Month: March 2024

By JIM SALTER Associated Press A rural Missouri boarding school at the center of abuse allegations has closed its doors. Meanwhile, a state agency is looking at itself to determine if it failed to adequately address past concerns about the school in calls to an abuse hotline. The closure of ABM Ministries’ Lighthouse Christian Academy

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A court plans to order the eviction of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used. But company founder and prominent election denier Mike Lindell said Wednesday that’s just a formality because the landlord wants to take the property back. Lindell denied in an interview Wednesday with The

By COLLEEN LONG and SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Talks have restarted aimed at bringing top Israeli officials to Washington to discuss potential military operations in Gaza. That word comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had canceled a planned visit this week because he was angry about the U.S. vote on a

By STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — For over a month, House Speaker Mike Johnson has sat on a funding package that would send desperately needed ammunition and weaponry to Ukraine, mulling how best to gain a grasp of what is expected to be a difficult lift in the House. The Republican speaker has

LONDON (AP) — Books about the dizzying impact of the internet and artificial intelligence are among finalists for a new book prize that aims to help fix the gender imbalance in nonfiction publishing. The shortlist for the 30,000 pound, or $38,000, award was announced Wednesday. It includes Canadian author-activist Naomi Klein’s plunge into online misinformation, “Doppleganger,”

By MARIA SHERMAN On Wednesday, Beyoncé shared the track list for her forthcoming album, “Act ll: Cowboy Carter.” It arrives Friday, but fans got an early sneak peek on the superstar’s Instagram account, when she shared an image that appears to include the titles of her songs. One appears to be called “The Linda Martell

By HELENA ALVES Associated Press LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal’s newly-elected Parliament has elected a new house speaker, following a deal between the country’s two main centrist parties. The chamber elected José Aguiar Branco of the Social Democrats by 160 votes, well above the 116 needed. The vote Wednesday came after the Social Democrats reached

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s military authorities say they have dismissed the Polish commander of the Eurocorps rapid reaction unit. Lt. Gen. Jaroslaw R. Gromadziński is facing a military counterintelligence investigation involving him. Poland’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday that new information regarding Gromadziński had been revealed and an investigation into his security clearance had been

By NOAH TRISTER AP Baseball Writer David Rubenstein’s purchase of the Baltimore Orioles has been approved by Major League Baseball owners. That clears the way for the Angelos family to finalize the sale after over three decades running the team. Approval of 75% of all owners was required, and MLB said the vote was unanimous.

By GRANT PECK Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Thousands of Myanmar military personnel have held their annual parade of strength even after a recent series of unprecedented battlefield defeats. The head of Myanmar’s ruling military council alleged in a speech that the nation’s youth are being tricked by propaganda into supporting the resistance against army

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission is investigating TikTok over its data and security practices, a probe that could lead to a settlement or a lawsuit against the company, according to a person familiar with the matter. The investigation is the latest battle in Washington for the

By WILL GRAVES AP National Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) — The pregame handshake has become a staple of college basketball during March Madness. Nearly every team in both the men’s and women’s game has at least one player who greets the starters with a sometimes intricately choreographed handshake before the game is tipped off. The ritual

By SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press PARIS (AP) — An exhibit in the French capital before this summer’s Paris Olympics shows how the games have been a “mirror of society” since the beginning of the 20th century. Historian Paul Dietschy is one of the curators. He told The Associated Press on Wednesday that “this exhibit tries

By KIM CHANDLER Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama has set a May 30 execution date for a man convicted in the 2004 slaying of a couple during a robbery. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey set the date for the execution by lethal injection of 50-year-old Jamie Mills. The Alabama Supreme Court last week authorized

By LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Two West Virginia minors are facing sexual assault and other charges following an alleged incident at a hotel involving members of a high school wrestling team. Raleigh County Sheriff James Canaday says the Greenbrier West High School students are facing two counts of second-degree sexual assault,

By ERICK KAGLAN Associated Press LOME, Togo (AP) — Activists and opposition leaders in the West African country of Togo have called for protests to stop the president from signing off on a new constitution that would scrap future presidential elections and could extend his decades-long rule until 2031. The constitution was approved this week

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — He’s gone to Carolina in his mind and on tour for much of 2024. Not long after his 76th birthday, James Taylor & His All-Star Band will take their show on the road in the U.S., hitting 24 cities for 31 shows in five months.

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press Donald Trump has lashed out at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial. The former president posted on social media Wednesday that the gag order was

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has imposed sanctions on an online media site called Gaza Now and its founder Mustafa Ayash, for allegedly supporting Hamas. On Wednesday, U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said that after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas against Israel the online entity began a

By ED WHITE Associated Press The federal government will provide a $1.5 billion loan to restart a nuclear power plant in southwestern Michigan. Officials say it would be the first nuclear power plant to be reopened in the U.S. Holtec International acquired the 800-megawatt Palisades plant in 2022 with plans to dismantle it. But now

By TRISHA AHMED and VALERIE GONZALEZ Associated Press What is it like to survive a bridge collapse? Survivors of past collapses in Minnesota and Texas tell The Associated Press that Tuesday’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore brought back harrowing memories of their own ordeals. Linda Paul was on the Interstate 35

By KATHY McCORMACK Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster of New Hampshire says she will not seek reelection to Congress for a seventh term in November, leaving the state’s sprawling 2nd District open to a possible GOP successor. Kuster is the longest-serving member in the mostly rural district, which stretches

