos in her country every day from her apartment in New York. She has a simple answer to why peace remains elusive and

By JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press

By COLLIN BINKLEY AP Education Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Niara Thompson couldn’t shake her frustration as the Supreme Court debated President Joe Biden’s student debt cancellation. As she listened from the audience Tuesday, it all felt academic. There was a long discussion on the nuances of certain words. Justices asked lawyers to explore hypothetical scenarios.

By PATRICIA LUNA Associated Press SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — The transformation begins as night falls on this semi-desert esplanade on the outskirts of Chile’s capital, with Arturo, Alejandro and René applying makeup and donning wigs, feathers and sequins to become “Verónica Power,” “Alexandra” and “The Crazy Purse Woman.” The characters are classics of the Timoteo

BEIJING (AP) — Two surveys show China’s factory activity accelerated in February as the economy revived following the end of anti-virus controls that kept millions of people at home and disrupted travel and trade. Purchasing managers’ indexes issued by a business magazine, Caixin, and the official China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing rebounded to levels

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerians awoke to a new president Wednesday, with ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu declared the winner of the country’s election. As he thanked his supporters he appealed for reconciliation with his rivals, who are already demanding a revote in Africa’s most populous nation. The announcement by

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Residents of Vanuatu are hunkering down as a cyclone barrels through the Pacific island nation. Authorities say power has been knocked out in some areas and there are many fallen trees and branches, but its too early to assess the extent of the damage with

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Republicans are considering a new wave of election legislation that could make it easier for residency challenges to knock thousands of people from the voter rolls and would ban ballot drop boxes. The measure caters to those who still deny President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in

By ACACIA CORONADO Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Family members of victims killed in the Uvalde school shooting have confronted Texas’ police chief in an emotional end to a day of protests at the state Capitol over gun laws. On Tuesday, Velma Duran, whose sister Irma Garcia was one of two teachers killed at

By REBECCA BOONE Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho has joined a Texas lawsuit against the Biden administration’s waterway protections, claiming the rules are too vague and violate state sovereignty rights. The lawsuit, originally filed in southern Texas’ federal courts Jan. 18, was amended to include Idaho on Monday. In it, Texas Attorney General

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service says a specialized team of wildlife managers has killed 19 wild cows in the Gila Wilderness in southwestern New Mexico as part of a contested project to rid the area of the unauthorized animals. The three-day operation used a helicopter and

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG Associated Press/Report for America JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi residents might get back the ability to enact public policy through statewide ballot initiatives. But people would be banned from using the process to change abortion laws. Republican lawmakers advanced a proposal Tuesday that would strip voters of their ability to launch abortion

By ARLEIGH RODGERS Associated Press/Report for America INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Republican state Senators are advancing a proposal to ban all gender-affirming care for children and teens under 18. The Indiana lawmakers are the latest to join a conservative movement to limit transgender rights. They voted 36-12 to send the bill to the state House

By LEAH WILLINGHAM and JOHN RABY Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia bill described by supporters as a tool to protect religious freedom is headed to the desk of Republican Gov. Jim Justice. The bill labeled by LGBTQ rights advocates as a “license to discriminate” was approved by the GOP-dominated Senate Tuesday,

By MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow teachers and school staff to physically restrain disruptive students and remove them from classrooms without fear of being disciplined. Critics say physical restraint has been used disproportionately against minority and disabled students. The action comes as

By CURT ANDERSON and JOCELYN GECKER Associated Press SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Trustees picked by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to oversee New College of Florida have voted to abolish its small office that handles diversity, equity and inclusion programs targeted by conservatives throughout the state university system. The trustees voted 9-3 Tuesday to get rid