Month: March 2023

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A longtime Los Angeles politician has been convicted on federal corruption charges. Former Democratic City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas was a fixture in local politics for decades. He was found guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court of seven felonies, including conspiracy, bribery and fraud. He was convicted in a scheme in which

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican government experts say they are concerned that a traveling display of mummies from the 1800s may pose a health risk to the public. The preserved corpses were unintentionally mummified when they were buried in dry, mineral-rich soil in the state of Guanajuato. Some still have hair, leathery skin and their

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — A suburban Chicago teen accused of fatally shooting his 17-year-old girlfriend, a 9-year-old girl and the child’s father has been told a grand jury has indicted him on three charges of first-degree murder. Seventeen-year-old Byrion Montgomery of Bolingbrook went before a Will County judge Thursday and was informed that the grand

By DÉBORA REY and DANIEL POLITI Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — One of the world’s highest inflation rates is making it more difficult to make ends meet in Argentina, where at the end of last year nearly four of every 10 people were poor, official figures revealed Thursday. Poverty increased to 39.2% of

By RAFIQ MAQBOOL Associated Press MUMBAI, India (AP) — In a glittering splash of luxury fashion, Dior transformed Mumbai’s grand, historic Gateway of India monument into a runway laden with celebrity, beauty and craftsmanship. Flanked by the brightly lit, iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel, the spectacular decor turned the heritage site in India’s entertainment and

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MEG KINNARD Associated Press Former President Donald Trump’s court appearance Tuesday will kick off an intense legal battle as the 2024 Republican presidential candidate also fights for his political life. Trump is expected to turn himself in and be arraigned in a New York courtroom in what’s sure to be

COHASSET, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts man has been indicted in the death of his wife who has not been seen since Jan. 1. A top prosecutor said Thursday that Brian Walshe faces first degree murder charges in the death of his wife as well as misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice and improper conveyance

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The majority-white and Republican-led Mississippi Legislature is taking final steps to expand the territory of a state-run police department inside Jackson. The capital city is majority-Black and governed by Democrats. Critics say the proposal would limit local self-governance and create unequal systems of justice. Supporters

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press FRANKFORT,, Ky. (AP) — It looks like sports betting will soon be legal in Kentucky. Legislation allowing it cleared the last hurdle in the state Senate on Thursday with just hours left in this year’s session. The bill now goes to Gov. Andy Beshear for his signature and the governor

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong says her government remains deeply concerned that Australian journalist Cheng Lei has not learned of a verdict a year after standing trial in China on national security charges. Wong marked the anniversary Friday of the closed trial in Beijing with a

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Every day, hundreds of people are taken into law enforcement custody in New York City. Former President Donald Trump is expected to become one of of them as early as next week. Prosecutors and defense lawyers said Thursday that Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand

By TRAVIS LOLLER and ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Funeral arrangements were disclosed Thursday for the six people killed in this week’s school shooting in Nashville, as the grieving city mourns the victims of the horrific attack that transformed what should have been a normal day of school on a bright, sunny

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The U.K. has agreed to join an Asia-Pacific trade pact that includes Japan, Mexico and Australia. Britain says it’s the biggest new trade deal it has struck since leaving the European Union three years ago. The British government said Friday that it had clinched an agreement after

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the first criminal case against a former president, Donald Trump has been indicted on charges involving payments made during his 2016 campaign. The charges center on payments made to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter. Trump is facing multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense,

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Senate is passing a bill to repeal a law requiring a unanimous jury recommendation for the death penalty. The approval comes in response to the life sentence handed to the man who massacred 17 people at a Parkland high school. The bill passed on

By REBECCA BOONE Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A bill that would criminalize helping minors obtain an abortion without parental consent won final passage in Idaho’s legislature on Thursday and is headed to the desk of Republican Gov. Brad Little. The measure would be the first of its kind in the U.S. It seeks

By MEAD GRUVER Associated Press CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The nationwide battle over the places where transgender people may belong has flared at the University of Wyoming, where a lawsuit filed by seven sorority members challenges the induction of a transgender woman into their local chapter. The woman, identified only by the pseudonym “Terry Smith”

By ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press SAN DIEGO (AP) — The chair of the San Diego County board of supervisors says he will resign amid accusations that he sexually assaulted a government employee. Nathan Fletcher’s announcement completes a swift and shocking fall for a decorated Marine combat veteran whose star seemed to rise in sync with

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The office manager for a Northern California police union allegedly imported synthetic opioids from India and other countries. Federal prosecutors say they have charged 64-year-old Joanne Marian Segovia, the executive director of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association, with attempting to unlawfully import valeryl fentanyl, a synthetic opioid. They say

By The Associated Press The hush money case in New York that has led to criminal charges against Donald Trump is just one of a number of investigations that could pose legal problems for the former president. Joe Tacopina, a lawyer for Trump, confirmed Thursday that he had been informed that the former president had

By MICHAEL R. SISAK, ERIC TUCKER and COLLEEN LONG Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, a historic reckoning after years of investigations into his personal, political and business dealings and an abrupt jolt to his bid to retake the White House. The exact nature of

By JOHN RABY Associated Press Police response times to school shootings have come under greater scrutiny in the 10 months since the deadly event in Uvalde, Texas. In that shooting, 70 minutes passed before law enforcement stormed the classroom. On Monday, six people were fatally shot at a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee. Police records

By JOHN HANNA AP Political Writer TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Abuse survivors and advocates who’ve pushed to make it easier in Kansas to prosecute abusers or file lawsuits decades later have achieved a breakthrough in the Legislature, where a proposal has advanced quickly. The bill would eliminate limits on how long prosecutors have to file

By The Associated Press Working as a journalist in Moscow seemed a natural fit for Evan Gershkovich, the son of immigrants from the Soviet Union who grew up speaking Russian at home in Princeton, N.J. After he graduated in 2014 from Bowdoin College, one of the country’s most selective schools, however, “it took me awhile

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s parliament on Thursday ratified Finland’s application to join NATO, lifting the last hurdle in the way of the Nordic country’s long-delayed accession into the Western military alliance. All 276 lawmakers present voted in favor of Finland’s bid, days after Hungary’s parliament also endorsed Helsinki’s accession. Alarmed by Russia’s invasion of

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated Press A spate of threats and false reports of shooters have been pouring into schools and colleges across the country for months, raising concerns among law enforcement and elected leaders. Schools in Pennsylvania and Utah were the latest targeted by so-called swatting. Computer-generated calls on Wednesday made claims about active shooters,

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a founding member of the 1990s hip-hop group the Fugees was enmeshed in political conspiracies involving millions of dollars in foreign money under two different U.S. presidents. Prakazrel “Pras” Michel’s trial got underway with opening statements Thursday. Prakazrel “Pras” Michel is accused of funneling

By FATIMA HUSSEIN and JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Weeks after the failure of two banks, President Joe Biden is calling for independent regulatory agencies to impose tighter rules on the financial system. In a fact sheet, Biden says regulators can act under current law without additional steps taken by Congress. The recommended

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has met with Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills safety who went into cardiac arrest and was resuscitated on the field after making a tackle during an NFL game in January. Biden tweeted a photo of him with Hamlin in the Oval Office on Thursday. Biden said it was an