Month: January 2024

By SUMMER BALLENTINE Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri is mourning the death of former U.S. Sen. Jean Carnahan. The Missouri state House held a moment of silence Wednesday to mark Carnahan’s Tuesday death at age 90. Carnahan was the first female senator to represent Missouri. She was appointed to the U.S. Senate

By ANDREW DAMPF AP Sports Writer ROME (AP) — Jannik Sinner’s career so far can be defined by the choices he made and the freedom he had to make them. From when he was a kid growing up in the German-speaking area of the Italian Dolomites and he chose tennis over skiing. To the decision

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson remains the top fundraiser in the GOP primary campaign for North Carolina governor entering 2024. But a recent rival has used his own personal fortune to compete with him monetarily. Finance reports for the second half of 2023 show Robinson’s

By FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — James Biden will appear before Republicans for a private interview next month as lawmakers seek to regain some momentum in their monthslong impeachment inquiry into his brother, President Joe Biden. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee announced Wednesday that James Biden will come to Capitol Hill on

By CHRISTINA LARSON AP Science Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — A new study shows the return of sea otters and their voracious appetites has helped rescue a section of California marshland. Sea otters eat constantly and one of their favorite snacks is the striped shore crab. Left unchecked, the crabs can turn marsh banks into Swiss

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has put its former head who has become a hard-right politician since being removed from the job several years ago under scrutiny. Hans-Georg Maassen posted a letter from the BfV agency to his lawyer on his website Wednesday following a report that the authority he led from 2012

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has signed a package of legislation aimed at expanding access to dental care and bolstering the dental workforce across the state into law. The governor signed the legislation Wednesday at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau. The legislation authorizes licenses for dental therapists, a position between a dentist

By MATTHEW BARAKAT Associated Press FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A federal judge has rejected a request by Virginia’s largest school system to toss out a lawsuit accusing it of indifference to a middle school student’s claims of sexual abuse and harassment. The Fairfax County School Board filed a motion in November to dismiss the

By ED WHITE Associated Press PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A sheriff’s investigator says that hours after a Michigan teen killed four students at his high school in 2021, the teen’s mother said her son was “going to have to suffer.” Detective Lt. Sam Marzban of the Oakland County sheriff’s office told jurors Wednesday during the

WASHINGTON (AP) — Laser strikes aimed at aircraft are at an all-time high. That’s according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA said Wednesday that it received about 13,300 reports of lasers aimed at aircraft — including airliners — last year. That’s a record and a 41% increase over the previous year. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return to the Middle East later this week on his fifth urgent diplomatic mission to the region since Israel’s war with Hamas began in October. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby and a senior State Department official said Wednesday that

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Trevor Noah is ready to face one of the toughest audiences of his career, the millions watching as he once again hosts the Grammy Awards. He calls it “easily the most nerve-wracking thing that I do” and loves it. This will be Noah’s fourth consecutive

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The U.K. government has published the details of a deal that has broken Northern Ireland’s political deadlock. The Democratic Unionist Party has boycotted Northern Ireland’s government for almost two years in protest at post-Brexit trade rules. The agreement published Wednesday eliminates routine checks and paperwork for goods

By ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Fans of the soulful sounds of Detroit’s Motown and Memphis’ Stax Records will be able to enjoy music from both brands in the same place if they watch and listen to a free, online show streaming during Black History Month in February. Registration has begun for

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s leading resistance group and allied ethnic armed groups battling the military government have released a political road map to ending military rule and enabling a peaceful transition of power. They say they are open to peace talks with the army if it accepts their terms. The joint statement was released a

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — A Kosovar court has sentenced a former infrastructure minister to more than 3 1/2 years in prison for abusing his position by overspending public funds on a road project. Three of his top aides were also ordered to serve time. The Pristina district court Wednesday sentenced former minister Pal Lekaj, 61,

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — When the Super Bowl halftime show was born, college marching bands were the main on-field attraction. But over the years, the intermission during the NFL’s annual championship game has turned into one of sport’s biggest spectacles with superstar performances ranging from Prince, Beyoncé, U2

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The e-commerce giant eBay will pay a $59 million in a settlement with the Justice Department over thousands of pill press machines sold on the the platform. Federal authorities say the machines can be used to manufacture counterfeit pills that look just like prescription pills but instead

By MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Preliminary tests by a University of Nebraska road safety research facility and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers point to concerns that the nation’s roadside guardrails are no match for new heavy electric vehicles. At a news conference Wednesday, a university official said a first-of-its-kind

By DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Days after Maui’s wildfires killed scores of people and destroyed thousands of homes last August, a shocking claim spread with alarming speed on YouTube and TikTok: The blaze on the Hawaiian island was set deliberately, using futuristic energy weapons developed by the U.S. military. Claims of “evidence”

