Month: August 2024

Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities are chasing unpaid taxes from companies and individuals dating back decades, as the government moves to plug massive budget shortfalls and address a mounting debt crisis. More than a dozen listed Chinese companies say they were slapped with millions of dollars in back taxes in a renewed effort

Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A wave of disappointment swept over opposition activists in Belarus last week as the biggest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War unfolded and they learned it included none of the hundreds of political detainees who’ve been locked up for years by its authoritarian leader. That dismay is especially

Associated Press It’s a 2024 election battleground where millions of dollars are being spent and big names in American politics are popping up. But it’s not in the Rust Belt. And it isn’t Georgia or Nevada, either. It’s Long Island, a suburban stretch east of New York City, home to some 3 million people who

Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Populist conservative and ex-NBA player Royce White has shaken up a U.S. Senate primary race in Minnesota. White stunned Minnesota’s political world in May when — with personal backing from Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon — he captured the state Republican Party’s endorsement to challenge Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Amy

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The makings of a presidential ticket began in an unusual spot six months ago: a Minnesota abortion clinic. That’s where Vice President Kamala Harris made history as the first president or vice president to make a public stop at an abortion clinic. And it’s where she learned more about Minnesota

Associated Press CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A Venezuelan aid worker’s arrest while catching an international flight has cast a spotlight on the climate of fear and repression engulfing the South American nation in the wake of its disputed presidential election. Edni Lopez is one of more than 2,000 people arrested since President Nicolas Maduro claimed

Associated Press CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A Venezuelan aid worker’s arrest while catching an international flight has cast a spotlight on the climate of fear and repression engulfing the South American nation in the wake of its disputed presidential election. Edni López is one of more than 2,000 people arrested since President Nicolás Maduro claimed

Associated Press FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A powerful former North Dakota lawmaker has pleaded guilty to traveling to Europe with the intent to pay for sex with a minor. Ray Holmberg was indicted in October 2023. The 80-year-old Republican from Grand Forks served more than 45 years in the North Dakota Senate and resigned in

Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz and his fellow Democrats have enacted big changes in the two years that they’ve had full control of the Minnesota Legislature, from expansions of abortion and LGBTQ+ rights to tax credits and other initiatives aimed at making life easier for families. His record has delighted liberals and

Associated Press KANAIO, Hawaii (AP) — Fear. Anxiety. Anger. Depression. Overwhelmed. Janice Dapitan began her second counseling session by writing those words on a whiteboard, reflecting what she felt in that moment. The day fire destroyed her hometown of Lahaina — and the struggles that have followed for nearly a year — still haunted her.

Associated Press Filling out forms that ask for racial and ethnic identification can be a struggle for many Latinos, especially when there is not one box that reflects their identity. Because of this, Latinos are often left checking Hispanic census boxes that do not encompass who they are, creating gaps in data that experts say

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Roughly 3 in 4 American adults believe the upcoming presidential election is vital to the future of U.S. democracy, although which candidate they think poses the greater threat depends on their political leanings, according to a poll. The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds

Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Throughout decades of political change in Argentina, the annual Aug. 7 pilgrimage to St. Cayetano Sanctuary has served as a potent, and grim, reminder that in Argentina, economic despair remains a constant. But this year might be unique in one thing: The desperation over rising joblessness that drives

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — The mystery French street artist known only as “Invader” has struck Paris again — this time to celebrate the Olympics. Invader has been cementing his quirky mosaics to Paris walls since the 1990s, usually at night and without permission. He’s become France’s most international, invasive and intriguing contemporary street artist.

