Month: December 2023

DECATUR, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Tuesday that it has completed an investigation into a fatal police shooting. The state agency did not announce any findings but said its investigative file has been turned over to the Morgan County district attorney. Steve Perkins, 39, was shot and killed by police in

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a judge should reject U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s request to delay his bribery trial by two months. Prosecutors argued against the postponement a week after defense lawyers offered multiple reasons why they say a trial of the New Jersey Democrat and codefendants, including

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that New Year’s Eve could take the cake for the busiest wedding day in Las Vegas thanks to the date’s repeating pattern of 1-2-3, 1-2-3. That’s known as a in the massive Las Vegas wedding industry. Clark County’s clerk says the record number of New Year’s

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons won’t deny it. They are fully aware of the unwanted history they’ve been tumbling toward for two months. “I could sit here and say I don’t think about it,” coach Monty Williams said. “I mean, it’s in my face.” And if the Pistons can’t bat it away Tuesday night,

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka have split after 7 years together, the dancer confirmed Tuesday. In a statement shared with The Associated Press and published to Tanaka’s Instagram, Carey’s backup dancer-turned-creative director and partner detailed their breakup. “With mixed emotions, I share this personal update regarding my amicable separation

By ALI SWENSON and CHRISTINE FERNANDO Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Experts are warning that the spread of misinformation could get worse in the coming presidential election contest. The safeguards that attempted to counter the bogus claims the last time are eroding, while the tools and systems that create and spread them are only

By MAURICIO SAVARESE Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Authorities say one of Brazil’s top criminal leaders has been locked up in a 6-square-meter (65-square-foot) isolation cell at a maximum security prison to avoid being killed by rivals. Luiz Antônio da Silva Braga, the boss of the largest militia group in the state of

By JEAN-YVES KAMALE Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A local official says that at least 17 people, 10 of them from the same family, were killed by flooding triggered by heavy rains in central Congo. District governor John Kabeya said on Tuesday that the hourslong rainfall in the district of Kananga in Kasai Central province

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Disney has filed a lawsuit claiming that the oversight government for Walt Disney World, which was taken over by appointees of Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year, has failed to release documents and properly preserve records in violation of Florida public records law. Disney said in

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Netherlands’ former deputy prime minister and Mideast expert has been appointed the U.N. coordinator for humanitarian aid to Gaza, where there are more than 2 million desperate civilians in need of food, water and medicine. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the appointment of Sigrid

By MANUEL RUEDA Associated Press BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The head of Colombia’s largest remaining rebel group says it will only abide by a recent agreement to suspend the kidnappings of civilians for ransom if the government keeps its promise to finance projects that could provide the rebels with alternate sources of income. In a

GARDEN CITY, Mich. (AP) — A man who reportedly fired a gun at people and vehicles following a traffic crash has been fatally shot by a police officer in suburban Detroit. State police say the man exited his vehicle about 9 a.m. Tuesday at an intersection in Garden City after colliding with another vehicle. Police

By JACK DURA Associated Press BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota Republican leaders have called on a state lawmaker to resign after he railed against police with homophobic slurs, anti-migrant language and curses during a Dec. 15 traffic stop for drunken driving. Republican House Majority Leader Mike Lefor was joined by state GOP Chairwoman Sandi

By STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — An appellate court has reversed a 2022 federal conviction against former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, ruling that he should not have been tried in Los Angeles. Fortenberry was convicted on charges that he lied to federal authorities about an illegal $30,000 contribution to his campaign

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer The rapper formerly known as Kanye West has a long history of making antisemitic comments and just apologized to the Jewish community in an Instagram post written in Hebrew. In the Tuesday post, he apologized to the Jewish community “for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions.”

By EDGAR H. CLEMENTE Associated Press HUIXTLA, Mexico (AP) — A caravan of thousands of migrants continues to trudge through southern Mexico, with some saying they expect nothing good from a planned meeting between American and Mexican officials about the migrant surge at the U.S. border. The migrants passed by Mexico’s main inland immigration inspection

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s congressional delegation wants the public to have more time to comment on a proposed transmission line that would bring more electricity to one of the nation’s top nuclear weapons laboratories. The project comes as Los Alamos National Laboratory looks to power ongoing operations and future missions that include

By COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press DENVER (AP) — Police said Tuesday they are investigating incidents directed at Colorado Supreme Court justices and providing extra patrols around their homes in Denver following the court’s decision to remove President Donald Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot. Officers responded to the home of one justice on Thursday

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge declined Tuesday to stay litigation over Alabama’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The U.S. Department of Justice asked to put the litigation on hold as similar cases wind upward toward the U.S. Supreme Court. U.S. District Judge Liles Burke ruled the case will move forward for now.

Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — The widower of metro Phoenix’s former top county prosecutor was suspected of fatally shooting a woman he was in a relationship with and her mother on Christmas Eve before taking his own life. Phoenix police say 47-year-old David DeNitto is believed to have killed 47-year-old Maryalice Cash and 83-year-old Cynthia

URBANA, Ill. (AP) — A woman has been sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison after taking part in the straw purchase of a handgun that was used to kill one central Illinois police officer and wound another during a shootout. Federal prosecutors say Tuesday that 28-year-old Regina Lewis engaged in a conspiracy to buy

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The administration of Argentine President Javier Milei says the government won’t renew contracts for more than 5,000 employees hired this year before he took office. The move was part of a sweeping plan of cutbacks and devaluations announced by the right-wing libertarian since he took office on Dec. 10 to

By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Sweden edged closer toward joining NATO after the Turkish Parliament’s foreign affairs committee greenlighted a protocol for the Nordic country’s membership in the military alliance. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dropped his objection to Sweden’s membership during a NATO summit in July, but it took him

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico has launched its army-run airline, with the first Mexicana airlines flight taking off from Mexico City bound for the Caribbean resort of Tulum. It was another sign of the outsized role that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has given to Mexico’s armed forces. The airline’s military-run holding company now also

By ALI SWENSON and CHRISTINE FERNANDO Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Experts are warning that the spread of misinformation could get worse in the coming presidential election contest. The safeguards that attempted to counter the bogus claims the last time are eroding, while the tools and systems that create and spread them are only

By THALIA BEATY Associated Press Christmas is over, but giving season for nonprofits is just starting to peak. The end of the calendar year is when nonprofits make appeals far and wide to attract donors. And because of holiday traditions or, for some, tax advantages, donors themselves think about giving now. Only 11% of Americans

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Buckle up, cowpoke! The next generation of indie rock has found inspiration in country music. Some pull from the South, like singer-songwriter Mitski. Others hail from there, like soloists Angel Olsen and groups like Waxahatchee, Plains, Wednesday, two-thirds of the Grammy-nominated band boygenius. Instead of

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — A 6-year-old boy who left on a flight to visit his grandmother was put on the wrong plane. When the grandmother, Maria Ramos, showed up on Thursday at the airport in Fort Myers, Florida, to greet her grandson who was flying for the first time from Philadelphia, she was told

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Turkish Parliament’s foreign affairs committee gave its consent to Sweden’s bid to join NATO on Tuesday, drawing the previously non-aligned Nordic country closer to membership in the Western military alliance. Sweden’s accession protocol will now need to be approved in the general assembly for the last stage of the legislative

By JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A panel of judges has blocked a new Tennessee law that would reconfigure the group overseeing professional sports facilities in Nashville by letting state leaders pick six of its 13 board members. Late last week, three judges agreed that the law targeting the Nashville Sports Authority

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Mastercard SpendingPulse said Tuesday that holiday sales rose this year. The indicator, which tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards, found sales from the beginning of November through Christmas Eve climbed 3.1%, a slower pace than the 7.6% increase from a year earlier. The sales growth

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The rollout of potential new electric vehicle goals in Maine has been pushed back by a year. That’s because a  recent storm delayed a vote by environmental regulators. The Board of Environmental Protection postponed its vote last week and won’t meet again before year’s end. That delay means the proposed rules

PARIS (AP) — More than 50 French performers, writers and producers published an essay Tuesday defending film star and national icon Gerard Depardieu amid growing scrutiny of his behavior toward women. Advocates for sexual abuse victims expressed dismay at the outpouring of support. Depardieu was given preliminary rape and sexual assault charges in 2020 following

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — Kuwait’s foreign affairs minister says the bodies of a Kuwaiti citizen and a Saudi with Kuwaiti residency who had disappeared in Iraq have been found. Iraqi security officials said the men had reportedly come to Iraq on a hunting trip. They were killed by an explosive left

VIENNA (AP) — The International Atomic Energy Agency says in a report to member states that Iran has increased the rate at which it is producing near weapons-grade uranium in recent weeks. It reverses a previous slowdown that started in the middle of this year. The U.N. nuclear watchdog said its inspectors had verified the

By LEA SKENE Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — As law enforcement agencies across the country pursue reform measures, the Baltimore Police Department is requiring its members to complete a program on emotional regulation that teaches them the basics of brain science by examining the relationship between thoughts, feelings and actions. During a recent eight-hour class,

By LLAZAR SEMINI Associated Press TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s Parliament reports that hackers tried to get into its data and wipe them out, temporarily halting its work. The statement Tuesday said the cyberattack on Monday had not “touched the data of the system.” The local media reported that a cellphone provider and an air

By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer Online, direct-to-consumer health care has grown well beyond its roots mostly treating hair loss and acne or selling birth control pills. Companies like Hims & Hers and Ro have started weight loss programs. Rival Lemonaid Health has added seasonal affective disorder treatments to a care lineup that includes help

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A Tokyo court has held only the operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant responsible for paying damages to dozens of evacuees. And the court slashed the amount to half of what the lower court had ordered and relieved the government of responsibility. It was a