Month: February 2024

By MARYCLAIRE DALE Associated Press EAST LANSDOWNE, Pa. (AP) — Officials near Philadelphia are closing their investigation into a shootout and house fire that killed six members of an extended family. They say 43-year-old Canh Le shot and killed his brother, sister-in-law and two nieces before setting fire to the home and killing himself. The

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Government scientists have cooked up a new concept for how to potentially cool an overheating Earth: Fiddle with the upper atmosphere to make it a bit drier. Water vapor — water in its gas form — is a natural greenhouse gas that traps heat, just like

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — An influential government advisory panel says older U.S. adults who got a COVID-19 shot in the fall should get a booster dose now. The advisers say people 65 and older should get another dose of the updated vaccine that became available in September — if

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s National Disaster Prevention Center said Wednesday the Popocatépetl volcano, located just 50 miles from the country’s capital, has erupted 13 times in the past day and urged people to not try to climb it due to debris shooting out of the crater. Volcanic ash from the Popocatépetl disrupted flights out

MILAN (AP) — Italian alpine rescuers say one German backcountry skier was killed and two others injured in an avalanche near the Austrian border. The skiers were all found quickly thanks to electronic location devices. The two survivors were transported to a hospital in critical condition. About 60 centimeters (more than 23 ½ inches) of

By WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Aid convoys carrying food reached northern Gaza this week, Israeli officials said. The delivery on Wednesday is the first major one in a month to the devastated, isolated area, where the U.N. has warned of worsening starvation. The U.S., Egypt and Qatar

LONDON (AP) — Tractors lined a road leading to the Welsh capital as thousands of farmers and their supporters thronged parliament to protest proposed environmental protections that would be required to receive farm subsidies. Protesters on Wednesday held signs reading, “No Farmers, No Food,” and “We Will Not Be Mooooved!” Leaders say 5,500 farmworkers would

By SUMMER BALLENTINE Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers are once again trying to block Medicaid funding from going to Planned Parenthood. The Republican-led House on Wednesday voted to bar federal health care dollars from going to Planned Parenthood, which is already banned by state law from providing abortions in most circumstances.

By ALANIS THAMES AP Sports Writer A social media influencer is suing Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill over an alleged incident that happened at the NFL star’s South Florida home last summer. In a lawsuit that Sophie Hall’s attorneys filed in Broward County circuit court on Feb. 23, the influencer claims that Hill “forcefully

By ROBERT YOON and STEPHEN OHLEMACHER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Dissatisfied Democratic primary voters in Michigan have cast enough protest votes to deny President Joe Biden two of the state’s 117 delegates. Michigan gives presidential primary voters an option to vote for “uncommitted,” which is listed in the last slot on the ballot. “Uncommitted”

By SARA CLINE Associated Press BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A baby pig, who was rescued after being tossed like a football near a Mardi Gras event in New Orleans, was officially adopted during a ceremony performed on the Louisiana Capitol steps Wednesday. The little pink critter, named Earl ‘Piglet’ Long, was adopted by a

By JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Supporters who want to make South Carolina the next-to-last U.S. state to pass a hate crimes law increasing penalties for some crimes fueled by race, gender or sexual orientation are running out of time to get what could be a decisive vote in the state Senate.

RINCON, Ga. (AP) — Authorities in Georgia say they discovered an estimated $1 million worth of stolen cargo inside a warehouse a few miles from Savannah’s busy seaport. The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Wednesday that investigators with a search warrant found pallets of consumer goods including cellphones, food and Peloton exercise

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press LANSING, Michigan (AP) — The “uncommitted” campaign protesting President Joe Biden in Michigan has enough primary election votes to win two delegates. That’s according to Associated Press tabulations of Tuesday’s Democratic vote. While Biden won the state with more than 618,000 votes, more than 100,000 Michigan Democratic

MOSCOW (AP) — Former Soviet Prime Minister Nikolai Ryzhkov has died at age 94. Ryzhkov presided over botched efforts to shore up the crumbling national economy in the final years of the USSR. Ryzhkov worked during his six-year tenure to implement Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s liberal reforms that lifted rigid centralized controls and encouraged private

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer The Oscars just got an infusion of Kenergy. Ryan Gosling will sing the pop power ballad “ I’m Just Ken ” at the show on March 10, the show’s producers announced Wednesday. Others set to perform their nominated original songs include Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, Jon Batiste, Scott

By THOMAS ADAMSON AP Fashion Writer PARIS (AP) — Paris Fashion Week’s fall shows offered a journey through time, blending historical influences with futuristic designs. Designers revisited archives to inspire new collections that mixed traditional elegance with modern innovation, evident in Dries Van Noten’s whimsical blend of historic and contemporary styles. The collection featured regal

