Month: January 2024

By MELISSA GOLDIN Associated Press Superstar Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce, have become the focus of a raft of false claims and political conspiracy theories on social media this week as the team advances to the Super Bowl on Feb. 11. Baseless posts range from allegations that Swift

By JOHN ANTCZAK Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — The first of two back-to-back atmospheric rivers is pushing into California, triggering statewide storm preparations and calls for people to get ready for potential flooding, heavy snow and damaging winds. Known as a “Pineapple Express” because its long plume of moisture stretches back across the Pacific

HONOLULU (AP) — A surge of earthquakes at Kilauea’s summit is prompting scientists to raise the alert level for the Hawaiian volcano. But any eruption is unlikely to threaten homes. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says it has detected 25 to 30 small earthquakes per hour since 3 a.m. Wednesday at the southern part of the

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is aiming to pass a tax cut package expanding the child tax credit for millions of families and restoring three key tax breaks for businesses. Prospects for the measure becoming law are still uncertain, but for a House that has struggled to get bills of

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled California residents don’t have to pay for and pass a background check every time they buy bullets. U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez ruled Tuesday the law is unconstitutional. His ruling took effect immediately. California Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta has asked

BERLIN (AP) — A union has called on security staff at most of Germany’s major airports to stage a one-day strike on Thursday as it steps up pressure on employers in a pay dispute. The ver.di union announced the strikes on Tuesday. It said the strike will affect Germany’s busiest airport, Frankfurt, as well as

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A review of Kentucky’s juvenile justice system has found continuing use of force issues in its detention centers and a lack of progress on a previous state audit’s suggestions for improvement. The new report was released Wednesday by Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball. It says the state’s juvenile detention centers lack clear

By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — Fans have been wondering for days whether Taylor Swift will make it to the Super Bowl next week to cheer on boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs and, if so, how many times she’ll show up on TV during the game. They can

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated Press Donations poured in Wednesday to replace a decimated statue of Jackie Robinson on what would have been the 105th birthday of the first player to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier. The total raised just through one online fundraiser surpassed $140,000, well in excess of the estimated $75,000 value of

By SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago’s City Council narrowly approved a resolution Wednesday calling for a permanent cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas, with Mayor Brandon Johnson casting the tiebreaking vote. The symbolic declaration in the nation’s third-largest city follows weeks of rowdy public meetings with disruptions from demonstrators, including

By KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A defense attorney who has alleged that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has had an inappropriate romantic relationship with a special prosecutor hired for the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump has called the two to testify at a hearing next month. Lawyer

By NOAH TRISTER AP Baseball Writer Cal Ripken Jr. and Grant Hill are part of the investor group that has agreed to buy the Baltimore Orioles. So are former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke. The group is headed by Baltimore native David Rubenstein. He is co-founder of the Carlyle

By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press The growing issue of AI-generated deepfakes has already been a hot topic in state legislatures. Then Taylor Swift was victimized with her face appearing on pornographic images. At least ten states have deepfake laws on the books, and now most legislatures are considering new measures. One Missouri lawmaker introduced a

By STEVE LeBLANC Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — A Boston doctor was found not guilty Wednesday on a charge of lewd acts near a 14-year-old girl on an airplane after a three-day trial in federal court in Boston. Lawyers for Dr. Sudipta Mohanty, 33, said more than a dozen passengers sitting in seats near Mohanty

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Abortion-rights supporters are mounting another push to restore abortion access in Kentucky. But the lawmaker sponsoring the bill acknowledges the long odds against them. A near-total abortion ban has been in place in Kentucky since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. It bans abortions

NEW YORK (AP) — Melinda Ledbetter Wilson, the longtime wife and manager of Brian Wilson whom the Beach Boys co-founder often credited for stabilizing his famously troubled life, has died at age 77. Wilson struggled for much of his life with mental health and substance abuse issues that upended his career in the 1960s and

By ALEXANDRA OLSON and DAVID FISCHER Associated Press Writers MIAMI (AP) — A small venture capital firm faced tough questions from conservative judges Wednesday as it defended a grant program for Black women-owned businesses in a lawsuit that has become emblematic of a growing legal backlash against corporate diversity programs. The Fearless Fund is asking

By SEAN MURPHY Associated Press Writer OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — After facing fierce criticism, the head of Oklahoma’s public schools now says his agency is working to see if teachers improperly awarded up to $50,000 can keep the bonuses. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters made the comments on Wednesday. Walters and the Department

By COLLEEN LONG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — White House senior adviser John Podesta will replace John Kerry as U.S. special climate change envoy, according to a person familiar with the appointment. Kerry announced earlier this month that he would step down from the top climate job to work on President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign.

