AP National

MIAMI (AP) — A friend of brothers who are prominent in luxury real estate in Florida and New York and are charged with sex trafficking and assault has surrendered to face an allegation that he helped two of them rape a woman nearly a decade ago. Ohad Fisherman returned early from his honeymoon in Japan

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal judge who presided over the seditious conspiracy case against Oath Keepers members said Wednesday that it would be “frightening” if the anti-government group’s founder, Stewart Rhodes, is pardoned for orchestrating a violent plot to keep Donald Trump in the White House after he lost the 2020 presidential election.

Associated Press A 22-year-old man has admitted to a plot intended to kill multiple people at a political party headquarters in Michigan and at a nearby bar because he associated both places with gay people. The U.S. Attorney’s office in Michigan says that Mack Davis pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Flint to committing

Associated Press The Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte is reeling from Cyclone Chido, the most intense storm to hit the French territory in 90 years, according to officials. At least 22 people have been killed since Chido made landfall on Saturday, as high winds swept away entire neighborhoods, damaged major infrastructure and uprooted trees. While

SCOTCHTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — Scholars are hailing the discovery of a fossilized mastodon jaw discovered by a man who spotted two giant teeth while gardening at his upstate New York home this year. The mastodon jaw and some other bone fragments were found in late September in a backyard near Scotchtown, a hamlet about 70

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed legislation requiring more oversight of youth residential treatment facilities. The vote Wednesday is a feat for hotel heiress Paris Hilton who has spent years lobbying lawmakers to regulate the industry. The bill gained overwhelming bipartisan support in the House after passing the Senate last week. It will now

Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president has unveiled a bilingual “hymn” to Mexican migrants living in the United States, even as migrants from other countries continue to suffer abuses, delays and hostility in Mexico. President Claudia Sheinbaum used her morning news briefing on Wednesday to unveil the song “Migrant Hymn.” The lyrics include

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Reserve’s third interest rate cut of the year will likely have consequences for debt, savings, auto loans, mortgages and other forms of borrowing by consumers and businesses. But with inflation pressures still elevated and with concern that President-elect Donald Trump’s policies could fuel inflation, the Fed indicated

AP Sports Writer CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — The Ivy League has announced its football programs will compete in the FCS playoffs beginning next season. The league said Wednesday the decision to compete in the playoffs followed a year-long process initiated by its Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Mason Shipp is a senior football player at Yale who

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A Manhattan resident has pleaded guilty to helping establish a secret police station in New York City on behalf of the Chinese government. Chen Jinping, 60, entered the guilty plea on a single count of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government in Brooklyn federal court

Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small has been indicted on a witness tampering charge for allegedly asking his teenage daughter to recant claims she made to law enforcement officials that he abused her. Tuesday’s indictment asserts that Small asked her to do him a favor in September and change

Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The shooter who killed a student and teacher at a religious school in Wisconsin brought two guns to the school and was in contact with a man in California who authorities say was planning to attack a government building, according to authorities and court documents that became public Wednesday.

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) — A judge has declined to throw out statements made by a man charged with a mass shooting at a parade in suburban Chicago in 2022. Seven people were killed and more were wounded at the Independence Day event in Highland Park. Attorneys for Robert Crimo III claimed he was denied his

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Wednesday it will consider South Carolina’s move to cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, the latest abortion-related case since the justices overturned Roe v. Wade. The court agreed to take up the state’s appeal of a lower-court ruling focused on whether Medicaid patients can sue

Associated Press Five people were found dead in a Utah home after a man apparently shot his wife and four children before killing himself, police said Wednesday. A 17-year-old boy survived but has a severe brain injury. Police believe the shooting in a split-level house in a Salt Lake City suburb happened over the weekend.

NEW YORK (AP) — The oldest known stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments sold for more than $5 million at an auction on Wednesday. Sotheby’s said the 155-pound (52-kilogram) marble slab was acquired by an anonymous buyer who plans to donate it to an Israeli institution. The New York-based auction house said the final

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — During the transition period between President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump, there has been at least some coordination on West Wing affairs. But there hasn’t been any word yet on the fate of Biden’s Gender Policy Council, which has worked to defend reproductive health care in the face of

Associated Press/Report for America NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A judge sentenced a 93-year-old former Catholic priest Wednesday to spend the rest of his life behind bars for raping a teenage boy decades ago. Lawrence Hecker had pleaded guilty to charges including first-degree rape and aggravated kidnapping moments before jury selection was scheduled to begin in

