Month: December 2024

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Two more members of Mexico’s armed forces have been killed by an improvised landmine, just days after two soldiers died in a similar blast earlier this week. The blasts mark an unprecedented one-week death toll from improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, planted by drug cartels in Mexico. The interior secretary of

Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Israeli and Hamas appear close to reaching a ceasefire deal to wind down the war in Gaza. But disagreements remain over several issues. According to people familiar with the deal, the agreement is take place in phases and include a halt in fighting, an exchange of captive Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, and

Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has filed a legal notice that he intends to sue a woman who accused him of sexual harassment. The filing on Thursday accuses former aide Charlotte Bennett of defaming him in a Dec. 9 statement that said the former governor sexually harassed her.

Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — American farmers, small business owners and wildfire survivors are among those who will suffer if Congress cannot agree on a new spending bill after President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan that included more than $100 billion in disaster aid. The money is urgently needed after Hurricanes Helene

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Officials say FBI agents searched the home of a Los Angeles deputy mayor this week as part of an investigation into whether he made a bomb threat against City Hall. A statement from the office of Mayor Karen Bass says she was notified of Tuesday’s search at the residence of Brian

Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — American farmers are hoping that aid to agriculture will be revived as Congress struggles to avert a looming partial government shutdown. A one-year extension of federal farm programs, around $30 billion in economic relief and a break for the ethanol industry were part of a bipartisan deal that collapsed Wednesday

Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Nearly 3 million people could receive a boost in Social Security payments under legislation that’s set for a final vote in the Senate. The Social Security Fairness Act would end longtime provisions that reduce the federal benefit for people who are also eligible for other pensions. The policies have heavily

AP Sports Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Capitals and Wizards owner Ted Leonsis, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and other area leaders celebrated the start of an $800 million downtown arena renovation Thursday. The event came several hours before an attempt to potentially get the NFL’s Washington Commanders back into

Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will shuffle his Cabinet on Friday. The prime minister’s office says Trudeau will participate in the swearing-in ceremony and chair a meeting with his new Cabinet later Friday. New Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc says Trudeau has “full support of his Cabinet” and that he respects

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A former Virginia sheriff has been convicted on federal bribery charges for deputizing individuals in exchange for cash payments. The jury in Charlottesville, Virginia, convicted former Culpeper Sheriff Scott Jenkins on all counts Wednesday night after several hours of deliberations. News outlets report that Jenkins took the stand in his own

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Amy Allen might not yet be a household name, but her work lives in your brain rent free. And it’s grabbed the attention of the Grammys. The 32-year-old songwriter has composed enduring hits with Halsey, Selena Gomez and Tate McRae, and won a Grammy for her contributions to Harry

AP Sports Writer NBC Sports makes its first foray into doing an NFL alternate broadcast on Saturday when it puts the matchup between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs into the realm of the Madden video game universe. The Madden altcast will be streamed on Peacock with the main broadcast airing on NBC, beginning

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities are searching for a Michigan woman reported missing at Grand Canyon National Park. National Park Service officials say 66-year-old Martha Anne Overholser was last seen at Mather Point on the canyon’s South Rim on Dec. 10. They say she later failed to return on a commercial bus

Associated Press Suspected drone sightings in the eastern U.S. are continuing to captivate many, but the federal government’s authority to track and disable any threatening unmanned aircraft is set to expire after Friday. A proposal to extend that authority is included in a temporary spending bill that continued to be debated in Congress on Thursday.

Associated Press Congress has until midnight Friday to come up with a way to fund the government, or federal agencies will shutter. It’s up to each federal agency to determine how it handles a shutdown, but there would be disruptions in many services. Benefits checks for Social Security and Medicare recipients would go out, though.

