Month: March 2024

By SEUNG MIN KIM and DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press DALLAS (AP) — President Joe Biden has opened a new line of attack against former President Donald Trump. At a campaign fundraiser in the Dallas area on Wednesday, Biden asked and answered the classic “are you better off today than you were four years ago” question

By JESSICA DONATI Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal will head to the polls Sunday to vote in a tightly contested race that has fired up political tensions and tested one of West Africa’s most stable democracies. The presidential election will take place after much uncertainty following President Macky Sall’s unsuccessful effort to delay

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s government says it will start suspending the licenses of striking junior doctors next week. Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo made the comments during a briefing Thursday as he repeated demands for the doctors to return to work immediately. About more than 90% of the country’s 13,000 medical interns

By KEIRAN SMITH Associated Press SYDNEY (AP) — Australia and the United Kingdom signed a new defense and security cooperation agreement Thursday with the defense ministers of both countries saying it was required to meet ‘contemporary challenges’ to maintain a global rules-based order. The treaty was signed by Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and his

By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — One of the few remaining survivors of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor has died. Richard C. “Dick” Higgins died at home in Bend, Oregon, at the age of 102. His granddaughter said Wednesday he died of natural causes. Higgins was a radioman assigned to a patrol

WESTPORT, Conn. (AP) — A mishap involving sculling boats sent 29 people into the cold waters of Long Island Sound off Connecticut, but no serious injuries were reported. The boats from the private Saugatuck Rowing Club capsized off Westport Wednesday afternoon. Police say some people swam to shore and others were rescued by first responders

CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Chicago police officer that alleged sexual assault by former police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, who was out drinking with her the night he was found asleep behind the wheel of his SUV. U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo on Wednesday granted summary judgment sought

NEW YORK (AP) — The Metropolitan Opera was forced to stage a semi-staged performance of Puccini’s “Turandot” on after a stage elevator jammed. Met general manager Peter Gelb made an announcement Wednesday night from the stage before the show. The Met usually has sets for four different operas in the house at any given time,

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand has entered its second recession in 18 months after the latest round of GDP figures confirmed its economy contracted in the last quarter of 2023. The country’s economy shrank by 0.1% in the quarter to December, and 0.7% in per capita terms, the New Zealand’s official statistics agency,

By TRÂN NGUYỄN Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California voters have approved a measure that Gov. Gavin Newson says he needs to tackle the state’s homelessness crisis. Proposition 1 authorizes the state to borrow $6.4 billion to build housing and treatment beds. It also restricts how counties use money from a 2004 tax on

The Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Chevron has agreed to pay more than $13 million in fines for dozens of past oil spills in California. The California-based energy giant agreed to pay the California Department of Conservation a $5.6 million fine associated with a 2019 oil spill in Kern County. The company also agreed

By DAVE COLLINS Associated Press Baimadajie Angwang thought he would be reinstated to his dream job as a New York City police officer after federal prosecutors dropped criminal charges alleging he spied for China. Instead, he is fighting the police commissioner’s decision to fire him. In a decision made public recently, Commissioner Edward Caban ordered

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — M. Emmet Walsh, the character actor who brought his unmistakable face and unsettling presence to films including “Blood Simple” and “Blade Runner,” has died at age 88, his manager said Wednesday. Walsh died from cardiac arrest on Tuesday at a hospital in St. Albans, Vermont,

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The nearly year-long conflict between Sudan’s military and paramilitary forces has put the African nation on course to become the world’s worst hunger crisis with malnutrition soaring and already claiming children’s lives, the U.N. humanitarian office is warning. Edem Wosornu, the director of humanitarian operations,

DENVER (AP) — Authorities have identified two homicide victims found at a former hotel in Denver that was converted into a homeless shelter, as city officials moved to increase security at the building in response to the shootings. The Denver coroner’s office says 43-year-old Sandra Cervantes and 38-year-old Dustin Nunn were found dead in a

KENNER, La. (AP) — Former New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas has been accepted into a pretrial diversion program that could help him avoid trial in a case stemming from his arrest last fall. City of Kenner spokeswoman Valerie Brolin says “once all matters and requirements are satisfied, the case can be closed.” The 31-year-old

By STEFANIE DAZIO, RONALD BLUM and BETH HARRIS Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend has been fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers following allegations of illegal gambling and theft from the Japanese baseball star. Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was let go from the team Wednesday following reports from The Los

By SARAH RANKIN Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Top legislators in the Virginia House of Delegates are disputing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s claim that an independent consultant gave the thumbs-up to his proposal to lure two sports teams to the state. In speeches given across the state, Youngkin has said that an outside review

By The Associated Press A Texas man is accused of trying to sneak on board a flight by taking a photo of another passenger’s boarding pass, and authorities say he was caught because the flight was full and he didn’t have a place to sit. Now the man faces a felony charge of being a

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders from both parties looked to put a positive light on a $1.2 trillion spending package that lawmakers are working to approve before funding expires at midnight Friday for a host of key government agencies. Text of the legislation had not been released as of Wednesday