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian police have arrested a man after he allegedly made threats against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau online. Police say the man made violent threats against Trudeau, the police and security personnel who might attempt to interfere with his plans in an online video. RCMP made the arrest with help from the York

Associated Press DENVER (AP) — An employee of former Colorado clerk Tina Peters who says she was present when her boss allowed an outsider posing as a county employee to breach her voting system’s computer says Peters was shocked when images from the computer appeared online. Sandra Brown talked about Peters’ reaction Wednesday while testifying

Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — For the first time in roughly 40 years, the Environmental Protection Agency used its emergency authority to halt the sale of a weed-killing pesticide that harms the development of unborn babies. Officials took the rare step because the pesticide DCPA, or Dacthal, could cause irreversible damage to fetuses, including

Associated Press The world is falling well short of a promise made at global climate talks last year to triple the amount of wind power, according to a report by an energy think tank released Thursday. Last December, countries at the U.N. COP28 climate conference committed to tripling all renewable electricity by 2030. Wind power

The Associated Press/Report for America It was a weekend to celebrate a beloved family matriarch, surrounded by generations of her loved ones at her disco-themed 80th birthday party. But it ended in absolute tragedy, after an SUV carrying 10 family members through South Florida careened off a two-lane country road and into a canal, killing

Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — Residents of a southwest Baltimore neighborhood are outraged after police officers shot and killed a fleeing teenager. Authorities have released few details about the Monday night shooting and have not publicly identified the teen. Officials say he ran away when officers tried to engage with him. Police caught up to

Associated Press/Report for America NEW ORLEANS (AP) — An agricultural company made the surprise decision Tuesday to cancel a project to build a massive grain terminal in a historic Black town in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley,” a heavily industrialized stretch of land along the Mississippi River. The company, Greenfield Louisiana LLC, and its supporters — including

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Roxane Gilmore, a teacher and professor who served as first lady of Virginia during her husband Jim Gilmore’s term as governor from 1998 to 2002, has died. She was 70. The former governor said on social media that she died Wednesday morning after a long illness. He did not disclose the

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Several bronze plaques commemorating figures from New York City’s rich history have been pried off the buildings they were affixed to this summer, apparently to be sold for scrap metal. The thefts are part of a disturbing trend that includes the theft of a statue of Jackie Robinson from

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. George Santos is requesting a partially anonymous jury as his September fraud trial nears. Lawyers for the disgraced New York Republican argue in a court filing Tuesday that individual jurors’ identities should only be known by the judge, the two sides and their attorneys. The defense

Associated Press DOVER, Del. (AP) — The rock band Journey has made many hits over the past 50 years, but the song that might now be resonating the loudest for some band and crew members is “Separate Ways.” A Delaware judge is being asked to resolve a deadlock pitting band founder and lead guitarist Neal

Associated Press Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate, is defending a false claim the former president made about Vice President Kamala Harris’ racial identity. Trump suggested wrongly that Harris had downplayed her Black heritage in trying to suggest she’s inauthentic. Vance says, “What I took it as was an attack on Kamala Harris

AP Sports Writer ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The NCAA announced a four-year, show-cause order for former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh on Wednesday for impermissible contact with recruits and players during the COVID-19 pandemic, effectively banning him from college athletics until August 2028. The NCAA said Harbaugh, who left his alma mater to coach the

AP National Writer PARIS (AP) — Quincy Hall became the latest American to electrify Olympic track and field with an out-of-nowhere comeback Wednesday night at the Paris Olympics. Hall sprinted from far behind in the 400 meters to reel in three runners and capture the gold medal. Hall, buried in fourth place as the runners

Associated Press POOLER, Ga. (AP) — Residents of one Georgia neighborhood are cleaning up homes flooded by tropical weather for the second time in eight years. Tappan Zee Drive is located in suburban Pooler, west of Savannah and about 30 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. Still, several homes there got swamped by an overflowing canal

AP Entertainment Writer COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — A Los Angeles County jury on Wednesday found a man guilty of sending his 17-year-old son to kill rapper PnB Rock. After deliberating for about four hours, jurors convicted Freddie Trone, 42, of one count of murder, two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit

Associated Press JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Residents in Alaska’s capital are clearing out waterlogged homes following an outburst of flooding from a lake dammed by the Mendenhall Glacier. Initial estimates indicate about 100 homes and some businesses were damaged by the floodwaters, which crested early Tuesday. The threat of flooding has become a perennial concern.