CHICAGO (AP) — Demolition has begun on a historic downtown building two decades after a stampede at the dance club it housed left 21 dead and nearly five dozen injured. A crew moved in Tuesday after last week’s emergency demolition order by the Chicago Department of Buildings. That followed a Nov. 7 ruling by the

Associated Press Two endangered whales have been spotted entangled in fishing gear off Massachusetts, and one is likely to die from its injuries, the federal government said. They are North Atlantic right whales, which number less than 400 and face existential threats from entanglement in gear and collisions with ships. An aerial survey found the

CAIRO (AP) — A government spokesperson says Egypt’s prime minister was forced to briefly pause a news conference after experiencing some dizziness. Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly was speaking during his weekly televised Cabinet briefing when he felt unwell, grabbed the microphone stand tightly and asked for a pause. Cabinet spokesperson Mohamed el-Homsani says the 58-year-old

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a Vermont military contractor will pay nearly half a million dollars to settle allegations that it used some foreign-sourced materials in certain protective eyewear it sold. The U.S. attorney’s office for Vermont says Revision Military Ltd. used a foreign source of carrying pouches, cases and straps for particular

Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jacob Elordi is suddenly everywhere in Hollywood, so much so that he thinks he must be dreaming. Amid a remarkable streak of high-profile projects with respected filmmakers, the 27-year-old isn’t taking his success for granted. He stars in Paul Schrader’s most recent movie, “Oh, Canada,” in theaters now. In

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 will be retired in a ceremony Feb. 2 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Clark finished her college career last season as the all-time leading men’s or women’s scorer in NCAA Division I history and is widely regarded as a transformational figure in the women’s game.

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who said he will go to the European Court of Human Rights, after his conviction in a corruption case was made definitive by France’s highest court, has been involved in a series of legal proceedings. He was convicted by an appeals court for illegal campaign

Associated Press BEIJING, China (AP) — China and India have agreed to work toward a solution to their long-running border dispute in the Himalayas after a military standoff there that began with a deadly clash in 2020. Wednesday’s development follows a pact on border patrols from October, which finally broke a stalemate that started with

Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republicans will still be in charge when the Wisconsin Legislature returns to work in January but will have the narrowest majorities in years. That’s giving Democrats optimism that both sides will be able to work together better than they have in the six years since their party’s Tony Evers

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Six-time Grammy winner Jacob Collier took an unexpected approach to the final installment of his four-part “Djesse” album series. The volumes feature collaborations with artists across the globe. But on “Djesse Vol. 4,” he harnessed voices of the audience at his shows to create harmonies for the album. One track

The U.S. market gained more than 25% for the year to date through mid-December 2024. That’s a healthy showing by any measure. It doesn’t seem like it would be a market environment that’s conducive to tax-loss selling. But unless your strategy is to buy only U.S. stocks, you may indeed have opportunities to realize tax

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The British government says it still plans to hand over a contested Indian Ocean archipelago, which is home to a strategically important military base, to Mauritius. It comes after that country’s new leader backed away from the contentious deal. The U.K. and Mauritius announced an agreement in October to transfer

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has transferred two Malaysian detainees at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. military prison to their home country. That’s after they pleaded guilty to charges stemming from deadly 2002 bombings in Bali and agreed to testify against the alleged ringleader of that and other attacks. The move leaves just 27

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A former Alabama police sergeant has been sentenced to over a year in federal prison after pleading guilty in August to beating a man in a jail cell. The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday that former Daleville Sgt. Ryan Phillips will serve 16 months in prison for a civil rights

HONOLULU (AP) — Authorities say a small cargo plane on a training flight crashed into a vacant building shortly after taking off from Honolulu’s airport and burst into flames, killing the two people on board. The Federal Aviation Administration says Kamaka Air Flight 689 crashed into the building near the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport

Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s nearly 14-year-old civil war fragmented the country, crumbled the economy and created fertile ground for the production of the highly addictive drug Captagon. Militias, warlords and the government of Bashar Assad transformed the production of Captagon from a small-scale operation run by criminal groups into a billion-dollar industrial revenue

AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — No one was expecting it. In late 2023, André 3000 released his debut solo album, “New Blue Sun.” It was 18 years after his legendary rap group Outkast’s last studio album, “Idlewild.” “New Blue Sun” is a six-track instrumental album of ambient alt-jazz. There are “no bars,” he

Associated Press BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — In Nigeria, roughly 85 million people do not have access to electricity. Yet large solar projects that could improve this situation have faltered. Developers struggle to get financing for new projects and connect them with a woefully inadequate electrical grid. Sales of solar lights and chargers have grown quickly

