Month: December 2023

By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Biden administration is moving to conserve groves of old-growth trees on federal land by revising management plans for national forests and grasslands across the U.S. as climate change amplifies the threats they face from wildfires, insects and disease. Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack said the goal

By CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is planning a nationwide series of events focused on abortion. Her first stop is Wisconsin on Jan. 22. The date would have been the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court case that legalized abortion nationwide. The court overturned the

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court has ordered the 2021 national election to be partially repeated in the German capital because of severe glitches at many polling stations. The court ruled Tuesday that the election must be repeated in 455 of 2,256 constituencies in the state of Berlin, which is one of three German

By NAJIB JOBAIN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes killed at least 28 Palestinians in southern Gaza and troops raided one of the last functioning hospitals in the north as the country pressed ahead with its offensive against Hamas on Tuesday with renewed backing from the United States, despite

By JULHAS ALAM Associated Press DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh’s railway minister accused the country’s main opposition party of “arson” and “sabotage” after a fire broke out on a passenger train in the capital killing four people, including a mother and child. The opposition party led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia denied Tuesday’s accusation.

By HALELUYA HADERO and ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Business Writers NEW YORK (AP) — Haven’t ordered any of your holiday gifts yet? Well, you might find solace in discovering some of America’s biggest retailers are working to increase their shipping speeds to please shoppers expecting faster and faster deliveries. Walmart, Target and Amazon are all-in on

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mixed Tuesday after a seven-week winning streak on Wall Street cooled. U.S. futures were flat and oil prices were little changed. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index gained 1.4% to 33,219.39 after the Bank of Japan kept its ultra-lax monetary policy unchanged, as expected. The

By SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press PARIS (AP) — A French court is expected to rule Tuesday on charges against a Rwandan doctor for his alleged role in the 1994 genocide in his home country. Prosecutors have requested a sentence of 30 years in prison. The 68-year-old faces charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and complicity

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — When a toilet is flushed in California, the water can end up in a lot of places — the ice in a skating rink, the manufactured snow on ski slopes, in pipes providing irrigation for farmland. And — coming soon — in your drinking glass. California

By CHEYANNE MUMPHREY and SHARON LURYE of The Associated Press and ZAIDEE STAVELY of EdSource CONCORD, Calif. (AP) — Aylah Levy had some catching up to do this fall when she started first grade. After spending her kindergarten year at an alternative program that met exclusively outdoors, Aylah, 6, had to adjust to being inside

By LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press To feel 2023 is to listen closely and think on the words of awe, dread, anger, disconnect, loss — and yes, love — that flowed from people directly involved in the world’s most recent turns of history. To help tell the story, The Associated Press presents quotes from people around

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer Google has agreed to pay $700 million and make several other concessions to settle allegations that it had been stifling competition against its Android app store — the same issue that went to trial in another case that could result in even bigger changes. Although Google struck the deal

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — The national security trial of Hong Kong’s famous activist publisher Jimmy Lai entered its second day with the expectation that judges will rule by the end of the week on his lawyers’ bid to throw out a sedition charge that has been increasingly used to target

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — The Bank of Japan has kept its longstanding easy credit policies unchanged, saying it will watch price and wage trends before raising its negative benchmark interest rate. The BOJ policy decision was widely expected. But investors and analysts have speculated that the central bank is tip-toeing

By SHARON LURYE AP Education Writer Since the pandemic first upended American education, an estimated 50,000 students are still missing from any kind of U.S. school. That’s according to an Associated Press analysis of public, private and homeschool enrollment as of fall 2022, and U.S. Census data in 22 states, plus Washington, D.C. The reasons

By MATTHEW PERRONE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — In only two years, a small, colorful vaping device called Elf Bar has become the most popular disposable e-cigarette in the world, generating billions in sales and quickly emerging as the overwhelming favorite of underage U.S. teens who vape. Last week, U.S. authorities publicly announced the first

By ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A court hearing will resume this week in a lawsuit filed by a Memphis teen who alleges that NBA star Ja Morant assaulted him during a pickup basketball game two summers ago. The hearing has already featured testimony from the Memphis Grizzlies All-Star, who says he

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Sandra Day O’Connor will be laid to rest with funeral services Tuesday. President Joe Biden and Chief Justice John Roberts are scheduled to speak at the funeral for the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. O’Connor was an Arizona native who served as

By ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press LUKEVILLE, Ariz. (AP) — Hundreds of dates are written on concrete-filled steel columns erected along the U.S. border with Mexico to memorialize when the Border Patrol has repaired illicit openings in the would-be barriers. Yet no sooner are fixes made than another column is sawed, torched and chiseled for large

By BIANCA VÁZQUEZ TONESS AP Education Writer ATLANTA (AP) — It’s unclear to Tameka how — or even when — her children became unenrolled from Atlanta Public Schools. But it was traumatic when, in fall 2021, they figured out it had happened. After more than a year of some form of pandemic online learning, students

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer At the dawn of 2023, the specter of Saudi Arabia’s growing influence on pro golf — and sports in general — served not only as a moral conundrum for players and their fans, but also, some argued, as an existential threat to the multibillion-dollar professional-sports industry itself. Twelve months

By MATTHEW PERRONE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Until recently, the Chinese manufacturer behind Elf Bar e-cigarettes was able to slip its products passed U.S. customs officials. That’s according to public records reviewed by The Associated Press. The colorful vaping device has become the most popular disposable e-cigarette in the world. It has generated hundreds

