Month: October 2023

By DAVID SHARP, ROBERT BUMSTED, HOLLY RAMER and MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Shocked and fearful Maine residents kept to their homes for a second night as hundreds of heavily armed police and FBI agents searched intensely for Robert Card, an Army reservist authorities say fatally shot 18 people at a bowling

By KEVIN McGILL and STEPHEN SMITH Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Drought. Sea level rise. Dredging for cargo ships. Those are just some of the complex factors blamed for an inland flow of salt water from the Gulf of Mexico into the Mississippi River. Salty water was a problem for months for low-population communities

By DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Abortion has had a complicated history in the Soviet Union and Russia. It was outlawed under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin but legalized and commonplace under later Kremlin leaders. Now, after less than a century, official attitudes about abortion Russia are changing once again. Although it is

By DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Despite its last-minute scheduling, the meeting at a bookstore in Russia’s westernmost city of Kaliningrad still drew about 60 people, with many outraged by a lawmaker’s efforts to ban abortions in local private clinics. The weeknight turnout surprised and heartened Dasha Yakovleva, one of the organizers,

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean and U.S. troops have been conducting live-fire exercises to hone their ability to respond to potential “Hamas-style surprise artillery attacks” by North Korea. South Korea’s military said Friday the three-day firing exercises, which began Wednesday, involved 5,400 South Korean and U.S. soldiers and 300 artillery systems. South Korean

By MARK STEVENSON Associated Press ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Survivors of the Category 5 storm that killed at least 27 people and devastated Mexico’s resort city of Acapulco are getting desperate amid a slow government response, worrying that the focus will remain on repairing infrastructure for the city’s economic engine of tourism instead of helping

By DAVID RISING Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — A Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of an American B-52 bomber flying over the South China Sea, nearly causing an accident, the U.S. military says, underscoring the potential for a mishap as both countries vie for influence in the region. The Shenyang J-11 twin-engine fighter

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Rep. George Santos is set to be arraigned on a revised indictment accusing him of several frauds, including making tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on credit cards belonging to his campaign donors. The New York Republican was scheduled to appear Friday at a courthouse on Long

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — The sudden death of China’s former No. 2 leader Li Keqiang has shocked many people in the country. They are paying tribute to the former official who promised market-oriented reforms but was politically sidelined. Li worked alongside President Xi Jinping for a decade, helping to navigate

By BEN FINLEY Associated Press NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — The mother of a 6-year-old who shot his teacher in Virginia is scheduled to be sentenced for felony child neglect. The sentencing scheduled for Friday comes 10 months after Deja Taylor’s son used her handgun to critically wound his first-grade teacher. Prosecutors recommend six-months behind

By DIDI TANG and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — China’s top diplomat is meeting high-level U.S. officials, possibly including President Joe Biden, on a highly watched visit to Washington. The three-day visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi could help stabilize U.S.-China ties by facilitating a summit between Biden and Chinese President Xi

By WILL WEISSERT and HOLLY RAMER Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Minnesota Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips is expected to announce a primary challenge of President Joe Biden at an event Friday in New Hampshire. This follows his saying for months that some “well-positioned Democrat” should run against Biden. Phillips says he’s hoping to head

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — “Embarrassing,” “chaotic” and “irresponsible.” And those were just the words that House Republicans used to describe the past three weeks as they removed one speaker from office and splintered over three successive nominees before finally landing on Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La. Now they hope voters won’t hold

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s civil business fraud trial is turning to the question of whether his daughter Ivanka will have to testify. Friday’s court session is set to start with a hearing on the issue. Ivanka Trump has been dismissed from the case, and lawyers for

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — One year ago, billionaire Elon Musk walked into Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters with a white bathroom sink and a grin, fired its CEO and other top executives and began transforming the social media platform into what is now known as X. X looks and feels

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and LEA SKENE Associated Press HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) — Loved ones are grieving the loss of a Maryland judge who was gunned down outside his home last week. They remembered Washington County Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson as dedicated, fair and even-keeled on the bench. Police believe 49-year-old Pedro Argote shot and

