Month: February 2024

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG Associated Press/Report for America JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice says a Mississippi police department in one of the nation’s poorest counties unconstitutionally jailed people for unpaid fines without first assessing whether they could afford to pay them. The announcement comes amid a Justice Department probe into alleged civil

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro says his government is suspending purchases of weapons from Israel after Palestinians say Israeli troops fired at people seeking food in Gaza. Petro’s decision marks an escalation of tensions between both countries over the Israel-Hamas war. Petro announced the move in a tweet Thursday in which he

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Iowa star Caitlin Clark is close to passing the late Pete Maravich as the all-time scorer in NCAA basketball history. Maravich’s son Jaeson calls Clark a fantastic player who’s been great for basketball. He says he will always consider her scoring mark separate” from

By SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A shirtless candidate for U.S. Senate broke through the ice of a Madison lake hoping to pour cold water on any notion that he’s a soft Californian, not a hardy Wisconsinite. And then in a video posted Thursday on X, Eric Hovde challenged his Democratic challenger,

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Three dozen leaders at news organizations around the world are expressing solidarity with reporters doing the dangerous work of covering the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The Committee to Protect Journalists is organizing the effort. It estimates that at least 89 journalists and media workers have

By MATT O’BRIEN AP Technology Writer ChatGPT-maker OpenAI is looking to fuse its artificial intelligence systems into the bodies of humanoid robots as part of a new deal with robotics startup Figure. Sunnyvale, California-based Figure announced the partnership Thursday along with $675 million in venture capital funding from a group that includes Amazon founder Jeff

DALLAS (AP) — A judge has upheld a decision requiring Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to take a paternity test as part of a legal dispute with a 27-year-old woman who claims the billionaire is her biological father. A Texas judge on Wednesday rejected an appeal from Jones of a 2022 ruling in a paternity

By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press A Texas prosecutor whose office filed murder charges against a woman who self-managed an abortion has been disciplined and fined. The case sparked outrage when an assistant in Starr County District Attorney Gocha Ramirez’s office filed the charges in 2022. Under the law of Texas and other states, women are

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guard member accused of leaking highly classified military documents on a social media platform, is expected to plead guilty in his federal case. Prosecutors asked the judge to schedule a change of plea hearing for Monday, but no other details

By DAVID KLEPPER and BARBARA ORTUTAY Associated Press Attorneys for X Corp. and a research organization that studies online hate speech have traded arguments in court in a legal battle over the organization’s reports on the increase in hate speech on the site since it was purchased by Elon Musk in 2022. The non-profit Center

By MAYA SWEEDLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — More than one-third of the total delegates available in both the Republican and Democratic presidential primaries will be awarded on Super Tuesday, when 16 states and one territory hold presidential nominating contests. On the Republican side, 854 of 2,429 will be at stake on Super Tuesday, which

By DEVNA BOSE AP Health Writer A massive U.S. health care technology company says it was attacked by the ransomware group ALPHV, also known as Blackcat. Change Healthcare first acknowledged the attack last week. It is affecting health care providers across the country. Mostly it is threatening the security of patients’ information and paychecks for

By JACK DURA Associated Press PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota’s Republican-controlled Legislature has approved the creation of a video to outline the state’s abortion laws and to clarify when health care providers are legally allowed to intervene. South Dakota outlaws all abortions except to save the life of the mother, under a trigger ban

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS plans to go after 125,000 high-income earners who did not file tax returns going back to 2017. The agency expects to collect roughly $100 billion in back taxes. Beginning this week, the agency will start sending out noncompliance letters to more than 25,000 people who

By KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A man who killed his former girlfriend three decades ago is set to be put to death in March in Georgia’s first execution in more than four years. A judge on Thursday signed the order for the execution of Willie James Pye, who was convicted of murder

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jessica Gelman has become an influential leader and innovator in the sports industry. She co-founded the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. She teamed with Philadelphia 76ers President Daryl Morey to not only found Sloan, but guide it into the preeminent forum for number-crunchers. The Sloan conference

By JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press OFER PRISON, West Bank (AP) — A U.S. citizen who was dragged out of her home and detained by Israeli authorities for over three weeks was released on bail Thursday to wait out the remainder of her trial in the West Bank, the latest in a case attracting international attention

By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Freshman Alabama Sen. Katie Britt will deliver the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech next week. She is the youngest female senator and the first woman elected to the Senate from Alabama. In a statement with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Congressman Mark Green reversed course and has announced that he’ll pursue a fourth term after all. The Republican initially announced nearly two weeks ago that wouldn’t seek reelection, but on Thursday, Green said he has received “countless calls” from constituents and colleagues asking him to

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ New York Associated Press (AP) — Federal agents have raided a home owned by a top adviser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The FBI confirmed that a raid was conducted Thursday at a Bronx address. Records show that the home there is owned by Winnie Greco, a longtime fundraiser for

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say two police officers were shot and wounded Thursday in Independence, Missouri. Their conditions were not immediately known. The Independence Police Department said in a Facebook post that there were reports of shots fired near a residence, and two officers were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds. Police will

By JONEL ALECCIA AP Health Writer Cases of norovirus, a nasty stomach bug that spreads easily, are climbing in the Northeastern U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. Nationwide, about 12% of most recent norovirus tests sent to the CDC were positive, but the proportion was about 16% in the Northeast, the

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Consumer Reports says some doorbell cameras sold by Amazon and other online retailers have security flaws that could allow bad actors to view footage from the devices or control them completely. Researchers with the product-review organization say they found major vulnerabilities in cameras manufactured by

By JOSHUA GOODMAN Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — A former U.S. ambassador said Thursday he will plead guilty to charges of serving as a secret agent for communist Cuba going back decades, bringing an unexpectedly fast resolution to a case prosecutors described as one of the most brazen betrayals in the history of the U.S.

