AP National

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

AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. increasingly relies on Canadian crude oil to meet domestic demand and that relationship faces potential strain amid tariff threats. More than 50% of crude oil imported to the U.S. comes from Canada, up from 33% in 2013. The increase follows a jump in production from Canada’s

NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL has begun production on the second season of an all-access, behind-the-scenes show with the makers of the popular “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” series. The league, in announcing the continuation of the show Thursday, said Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk is the first player confirmed to be involved in

Associated Press TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisian authorities recovered the bodies of 20 people who appeared to have drowned after a shipwreck off the country’s Mediterranean coastline, near a popular point of departure for migrants attempting to reach Europe by boat. The country’s National Guard said in a statement that coast guard members dispatched to

AP Film Writers ‘Tis the season for spirited and winless debates about what the best Christmas movie is. No one needs us to remind you about the obvious holiday movies playing on repeat on cable, whether it’s “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “Home Alone” or “Love, Actually,” or even those holiday adjacent classics like “Eyes Wide

AP Business Writer The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell markedly last week following a big increase the week before. Jobless claim applications declined by 22,000 to 220,000 for the week of Dec. 14, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 229,000 analysts were forecasting. Continuing claims, the total number of

AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The American economy grew at a healthy 3.1% annual clip from July through September, propelled by vigorous consumer spending and an uptick in exports, the government said in an upgrade to its previous estimate. Third-quarter growth in U.S. gross domestic product — the economy’s output of goods and services

BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers have approved legislation designed to protect the country’s highest court against possible future manipulation or obstruction by authoritarian or extremist politicians. Officials have cited experiences in Poland, Hungary and elsewhere as illustrating the need to bolster the Federal Constitutional Court. The measure was drawn up by the three parties in

Associated Press EVERGLADES, Fla. (AP) — For decades, largescale engineering projects for development and agriculture drained and partitioned South Florida’s Everglades, a vast wetlands landscape home to endangered and threatened species and a vital source of drinking water for millions of Floridians. A plan approved by Congress in 2000 has aimed to undo some of

AP Technology Writer CLONDALKIN, Ireland (AP) — Dozens of massive data centers humming at the outskirts of Dublin are consuming more electricity than all of the urban homes in Ireland and starting to wear out the warm welcome that brought them here. Now, a country that made itself a computing factory for Amazon, Google, Meta,

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish police say they will participate as observers as Chinese authorities conduct investigations aboard a China-flagged ship in the Baltic Sea that was seen in an area where two undersea data cables were damaged last month. Sweden’s prime minister said at the end of November that his country had formally asked China

Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders insist no decisions can be taken about the future of Ukraine without its consent or behind their backs. Demonstrations of solidarity with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are mounting barely a month before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Zelenskyy attended an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. Ukraine’s position

Associated Press MILAN (AP) — Italy’s deputy premier, Matteo Salvini, is sounding defiant as he awaits a verdict in Sicily for preventing some 100 migrants from disembarking a rescue boat in 2019 when he was interior minister. Salvini, who leads the Euroskeptic, anti-migrant League, told a rally last week that “defending the borders, the dignity,

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s leftist Social Democratic Party has withdrawn from negotiations to form a pro-European coalition government, extending political turmoil that has gripped the European Union country after a top court annulled a presidential election. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu of the PSD, said Thursday that his party was abandoning negotiations with three traditional

Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Two days of meetings on Myanmar’s violent political crisis are being held in the Thai capital Bangkok. The talks are the latest in a long series of regional discussions that have made no headway in restoring peace to the war-torn Southeast Asian nation. Thursday’s discussions were attended by foreign ministers

Associated Press Writers SEATAC, Washington (AP) — Background music is no longer an afterthought at many airports, which are hiring local musicians and carefully curating playlists to help lighten travelers’ moods. London’s Heathrow Airport built a stage to showcase emerging British performers for the first time this summer. The program was so successful the airport

LONDON (AP) — The future of the Northern Ireland-based Harland and Wolff shipbuilder, which famously built the Titanic, appears to have been safeguarded after the Spanish state-owned business Navantia stepped in to buy it. The purchase of the company is subject to regulatory approval. The company was placed into a type of bankruptcy in September