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech government says it plans to build up to four nuclear reactors instead of one as the country tries to become more energy independent and wean itself off fossil fuels. The prime minister says the decision could reduce the price per reactor by up to 25%. The timing and locations are

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire fire department says a woman fell into a dumpster while throwing out her garbage, and it didn’t end there: She landed inside a trash truck that compacted the contents. Luckily, neighbors heard her screams and the trash compartment was equipped with a camera. The driver spotted the woman

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The PGA Tour is getting a $3 billion investment from Strategic Sports Group. The deal gives players access to more than $1.5 billion as equity owners in the new PGA Tour Enterprises. The launch of PGA Tour Enterprises comes eight months after the PGA

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Mississippi man accused of destroying a statue of a pagan idol at Iowa’s state Capitol is now being charged with a hate crime. The statue was brought to the Capitol by the Satanic Temple of Iowa under state rules allowing religious displays in the building during the holidays. The

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer The CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X and other social media companies are testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday about child safety on their platforms. The hearing comes as lawmakers are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media on young people’s lives. While Meta CEO Mark

By DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — Online conspiracy theories have created a new age of fringe medical treatments and supposed miracle cures. The internet has become a clearing house for untested and even potentially dangerous medical products. They range from unproven supplements and remedies for aging to alternative treatments for COVID-19. Some

By DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Fueled by the internet, conspiracy theories are having a big moment in America. They’re driving online chat room conversations, influencing our politics and adding to the polarization threatening to undermine our democracy. For one Tennessee woman named Ramona, conspiracy theories also offered explanations and answers during the

By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer Biogen will stop developing its Alzheimer’s treatment Aduhelm, a drug once seen as a potential blockbuster before stumbling soon after its launch a couple of years ago. The drugmaker said Wednesday that it will end a study of the drug needed for full approval from the Food and Drug

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Denmark’s King Frederik X has begun his first trip abroad as monarch with a three-day visit to Poland. Frederik was proclaimed king on Jan. 14 and received a red-carpet welcome on Wednesday at the presidential palace in Warsaw. Denmark’s monarchs traditionally travel to another Scandinavian country

By DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — From fears about vaccines containing microchips to election rigging, conspiracy theories are popping up everywhere. But belief in conspiracy theories isn’t new and it’s quite common, according to decades of surveys. Psychologists say conspiracy theories survive because humans have a basic need to explain the world around

By DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A brutal conflict in Europe was fresh in people’s minds and the race for the White House turned ugly as talk of secret societies and corruption roiled the United States. It was 1800, and conspiracy theories were flourishing across America. Partisan newspapers spread tales of European elites

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Pay and benefits for America’s workers slowed last quarter, a trend that could affect the Federal Reserve’s decision about when to begin cutting interest rates. Compensation as measured by the government’s Employment Cost Index rose 0.9% in the October-December quarter, down from a 1.1% increase in

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The leaders of five European Union countries are urging their allies to ramp up military support for Ukraine. The leaders from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany and the Netherlands argued Wednesday that helping Ukraine throughout 2024 “is a matter of our common European security.” Almost two

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — An array of U.N. organizations have united to warn of “catastrophic consequences for the people of Gaza” if key donor countries don’t resume funding for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, the main lifeline for people in the besieged territory. The United States and more than a

MADRID (AP) — Court officials say Spanish soccer player Hugo Mallo will go on trial after being accused of inappropriately touching a mascot before a game in 2019. Mallo denies wrongdoing. He was with Celta Vigo when the alleged incident happened before a league match against Espanyol. The 32-year-old Mallo currently plays for Brazilian club

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A former leader of Scotland has acknowledged that she deleted WhatsApp messages sent during the COVID-19 pandemic. But Nicola Sturgeon insisted that anything of relevance to how policymaking was conducted had been made available for the public record. Sturgeon told the United Kingdom’s public inquiry into the

LEVITTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A man in Pennsylvania has been charged with first-degree murder and abusing a corpse after his father was found decapitated. Police are investigating a video on social media that allegedly shows him holding up the head. The father was found beheaded in the bathroom of his home in Bucks County’s Middletown

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — One of the world’s largest and most influential publishers, Simon & Schuster is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Highlights will include promotional giveaways, a dedicated web site and a spring gala featuring Judy Blume, Bob Woodward and dozens of other authors. For starters, the

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Joe Biden will visit the eastern Ohio community that was devastated by a fiery train derailment in February 2023. No date has been given for the Democratic president’s trip. But Biden is expected to visit East Palestine in February, about a year

By MICHAEL CANTU Edmunds Driving an electric vehicle during winter is different from driving a gas- or diesel-powered vehicle. Because of the lithium-ion battery pack that powers an EV, there are certain things EV owners should know about driving in freezing conditions. Edmunds rounds up several important tips EV owners should know for when freezing