Associated Press A 20-year-old blind cat named Tiki caused a scare after he was seen on ice floating in a Massachusetts pond and then fell in. The black-and-white cat can thank an alert passerby who called first responders Monday and a couple of nearby construction workers for his rescue. One worker jumped into a rowboat

AP Media Writer Neil Cavuto, a business journalist who hosts a weekday afternoon show on Fox News Channel and has been with the network since its inception in 1996, is leaving after Thursday’s show, Fox said. A workhorse at the network, Cavuto also hosts programs at Fox’s sister, the Fox Business Network, and is not

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans police say they’ve arrested a man suspected in one of the mass shootings that broke out within one hour of each other during a large parade. The police department said in a statement Wednesday that the suspect and another person were arguing before they began shooting at each other.

Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The Kenyan government has declared gender-based violence the nation’s most pressing security threat, with 100 women killed in the past four months alone, most of them by men who were known to them, including intimate partners. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi referred to the escalating crisis as “the elephant

AP Business Writer American Airlines said Thursday it has settled a federal race discrimination lawsuit filed by three Black men who were ordered to deboard a flight last January. Financial details of the settlement weren’t released. American called it an “amicable resolution” to the lawsuit, which was filed in May in federal court in New

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — MrBeast’s ambitious reality show, which the YouTube megastar hopes will expand his massive online reach and turn the corner on recent controversies, is already raising questions from consumer advocates over a partnership with a fintech company. Prime Video’s Thursday premiere of the record-setting “Beast Games” capped off a tumultuous

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — NATO’s secretary general has visited a military training site in Bulgaria, inspecting the activities of a multinational unit set up as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Mark Rutte told reporters it was important to ensure that the alliance continues to provide military assistance, training and advice to

Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — The number of executions in the U.S. remained near historic lows in 2024 and was mostly carried out in a small group of states. But the report by the Death Penalty Information Center also highlights that the death penalty remains entrenched in a small group of states. One of these

Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A man in western Congo has died with hemorrhagic fever symptoms. Health authorities say that has led them to suspect that a still-unidentified virus may be involved alongside malaria in a mysterious outbreak that has killed dozens of people. Congo authorities said last week that they suspected malaria in

Associated Press BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A fast-moving winter storm brought snow, ice, strong winds and bitter cold to much of the upper Midwest, snarling traffic in the Twin Cities and forcing North Dakota officials to shut down an interstate highway. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for large areas of Minnesota,

Associated Press Authorities say two Union Pacific employees were killed and three people were injured when a freight train collided with a tractor-trailer and derailed in a small West Texas city. The train also damaged the local Chamber of Commerce building. Officials in Pecos said the train derailed around 5 p.m. Wednesday. Nebraska-based Union Pacific

Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Winston Leiva rattles off a long list of things immigrants should do to protect themselves against President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to conduct mass deportations when he returns to the White House. Make a plan for someone to care for your children if you are arrested. Don’t open the door

AP Health Writer California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu, which is tearing through dairy cows in that state and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the U.S. That raises new questions about the outbreak of the virus, also known as Type A H5N1. It was detected for

Associated Press Immigration in 2024 drove U.S. population growth to its fastest rate in 23 years as the nation surpassed 340 million residents, the U.S. Census Bureau said Thursday. The 1% growth rate this year was the highest it has been since 2001, and it was a marked contrast to the record low of 0.2%

AP National Writer It took more than 100 years, a few billion dollars and the cold, hard realization that you can’t fight progress forever. And now, finally, college football has what the rest of sports have — a legitimate postseason tournament. The first 12-team College Football Playoff kicks off Friday and Saturday with four first-round

AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The first time Chris and Rich Robinson were at the Grammy Awards, it was 1991. The siblings behind the band The Black Crowes had just released their debut album “Shake Your Money Maker” and were nominees for best new artist. They didn’t have high hopes. Sure enough, Mariah

AP Business Writer Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose in November to their fastest pace since March as home shoppers were encouraged by a wider selection of properties on the market, even as mortgage rates mostly ticked higher. Existing home sales rose 4.8% last month, from October, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — It’s a photo that sent a tremor through British politics: Elon Musk flanked by British politician Nigel Farage and a wealthy backer, in front of a gilt-framed painting of a young Donald Trump. Taken this week at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the image suggested that Musk, a key player