Month: May 2024

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s top prosecutor has announced charges against three men who are accused of using Meta’s social media platforms to target and solicit sex with underage children. The arrests made public Wednesday are the result of a monthslong undercover operation in which the suspects connected

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis police have announced they’ve opened an investigation into an “NBA player and citizen” altercation that happened at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on the night Bucks guard Patrick Beverley threw a ball at a fan in the final minutes of a season-ending loss to the Pacers. Police said in a news release Wednesday the

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Former California Congressman Pete McCloskey, who ran as a Republican challenging President Richard Nixon in 1972, has died. McCloskey was a pro-environment, anti-war lawmaker who co-authored the federal Endangered Species Act and co-founded Earth Day. He frequently butted heads with leaders of his own party. He later disavowed the party and

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer Steve Albini, a legendary rock producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61. Brian Fox, an engineer at Albini’s studio, Electrical Audio, says Albini died after a heart attack Tuesday. In addition to his work

By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Hardline Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has called for a vote to oust Speaker Mike Johnson. Greene of Georgia is pressing ahead with her long-shot effort despite pushback from Republicans at the highest levels who are tired of the political chaos. Donald Trump, his leader

By JOHN O’CONNOR AP Political Writer SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Democrats have changed the way candidates for the General Assembly get on the ballot. Republicans are complaining that they unfairly changed the rules mid-game. The change came last week with the introduction of the plan. It was approved by the House and Senate and

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York-area doctor has been convicted in the yearslong sexual abuse of multiple patients. Darius A. Paduch of North Bergen, New Jersey, was convicted by a jury on Wednesday in Manhattan federal court. Prosecutors say his victims included two males initially attacked before becoming adults. Jurors were shown evidence that

By MAKIYA SEMINERA and GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A bipartisan group of North Carolina lawmakers has approved a bill codifying a definition of antisemitism into law. A nearly unanimous House voted Wednesday in favor of the SHALOM Act, which adopts the definition provided by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Republican

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Attorney General Dave Yost has advised Ohio’s public universities that a law written to deter Ku Klux Klan demonstrations could be used to impose felony charges on students who wear face coverings during pro-Palestinian protests. In a letter Monday, Yost told presidents at Ohio’s

By SEUNG MIN KIM and STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration plans to propose a new rule Thursday aimed at speeding up the asylum claims process for some migrants — a potential prelude to broader actions from President Joe Biden later this year that would impose a bigger crackdown at the

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER and STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case. Prosecutors alleged Ippei Mizuhara stole nearly $17 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts. Mizuhara’s

By KIM CHANDLER Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama has scheduled a second execution to be carried out with nitrogen gas. Gov. Kay Ivey set a Sept. 26 execution date for Alan Eugene Miller. Miller was convicted of killing three men during a 1999 workplace shooting. The attorney general’s office says the execution will

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Star sports columnist Gregg Doyel will not cover the Indiana Fever in person this season after an awkward interaction with No. 1 WNBA draft pick Caitlin Clark. Gannett, the newspaper’s parent company, made the announcement. Doyel made a heart gesture with his hands at the start of an interaction with Clark

By ACACIA CORONADO Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas man is petitioning a court for information over his former partner’s alleged out-of-state abortion, setting up a first-of-its-kind legal test to the limits of statewide abortion bans. This comes as some states work to expand abortion access and others to further limit it following

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled a Catholic school in North Carolina had the right to fire a gay teacher who announced a decade ago that he was going to marry his longtime partner. A panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed

AMSTERDAM (AP) — In sometimes violent confrontations, police have broken up a protest by pro-Palestinian activists at the University of Amsterdam Wednesday in a second straight day of unrest over the war in Gaza. After police ended a blockade on university grounds, hundreds of demonstrators moved to a nearby square to continue protesting late into

By JEFF MARTIN Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia man has been indicted on murder charges by a grand jury that said he intended to rape a nursing student whose body was found near a running trail on the University of Georgia campus. It is the first time such a motive has been revealed

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia lawmakers vowed they were going to rein in tax breaks for businesses this year, but their efforts came to nothing. Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday vetoed a bill to pause for two years a sales tax exemption the state gives for building and equipping computer data

By JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A bill passed by the South Carolina House that power companies said is vital to keep the lights on in the state has been turned into an expression of support in the Senate. Senators say they are not ready yet to give more latitude to utilities

By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer CLIFTON, N.J. (AP) — Things are going well for Nelly Korda these days, that’s for sure. The 25-year-old has won a record-tying five straight tournaments. She has the No. 1 ranking in the world, along with the 2024 lead in earnings, scoring average and points for the player of

By AYANNA ALEXANDER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Voting rights advocates have created a new initiative to increase Black voter turnout ahead of this fall’s general election. The Young Black Lawyers’ Organizing Coalition has recruited lawyers and law students from historically Black colleges and universities. They recently launched a four-state tour to engage with Black

By STEVE LeBLANC Associated Press Steward Health Care says it plans to sell off all its hospitals after announcing this week that it filed for bankruptcy protection. The Dallas-based company said it does not expect interruptions in its hospitals’ day-to-day operations. The company says those will continue in the ordinary course throughout the Chapter 11

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — After nearly a decade, Nicaragua’s congress has finally canceled a controversial canal concession granted to a Chinese businessman that critics said endangered the environment and threatened to displace rural communities. Despite a symbolic “groundbreaking” in 2014, no work was done on the canal that was to link Nicaragua’s Atlantic and Pacific

By TRAVIS LOLLER Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A group of Tennesseans who say they were intimidated into not voting in a primary election or were threatened with prosecution after they did vote have filed a challenge to two state laws that require primary voters to be “bona fide” members of the party they

By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Defense attorneys for a woman charged with killing her Boston police officer boyfriend are ramping up efforts to show that she was framed. Attorneys for Karen Read want to show that investigators were biased because of relationships with the owner of the house outside of which Officer

By TARA COPP Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has paused a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel over concerns that the country has not adequately taken civilian safety into account in its upcoming military operation in Rafah, and that the massive weapon would inflict additional civilian casualties. At a Senate hearing Wednesday, Defense

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Xavier University’s pick to deliver its undergraduate commencement address has sparked criticism among students who oppose past positions by the U.S. on the war in Gaza. The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reports U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield is scheduled to speak at 1 p.m. Saturday to graduates of

By COLLEEN BARRY AP Business Writer TORGIANO, Italy (AP) — The Prada Group is expanding its production footprint in Italy, including dozens of new jobs at its knitwear factory in Umbria, leaning into “Made in Italy” as integral to the brand’s ethos. It’s also developing new artisanal talent to ease the luxury group through a

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Prices in Argentina have surged so dramatically in recent months that the government has multiplied the size of its biggest bank note by five — to 10,000 pesos, worth about $10. The central bank announcement Tuesday promised to lighten the load for many Argentines who must carry around giant bags

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (AP) — A northern Idaho prosecutor won’t bring hate crime charges against an 18-year-old accused of shouting a racist slur at members of the Utah women’s basketball team during the NCAA Tournament. The deputy attorney for the city of Coeur d’Alene made the announcement on Monday, writing in a charging decision document

By MAURICIO SAVARESE and GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA Associated Press PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (AP) — Authorities in southern Brazil are rushing to rescue survivors of massive flooding that has killed at least 100 people, but some residents are refusing to leave belongings behind while others are returning to evacuated homes despite the risk of new storms.

ATLANTA (AP) — A music festival that draws tens of thousands of people to Atlanta’s Piedmont Park will not take place this year. Posts Wednesday on the Instagram page and website of Music Midtown, a longtime fixture for pop music lovers, says the festival is going on hiatus this year. The posts did not explain

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s public hospital doctors union has called off a national strike that had left patients in limbo for almost two months. The union secretary general Davji Atellah on Wednesday said they had agreed to trust the government to implement an agreement signed to ensure the labor

NEW YORK (AP) — A cruise ship sailed into New York City with a 44-foot dead whale across its bow. A spokesperson for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the endangered sei whale was caught on the ship’s bow when it arrived at the Port of Brooklyn on Saturday. A spokesperson for MSC Cruises

By ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled Arkansas cannot prevent two high school teachers from discussing critical race theory in the classroom but is stopping short of a broader prohibition against the state’s ban on teaching such subjects in the schools. U.S. District Judge Lee Rudofsky issued