Month: December 2024

Associated Press TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey’s top law enforcement official says authorities took down two human trafficking rings, including one that was forcing children as young as 13 to have sex with adults for money. Attorney General Matt Platkin said Tuesday that seven people have been charged as a result of the operations.

Associated Press HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut residents, past and present dignitaries, and state Capitol insiders are paying tribute to former Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who died in late November. On Tuesday, she lay in state inside the Connecticut Capitol building, with her casket covered in the state’s blue flag. A funeral service was

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Searchers have recovered the body of a Wisconsin woman who vanished more than four years ago. The state Department of Justice says Cassandra Ayon’s remains were found on private property in the town of Brighton in Marathon County on Saturday. Ayon was 27 when she was last seen driving away from

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — The partner of former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries who was indicted on sex trafficking charges along with Jeffries and another man has been released on $10 million bond. Matthew Smith pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and prostitution in federal court in Central Islip on Tuesday. Smith was

AP White House Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has signed an agreement to allow the Justice Department to conduct background checks on his nominees and appointees after a weeks-long delay. The step lets Trump transition aides and future administration staffers obtain security clearances before Inauguration Day to access classified information about

AP Film Writer Forty years ago, on Dec. 8, 1984, one of the largest manhunts in FBI history came to an explosive end on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. The person they were after was Robert Jay Mathews, the leader of a white supremacist group. The dramatic episode is chronicled in the new film “The

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Associated Press has learned that a United Nations watchdog has been selected to lead an external probe into allegations of sexual misconduct against the top prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. The move is likely to generate conflict of interest complaints owing to the prosecutor’s wife’s past work for

Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A military police officer in Sao Paulo has been seen on video footage throwing a man off a bridge and into a river, prompting a backlash. Footage shown on local television stations showed several police officers seen on a bridge beside motorcycles. At one point, one of them

Associated Press Ohio’s top elections official has rejected a Republican challenge over the legal residency of one of the state’s Democratic members of Congress. Secretary of State Frank LaRose made the decision late last week. LaRose says the complainant brought by a political activist did not provide “clear and convincing” proof that Rep. Emilia Sykes

Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina House opened its newest session with an unsuccessful long shot challenge of the Speaker that could be a preview of fighting among Republicans over which group truly deserves to identify as conservative. House Speaker Murrell Smith was elected to a second two-year term by a 102-17

Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Senate’s new majority floor leader says lawmakers seem ready to resume work on a bill dealing with diversity, equity and inclusion practices at public universities. Republican state Sen. Max Wise says the outcome could be different next year since they have had months to try to work

DENVER (AP) — Misdemeanor charges have been dropped against two Colorado law enforcement officers in the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old man unrdergoing a mental health crisis in 2022. The two officers work for the state’s gaming division and were among six officers charged last year with failing to intervene to stop the actions of

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — An artist whose work exploring her Scottish Sikh identity includes a vintage Ford car draped in a crocheted doily has won the U.K.’s prestigious Turner Prize. Jasleen Kaur was awarded the 25,000-pound ($32,000) prize by actor James Norton during a ceremony at the Tate Britain gallery that was picketed by

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats reelected Chuck Schumer as party leader on Tuesday as the party moves into a deeply uncertain time, with no real consensus on a strategy as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office. Schumer faced no opposition in the party leadership elections, in which Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin was

Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — A federal appeals court says U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement can continue using a Seattle airport for chartered deportation flights. In 2019, King County, which includes Seattle, expressed concern that the deportations under then-President Donald Trump could constitute human rights abuses and announced that future leases at the county airport

WINDHOEK, Namibia (AP) — Namibia has elected its first female leader, with Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah declared the winner Tuesday of last week’s presidential election as the long-ruling party remains in power. The 72-year-old Nandi-Ndaitwah won with 57% of the vote, according to official results. She defied predictions that she might be forced into a

Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Reproductive rights advocates are trying to dismantle a 15-week abortion ban in Arizona that conflicts with newly expanded access establishing a fundamental right to abortion in the state. Voters approved a ballot measure in November that amended the constitution to allow abortions up to fetal viability. Doctors say viability usually

Associated Press A grandmother looking for her lost cat apparently fell into a sinkhole that had recently opened above an abandoned western Pennsylvania coal mine and rescuers worked late into the night Tuesday to try and find her. Bright lights illuminated snow flurries and various equipment at the site while crews worked above and below

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police say a 30-year-old woman from Hawaii who was reported missing in Los Angeles three weeks ago voluntarily traveled to Mexico. The Los Angeles police chief says Hannah Kobayashi’s disappearance is now classified as a “voluntary missing person.” Kobayashi was seen on surveillance video walking over the border with her luggage.