VIENNA (AP) — Two large portraits of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have been spray-prainted on a property owned by the family of a former Czech foreign minister behind a monument to Soviet soldiers in Vienna. The portraits on the wall behind the monument, which already was painted in Ukraine’s blue and yellow

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer Earth’s changing spin is threatening to toy with our sense of time, clocks and computerized society in an unprecedented way — but only for a second. For the first time in history, world timekeepers may have to consider subtracting a second from our clocks in a few years because

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — It’s a new location but the same host for the Tony Awards. Ariana DeBose will make it three in a row as MC of theater’s most watched event, which this year moves uptown to Lincoln Center. The Academy Award winner and Tony Award nominee, who

By MAE ANDERSON AP Business Writer As Tax Day approaches, there are plenty of things small business owners should keep in mind when filing taxes this year. April 15 is still the annual tax deadline for many small businesses although, unlike individuals, small businesses can have varying deadlines depending on the type of company, the

By STEPHEN McGRATH Associated Press Since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago, fears have risen in neighboring Moldova that it could also be in Moscow’s crosshairs. Like Ukraine, Moldova is a former Soviet republic that has aligned itself with the West and aspires to join the European Union. And both countries hope to eventually reintegrate

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A man accused of killing three family members in Pennsylvania has made an initial court appearance on related carjacking and weapons charges in New Jersey. Andre Gordon Jr. did not enter a plea Wednesday and waived his right to contest pretrial detention. Police have said the 26-year-old Gordon killed his stepmother,

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Didn’t win the giant Mega Millions jackpot? Don’t fret. There is an $865 million Powerball jackpot up for grabs Wednesday night. Like that $1.13 billion Mega Millions prize won Tuesday night, the Powerball jackpot has been growing for months. The last time someone won Powerball’s top prize was on New

By COLLIN BINKLEY, ANNIE MA and NOREEN NASIR Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — When the Supreme Court ended affirmative action, it left the college essay as one of few places where race can play a role in admissions decisions. Yet the added weight of the college essay has fallen unevenly on students of color, who

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Sports Writer NCAA President Charlie Baker on Wednesday urged lawmakers in states with legal wagering on sporting events to ban betting on individual player performances. “Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity of competition and leading to student-athletes

By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN AP Science Writer DALLAS (AP) — Looking directly at the sun during a solar eclipse can lead to permanent eye damage. Eye experts say it’s easy to take safety precautions. People in the path of totality of the April 8 total solar eclipse that cuts through Mexico, the U.S. and Canada should

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley play women brought together by letters in the new film “Wicked Little Letters” but their preferred means of communication is WhatsApp. They are real-life pals who play bitter enemies in “Wicked Little Letter.” The film dramatizes the 1920s true crime

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press KADUNA, Nigeria (AP) — Parents of more than 130 Nigerian schoolchildren who were rescued after more than two weeks in captivity say they saw them and that they couldn’t hold back tears of joy during the reunion. The parents say the meeting took place on Wednesday at a government facility

Apple has announced their annual developers conference will take place June 10 through June 14. The big summer event will be live-streamed, but some select developers have been invited to attend in-person events at Apple’s campus in Cupertino, California. The company typically showcases their latest software and product updates — including the iPhone, iPad, Apple

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Allies of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney reached a settlement agreement Wednesday in a lawsuit over who controls Walt Disney World’s governing district. In a meeting, the members of the board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District approved the settlement agreement, ending almost two

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A British financial trader described as the ringleader in the manipulation of a key interest rate before and after the global financial crisis has lost his appeal to have his conviction quashed. Tom Hayes was a former trader at U.S. bank Citigroup and Switzerland’s UBS. He was

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is calling out China’s excess production in green energy, calling it unfair competition that “distorts global prices” and hurts companies and workers around the world. Yellen is planning her second trip to China as Treasury secretary. In remarks prepared for delivery in Georgia

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Only a week has passed since the Los Angeles Dodgers abruptly fired Ippei Mizuhara, the interpreter and constant companion of their new $700 million slugger, Shohei Ohtani. But the shocking events have been the biggest story of baseball’s spring, and the saga doesn’t appear over

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — It was nice while it lasted. An environmentally themed mural by elusive street artist Banksy that appeared last week on a London street has been encased in plastic and surrounded by fencing after an apparent act of vandalism. The work is on a four-story wall near a

STOCKHOLM (AP) — An Iraqi man who carried out several Quran burnings in Sweden has told a newspaper in the country that he would seek asylum in neighboring Norway in the wake of a deportation order by authorities in Stockholm. The 37-year-old Salwan Momika has staged several burnings and desecrations of the sacred book of

NEW YORK (AP) — Kia is rolling out a revamped compact car in the U.S. even though sales of the small cars are dropping as the nation continues to favor SUVs and pickup trucks. The South Korean automaker rolled out the new K4, which replaces the Forte, at the New York International Auto Show on

By CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will share a stage with Barack Obama and Bill Clinton in New York as he raises money for his reelection campaign. Thursday’s event is a one-of-a-kind political extravaganza that will showcase decades of Democratic leadership. Although the three have occasionally campaigned against each other,

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis appears in better health, walking into the Vatican audience hall on his own with a cane for his weekly audience and delivering his prepared text with a clear voice. The pope’s appearance on Wednesday was the first since Palm Sunday mass in St. Peter’s Square, when he decided at

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Sutherland has a memoir coming out in November. The actor reflects on his life of nearly 90 years and his 60-year career in Hollywood. Publisher Crown announced Wednesday that the book, “Made Up, But Still True,” will be published Nov. 12. A native of Canada, Sutherland has starred in films