Month: December 2023

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The first woman to serve on the nation’s highest court will lie in repose at the Supreme Court on Monday. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, an Arizona native who served as an unwavering voice of moderate conservatism for more than two decades, died Dec. 1 at

By MIKE CATALINI Associated Press TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey has vowed he’s not going anywhere amid a federal corruption case against him, but the party he once held considerable sway over is looking beyond him. Party leaders, from Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy to local officials, have called on Menendez

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — For the last few years of its life, HBO’s “Real Sports” taped its episodes on the same Manhattan block where CBS’ “60 Minutes” resides. They shared a sensibility along with a neighborhood. But while “60 Minutes” rolls along in its sixth decade, the monthly sports

By SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Biden administration officials have ramped up their involvement in the recent border talks on Capitol Hill. That’s because if those negotiations are successful, then President Joe Biden’s emergency spending request for Ukraine could become law. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, along with senior officials from

By SAMYA KULLAB Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A gloomy mood hangs over Ukraine’s soldiers nearly two years after Russia invaded their country. Ukrainian soldiers remain fiercely determined to win, despite a disappointing counteroffensive this summer and signs of wavering financial support from allies. But as winter approaches, they worry that Russia is better

By TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israelis were left stunned and speechless when three hostages held by Hamas were killed by Israeli forces in the middle of an active war zone, after they waved a white flag and screamed out in Hebrew apparently to show they did not pose a threat.

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A new study adds to evidence that severe obesity is becoming more common in young U.S. children. There was some hope that children in a government food program might be bucking a trend in obesity rates. Earlier research found rates had dropped a little for

By The Associated Press This week’s new streaming entertainment releases include Bradley Cooper’s loving look at the life of Leonard Bernstein in “Maestro,” Percy Jackson finds out that Greek myths aren’t just a history lesson in “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” and PBS celebrates chef Lidia Bastianich. x hosts “A Home for the Holidays” musical

By MARK LONG AP Pro Football Writer JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw a touchdown pass and made the play of night when he avoided a sack and threw to Isaiah Likely near the goal line, and the Baltimore Ravens clinched a postseason berth with a 23-7 victory at Jacksonville. The Ravens won their

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower on Monday as the Bank of Japan began a 2-day meeting that is being watched for hints of a change to the central bank’s longstanding near-zero interest rate policy. U.S. futures and oil prices gained. Investors have been speculating for months

By THOMAS BEAUMONT Associated Press ALTOONA, Iowa (AP) — Nikki Haley denounced Republican presidential rival Ron DeSantis in Iowa Sunday for campaigning in the state with Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, the lone House Republican who voted last week against a GOP resolution condemning antisemitism on university campuses. “You can’t be pro-Israel and bring the most

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — A landmark national security trial has opened in Hong Kong for prominent activist publisher Jimmy Lai. He faces a possible life sentence if convicted under a law imposed by Beijing to crush dissidents. The 76-year-old Lai was arrested in August 2020 during a crackdown on the

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Officials say more than 300 people have been rescued from floodwaters in northeast Australia, with dozens of residents clinging to roofs. Cairns Airport was closed on Monday due to flooding and authorities are concerned that the city of 160,000 people will lose drinking water. While rain was easing in Cairns, severe

By JONATHAN J. COOPER and GABE STERN Associated Press RENO, Nev. (AP) — Donald Trump called out three of Nevada’s fake electors during a rally in Reno. The former president said Sunday the fake electors are being treated unfairly. He spoke less than 24 hours before they are scheduled to be arraigned for signing certificates

By COLLEEN LONG Associated Press WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — A car plowed into a parked SUV that was guarding President Joe Biden ‘s motorcade Sunday night while the president was leaving a visit to his campaign headquarters. The president and first lady Jill Biden were unharmed. While Biden was walking from the campaign office to

By JOHN WAWROW AP Sports Writer ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — James Cook had a career-best 179 yards rushing and scored twice as Buffalo dominated on the ground, and the Bills beat Dallas 31-10 on Sunday, ending the Cowboys’ five-game winning streak. Josh Allen threw for just 94 yards for the Bills (8-6), who won

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says North Korea has fired another ballistic missile off its east coast. South Korea’s military says in a statement that the launch was made Monday morning but has given no further details, such as how far the weapon flew. The launch came hours after South Korea reported North

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (AP) — Biotech giant Illumina says it will undo its $7.1 billion purchase of the cancer-screening company Grail. The company lost legal battles with antitrust enforcers in the U.S. and Europe. San Diego-based Illumina says it made its decision to divest after a U.S. appeals court ruled Friday that the merger could

By DEMETRIS NELLAS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The Greek parliament has approved the government’s 2024 budget, the first in 14 years with Greek debt listed at investment grade. The budget passed Sunday evening on a 158-142 vote in the 300-member body, with only lawmakers from the governing conservative New Democracy party voting for

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Twelve people are dead following an attack by gunmen on a Christmas season party in the town of Salvatierra in Mexico’s north-central state of Guanajuato. State prosecutors also report that four other people died in a shooting in the city of Salamanca, but have not described the circumstance of that attack.

BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities say five people including three young children have died in a house fire in northwestern Arizona near the Colorado River. Bullhead City police say the fire broke out around 5 p.m. Saturday and the victims did not make it out of the two-story duplex. A city fire department spokeswoman

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Rebels from Colombia’s leftist National Liberation Army have agreed to stop using kidnapping as a fund-raising tactic, if the current cease-fire with the government is extended. The pledge came at the end of a round of talks between the two sides over the weekend. Colombians have grown angry at kidnappings by

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Aden Holloway scored 15 points with six assists and Jaylin Williams had 14 points to help Auburn beat USC 91-75 as the Trojans’ Bronny James continued to work his way back to the court after suffering cardiac arrest. The Tigers controlled the game most of

GREENVILLE, Miss. (AP) — A federal judge has overturned the death penalty conviction of a Mississippi man stemming from a fatal store robbery in 2004. The judge ruling recenlty that the man’s defense lawyer didn’t get to fully argue at trial that the prosecution was dismissing Black jurors for discriminatory reasons. U.S. District Judge Michael

By LISA MASCARO and STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Negotiators are rushing to reach a U.S. border security deal that would unlock President Joe Biden’s request for billions of dollars worth in military aid for Ukraine and national security. They are trying to wrap up a framework, and potentially vote, before senators leave

BERLIN (AP) — A candidate for the far-right Alternative for Germany has been elected as the mayor of the eastern town of Pirna. The victory marks another milestone for the party. Official results showed that Tim Lochner who isn’t a member of Alternative for Germany or AfD but ran on its ticket won 38.5% of

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A show produced by Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has won a Daytime Emmy. “Recipe for Change: Standing Up to Antisemitism” won for outstanding daytime special at the Creative Arts and Lifestyle ceremony Saturday in Los Angeles. The YouTube Originals special was executive produced by James and his business partner

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Republican Party of Florida suspended Chairman Christian Ziegler and demanded his resignation during an emergency meeting Sunday, adding to calls by Gov. Ron DeSantis and other top officials for him to step down as police investigate a rape accusation against him. Ziegler is accused of

By CALVIN WOODWARD Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A longtime Associated Press writer, whose deep knowledge of the presidency, Congress and American history made him an institution in his own right, has died. Lawrence L. Knutson was 87. His cousin, representing the family, says Knutson died Saturday night in hospice care at a memory care

POMOMA, Calif. (AP) — A Los Angeles-area church was destroyed in a massive fire just hours before a Christmas play and a toy giveaway. The Los Angeles County Fire Department said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that firefighters arrived at Victory Outreach church in Pomona at about 2:45 a.m. Sunday. A fire department spokeswoman

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — “Wonka” debuted with $39 million in box office sales in the U.S. and Canada over the weekend. It’s a strong start for the musical starring Timothée Chalamet as Willy Wonka, and underscores Chalamet’s drawing power. Musicals have been tough sells in theaters in recent years,

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal drug officials are warning Georgia to shelve its plans to be the first state to allow pharmacies to dispense medical marijuana. News outlets report that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Nov. 27 warned pharmacies that dispensing medical marijuana violates federal law. The Georgia Board of Pharmacy had licensed 23 independent

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Police in Texas are trying to determine who injured three bystanders as officers shot and killed a man who pointed a firearm at them at a bar in an Austin entertainment district. Police said three officers fired at the suspect, who was shot multiple times late Saturday night. Interim Police Chief

HELSINKI (AP) — Finnish police are seeking a court order to imprison a Russian man who had been living under an alias in the Nordic country and is accused of committing war crimes against wounded or surrendered soldiers in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and 2015. Yan Petrovsky, who had been living in Finland under the

By SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — A prolific Chicago artist who was the first Black sculptor to receive a solo retrospective at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art and whose public works drew praise from presidents has died at age 88. Richard Hunt “passed away peacefully” Saturday at his home in Chicago.

LUTON, England (AP) — Luton says its captain Tom Lockyer is undergoing tests and scans at hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest during a Premier League game. Lockyer fell to the ground during Luton’s match against Bournemouth on Saturday. The game was abandoned. He had also collapsed during a game in May and underwent heart

By ARIEL SCHALIT and JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press BEIT HANOUN, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military says it has excavated a large tunnel shaft in Gaza close to a major crossing with Israel. The discovery of the tunnel near the Erez crossing raises more questions about how Israeli surveillance could have missed such conspicuous

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A storm is moving up the East Coast with strong winds and precipitation after dumping up to five inches (12.7 centimeters) of rain across Florida. As the storm moved north Sunday, there were flooded streets and rough surf from southwest Florida to Jacksonville. The weather caused the cancellation of boat parades

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s highest court just gave Democrats a chance to redraw the state’s congressional districts, a major victory as the party tries to flip seats in the state to win control of the U.S. House next year. Now the question is how far the state’s Democrat-dominated

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian state new agencies have reported that delegates from Russia’s ruling party have unanimously backed President Vladimir Putin’s bid for reelection at a party conference in Moscow. The move on Sunday came just a day after supporters formally nominated the Kremlin leader on Saturday to run in the 2024 presidential election as

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Priests in the Church of England have blessed same-sex partnerships for the first time. However, same-sex couple still can’t get married in church amid deep Anglican divisions on the issue. Catherine Bond and Jane Pearce had their union blessed Sunday at St John the Baptist church in