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Taylor Swift’s reimagined “1989” is here, the album that ushered in the first Peak Swift era — revisited at the height of her massive pop culture dominance. Released in 2014 and named for her birth year, the original “1989” signified a sonic rebirth. Swift had

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Can’t come to Washington? Couldn’t get a ticket to tour the White House? Don’t worry. The White House, Google Maps and Google Arts & Culture launched a new virtual tour of the famous mansion on Friday, which is also National Civics Day. With a computer or smartphone,

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A UNESCO report released during Lagos Fashion Week notes Africa’s fashion industry is growing rapidly to meet demand but that inadequate investment still limits its potential. The director-general of the U.N.’s cultural agency launched its first report on fashion in Africa on Thursday in Nigeria’s economic

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Pentagon said, in retaliation for a slew of drone and missile attacks against U.S. bases and personnel in the region that began early last week. The

By KEN MORITSUGU Associated Press SHANGRI-LA TOWN, China (AP) — Village schools have been shuttered across China’s Tibet and replaced with centralized boarding schools that critics say represents forced assimilation. Activists estimate 1 million Tibetan children study at such boarding schools. They say the system is part of a broader strategy to dilute Tibetan identity

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Former President George W. Bush, the former Rangers owner, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Texas plays the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series opener on Friday night. This will be Bush’s fourth World Series ceremonial first pitch but his first before an opener. Bush, 77. headed the group

BEIJING (AP) — Former Premier Li Keqiang, China’s top economic official for a decade, died Friday of a heart attack. He was 68. Li was China’s No. 2 leader from 2013-23 and an advocate for private business but was left with little authority after President Xi Jinping made himself the most powerful Chinese leader in

By ASHRAF KHALIL Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Zoo’s three celebrity giant pandas will be heading home a little earlier than expected. Zoo officials told The Associated Press on Thursday that adult bears Mei Xiang and Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji will be returning to China sometime in mid-November. The

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — More than a month after federal officials recommended a new version of the COVID-19 vaccines, 7% of U.S. adults and 2% of children have gotten a shot. One expert calls the numbers “abysmal.” The numbers were presented Thursday at a meeting held by the U.S.

By ALI SWENSON Associated Press Supporters of a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights in the Ohio Constitution are far outraising their anti-abortion opponents in the months leading up to the November election. Campaign filings show the pro-Issue 1 campaign brought in nearly $29 million from donors since Sept. 8. The campaign against the

By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — An Idaho woman is suing her one-time fertility doctor, saying he secretly used his own sperm to inseminate her 34 years ago — the latest in a string of such cases brought as at-home DNA sampling enables people to learn more about their ancestry. Sharon Hayes, 67,

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Before opening the World Series, the Arizona Diamondbacks wanted to recount a series of slights. Overlooked by oddsmakers and angered by analysts, the Diamondbacks find themselves in a Surprise Series against the also unexpected Texas Rangers. But the mindsets couldn’t be more different ahead of

By PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas is moving closer to giving police broad new authority to arrest migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border. The Texas House on Thursday passed a measure that puts Republican Gov. Greg Abbott closer to a new confrontation with the Biden administrations over immigration. The measure

By JUAN A. LOZANO Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — Officials say a Houston-area deputy accused of fatally shooting a man while confronting him after a shoplifting incident has been indicted by a grand jury for murder. Harris County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Garrett Hardin has been charged in the July 2022 death of Roderick Brooks. Hardin

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has announced the appointment of a 39-member global advisory panel to report on international governance of artificial intelligence and its risks, challenges and key opportunities. The U.N. chief told a news conference Thursday the gender-balanced, geographically diverse group which spans generations will issue preliminary recommendations by the

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer The removal of contaminated soil from the site of February’s fiery Norfolk Southern derailment in eastern Ohio is expected to be completed sometime this weekend although the larger cleanup will continue. EPA officials and the railroad announced the milestone Thursday in East Palestine near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border nearly nine