Associated Press A trial has begun for a man charged in the killing of a University of Mississippi student who was well-known in the local LGBTQ+ community. Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr. of Grenada, Mississippi, is charged with capital murder in the death of Jimmy “Jay” Lee. The 20-year-old Lee was last seen July 8, 2022,

Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California man has been charged with illegally shipping weapons and ammunition to North Korea. Federal authorities in Los Angeles say 41-year-old Shenghua Wen is charged with conspiring to violate federal law barring the shipments. Wen is expected to appear in court later on Tuesday. Authorities say Wen came

NEW YORK (AP) — Brady Corbet’s 3 1/2-hour postwar epic “The Brutalist” won best film from the New York Film Critics Circle on Tuesday, while its lead, Adrien Brody, also won best actor. The win notches an early awards-season victory for one of the fall’s most-talked about films. “The Brutalist”  Brody as László Toth, a

Associated Press QUINCY, Mass. (AP) — As global warming fills the plankton-rich waters of New England with death traps for sea turtles, the number of stranded reptiles has multiplied over the last 20 years, filling one specialized animal hospital with the endangered creatures. The animals enter areas such as Cape Cod Bay when it is

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Jurors have started deliberating in the trial of a military veteran charged with using a fatal chokehold to subdue a man whose behavior was alarming passengers on a New York subway train. The anonymous Manhattan jury began its private discussions on Tuesday in the trial surrounding Jordan Neely’s 2023

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors is adding over 132,000 heavy-duty pickups in the U.S. to a previous recall for tailgate release switches that can short circuit and open the gates while the trucks are in park. The recall adds certain 2024 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 trucks to a February recall of

AP Sports Writer Former baseball pitcher Maybelle Blair will be an honorary chair on the advisory board of the Women’s Professional Baseball League, which last month announced plans to launch in 2026 as a six-team circuit for female players. The 97-year-old Blair, who helped inspire the baseball film “A League of Their Own” with her

Associated Press NABATIYEH, Lebanon (AP) — Lebanon’s Health Ministry and state media say Israeli forces have carried out several drone and artillery strikes in southern Lebanon, killing one person. The new strikes further shake a tenuous 6-day-old ceasefire, a day after Israeli launched its heaviest barrage of the south of the past week in retaliation

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — An investigation is underway after a Secret Service agent working on protective assignment outside Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s house fired a weapon following a confrontation between the agent and occupants of a sedan, early Tuesday. At roughly 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, the agent assigned to Yellen’s protective detail outside of her

AP Pro Football Writer A person with knowledge of the meeting says NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has met with congressional leaders to speak to them about the ongoing security issue of drones on game days. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Monday’s discussions weren’t publicized. Unapproved drones have become

Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials are suing the Biden administration for access to information on the citizenship status of more than 2,000 registered voters they had questioned in the weeks leading up to the 2024 election. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate’s office had checked voter rolls against a list of

Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Medical experts have been sent to southwestern Congo after a mystery disease killed dozens of people over two weeks, authorities said. The deaths were recorded between Nov. 10 and Nov. 25 in the Panzi health zone of Kwango province. A provincial health official says the symptoms included fever, headache,

Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is underscoring his intention to block the purchase of U.S. Steel by Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel Corp., and he’s pledging to use tax incentives and tariffs to strengthen the iconic American steelmaker. Trump had vowed early in the presidential campaign that he would “instantaneously” block the

Associated Press MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) — Sean Penn on Tuesday blasted the organizers of the Oscars for being cowards who, in effect, limit the kinds of films that can be funded and made. The 64-year-old actor said at the Marrakech Film Festival that he gets excited about the Academy Awards only on the rare occasion

AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jay-Z’s popular exhibit “The Book of Hov” in New York is about to live up to its name by becoming an actual book sold nationwide. “The Book of Hov: A Tribute to Jay-Z” debuts Wednesday, following the success of the immersive exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library, which

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Lawmakers in Georgia’s breakaway province of Abkhazia on Tuesday rejected a bill offering privileges to Russian investors that sparked days of unrest and forced the regional leader to step down. Demonstrators in the Moscow-backed separatist region had stormed government buildings to protest the new bill allowing Russian investors to buy property

AP Golf Writer Tiger Woods could not offer much of a timetable Tuesday on PGA Tour negotiations with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf or his own future as a player. Woods is the tournament host of the Hero World Challenge this week, and that’s his only role at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas.

Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A judge’s overturning of Wisconsin’s 13-year-old law that effectively ended collective bargaining for teachers and most state government employees has rekindled a battle over labor rights in a state where the first public sector unions were formed 65 years ago. But before unions head back to the bargaining table,

Associated Press HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Pop superstar Taylor Swift tops a list of 2024’s most notable quotations compiled by Yale University, with her declaration that she’s a “childless cat lady” while endorsing Kamala Harris for president. The remark on Instagram in September referenced past comments by Republican Vice President-elect JD Vance, who said Democrats

Associated Press SYOSSET, N.Y. (AP) — A New York Jewish community is mourning the death of a young Israeli American soldier who Israeli authorities had believed was taken hostage following Hamas’ attack on Israel last Oct. 7. A memorial service was held Tuesday for Omer Neutra in a synagogue on Long Island where he grew