AP National

On Friday, flying back to Rome from a lengthy trip to Asia, Pope Francis criticized both U.S. presidential candidates for what he called anti-life policies on abortion and migration. He advised American Catholics to choose who they think is the “lesser evil” in the upcoming U.S. elections. “Both are against life, be it the one

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man who worked as a U.S. State Department diplomatic security officer has pleaded guilty to joining a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol over three years ago. Kevin Michael Alstrup is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 12 by U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss. Court records show that Alstrup pleaded guilty

AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The TV series “Slow Horses” is a critical darling that only seems to have gained traction in the U.S. of late, now in its fourth season. Ignored at the Emmys for two seasons, it goes into Sunday’s telecast with nine nominations, including for best drama series. Its star,

Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hurricane Francine suddenly dropped an incredible amount of rain on New Orleans. Water rose fast in some spots. Gravity works against the sewer system. The city relies on a complex drainage system of canals and pumps to get the water out. They are necessary to get the water past

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia cornerback Daniel Harris has been arrested on a reckless driving charge after police said he was driving 106 mph. Harris is the latest player on the top-ranked Bulldogs to run afoul of the law behind the wheel. The sophomore from Miami was stopped by Athens-Clarke County police and booked into

Associated Press MEREDITH, N.H. (AP) — The mother of a 5-year-old girl who was killed by her father had filed a lawsuit against the state of New Hampshire, alleging it was negligent because it had failed to investigate reports of physical abuse before she was killed. The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and unspecified monetary

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama is opposing a request to film the state’s next execution by nitrogen gas in an attempt to help courts evaluate whether the new method is humane. The request is to record the scheduled Sept. 26 execution of Alan Miller. It was filed by lawyers for another man who faces the

Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A special prosecutor has decided not to pursue charges against Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones over efforts to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential election loss in the state. Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, announced on Friday that he had decided not to bring the

Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A military court in Congo has convicted dozens of people, including three Americans, for a coup attempt. The court handed down death sentences to 37 defendants. The charges included terrorism, murder and illegal possession of weapons. The lawyer for the three Americans and three other foreigners said they would

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Suki Waterhouse discovered the Sparklemuffin spider during a late night scroll. The spider became the mascot for her sophomore album, “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin,” out Friday. The 18-song record follows the singer-songwriter’s 2022 debut “I Can’t Let Go” and her time playing keyboardist Karen Sirko in the Amazon Prime

Associated Press The conservancy that oversees a storied but aging ocean liner and its landlord are headed to mediation as they attempt to resolve a years-old rent dispute. A federal judge had ruled in June that the conservancy had until Thursday to present plans to move the SS United States from its berth on the

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has voiced his opposition to Nippon Steel buying U.S. Steel, but the federal government appears to be in no hurry to block the deal. White House officials earlier this month did not deny that the president would formally block the acquisition. But the necessary report from the

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State has asked a judge to decide key parts of its lawsuit against the Atlantic Coast Conference without a trial, hoping for a quicker resolution and path to a possible exit from the league. Florida State requested a partial summary judgment from the judge in a 574-page document filed this

SKOWHEGAN, Maine (AP) — A man convicted of assaulting a child tried to flee a courthouse in Maine but two jurors and a detective quickly foiled his escape attempt. Nicholas Carter, 31, on Wednesday ran out of the courthouse in Skowhegan while handcuffed. He had been found guilty of aggravated assault against a 14-month-old child.

Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Just hours after it began, legal betting on the outcome of U.S. Congressional elections has been put on hold by a federal appeals court. The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an order Thursday night temporarily freezing the matter until it can consider and

News21 NEW YORK (AP) — With studies showing a decline in civics education and knowledge across the U.S., programs from Arizona to New York are working to engage the next generation in democracy. The programs are aimed at middle and high school students and come as experts say students are getting less instructional time in

Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s military says its forces and American troops have killed a senior commander with the Islamic State group who was wanted by the United States. It says that several other prominent militants were also killed in a joint operation in western Iraq. The military said on Friday that the operation

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia has demanded that an election be held and ethnic Serbs return to police and judiciary in a Serb-populated northern region of Kosovo where tensions have fueled fears of instability and new armed clashes. Populist President Aleksandar Vucic also called for the withdrawal of Kosovo’s special police from the region bordering

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada is joining a list of states easing access to abortion for more lower-income women. The state decided not to appeal a judge’s ruling from earlier this year that ordered the state to use its Medicaid funds to pay for abortions for people in the insurance program. Until now, it has

News21 LAS VEGAS (AP) — In the heart of Las Vegas’ Chinatown, on the second floor of a sprawling shopping plaza that serves as a hub for the city’s Asian community, residents gather for a celebration of the annual Dragon Boat Festival. Some stop in to grab shiny, red packages of premade zongzi, a rice