By The Associated Press Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder announced Thursday that he was ending his 2024 Republican campaign for president and endorsing former President Donald Trump. Elder, who sought to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a failed 2021 recall effort, said in a statement that he had made the “difficult decision” to

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — “Stop the bombs and save lives!” the Palestinian ambassador pleaded at an emotional U.N. meeting Thursday on the war in Gaza. But Israel’s envoy was adamant, declaring again, “We will not rest until Hamas is obliterated.” The war sparked by Gaza’s Hamas rulers’ surprise attacks

By JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Newly released audio of the 911 call from a woman who was carjacked and police helicopter footage of the final chase capture some of what happened when the son of Nashville’s police chief tried to flee while wanted in the shooting of two officers. The search

By LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press Democratic U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes of Maryland will not seek reelection in 2024, choosing to depart his seat after 18 years. Sarbanes has represented Maryland’s traditionally blue 3rd congressional district since 2007. He said in a statement Thursday that he wants to return to working in different areas of public

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves says he is working to ease financial problems for struggling hospitals. But the Democratic nominee for governor, Brandon Presley, says Reeves is hurting the state by refusing to expand Medicaid. In the final days before the Nov. 7 general election,

By HOLLY RAMER and LISA RATHKE Associated Press Writers Authorities have not released the names of the 18 people killed in two mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine,  but their family members and friends have begun sharing their stories. According to Maine State Police, seven people died Wednesday at Sparetime Recreation bowling alley, eight died at

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press KYBURZ, Calif. (AP) — On a mountainside where walls of flames torched the forest on their way toward Lake Tahoe in 2021, blackened trees stand against a gray sky. “If you can find a live tree, point to it,” Hugh Safford, an environmental science and policy researcher at the University

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The former Alaska Airlines pilot who police say tried to cut the engines while riding in the cockpit jump seat during a Horizon Air flight made his first appearance in federal court in Portland, Oregon. A defense attorney for Joseph Emerson said after the

By LLAZAR SEMINI Associated Press TIRANA, Albania (AP) — An Albanian court has ruled that former prime minister Sali Berisha, who is accused of corruption, must report to prosecutors and not leave the country while his case is under investigation. The ruling Thursday came from the country’s Special Court on Corruption and Organized Crime, which

BALTIMORE, Md. (AP) — More than a century after Edward Garrison Draper was rejected for the Maryland Bar due to his race, he has been posthumously admitted. News outlets report the Supreme Court of Maryland attempted to right the past wrong by holding a special session Thursday to admit Draper, who was Black, to practice

By ED WHITE Associated Press A man wrongly accused of drunken driving can sue a Michigan police officer who grossly misread a breath test. That’s the decision of a federal appeals court. The man was a native of Japan who was in Michigan for work in 2020. He blew a 0.02 on the breath test,

By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A sale of federal Gulf of Mexico oil and gas leases that had been scheduled for Nov. 8 is being delayed pending court arguments that focus on protections for an endangered whale species. The sale had been scheduled for last month. But oil companies filed suit

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greenpeace is stepping up its appeal for Greece to abandon a deep-sea gas exploration project in the Mediterranean. It cites newly published research to argue that the project’s impact on endangered whales and dolphins would be greater than previously believed. The environmental group said Thursday a survey off southwestern Greece in

ROUND LAKE BEACH, Ill. (AP) — A man who allegedly attacked two relatives with a sledgehammer in suburban Chicago has been fatally shot by police after he charged at officers. Officers in Round Lake Beach responded about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday to a domestic violence report and removed two injured women from an open garage. The

By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are pushing for swift approval of a financing deal for a new 30,000-seat ballpark, part of a much larger $6 billion redevelopment project that includes affordable housing, a hotel, a Black history museum and many other items. The St. Petersburg City

MACON, Ga. (AP) — Authorities say one of four men who escaped from a central Georgia jail last week has been caught. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that 29-year-old Chavis Demaryo Stokes was arrested at home in Montezuma around 2 p.m. Thursday. The sheriff’s office did not provide any other information