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Hundreds of flights have been canceled and dozens more rescheduled in Argentina as unionized air travel workers go on a 24-hour strike nationwide to demand better wages, in the latest sign of social unrest in the South American country. The strike, which started Wednesday morning, is expected to impact nearly

By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press Gun accessories known as bump stocks hit the market more than a decade ago. The U.S. government initially concluded that the devices that make semi-automatic weapons fire faster didn’t violate a federal ban on machine guns. That changed after a gunman with bump stock-equipped rifles killed 60 people and wounded

By MICHAEL TACKETT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history who maintained his power in the face of dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party for almost two decades, will step down from that position in November. McConnell, who turned 82 last week, was set to announce his decision Wednesday

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — The agency that regulates U.S. telecommunications is considering a rule that could stop domestic abusers from tracking their partners through vehicles that are connected wirelessly. In a statement Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel says she is asking other commissioners to start the process of

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s lawyers have asked a New York appellate court to halt collection of the former president’s $454 million civil fraud judgment while he appeals. Trump’s lawyers said in a court filing Wednesday that he is planning to post a $100 million appeal bond rather

By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press A nuclear weapons facility was forced to evacuate most of its staff due to threats from a fast-moving wildfire blazing across the Texas Panhandle. The Pantex plant, northeast of Amarillo, removed nonessential staff Tuesday night as the fire grew into the second-largest in state history. Pantex is one of six

PRAGUE (AP) — The lower house of Parliament in the Czech Republic has rejected same-sex marriage while affirming existing unions called partnerships for gay couples. The new legislation also doesn’t allow same-sex couples to adopt children aside from those of their partner. The legislation still needs approval from the Senate and President Petr Pavel, who

By CHRISTINA LARSON AP Science Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists have identified a gene mutation that may explain why we don’t have tails. Our very ancient animal ancestors had tails. But when apes diverged from monkeys, our branch of the tree of life shed its tail. From Darwin’s time, scientists have wondered why _ and

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press A survey of 24 democratic countries by the Pew Research Center has found that while representative democracy remains a favorite system of governance around the globe, its appeal is slipping on the eve of elections worldwide. While a median of 77% of those surveyed said democracy was a “good” system

By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Days before a possible partial government shutdown, negotiators in Congress were working furiously Wednesday to finish up a federal spending plan as Washington joined Ukraine and other American allies around the world in watching and waiting for House Speaker Mike Johnson’s next move. The

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department says Mississippi is failing to protect inmates in three prisons from violence because it does not adequately supervise incarcerated people, control contraband or investigate harm and misconduct. The department released its report Wednesday about Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, South Mississippi Correctional

DENVER (AP) — The oldest son of U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert has been arrested in connection with a recent string of vehicle break-ins and property thefts. Police in Rifle, Colorado, say 18-year-old Tyler Jay Boebert was arrested Tuesday afternoon and is facing possible felony charges, Those charges include criminal possession of identification documents involving multiple

By EDOUARD TAKADJI Associated Press N’DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — Officials in Chad say several people were killed in an attack on the national security agency in the capital. Government spokesman Abderaman Koulamallah said Wednesday the agency, known as ANSE, was attacked in D’jamena by the opposition group The Socialist Party Without Borders. The group is

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Pilots lined up on a runway in Dubai and fired up their seven jet engines with an ear-splitting roar. But they weren’t preparing flying an airplane. They were the aircraft. This city-state in the United Arab Emirates is known for being home to the

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON Associated Press OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — In this U.S. election year, the Republican Party is aligning with some Latin American populists. It’s a way of injecting star power and the political landscape of immigrants’ home countries into this year’s campaign for president. GOP leaders have made inroads with Cuban and

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Youth hockey by all accounts is played as skillfully and respectfully as ever due to developmental advancements and safety enhancements mirroring NHL trends. This is still a contact sport, though. Teenage boys frequently take a stand-your-ground attitude to the ice even if dropping the gloves is

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Judges at the International Criminal Court have awarded reparations of more than 52 million euros ($56 million) to thousands of victims of a convicted commander in the shadowy Ugandan rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army. The nearly 50,000 victims covered by the order include former

BY STEPHEN McGRATH and AUREL OBREJA Associated Press CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Officials in Moldova’s Russia-backed breakaway region of Transnistria have appealed to Moscow for protection Wednesday, as tensions escalate with the pro-Western government. Moldova, a candidate to join the European Union, imposed new customs duties at the start of the year on goods going

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Noel Fielding trades pastry for pistols in the new mouthful of a series “The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin,” a swashbuckling romp that’s miles from the genteel tent of “The Great British Bake Off.” The English writer, comedian and TV host is a highway

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York man has pleaded guilty to charges he illegally trafficked birdwing butterflies and other rare insects. Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that Charles Limmer’s plea deal calls for a $30,000 penalty, and he had to turn over a collection of 1,000 butterflies, moths and other insects. Some of the dried