Associated Press As authorities search for a highway shooter in Kentucky, a Friday night tradition of football, pep bands and grandstands of cheering fans has been sidelined for some towns. Games were canceled at a handful of high schools near where the assailant opened fire on Interstate 75 in southeastern Kentucky. Twelve vehicles were hit

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Ahead of the 2022 school year, the education technology company 21stCentEd was seeking to expand its presence in New York City’s public schools. So they turned to a man, Terence Banks, whose new consulting firm promised to connect clients with top government stakeholders. Banks wasn’t a registered lobbyist. His

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A new lawsuit alleges that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other GOP officials were behind a plot to eliminate competition for the Republican governor’s appointee. The lawsuit filed this weeks says the goal was to make sure DeSantis appointee Andrew Bain faced no Republican competition in the race for State Attorney

Keith Urban’s 12th studio album and Kathryn Hahn starring in the “WandaVision” spinoff “Agatha All Along” are some of this week’s new streaming entertainment releases. Others include season two of the “Frasier” reboot on Paramount+,  the debut of “The Golden Bachelorette” and

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — A cat aptly named Drifter is safe at home after sneaking out and getting trapped in a sewer for nearly eight weeks. The 3-year-old tabby went missing from the home of Clifton Nesseth and Ashley Comstock in the northeastern Minnesota city of Duluth on July 18. They presume he went to

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is cracking down on the cheap products sold out of China by companies such as Temu and Shein. It expands a push to reduce dependence on Beijing and bolster homegrown industry but could lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers and small businesses. President Joe Biden’s proposed

Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — A federal bill has been proposed to ban in-game advertising and bets on college athletes. Congressman Paul Tonko of New York and Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut introduced the bill Thursday. They say the rapid expansion of legal sports betting in the U.S. since 2018 has been harmful.

Associated Press DOVER, Del. (AP) — Police dispatchers in Delaware’s capital city are being lauded for helping direct rescuers to a boat foundering in the English Channel thousands of miles away. Dispatchers for the city of Dover found themselves at the center of an international rescue effort last month after receiving a call from an

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s railway company says a train stationmaster has been suspended after allegedly giving an order that would have placed two passenger trains on a head-on collision course on the same stretch of track on Athens’ suburban railway. The company, Hellenic Train, said the train drivers and another stationmaster at a different

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A man accused of being involved in several hit-and-run crashes and then driving onto the football field at the University of Colorado has been arrested. Boulder police say the crashes were reported Thursday evening. Witnesses tried to stop the driver from leaving, and one person was almost struck by the pickup

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A Canadian man has pleaded guilty to federal crimes for shootings at electrical substations and an oil pipeline in the Dakotas that caused $1.7 million in damages. Cameron Monte Smith pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Bismarck, North Dakota, to two counts of destruction of an energy facility —

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police in Nebraska’s largest city are reevaluating their use of some no-knock search warrants after an unarmed Black man was killed by an officer while executing a no-knock warrant. The Omaha World-Herald reports that Deputy Police Chief Scott Gray says the use of standard entry no-knock warrants was suspended pending a

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — A 20-year-old gang member pleaded guilty in a drive-by shooting that wounded two rival gang members in front of the New York home of then-U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, authorities said. Noah Green pleaded guilty Thursday to attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon and conspiracy for shooting at three men, striking

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A U.S. man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for smuggling drugs into Bermuda. On Friday, The Royal Gazette reported that he pleaded guilty to smuggling over $1 million worth of marijuana, cocaine and heroin. The man, from Arizona, claimed he was manipulated into transporting the drugs.

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Gospel music superstar Yolanda Adams has used her faith and smile to sustain her through life’s ebbs and flows. Adams thinks she was “born with that happiness gene that people talk about” and wants people to know that down days will pass. That theme permeates her new album, “Sunny

BERLIN (AP) — German and Kenyan officials have signed an agreement to promote the recruitment of skilled Kenyan workers who can fill gaps in Germany’s labor market, and to facilitate the repatriation of Kenyans who don’t have the right to stay in Germany. The agreement was signed during a visit to Berlin on Friday by

CHICAGO (AP) — United Airlines says it will offer free WiFi service on flights using the satellite-based Starlink service from Elon Musk’s SpaceX. United said Friday it will start testing Starlink early next year and put it on the entire fleet of planes over the next several years. United isn’t releasing financial details of the

Associated Press/Report for America TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A political committee behind the campaign to pass a constitutional right to abortion in Florida has filed a lawsuit against a state health care agency that it alleges is carrying out a taxpayer-funded “misinformation” campaign against the November ballot measure. Thursday’s lawsuit targets a state website that

AP Sports Writer COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Former national champion baseball coach and longtime South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner is changing roles at the school. He announced Friday he would leave as head of the department once his successor is chosen to become an advisor to university president Michael Amiridis. The school said its

