Month: October 2023

By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press A new survey finds that the total number of abortions provided in the U.S. after bans started going into effect in some states last year increased slightly. The report found that the numbers fell to nearly zero in states with bans on abortion at all stages of pregnancy. But it

NEW YORK (AP) — Olympic figure skating gold medalist Tara Lipinski and her husband, Todd Kapostasy, have welcomed a daughter through a surrogate after several years of infertility. Lipinski said on NBC’s “Today” show on Wednesday that the couple named the baby Georgie Winter. Lipinski was in the delivery room when the baby was born.

By RON TODT Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A judge has reinstated all charges, including a murder count, against a former police officer who shot and killed a driver through a rolled-up car window. Wednesday’s ruling came nearly a month after another judge dismissed murder and other charges against Officer Mark Dial in the fatal

By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld a deal that ensured Black representation on Louisiana’s highest court. Wednesday’s 2-1 ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a lower court ruling and keeps in place a 1992 federal court agreement that led to a Black

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) — It ain’t the Olympics, but a group of Floridians plan to host competitions themed according to the collective antics of the beer-loving, gator-possessing, rap-sheet heavy, mullet-wearing social media phenomenon known as “Florida Man.”  The games will poke fun at Florida’s reputation for producing strange news stories involving guns, drugs, booze

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Krystal Joy Brown has planted her flag on Broadway, first professionally and now personally. The singer and actor just bought an apartment a few blocks from where she’s earning a living at the Hudson Theatre. How perfectly appropriate that Brown is co-starring in a musical

NEW YORK (AP) — A man was trapped inside a steel-reinforced concrete jewelry vault in New York City overnight after firefighters had to abandon an attempt to rescue him for safety reasons. Fortunately, the vault was on a timer and opened on its own Wednesday morning, officials said. The fire department was called to the

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria has decided to expand the country’s nuclear power generation as an alternative of fossil fuels by launching the construction of two additional reactors at its only nuclear power plant. The two new reactors will provide a total of 2,300 megawatts. The Bulgarian government said in a statement on Wednesday that

By LARRY NEUMEISTER and KEN SWEET Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A lawyer for Sam Bankman-Fried says the FTX founder plans to testify at his fraud trial. Attorney Mark Cohen said during a conference call between lawyers and the Manhattan federal court judge on Wednesday that Bankman-Fried will take the stand after three other

By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Two Metropolitan Police officers have been dismissed from the force after a disciplinary panel concluded that they committed gross misconduct over the stop and search of two Black athletes. Professional sprinters Bianca Williams and Ricardo Dos Santos complained to the police watchdog that they were racially profiled

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities say the 22-year-old driver of a car that struck and killed four college students on a coastal highway in Malibu is being held on $8 million bail. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says the man was arrested in the investigation Tuesday and is due in court Wednesday. The department

By DAVID SHARP Associated Press The U.S. Postal Service says law enforcement officials have charged more than 600 people with postal crimes since launching a crackdown in May. The so-called “Operation Safe Delivery” follows a surge in robberies. The Postal Service also deployed over 10,000 high-security boxes in high-risk areas to prevent mail theft. To

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The NBA enlisted an actor from “The Sopranos” and borrowed the central theme of the film “Ocean’s Eleven,” that being a Las Vegas heist, to hype the inaugural In-Season Tournament that begins Nov. 3. The latest marketing move is a nearly 2-minute spot featuring actor Michael Imperioli narrating how Anthony Davis,

By JENNIFER PELTZ and JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Cohen will be back on the witness stand to testify against his ex-boss Donald Trump in a New York civil trial over allegations the former president chronically exaggerated the value of his real estate holdings on financial documents. During his first day

By EDMAR BARROS Associated Press CAREIRO DA VARZEA, Brazil (AP) — As the Amazon drought rages on, public authorities in Brazil are scrambling to deliver food and water to thousands of isolated communities throughout a vast and roadless territory, where boats are the only means of transportation. Across Amazonas state, which has a territory the