SEBRING, Fla. (AP) — Officials say a sheriff’s deputy in central Florida took his own life outside the agency’s headquarters. The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office says 56-year-old Paul Robitaille worked as a detention deputy in the county courthouse in Sebring and had been with the agency since March 2007. Investigators say Robitaille asked his supervisor

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press For about 15 years, Uriel Rincon told authorities he didn’t recognize the gunman who he saw kill Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay in the rap star’s recording studio. But on Wednesday, Rincon — who was himself wounded in the gunfire — pointed across a courtroom and identified Karl Jordan Jr. as

By STEPHEN GROVES, LISA MASCARO and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — With time slipping to bolster Ukraine’s defenses, Senate negotiators struggled Wednesday to finalize a bipartisan deal that would pair policy changes at the U.S. southern border with wartime aid for Kyiv as their carefully negotiated compromise ran into strong resistance from

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Travis Kelce is happy to have Taylor Swift on the Kansas City Chiefs bandwagon heading to the Super Bowl. As if that wasn’t evident by their on-field smooch after the AFC title game. On the latest episode of their “New Heights” podcast, the Chiefs

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed Disney’s free speech lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, leaving the company’s remaining hopes of regaining control of the district that governs Walt Disney World to a separate state court challenge. U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor in Tallahassee said in

By SUSAN HAIGH and DAVE COLLINS Associated Press A challenger to the mayor of Connecticut’s largest city says he’s staying in Bridgeport’s protracted race for mayor. John Gomes announced Wednesday he’ll appear on next month’s general election ballot, despite losing a do-over Democratic primary ordered by a judge who threw out the results of the

By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — Minutes after beating Baltimore 17-10 on Sunday to clinch a spot in the Super Bowl, Travis Kelce had a message to send. “The Chiefs are still the Chiefs,” Kelce said. Bettors agree. The early money is heavily on Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City to repeat

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has reversed the murder and kidnapping convictions of a former probation officer who was sentenced to life without parole for her role in the death of a Minneapolis real estate agent. The high court ruled Wednesday that Elsa Segura is entitled to a

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee jury has convicted six anti-abortion protesters of violating federal laws after they blocked the entrance of a reproductive clinic outside Nashville nearly three years ago. The jury’s decision, handed down late Tuesday after a weeklong trial, marks the latest development in a case that

By MARK STEVENSON Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president has condemned media reports that the U.S. government launched an abortive investigation into claims that drug traffickers may have contributed money to his failed 2006 campaign. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador immediately interpreted the reports as a U.S. attack on his government and his

Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Reports have emerged that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to fire the country’s popular top military leader. The reports in local and Western media have been denied by Zelenskyy’s office, but they are heightening expectations that Valerii Zaluzhnyi’s resignation could be imminent. His departure would be the most severe

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A man convicted of fatally shooting two Northern California women near the Las Vegas Strip almost eight years ago has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports Omar Talley was sentenced Tuesday after a judge reprimanded him for his lack of remorse.

By FRANKLIN BRICEÑO Associated Press LIMA, Peru (AP) — The streets, hotels and restaurants around the ruins of Machu Picchu — Peru’s most famous tourist attraction — are almost deserted. Train service to the area has been canceled amid a week-long protest over the outsourcing of entry ticket sales to a private company. Small businesses

CRAWFORD, N.Y. (AP) — A harness racing trainer is accused of striking and fracturing the skull of a race horse in upstate New York, requiring the animal to be euthanized. Prosecutors say 26-year-old Frederick Bourgault was arraigned Tuesday on two felony charges in connection with the death of a horse named Finish Line last July

By GERALD IMRAY and SEBABATSO MOSAMO Associated Press PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Israel has ignored the ruling by the U.N.’s top court last week by killing hundreds more civilians in a matter of days in Gaza, South Africa’s foreign minister said Wednesday, adding that her country has asked why an arrest warrant for Israeli

JACK JEFFERY The Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — The United States has imposed sanctions on three Sudanese firms it accuses of being directly connected to the warring forces in Sudan. The sanctions imposed Wednesday by the U.S. government block all property and entities in the U.S. belonging to Alkhaleej Bank Co Ltd; Zadna International Co

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Prosecutors say a gun that a former Ohio sheriff’s deputy said a man was waving at him when he fatally shot him in the back in 2020 was found in the man’s kitchen with the safety on. In his opening statement Wednesday in the murder case against Jason Meade, special prosecutor

By SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A lawsuit seeking to once again allow Wisconsin voters to return absentee ballots in drop boxes is one step closer to the state Supreme Court. Attorneys for the national Democratic law firm the Elias Law Group filed notice Tuesday that it was appealing a circuit judge’s

By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA and SAM METZ Associated Press TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Cash-strapped Tunisia wants to borrow billions from its central bank to shore up budget deficits and bandage its ongoing economic crisis. The North African country’s parliament on Wednesday mulled a request from President Kais Saied’s government to borrow funds after it previously

By TERESA M. WALKER and RALPH D. RUSSO AP Sports Writers The attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA that challenged its ban on the use of name, image and likeness compensation in the recruitment of college athletes. The legal challenge comes in response to the NCAA’s investigation of

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A large study ties contaminated drinking water at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune to an expanded range of cancers. Federal health officials released the study Wednesday. The study found military personnel stationed at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune from 1975 to 1985 had at least

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials are revising preliminary findings on what happened to two Navy SEALs who died while boarding an unflagged ship that was carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to Yemen. The revision is based on further review and interviews with personnel involved. U.S. officials said Wednesday that Navy