MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican icon Vicente Fernandez is in critical but stable condition after being hospitalized for a fall last week, according to an Instagram post made by his medical team on Wednesday. While the 81-year-old king of ranchera music is on a ventilator, his brain function is intact, according to his doctors. They

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A judge has agreed to keep in place a Sept. 28 sentencing date for the gunman found criminally responsible in the shooting deaths of five people at a Maryland newspaper. The judge ruled on Wednesday against changing the date for Jarrod Ramos. He had written the judge last week expressing the

By PAUL J. WEBER and ACACIA CORONADO Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Republicans are ratcheting up efforts to end a 31-day standoff with Democrats over new voting measures. Civil arrest warrants were delivered Wednesday to the offices of absent Democrats by officers of the Texas House. But there remained few signs the stalemate

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge in San Francisco has ordered a new mental health evaluation for a Mexican man acquitted of murder in the 2015 fatal shooting of a woman on a busy public pier. The killing of Kate Steinle became a national flashpoint over immigration because Jose Ines Garcia Zarate was in

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s governor says all employees at restaurants or other enclosed places that serve food or drinks will have to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Customers visiting those places will have to show their vaccination card or a negative virus test. The new rules

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — A helicopter carrying tourists has crashed into a deep volcanic crater lake on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s far east, leaving up to eight people missing. Officials said at least eight survived. Emergency workers including divers were searching for survivors in Kurile Lake in the Kronotsky nature

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Salvator Mundi, a painting of Jesus Christ attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, has been enveloped in mystery and intrigue ever since it was first acquired, restored and celebrated as a lost original of the Renaissance master. “The Lost Leonardo,” which Sony Pictures Classics releases in

By JOHN RABY Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The owner of a shuttered pharmaceutical plant that recently idled hundreds of workers has entered into talks to potentially transfer the facility to West Virginia University. Drugmaker Viatris says that the company and the university are in negotiations for the facility in Morgantown. Viatris announced in

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Police have confirmed that two members a hip-hop group with ties to the multiplatinum rap group Wu-Tang Clan were fatally shot in Northeast Portland, Oregon on Tuesday. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports relatives on social media identified the rap music artists killed as 12 O’Clock and Murdock of the Brooklyn Zu. Portland police

By JUAN ZAMORANO Associated Press PANAMA CITY (AP) — The governments of Panama and Colombia have agreed to impose a daily limit on the number of migrants passing through the thickly jungled and roadless Darien Gap on the two countries’ border. The plan announced Wednesday will limit crossings to 650 migrants per day in August

By JONATHAN LEMIRE and LISA MASCARO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s belief that bipartisanship is still possible in a deeply divided Washington was validated when Senate Democrats and Republicans came together to pass his $1 trillion infrastructure bill. But now comes an even more complicated task: keeping Biden’s own party in line.

By MALLIKA SEN The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — After months of holding on to power, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo abruptly resigned Tuesday. What happened? What’s next? The Associated Press takes you through the allegations against him, the calculus behind his resignation, successor Kathy Hochul and what could happen to Cuomo next, along

By YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Belarus says it has rescinded its permission for the U.S. ambassador’s appointment and told the U.S. to cut its embassy staff in retaliation for Washington’s sanctions. President Joe Biden’s administration slapped Belarus with new sanctions Monday, the anniversary of last year’s election in Belarus that was

By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer Researchers report a third dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine substantially improved protection for organ transplant recipients. Their weak immune systems don’t always rev up enough with the standard two shots. Canadian researchers divided 120 transplant recipients, giving half a third dose and the rest a dummy shot two months

By JIM MORRIS Associated Press VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — A Canadian justice department lawyer says a senior executive for Chinese communications giant Huawei Technologies committed fraud because of what she said during a meeting with a bank official, and what she did not say. Canada arrested the daughter of Huawei’s founder and the company’s

By SONIA PÉREZ D. Associated Press GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Central American migrants being expelled by the U.S. and flown deep into Mexico for deportation to their homelands is drawing criticism from U.N. agencies. Details of the highly unusual bilateral effort also began trickling out Wednesday, with a Guatemalan official saying that Mexico is busing

By DAVID SHARP Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Postal Service’s aging fleet of trucks is soldiering on even as a contract for greener replacement vehicles is being challenged. The primary fleet of vehicles that were delivered starting in 1987 is due to be replaced under a new contract, but the winning bid is

By TODD RICHMOND Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wildlife officials in Wisconsin have set a 300-animal limit for this fall’s wolf hunt. The Department of Natural Resources board voted 5-2 Wednesday to set aside the department’s recommendation to cap kills at 130. The move is contentious after hunters killed 218 wolves in a court-mandated

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Scientists have fine-tuned the path of the asteroid Bennu and say the odds of it smacking into Earth are higher than previously thought but still quite low. NASA’s Osiris-Rex spacecraft is headed back to Earth after collecting samples from the large rubble pile of