JOHNSON CITY, Texas (AP) — Angela Chao, a shipping industry CEO and sister-in-law to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, was intoxicated when she drove into a pond and died last month in Texas. That’s according to a law enforcement report released Wednesday. The investigation by the Blanco County Sheriff’s Office concluded Chao’s death was an

By JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Republicans in the South Carolina House have given key approval to a bill expanding a program allowing parents to spend taxpayer money on private and home-school education. The 69-32 vote Wednesday comes even as a pilot plan is just starting and the state’s highest court is

By MAYSOON KHAN Associated Press/Report for America ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York lawmakers have passed a bill that would expand the state’s existing fracking ban. It would block natural gas drilling companies from using an extraction method that involves injecting huge amounts of liquid carbon dioxide into the ground. Now, it’s up to Governor

By KIM CHANDLER Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has signed legislation that would ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public schools, universities and state agencies.  The measure signed Wednesday would also prohibit the teaching of “divisive concepts,” including that someone should feel guilty because of their race or gender.

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Reddit will enter a new era as a publicly traded company with a market value of $6.4 billion. The social media platform’s initial public offering was priced at $34 per share Wednesday. The price came in at the top end of the target range set

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia senators are giving final approval to $6,500 vouchers funding for private school tuition and home schooling, sending the measure to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature. Senators voted 33-21 along party lines on Wednesday to approve changes that the House made last week to Senate Bill

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers have advanced legislation that would prohibit teacher-led discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools and also ban Pride flags from being displayed in classrooms. The legislation is part of a wave of laws across the country that critics have dubbed “Don’t Say Gay.” The Alabama measure

HOUSTON (AP) — Three boys, ages 11, 12 and 16, and dubbed the “Little Rascals,” have been arrested for robbing a bank in Houston. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said Wednesday that the three are in custody and face charges of robbery by threat. The FBI’s Houston office says they are accused of robbing a

TULALIP, Wash. (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed a multimillion-dollar measure to send state money to tribes and Indigenous people in the state who die from opioid overdoses at disproportionately high rates in Washington. It was one of seven fentanyl-related bills Inslee signed Tuesday while on the Tulalip Indian Reservation, KING-TV reported. The

By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The federal appeals court that heard arguments over a Texas law that would allow the state to arrest and deport people who enter the U.S. illegally is a favorite for Republicans. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is the country’s most conservative

By MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press A bill that would have held school librarians and teachers criminally responsible for providing “obscene material” to Nebraska students in grades K-12 failed to advance Wednesday in the Legislature. State Sen. Joni Albrecht, who introduced the bill, said it simply would close a “loophole” in the state’s existing obscenity

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Joe Biden’s top foreign policy adviser Jake Sullivan sought to reassure Ukrainians during an unannounced visit to Kyiv Wednesday that the U.S. will continue to support their efforts to fend off Russia’s two-year-old invasion. The national security adviser expressed optimism that lawmakers in Washington will break a monthlong logjam and

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The United Steelworkers Union has endorsed President Joe Biden, giving him support from another large labor union. The announcement Wednesday by the Pittsburgh-based union came less than a week after Biden voiced opposition to the planned sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel of Japan. The USW represents 850,000 workers in metals,

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia lawmakers have made it harder for workers at companies getting state economic incentives to unionize, in what could be a violation of federal law. The state House voted 96 to 78 Wednesday for Senate Bill 362, which would bar companies that accept state incentives from recognizing

By JIM SALTER Associated Press The Missouri Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to halt the execution of Brian Dorsey, who is scheduled to die next month for killing his cousin and her husband 18 years ago. Judge W. Brent Powell wrote in the unanimous decision that Dorsey “has not demonstrated he is actually innocent” of

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — New FBI statistics show violent crime in the U.S. dropping again last year, continuing a downward trend after a pandemic-era spike. Murders dropped 13% in the last quarter of 2023 compared with the same period the year before, according to FBI data released this week. Violent crime

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s top prosecutor says arrest warrants have been issued for the manager and eight other staffers of the presidential campaign of opposition powerhouse Maria Corina Machado, accusing them of being part of a violent, anti-government conspiracy Attorney General Tarek William Saab says that Machado’s campaign manager, Magalli Meda, and the eight

By SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — An expected long legal battle has begun over a new rule that requires companies to disclose some emissions and climate-related information. The Securities and Exchange Commission had scarcely passed the rule in early March before the agency was being hauled to court. The legal challenges come from

By MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press A Nebraska lawmaker is now the subject of a sexual harassment investigation. The announcement from the body’s Executive Board comes two days after Republican state Sen. Steve Halloran name-checked a fellow senator while reading a graphic account of rape on the floor of the Nebraska Legislature. Halloran read out

MAYNARDVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — A fisherman at a lake in northeast Tennessee caught a surprise at the end of his line when he pulled up a 3- to 4-foot long alligator. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said their Union County wildlife officer Rick Roberts got a call from the angler on Monday describing the unusual