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Gordon has formed in the Atlantic Ocean. Forecasters say it is expected to remain over open water for several days. Gordon formed during the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season that began June 1 and ends Nov. 30. It is the season’s seventh named storm. The National

AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Percival Everett’s “James,” his acclaimed retelling of Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” is a fiction nominee for the National Book Awards. The long list of 10 also includes Rachel Kushner’s innovative thriller, “Creation Lake,” and novelist-filmmaker Miranda July’s exploration of middle age, “All Fours.” The National

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Ten years ago, in August 2014, when a white police officer shot and killed Black 18-year-old Michael Brown on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, protests erupted in the nation’s consciousness. They set off a new chapter in the United States’ fraught civil rights history, bringing a spotlight to longstanding

Associated Press As the pregnant woman’s contractions rolled in every two minutes, staff at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, dispatched an ambulance to send her elsewhere. Just two minutes later, she gave birth to a 6-pound baby girl in the cab of the ambulance down the road from

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine is pushing for permission from its Western partners to use the long-range missiles they have provided to strike targets deep inside Russia, as Ukrainian forces struggle to hold back Russian advances in eastern Ukraine. Kyiv officials argue the weapons are vital to weaken Russia’s ability to strike Ukraine and force

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A judge has rejected plans for the U.K.’s first coal mine in three decades, delivering a victory for environmental groups. The High Court ruling Friday follows a decision by the Labour government to drop its support for the plan approved by their Conservative predecessors. Environmental groups challenged the permission granted

Associated Press Around 36,000 schools in the U.S. are in need of updated heating and cooling systems, according to the Government Accountability Office. Many students are trying to learn in environments that are too hot and can even be harmful to their health. Many school air conditioning systems were installed in the 1970s, but temperatures

WAUPUN, Wis. (AP) — A former employee at a troubled Wisconsin prison has pleaded guilty to smuggling contraband into the maximum-security prison. Forty-seven-year-old William Lee Homan pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. The Appleton Post Crescent reports Homan was working as a

Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Germany has sailed two warships through the Taiwan Strait in its first transit of the disputed waters in more than two decades, as Berlin seeks to increase its defense engagement in the Asia-Pacific region. China claims the self-governing democratic island of Taiwan as its own, and views such transits as

Associated Press SAG HARBOR, N.Y. (AP) — Justin Timberlake urged drivers not to get behind the wheel of a car after even a single alcoholic drink on Friday, shortly after pleading guilty to driving while impaired in New York’s Hamptons earlier this year. The public safety announcement in front of the Sag Harbor police department

Associated Press PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia has decried newly imposed U.S. sanctions on one of its tycoons who has been implicated in forced labor, human trafficking and lucrative online scams. Cambodia’s foreign ministry expressed “deep regret over the unjust decision” to sanction Ly Yong Phat and suggested that the action could hurt bilateral

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District will choose a successor on Wednesday to the late Democratic U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. In the race, Democratic Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver, Republican small business owner Carmen Bucco and two minor-party candidates are running to serve out the remaining 15

After Michael Brown Jr. was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, several nationally prominent Black religious leaders arrived, thinking they could help lead the protest movement that had surfaced. But the religion-focused ideas they were proposing didn’t mesh with the energy and the pent-up frustrations of the mostly youthful protesters. To

Associated Press As twilight descended on Ferguson, Missouri, for a third consecutive night after the killing of Michael Brown Jr. by a police officer, Gwendolyn DeLoach Packnett could no longer hold her peace. Each day since the killing on Aug. 9, 2014, she had watched her daughter, Brittany, leave the safety of home to protest

Associated Press TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Dozens of members of Tunisia’s largest opposition party have been arrested this week ahead of the formal start this weekend of the campaign season for the country’s presidential election. Ennahda officials reported Friday that at least 80 members were apprehended. The arrests were part of a countrywide sweep. Ennahda

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Prosecutors in southern Poland have charged a former European Parliament lawmaker and his wife with corruption and influence peddling as part of a larger probe into irregularities in the operations of a private university in Warsaw. Ryszard Czarnecki is a prominent member of Law and Justice, Poland’s former ruling conservative party.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Gunmen have killed 14 people in a Shiite-majority area in central Afghanistan, the Taliban said Friday, in one of the deadliest attacks in the country this year. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility before the Taliban acknowledged the shootings, which took place Thursday and targeted people as they traveled between the Shiite-majority

Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — Starting next year, China will raise its retirement age for workers, which is now among the youngest in the world’s major economies, in an effort to address its shrinking population and aging work force. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the country’s legislature, passed the new policy Friday

Associated Press Russia has accused six British diplomats of spying and decided to expel them. The U.K. says the move, which it calls “completely baseless,” came weeks ago and was linked to its action in May to revoke the credentials of an attaché at the Russian Embassy and limit Moscow’s diplomatic activities in London, The