NEW YORK (AP) — A Taiwanese man has been sentenced to six years in prison after admitting to defrauding a program designed to rescue businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. Sheng-Wen Cheng was sentenced in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday for multiple fraud schemes, including some frauds that occurred before the coronavirus surfaced. The 25-year-old Manhattan

LAURENS, S.C. (AP) — Authorities in Laurens, South Carolina, say a 28-year-old man is facing charges after tattooing a child inside a fast-food restaurant. Laurens police say local resident Brandon Presha was arrested Tuesday on charges of illegal tattooing and underage tattooing. WYFF-TV reports that Laurens Police Chief Chrissie Latimore said a judge set bond

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Heat and humidity broiled parts of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and other midwestern states Wednesday while storms accompanied by heavy rain bowled over trees and flooded roads. Thousands of homes and businesses in western and northern parts of Michigan’s lower peninsula remained without power following damage to power lines. Wind gusts

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI and MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press Almost 120 years ago, African American domestic workers settled in the Como neighborhood of Fort Worth, Texas, where they held Fourth of July parades, patronized shops on Horne Street and lived for several generations in what seemed like a small town within the big city. But many

By DARIA LITVINOVA Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities have levied new criminal charges against imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Russia’s Investigative Committee on Wednesday said it has charged Navalny with creating a non-profit organization that infringes on people’s rights, a criminal offense punishable by up to four years in prison. Officials alleged that

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s parliament has passed a law that would prevent former Polish property owners, among them Holocaust survivors and their descendants, from regaining property expropriated by the country’s communist regime. Israel condemned the legislation, with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid saying it “damages both the memory of the

ST. HENRY, Ohio (AP) — Authorities in Ohio say three brothers have died after they were overcome by fumes in a manure pit. Rescue crews found the men unconscious in the manure pit Tuesday afternoon on their family’s farm near St. Henry. The village’s fire chief say the brothers were fixing a manure pump before

By TAMEEM AKHGAR and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Officials says the Taliban seized three more Afghan provincial capitals and a local army headquarters. The insurgents now control some two-thirds of the nation as the U.S. and NATO finalize their withdrawal after decades of war. The fall of the capitals of Badakhshan

By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats who have spent years investigating Donald Trump are entitled to some of the former president’s financial records. That’s according to a ruling Wednesday from a federal judge in Washington. The ruling empowering Congress to have records from 2017 and 2018 is the latest development in

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — A prosecutor told a judge that a Las Vegas homeowner accused of shooting three tenants after an argument over unpaid rent said he didn’t want to go through an eviction and wanted to handle things “his way.” The judge on Wednesday heard that another renter was

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN and DAVID KOENIG AP Business Writers Southwest Airlines says it no longer expects to be profitable in its third quarter. Its gloomier forecast comes as a surge in COVID-19 infections fueled by the highly contagious delta variant darkens the outlook for travel. The airline said in a regulatory filing that it was

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A former Florida deputy who worked at a school for children with emotional and behavioral problems has been fired nearly two years after a video showed him slamming a female student to the ground after she tapped his knee with her foot. Willard Miller was fired Wednesday. He was previously

By STACEY PLAISANCE Associated Press JEFFERSON, La. (AP) — The rapidly escalating surge in COVID-19 infections is once again overwhelming hospitals across the U.S. That is especially true in hot spots such as Louisiana, which hit a record number of coronavirus hospitalizations last week. Nearly 2,900 virus patients have been admitted to hospitals — and

NEW YORK (AP) — R&B star R. Kelly will face an anonymous jury made up of seven men and five women when his New York City sex trafficking trial goes forward next week with opening statements. The panel was sworn in on Wednesday after dozens of potential jurors were screened by U.S. District Judge Ann

By LISA RATHKE Associated Press A former Vermont ski resort president has reached a plea deal over a failed plan to build a biotechnology plant using tens of millions of dollars in foreign investors’ money. Former Jay Peak President William Stenger has agreed to plead guilty to providing false statements and faces up to five

By BRIAN SLODYSKO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are renewing their push to enact their marquee elections bill. They’re pledging to make it the first order of business when the Senate returns in the fall even though they don’t have a clear strategy for overcoming steadfast Republican opposition. Early Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck

NEW YORK (AP) — Former NFL player Nate Burleson will join ‘CBS This Morning’ as one of the show’s three co-hosts next month. Burleson will team with Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil on the show, replacing Anthony Mason. Mason is becoming a roving cultural reporter for CBS News. Burleson comes to CBS from the NFL

By FARAI MUTSAKA Associated Press LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — Zambia’s main opposition leader has warned the military deployed on the streets ahead of crucial elections Thursday against “aiding a particular party” and raised concern that the country could fall into chaos if the polls are “mismanaged.” Hakainde Hichilema, addressing reporters Wednesday, spoke of rising tensions

