Month: September 2024

Associated Press POHANG, South Korea (AP) — The Associated Press interviewed and photographed dozens of South Koreans for a detailed look at the nation’s stark division over North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s headlong pursuit of nuclear-tipped missiles targeting the South and its major ally and protector, the United States. How South Korea sees its

Associated Press MORGAN CITY, La. (AP) — Francine is weakening after striking Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane as it heads far inland from the Gulf Coast. The system knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, sent storm surge rushing into coastal communities and raised flooding fears in New Orleans and

Associated Press BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Florida Democrats have been boldly proclaiming that Florida is in play for this year’s November elections, but their campaign spending hasn’t matched those claims. In the state’s U.S. Senate race, incumbent Sen. Rick Scott has outspent his Democratic challenger, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, by a 4-to-1 margin. Democrats hope ballot

AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has the potential for history-making this fall, with not one, but two, Black women possibly elected to the chamber, a situation never seen in America since Congress was created more than 200 years ago. Delaware’s Lisa Blunt Rochester marks the milestone by saying that the reason she

Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A passenger train in South Africa has been transformed into a mobile health facility. It circulates throughout the country for much of the year, providing medical attention to the sick, young and old who often struggle to receive the care they need at crowded local clinics. For the past 30

Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — The percentage of U.S. residents born outside the country reached its highest level in more than a century in 2023. That’s one of the findings of a survey of American life released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. It shows the foreign-born population rose last year and accounted for 14.3%

Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump launched campaign blitzes Thursday with dramatically different approaches to attracting swing-state voters who will decide the presidential contest. In North Carolina, Democratic nominee Harris used rallies in Charlotte and Greensboro to tout endorsements from Republicans who have crossed the aisle

Associated Press ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — The Postal Service’s new delivery vehicles aren’t going to win a beauty contest. They’re tall and ungainly. The windshields are vast. Their hoods resemble a duck bill. Their bumpers are enormous. “You can tell that (the designers) didn’t have appearance in mind,” postal worker Avis Stonum said. Odd appearance

Associated Press A growing number of states are allowing candidates for local and state office to use their campaign dollars to pay for child care expenses. Parents of young children say the practice gives them the time and flexibility to run for office, which often requires long and obscure hours of work. Advocates say the

Associated Press The number of abortions in Florida dropped after the state’s ban on them after sixth week of pregnancy took effect in May. A Guttmacher Institute study released Thursday estimates that the decline wasn’t as sharp in Florida as it was in other states with such bans, though it has still meant there have

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Jim Duggan uses ChatGPT almost daily to draft marketing emails for his carbon removal credit business in Huntsville, Alabama. But he’d never trust an artificial intelligence chatbot with any questions about the upcoming presidential election. “I just don’t think AI produces truth,” the 68-year-old political conservative said in an interview.

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan will have a new leader after outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s governing Liberal Democratic Party holds a vote on Sept. 27 to choose his replacement. They hope to shake off scandals that have dogged his government and regain public support. A record nine candidates, including two women, seek the

Associated Press SINGAPORE (AP) — Pope Francis on Thursday praised Singapore’s economic strength as a testament to human ingenuity but urged the city-state to look after the weakest, too, especially foreign workers, as he opened the final leg of his tour through some of Asia’s poorest countries in one of the world’s richest. Francis marveled

Associated Press/Report for America PHOENIX (AP) — Ballots for the vast majority of Arizona voters will be two pages long. Eight of the state’s 15 counties, including Maricopa County, will have a two-page ballot. Maricopa County election officials expect the lengthy ballot will lead to long lines for in-person voting and potential delays in vote

Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Sudanese government accused the United Arab Emirates of providing weapons to its rival paramilitary force and prolonging the 17-month war. The UAE called the allegations “utterly false” and “baseless” and accused the government of refusing to negotiate peace with its enemy. Their latest clash came during a U.N.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Jon Bon Jovi and a video production assistant persuaded a woman standing on the ledge of a pedestrian bridge in Nashville to come back over the railing to safety. Police say the encounter happened Tuesday on the Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, which spans the Cumberland River.