AP Technology Writer CLONDALKIN, Ireland (AP) — Dozens of massive data centers are consuming more electricity than all of the urban homes in Ireland and starting to wear out the warm welcome that brought them here. Now, a country that made itself a computing factory for Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and TikTok is wondering whether

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of causing the deaths of thousands of Palestinians by systematically restricting and targeting Gaza’s water supply in a campaign that amounted to “acts of genocide.” The group alleged that countless infants, children and adults have died from malnutrition, dehydration and illness as a

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Flights have been grounded and people told to stay indoors as a thick layer of smog has engulfed Bosnia’s capital of Sarajevo. Thursday’s fog had residents virtually choking on toxic air. The Swiss air quality technology company IQAir put Sarajevo’s air quality index, or AQI, at a “very unhealthy” 225, ranking

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The U.K.’s central bank has warned about “heightened uncertainty” as it kept interest rates on hold after inflation moved further above target even at a time when the British economy is flatlining at best. The Bank of England’s nine-member Monetary Policy Committee kept its main interest rate unchanged at 4.75%

Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to Vietnam says U.S. arms manufacturers could help the southeast Asian country build up its armed forces. Ambassador Marc Knapper said at a press briefing during an international arms expo in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on Thursday that U.S. and Vietnamese companies could work together to

Israeli airstrikes slammed into two schools sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City on Thursday, a Health Ministry official said, killing at least 17 people including five children in one of the schools. Rescue workers said at 30 people were also wounded across both locations. Israel said Hamas operated command centers inside the shelters, without providing

Associated Press KERAVA, Finland (AP) — People in Finland have been left unsettled by expansionist neighbor Russia and inspired by its recent accession to NATO, are increasingly taking national self-defense into their own hands. The popularity of military training has soared in recent months in the Nordic country, where few places reflect the growing fad

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — The Indian military says government forces in Indian-controlled Kashmir killed five suspected militants in a gunbattle. Soldiers and police launched a joint operation on Thursday after receiving a tip that rebels were hiding in a village in southern Kulgam district. The militants opened “indiscriminate and heavy volumes of fire” at the

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO was whisked back to New York by plane and helicopter Thursday to face new federal charges of stalking and murder, which could bring the death penalty if he’s convicted. Luigi Mangione was held without bail following a Manhattan federal court appearance, capping

Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma man who killed a 10-year-old girl in a cannibalistic fantasy died by lethal injection Thursday in the nation’s 25th and final execution of the year. Kevin Ray Underwood was pronounced dead at 10:14 a.m. at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. It was Oklahoma’s fourth execution of

Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The number of people killed and missing remains unclear two days after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. More than 48 hours after the quake, the Ministry of Health said the number of confirmed deaths reached 10 early Friday, with the number expected

Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Before Christa McAuliffe was an astronaut, she was a vibrant teacher in New England keen on showing her students how everyday people left extraordinary marks on U.S. history. Nearly four decades later, a new documentary focuses on how she still inspires others and less on her fate aboard the

AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. life expectancy jumped last year, and preliminary data suggests there may be another — much smaller — improvement this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday released a report on U.S. deaths in 2023. It showed a decline in death rates for almost all

Associated Press ALEPPO, Syria (AP) — After more than a decade as a refugee in Turkey, Ahmed al-Kassem decided to bring his family back home to Syria only days after the fall of Bashar Assad. He wanted back to his old life and to introduce his children — all but one of whom were born

Associated Press The Justice Department has unsealed a civil complaint alleging CVS Pharmacy Inc. and various subsidiaries filled unlawful prescriptions in violation of the federal Controlled Substances Act. Wednesday’s complaint also alleges CVS sought reimbursement from federal health care programs for unlawful prescriptions in violation of the False Claims Act. CVS is the largest pharmacy

NEW YORK (AP) — As Donald Trump fights to overturn his hush money criminal conviction, the one New York Democrat with authority to grant him a pardon signaled that she would need to see some remorse from the president-elect first. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was asked Wednesday if she would consider pardoning Trump, after

Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A trailing candidate in a very close election last month for the North Carolina Supreme Court has asked that court to get involved legally in his race. Jefferson Griffin is a Republican member of the state Court of Appeals who trails Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs by about 730

Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Alberta’s premier responded to President-elect Donald Trump’s trolling of Canada by saying the trade deficit with the country is due to billions of raw materials being sent south which creates trillions of wealth in America. Trump claims the United States “subsidizes” Canada and is threating a 25% tariff on all

Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — For more than a decade, farmers in parts of southwest Georgia haven’t been able to drill new irrigation wells to the Floridian aquifer. That’s because Georgia put a halt to farmers drilling new wells or taking additional water from streams and lakes in 2012. Change is coming, though. Gov. Brian

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump delivered a likely death blow to bipartisan congressional budget negotiations on Wednesday, rejecting the measure as full of giveaways to Democrats after billionaire ally Elon Musk whipped up outrage toward the bill and cheered on Republican lawmakers who announced their opposition. Trump’s joint statement with Vice President-elect

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — New York prosecutors are using a 9/11-era anti-terrorism law in their case against the man charged with gunning down UnitedHealthcare’s CEO outside a midtown Manhattan hotel. Luigi Mangione was indicted on charges of murder as an act of terrorism, under a state law that allows for stiffer sentences when

Associated Press Arizona’s governor wants to repeal the state law requiring an annual abortion report. Democrat Katie Hobbs says it can infringe on privacy for residents, even if it doesn’t collect information such as patients’ names and birthdates. She made her call to stop the reporting requirements as the state detailed its abortion data covering

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan to prevent a Christmastime government shutdown, instead telling House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans to essentially renegotiate just days before a deadline when federal funding runs out. The sudden decision to make new demands has sent Congress spiraling even as lawmakers are trying

Associated Press HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The brother of the late New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has pleaded guilty to threatening to carry out a shooting at the University of Connecticut and to kill three people outside of the state last year. Dennis Hernandez entered the plea Wednesday in federal court in Hartford.

MONTREAL (AP) — An arson attack is suspected to have targeted a synagogue in a Montreal suburb, the second time it was hit by an incendiary device in a little more than a year. A police spokeswoman says Montreal police received a 911 call shortly before 3 a.m. about a fire at the Congregation Beth

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Jay-Z’s lawyers are asking a judge to speedily extract the rapper from a lawsuit in which a woman alleges she was sexually assaulted by Jay-Z and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs when she was 13. The unidentified woman recently added Jay-Z to her lawsuit against Combs in Manhattan federal court. In

Associated Press TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — An appeals court says New Jersey’s top law enforcement official overstepped his authority last year when he took control of the police force in the state’s third-largest city soon after Paterson police fatally shot a man barricaded in an apartment bathroom. The New Jersey Appellate Division said Wednesday that

TOWSON, Md. (AP) — Investigators in Baltimore County are looking into whether a shooting and related vehicle crash that left one person dead and nine injured Tuesday night are connected to a nearby homicide earlier this month. Officials say all 10 of the victims were found inside a flipped vehicle that burst into flames after

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Billionaire author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott acknowledged another $2 billion in donations in a blog post on Wednesday, bringing the total she’s given away since 2019 to $19.2 billion. She also revealed new information about how she was managing her wealth, saying she had directed advisors to invest her

ROCKVILLE, Conn. (AP) — A man accused of stalking and harassing UConn basketball star Paige Bueckers has pleaded guilty to a stalking charge. A court clerk said 40-year-old Robert Cole Parmalee received a one-year suspended sentence and three year’s probation on Wednesday. He originally faced three charges, but those were substituted for second-degree stalking. Parmalee

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Fred Lorenzen, a NASCAR Hall of Famer and the 1965 Daytona champion, died Wednesday. He was 89. NASCAR released a statement saying Lorenzen had died. A cause of death wasn’t given, but Lorenzen had been in declining health for years. In 1998, he was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.