By ED WHITE Associated Press A Michigan village has agreed to a $320,000 settlement with a man from Japan who was wrongly accused of drunken driving. It turns out that a Fowlerville police officer badly misread a breath test. Ryohei Akima blew a 0.02 on the test. But it was mistakenly read by Officer Caitlyn

By GABE STERN Associated Press/Report for America RENO, Nev. (AP) — A Nye County spokesperson says top elections official Mark Kampf is resigning. The rural Nevada county has been roiled by voting machine conspiracy theories. That led to a hand-count in the 2022 midterms. The reason for Nye County Clerk Mark Kampf’s resignation is not

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is on course to pass another short-term spending measure that would keep one set of federal agencies operating through March 8 and another set through March 22. The measure will allow Congress to avoid a shutdown for parts of the federal government set to kick in

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — For more than a quarter-century, Phillies fans considered dollar hot dog night among the best ballpark promotions — but the team has now decided it was the wurst. Those dog days of April — when the Philly weather is cold and the wieners are a steal

By KIM CHANDLER Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers are rushing to get in vitro fertilization services resumed in the state. Three IVF providers in Alabama paused services after the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos were considered “extrauterine children” under the state wrongful death law. The House of Representatives voted 94-8

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI and GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press A national LGBTQ+ advocacy group is suing the Texas Attorney General, rather than handing over information about transgender children receiving gender-confirming medical care. PFLAG National says in its lawsuit filed Wednesday that the Republican Ken Paxton’s office is demanding “documents and communications” related to a sworn statement

By LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia bill that would outlaw the gender designation of non-binary on birth certificates is headed to Gov. Jim Justice’s desk. The Republican governor hasn’t spoken publicly about the bill. Justice previously signed laws restricting gender-affirming care for minors and transgender children’s participation in sports.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — The board overseeing North Carolina’s public university system will require schools to get approval to change athletic conferences. The system’s board of governors approved the measure Thursday. It’s a move that could most notably impact any potential move by Atlantic Coast Conference members North Carolina and North Carolina State. It

By FARAI MUTSAKA Associated Press HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zambia’s president Hakainde Hichilema has declared the country’s debilitating drought a national disaster and emergency. In an address to the nation Thursday, Hakainde Hichilema said 84 of the country’s 116 districts are affected by the prolonged drought. The declaration provides a legal basis to mobilize more

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (AP) — Hatch watch is underway in Southern California mountains. Three bald eagle chicks could emerge this week from eggs laid in a nest monitored by nature lovers via a popular online camera feed. The mother, Jackie, laid the eggs in late January atop a tree overlooking Big Bear Lake high

By TOM ODULA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Haiti’s prime minister has arrived in Kenya to try to salvage a plan to have the African country deploy 1,000 police officers to the troubled Caribbean nation to help combat gang violence.Kenya agreed in October to lead a U.N.-authorized international police force to Haiti. But the

By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press Grand jury transcripts from a 2006 Florida investigation into wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse of dozens of underage girls will be released publicly later this year under legislation signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The measure will take effect July 1. Epstein cut a deal with South Florida federal

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash announced on social media Thursday that he will run for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat. Amash will pursue the Republican nomination in the race. He had previously left the Republican party in 2019 after supporting an impeachment inquiry in then-President Donald

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris plans to return to the swing state of Wisconsin next week for an event touting worker apprenticeship programs. The White House announced the visit on Thursday. The trip to Madison will mark her sixth trip to the state as vice president and her second this year. She

The U.S. economy is humming and there are hundreds of thousands of jobs being added every month. In a stunning burst of hiring to start the year, the nation added 353,000 jobs in January. The unemployment rate is hovering at 3.7%, just above a half-century low. At the same time, layoffs continue to arrive across

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment NEW YORK (AP) — Liev Schreiber is chewing on big ideas in a revival of John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Doubt,” which lands on Broadway during Lent. It opens March 7. Schreiber plays jovial Father Flynn, a teacher who is alleged to have an inappropriate relationship with a student,

NEW YORK (AP) — Police in New York City are searching for a man who slashed a subway conductor in the neck. The union representing transit workers meanwhile is calling for better protections on the rails. The Transportation Workers Union Local 100 says the attack happened around 3:40 a.m. Thursday at a station in Brooklyn.

By DAVID A. LIEB Assocaited Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri residents could see a roughly $138 million tax break under legislation intended to offset a surge in local property tax collections caused by higher vehicle values. The state House overwhelmingly passed the legislation Thursday, sending it to the Senate. Missouri is among several

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Mitch McConnell’s decision to step down as Senate Republican leader in November is reverberating back home in Kentucky. His announcement Wednesday has set off a wave of speculation about not only what impact the loss of influence might have on the Bluegrass State but the future

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Court of Appeals is being urged to step into a dispute over leadership of the state Republican Party. Lawyers for Kristina Karamo are asking the court to throw out a decision by a Kent County judge, who said a January vote to oust Karamo was valid. The judge