AP Business Writer Norfolk Southern says it has fired CEO Alan Shaw for having an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. His departure ends two difficult years on the job and comes just days after the company’s board announced it was investigating his alleged ethical lapses. Shaw was leading Norfolk Southern in February 2023 when one

Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Former President Donald Trump says he would not sign a federal abortion ban, insisting that a ban would not pass Congress anyway. But he refused to say during Tuesday’s debate with Vice President Kamala Harris if he would veto such legislation if it landed on his desk. This is despite

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon’s rare move to keep two Navy aircraft carriers in the Middle East over the past several weeks has now finished. U.S. officials say the USS Theodore Roosevelt is heading home. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered the Roosevelt to extend its deployment for a short time and

AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators say they’re investigating one of Google’s artificial intelligence models over concerns about its compliance with the bloc’s strict data privacy rules. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission said Thursday it has opened an inquiry into Google’s Pathways Language Model 2, also known as PaLM2. It’s part of wider

Associated Press A U.S. Army soldier has been arrested in Hawaii on charges that he repeatedly struck a police officer with a flagpole during a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol more than three years ago. A court filing unsealed on Wednesday says 31-year-old Alexander Cain Poplin was captured on video repeatedly striking a Metropolitan

CHICAGO (AP) — A judge has sentenced a man convicted of killing a Chicago police officer, wounding her partner and firing at a third officer to life in prison. A jury found 24-year-old Emonte Morgan of Chicago guilty in March of first-degree murder, attempted murder of a peace officer and possession/use of a firearm as

Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Three Libertarian candidates running for Congress in Iowa will not be named on the ballot this November. The Iowa Supreme Court’s decision is the final word on the case that has already delayed the certifying of ballots before they can be printed. It’s an outcome that could benefit

Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Frankie Beverly, who with his band Maze inspired generations of fans with his smooth, soulful voice and lasting anthems including “Before I Let Go,” has died. He was 77. His family said in a post on the band’s website and social media accounts that Beverly died Tuesday. In the

It might feel like the presidential election is still a long way off, but it’s not. Election Day on Nov. 5 is only about six weeks away, and the earliest voters have already cast their ballots. In-person voting kicked off Friday in Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia, and more states will follow over the next

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea. Thursday’s launches detected by South Korea and Japan are North Korea’s first public weapons firing activities in more than two months. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles flew about 220 miles before landing in

Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Prosecutors say a Minnesota medical examiner with a history of delivering false or misleading reports may have mishandled at least seven murder cases in which his testimony helped send people to prison. The cases were handled by Dr. Michael McGee. McGee is a former Ramsey County medical examiner

LEVITTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A suburban Philadelphia man is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting women he met online over the past 15 months. Police said Wednesday in filing rape and other charges against 40-year-old Andrew J. Gallo of Levittown that he met the women through a website that connects women with “sugar daddy” men.

Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Authorities say severe flooding in northeastern Nigeria  has left 30 people dead and affected more than a million others. The collapse of a major dam in the state of Borno on Tuesday caused some of the state’s worst flooding since the same dam collapsed 30 years ago, and prompted

LOVELAND, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado man was charged with arson after an investigation into a wildfire this summer that destroyed 29 homes and caused more than $30 million in property damage, authorities said Wednesday. Jason Alexander Hobby, 49, was arrested Tuesday, Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen said. He appeared in court Wednesday on a

Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled that a 2023 law allowing parents to spend taxpayer money on private schools violates the state constitution. The 3-2 ruling prohibits paying tuition or fees with “Education Scholarship Trust Funds,” but allows parents to use that money for indirect private expenses like

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Kevin Long, who played running back at South Carolina before getting drafted by the New York Jets, has died at age 69. The university said Long died Tuesday. Curtis Frye, the former track coach at South Carolina who was a close friend of Long, spoke with Long’s wife and informed the

Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Two private power companies in Puerto Rico have come under scrutiny while presenting plans to stabilize the island’s crumbling electric grid as officials demanded immediate action to minimize chronic power outages. The presentations by Genera PR, which operates the generation of power in the U.S. territory, and

Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court says it would hear a lawsuit that could determine whether the state’s top elections official can remain in her post. This comes after Republicans who controlled the state Senate sought to fire her last year. The liberal-controlled court says it would hear the case but

Associated Press Algerians expected an uneventful election that would bestow President Abdelmadjid Tebboune a second term. Instead, they got the president himself calling into question the vote count and legal challenges from his challengers alleging fraud. Such an unprecedented turn of events marks a departure for Algeria, where elections have historically been carefully choreographed affairs