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A convicted terrorist whom Australia had wanted to strip of his citizenship and deport will be released into the community under strict conditions. Algerian-born Muslim cleric Abdul Benbrika will be released from prison on Tuesday on a supervision order for 12 months following a ruling by

RIO YAMAT and GABE STERN Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — New court transcripts show that a lawyer who helped orchestrate the Trump campaign’s fake elector plot in 2020 had been a target of a criminal investigation in Nevada. But Kenneth Chesebro reached a deal with state Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford’s office and his

By PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has lost his latest bid to end the business fraud lawsuit he faces in New York as he campaigns to reclaim the White House. Judge Arthur Engoron issued a written ruling Monday denying the Republican’s latest request for a verdict in his

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Looking to build on his reelection victory, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has taken his budget directly to Kentuckians. In a televised speech Monday night, he made his case for a massive boost in education funding, support for child care and continued investments in infrastructure. His holiday

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says leader Kim Jong Un has vowed “more offensive actions” to repel what he called U.S.-led threats after watching the third test of his country’s most advanced long-range missile. The Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday that North Korea test-launched the solid-fueled Hwasong-18

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Western powers in the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran are accusing Tehran of developing and testing ballistic missiles, transferring hundreds of drones to Russia, and enriching uranium to an unprecedented 60% level for a country without a nuclear weapons program — all in violation

By STEPHEN GROVES, LISA MASCARO and REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s push to have Congress replenish wartime aid for Ukraine as part of a deal on border and immigration policy changes will almost certainly drag into next year. The Senate returned to Washington on Monday after negotiators worked through the

By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A trade group that represents TikTok and other major tech companies sued Utah on Monday over its first-in-the-nation laws requiring children and teens to obtain parental consent to use social media apps. Two laws signed in March by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox will prohibit minors

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG Associated Press/Report for America JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The county election officials under whose watch ballot shortages hampered voting in Mississippi’s largest county said technical mishaps and insufficient training were to blame for election day chaos in November. Hinds County election commissioners met Monday with representatives from a coalition of statewide and

NEW YORK (AP) — James McCaffrey, who voiced “Max Payne” in the popular video game franchise and also starred in television shows including “Rescue Me,” has died. He was 65. McCaffrey’s talent agent David Elliot confirmed Monday that the New York native passed away Sunday surrounded by family and friends. His wife, actor Rochelle Bostrom,

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Marvel had more riding on Jonathan Majors than perhaps any other actor. Now it’s parting ways with him, and throwing years of plans for its cinematic universe in disarray. Marvel Studios and the Walt Disney Co. dropped Majors from all future projects following the actor’s

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s largest city is blanketed with a network of cameras, license plate readers and special listening devices that hone in on the sound of gunfire. It forms a technological net of sorts that Albuquerque police say has been an integral part of a multimillion-dollar

By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s governor is requesting $425 million from lawmakers during the next fiscal year to help Maui recover from August’s wildfires. Gov. Josh Green said Monday he is asking for millions more to reduce the risk of wildfires statewide. The proposed budget is Green’s first since a fast-moving

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman has undergone a double mastectomy after concerns were raised during a routine medical examination. Her office made the announcement Monday. The surgery occurred less than a week after Coleman and Gov. Andy Beshear were sworn in for second terms. The Democrats

By JESSE BEDAYN Associated Press GRAND COUNTY, Colorado (AP) — Wildlife officials have released five gray wolves into a remote forest in Colorado, kicking off a voter-approved reintroduction program. The plan was embraced in the state’s mostly Democratic urban corridor but staunchly opposed by conservative voters in rural communities where ranchers worry about the predators

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Biden is set to appear in a California courtroom next month on nine tax counts, the latest fallout from a special counsel investigation into his business affairs. A federal court calendar posted Monday shows President Joe Biden’s son is scheduled for an initial appearance at an arraignment in Los Angeles on

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A volcanic eruption started Monday night on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula, turning the sky orange and prompting the civil defense to be put on high alert. The eruption appears to have occurred about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the town of Grindavík, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. Webcam video from the scene appears

BEIJING (AP) — At least 95 people were killed in a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in northwestern China, the country’s state media reported on Tuesday. The official Xinhua News Agency said that 86 people died in the province of Gansu and another nine in the neighboring province of Qinghai in the quake, which occurred just before

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A judge is being asked to disqualify Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones from holding office because of Jones’ participation as an elector for Donald Trump in 2020. The judge says he we will rule later after hearing arguments on the case Monday. The lawsuit comes as a

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have hired Rangers analyst C.J. Nitkowski to serve on their main television broadcast team, allowing Jeff Francoeur to spend more time with his family. Bally Sports and the Braves made the announcement Monday. Nitkowski pitched for the Braves in 2004 and still lives in suburban Atlanta. He will now

By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A declassified U.S. government report says foreign hackers did not change vote totals or otherwise compromise the integrity of federal elections last year in the United States. The report does identify multiple instances in which hackers linked to Iran, China and Russia connected to election infrastructure, scanned

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Solway Investment Group, a Switzerland-based mining company with interests in Guatemala, says it agrees with a regional court’s decision requiring the Guatemalan government to recognize the property rights of an Indigenous community. The company, which was not a party to the case, stressed Monday that the

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A pair of rare Nike sneakers donated to an Oregon homeless shelter in Portland sold for nearly $51,000 at auction on Monday. The shoes designed in 2019 for filmmaker Spike Lee sold for nearly double the high end of the predicted sale price. The gold Air