By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish officials say heavy rains have triggered severe floods and mudslides in northern Turkey, killing one person and leaving several others missing. The floods hit the Black Sea provinces of Bartin, Kastamonu and Sinop. The worst-hit area appeared to be in Kastamonu where a town was

By LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — A new host has been chosen for the long-running “Jeopardy!” to fill the void left by the death of the beloved Alex Trebex. Executive producer Mike Richards will succeed Trebek as host on the daily syndicated quiz show. Richards was chosen over a field of

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A top executive with global energy giant Iberdrola is promising more perks if local governments and others in New Mexico clear the way for a proposed multibillion-dollar utility merger. Iberdrola’s chief development officer was the first to take questions Wednesday during a hearing on the

By SARA CLINE Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday announced a statewide indoor mask requirement because of the spike in coronavirus hospitalizations and cases, warning that the state’s health care system could be overwhelmed. Beginning Friday, everyone who is 5 years or older in Oregon — regardless of

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The highly contagious delta variant is fueling a surge in coronavirus cases as students return to classrooms. School districts with hundreds of thousands of kids are increasingly defying Republican leaders who banned school mask mandates in several U.S. states. The showdowns have drawn in the

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Real estate heir Robert Durst testified at his murder trial that he has changed his mind many times, but has concluded that he didn’t actually see his wife step onto a commuter train the night she disappeared in 1982. Durst also testified that he lied

By GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — People have headed to cooling centers as the Pacific Northwest began sweltering under another major, multiday heat wave. The hot weather comes just over a month after record-shattering hot weather killed hundreds of the region’s most vulnerable people. Temperatures in Portland, Oregon, are expected to hover

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian health officials say a man has succumbed to a gunshot wound suffered during clashes with Israeli forces last week in the occupied West Bank. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reports that 25-year-old Dia al-Din Sabarini was shot in the stomach Aug. 3. He was injured during a raid

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated Press ROCKFORD, Wash. (AP) — A drought in eastern Washington state that is the worst since 1977 has devastated what is normally the fourth largest U.S. wheat crop. The soft white winter wheat grown in the region is prized in Asian countries because it is excellent for making pastries, cakes,

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s parliament has voted in favor of a bill that would force Discovery Inc., the U.S. owner of Poland’s largest private television network, to sell its Polish holdings. The bill, if it gets the Polish president’s approval, is widely viewed as a blow to media independence

By ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is conceding that Democrats face a tough pathway to delivering a $3.5 trillion package for family, health and environment programs to President Joe Biden’s desk. But he says they have a good chance of success. The New York Democrat made the remarks

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday said he tried to combat corruption he saw as the country’s deputy president during former President Jacob Zuma’s controversial time in power. Ramaphosa, testifying at a judicial investigation into corruption during Zuma’s term as president from 2009 to 2018, said

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. budget deficit hit $2.54 trillion for the first 10 months of this budget year, fed by spending to support the country after the pandemic-induced recession. The figures keep the deficit on track to be second largest annual shortfall in U.S. history, behind only the

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s information minister says the government soon will lift the country’s ban on Twitter. The announcement comes two months after the social network was blocked after a tweet by the president was deleted. Information Minister Lai Mohammed told journalists that an “amicable resolution is very much

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer Asian shares are mixed as caution set in among investors following another wobbly day of trading on Wall Street. Japan’s benchmark rose, but shares fell in China, and were little changed in South Korea and Australia. Worries remain in the region about the regulatory crackdown in China, as well

By MARINA VILLENEUVE and JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul is pledging to set a better tone in state government after the sexual harassment scandal that spurred Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation. Hochul spoke Wednesday, a day after the Democratic governor’s announcement that he would step down. He

By JOCELYN GECKER and KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California will become the first state in the nation to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing — a wide order that applies to more than 800,000 staffers. The statewide vaccine mandate for K-12 educators comes

By LINDSEY TANNER and MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writers The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging all pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The advice comes as hospitals in hot spots around the U.S. see disturbing numbers of unvaccinated mothers-to-be seriously ill with the virus. The CDC recommendation echoes recent guidance from

BERLIN (AP) — The German government has agreed to provide 30 billion euros ($35 billion) to help rebuild regions hit by devastating floods last month. Chancellor Angela Merkel and the heads of Germany’s 16 states approved the state aid package on Tuesday. The package is significantly larger than the funds provided for past flooding disasters.

By TARIK EL BARAKAH Associated Press RABAT, Morocco (AP) — The foreign ministers of Israel and Morocco have signed three accords in a new step toward strengthening ties less than a year after agreeing to normalize relations. Visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Nasser Bourita, his Moroccan counterpart, signed off Wednesday on an air