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia’s president has sworn in a new government led by a former populist prime minister poised to end the country’s military aid for Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion. Robert Fico returned to power and took over as prime minister for the fourth time after his leftist Smer, or Direction, party

Flights have resumed at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport after after two private jets clipped wings when they were moving on the airfield. The airport posted on X on Tuesday evening that flights resumed after debris was cleared from the airfield. No injuries were reported and the city fire department said there was no risk

By DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Soprano legend Maria Callas has been honored in Greece a century after her birth to Greek parents in New York with a new museum in Athens. The museum was inaugurated Wednesday and features recordings of her most famous opera performances as well as little known details

by AMY TEIBEL Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli officials are outraged over U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ comment that the deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel “did not happen in a vacuum,” calling it justification for terrorism. Israel’s foreign minister canceled a scheduled meeting with Guterres while Israel’s Holocaust memorial said the U.N. chief “failed

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A Chinese research ship will be allowed to dock at a Sri Lankan port this week. That likely will add to neighboring India’s concerns about China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean. The docking follows last year’s visit by a Chinese naval vessel. This vessel

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The city of Orlando is moving forward with plans to create a memorial on the property of the Pulse nightclub, where 49 people were massacred seven years ago. City leaders agreed Monday night to purchase the property for $2 million. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer says they plan a collaborative approach, working

By HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Officials say Russia fired 11 Shahed drones against Ukrainian targets, reaching deep into Ukraine where falling debris damaged power lines near a nuclear power plant in the west. Ukraine’s air force says it intercepted all the overnight drones. Local authorities say that for the fourth day

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Tens of thousands of books are being banned or restricted by U.S. prisons, according to a new report from PEN America. The list includes everything from self-help books to an Elmore Leonard novel. “The common concept underpinning the censorship we’re seeing is that certain ideas

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Analysts say the removal of China’s foreign and defense ministers appears to enforce leader Xi Jinping’s demand for total obedience and the elimination of any potential rivals within the ruling Communist Party. State media this week confirmed that former defense minister Gen. Li Shangfu and former

LONDON (AP) — A former British police officer has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 12 years after he pleaded guilty to over 100 child sex offenses. The crimes included threatening and blackmailing more than 200 young girls into sending him sexual photos of themselves on Snapchat. Prosecutors say former

BERLIN (AP) — The German Cabinet has approved legislation that is intended to ease deportations of unsuccessful asylum-seekers. The draft legislation approved on Wednesday would need parliamentary approval to take effect. It foresees raising the maximum length of pre-deportation custody from 10 days to 28 and facilitating deportations of people who are members of criminal

By GERALD IMRAY and NQOBILE NTSHANGASE Associated Press SPRINGS, South Africa (AP) — A company official says more than 100 miners have escaped from a gold mine in South Africa after being held underground for three days by fellow employees in a union dispute. The official said Wednesday that around 450 workers remain in the

By JASON DEAREN and MICHELLE R. SMITH Associated Press People convicted of crimes related to domestic extremism face far shorter prison terms than those convicted in international terrorism cases, even when the crimes are similar, a new report on the outcomes of hundreds of federal criminal cases has found. The first-of-its-kind analysis, completed by terrorism

By ALEX ROSENBERG of NerdWallet Medicare Supplement Insurance, or Medigap, can help pay for Medicare Part A and/or Part B copays, coinsurance and deductibles, but shopping for plans isn’t always straightforward. Shoppers should know that because Medigap plans are standardized by the federal government, plans with the same letter name offer the same Medicare benefits,

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities say the estranged son of Nashville’s police chief, who was wanted in the shooting of two police officers, has been found dead. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says officers who responded to a location in Nashville on Tuesday night heard a muffled gunshot from an outbuilding, then found John C.

BRUSSELS (AP) — Polish politician Donald Tusk is in Brussels seeking to repair his country’s ties with the European Union. Tusk arrived in Brussels a day after he and other leaders of an opposition bloc that collectively won the most votes in Poland’s Oct. 15 parliamentary election announced that they were prepared to govern together