Associated Press WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden is remembering his first wife and baby daughter 52 years after they were killed in a car crash in Delaware. Biden, his current wife, Jill, son Hunter and other family members attended a private memorial Mass at a Delaware church on Wednesdays. Biden was in Washington

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A teen charged with killing three girls and wounding 10 other people in a stabbing rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England this summer has had not guilty pleas entered for him in court. Axel Rudakubana, 18, who has refused to speak in court was read the charges Wednesday

Associated Press MILAN (AP) — Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni is defending her friendship with U.S. tech billionaire and Trump advisor Elon Musk. She told Italian lawmakers Wednesday that she would not be influenced in areas where he has economic interests. Meloni added that she has good relationships “with many people” but doesn’t “take orders from

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The owner of Britain’s Guardian newspaper has confirmed that it has sold the Observer, the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper to Tortoise Media for an undisclosed fee. In a statement Wednesday, the Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian Media Group, said Tortoise Media is purchasing the Observer through a combination of

Edmunds Full-size trucks are hugely popular thanks to their versatility and ability to get tough jobs done. This characteristic applies equally to when paved roads end and off-road hardware becomes essential. The automotive experts at Edmunds have brought together four full-size pickups that won’t wilt over rugged terrain. They’ve also kept in mind that all-terrain

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The holidays are meant to be a time of celebration with family and friends. But they can also bring pressure to spend money on gifts, gatherings and plane tickets home. With credit card debt rising and prices for many items still high due to inflation, overspending during the holiday

Associated Press Sitting alone in her car, Jen Dold was crying too hard to drive. She had just received a manila envelope with her brother’s autopsy report. There it was, one devastating word: “accident.” The papers trembled in her hands. Their mother had called 911 for help getting Dold’s 29-year-old brother, Alex, to the hospital

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A British court ruled Wednesday that police can seize more than 2.6 million pounds ($3.3 million) to cover years of unpaid taxes from influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan. The Devon and Cornwall Police force went to court to claim the money, held in seven frozen bank accounts, from

Associated Press MACAO (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping has begun a three-day visit to Macao to mark the 25th anniversary of the casino city’s return to Chinese rule. Xi and his wife were welcomed at the airport Wednesday by a lavish ceremony. Xi told reporters that Macao, a former Portuguese colony of 687,000 people,

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani authorities have postponed a polio vaccination campaign in the country’s restive southern Balochistan province after health workers boycotted it to oppose a proposed privatization of hospitals. Authorities on Monday launched the final nationwide polio vaccination campaign for the year, aiming to protect 45 million children. According to the World Health

Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani veterinary surgeons found that a bacterial infection killed an elephant at a safari park in the city of Karachi earlier this month, a veterinarian with a global animal welfare organization said Wednesday. Dr. Amir Khalil with the Vienna-based Four Paws told The Associated Press that the infection spread through

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Inflation in the U.K. has risen to its highest level since March. It’s being driven by an increase in fuel prices last month. The Office for National Statistics said Wednesday that the consumer price inflation rose by 2.6% in the year to November. That’s up from 2.3% the previous month.

Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — As the war in Gaza rages, Syria’s government transforms, and the Israeli-occupied West Bank seethes, Armenian residents of the Old City of Jerusalem fight a different battle. It’s a quieter struggle, they say, but no less existential. The Armenians have lived in the Old City for decades without significant friction

AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks tumbled to one of their worst days of the year after the Federal Reserve hinted Wednesday it may deliver fewer shots of adrenaline for the U.S. economy in 2025 than earlier thought. The S&P 500 fell 2.9%, just shy of its biggest loss for the year,

AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Japanese automakers Nissan Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. confirmed Wednesday that they are discussing closer collaboration but denied reports they have decided on a merger. Nissan’s share price soared nearly 24% in Tokyo after reports citing unnamed sources said it might merge with Honda to form the world’s

TOWSON, Md. (AP) — Police say a shooting and related fiery car crash in a suburban area north of Baltimore killed one person and injured nine. Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough says gunshots were reported throughout a neighborhood near where the car ultimately crashed outside a funeral home Tuesday night. Officials have provided few

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Herschel Walker, the football legend who unsuccessfully ran for a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia, has been chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to be ambassador to the Bahamas. Trump made the announcement Tuesday in a post on Truth Social, his social media website. He described Walker as “a successful businessman,

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rayful Edmond, a drug kingpin once believed to control about a third of the cocaine trade in the nation’s capital during the crack epidemic of the 1980s, has died in federal custody, the Bureau of Prisons confirmed Tuesday. Edmond, 60, was known at the height of his criminal empire as the “king