AP National

Associated Press DENVER (AP) — The U.S. Northeast is experiencing an unusually severe and widespread drought during months that are typically the wettest. Experts say major changes need to happen to avoid future critical shortages of water and as the climate warms droughts will continue to intensify, which should prompt communities to use this drought

Associated Press UMM AL-FAHM, Israel (AP) — In the year since the war in Gaza broke out, Israel’s government has been cracking down on dissent among its Palestinian citizens. Authorities have charged Palestinians with “supporting terrorism” because of posts online or for demonstrating against the war. Activists and rights watchdogs say Palestinians have also lost

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The last meatpackers in New York’s Meatpacking District have agreed to end their leases early and make way for development on their city-owned lot. A third-generation meatpacker says he is ready to retire and he’ll be proud to be there when the building closes. The closure date has not

Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — When Kenyan police arrived in Haiti as part of a U.N.-backed mission earlier this year to tackle gang violence, hopes were high. Coordinated gang attacks on prisons, police stations and the main international airport had crippled the country’s capital and forced the prime minister to resign, plunging

Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A little-known, far-right populist took the lead in Romania’s presidential election Sunday, electoral data showed, and will likely face leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in a runoff in two weeks, an outcome that rocked the country’s political landscape. Calin Georgescu, who ran independently, led the polls with around 22%

Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — When Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu ended the costly subsidies that made petrol affordable for many in Africa’s most populous country, Ahmed Halilu knew his e-hailing cab business in the capital, Abuja, was about to run into huge losses. Transportation costs skyrocketed as the price of petrol more than tripled

Associated Press MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Uruguay’s leftist opposition candidate, Yamandú Orsi, claimed victory in a tight presidential runoff Sunday, ousting the conservative governing coalition and making the South American nation the latest to rebuke the incumbent party in a year of landmark elections. Even as the vote count continued, Álvaro Delgado, the presidential candidate

Associated Press SADO, Japan (AP) — Japanese officials on Sunday paid tribute to workers at the country’s Sado Island Gold Mines but offered no apology over Japan’s brutal wartime use of Korean forced laborers, highlighting lingering tensions between the neighbors over the issue. South Korea a day earlier announced that it was boycotting the memorial,

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Police thought a shoe thief was on the loose at a kindergarten in southwestern Japan, until a security camera caught the furry culprit in action. A weasel with a tiny shoe in its mouth was spotted on the video footage after police installed three cameras in the school in the

AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Snoop Dogg strolled in wearing a jacket with JuJu Watkins’ name and number on the front and back. Michael B. Jordan thrilled a USC female fan with an impromptu autograph during a timeout. The stars came out to the showdown between third-ranked Southern California and No. 6 Notre

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has selected former White House aide Brooke Rollins to lead the Department of Agriculture. Rollins has agriculture ties but also a strong relationship with Trump. The president-elect has prized loyalty as he assembles his second administration. She would lead a sprawling agency that traces back to the

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — As a former and potentially future president, Donald Trump hailed what would become Project 2025 as a road map for “exactly what our movement will do” with another crack at the White House. As the blueprint for a hard-right turn in America became a liability during the 2024 campaign, Trump

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he will nominate former White House aide Brooke Rollins to be his agriculture secretary, the last of his picks to lead executive agencies and another choice from within his established circle of advisers and allies. The nomination must be confirmed by the Senate, which

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Working-class voters helped Republicans make steady election gains this year and expanded a coalition that increasingly includes rank-and-file union members, a political shift spotlighting one of President-elect Donald Trump’s latest Cabinet picks: a GOP congresswoman, who has drawn labor support, to be his labor secretary. Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Las Vegas man called for police help during a home invasion before an officer fatally shot him, according to authorities and 911 calls. Brandon Durham called 911 early Nov. 12, saying he was hiding with his 15-year-old daughter after someone broke into his home, Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said. Durham

BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — Thousands of Colombians have taken to the streets to oppose the policies of President Gustavo Petro, who accused demonstrators of trying to destabilize the government. Protesters in cities including Bogotá, Medellín and Cali on Saturday decried a series of proposed health, labor and pensions reforms and accused Petro’s administration of corruption.

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A suspect in the fatal shooting of a woman and her 4-month-old son inside a car in Hartford, Connecticut, was arrested in Puerto Rico. The U.S. Marshals Service said they found Lance “Macho” Morales on Saturday at a residence in the barrio of Fajardo. Police believe the 23-year-old Waterbury, Connecticut, resident

PARIS (AP) — Thousands of protesters have demonstrated in Paris and other French cities against femicides and sexual and sexist violence. In Paris, large crowds of women and men marched Saturday waving purple placards that denounced gender violence and defended women’s reproductive rights. Protesters expressed concerns of a possible rollback for women’s rights in the

AP Medical Writer The team that President-elect Donald Trump has selected to lead federal health agencies in his second administration includes a retired congressman, a surgeon and a former talk-show host. All could play pivotal roles in fulfilling a political agenda that could change how the government goes about safeguarding Americans’ health — from health

MONTREAL (AP) — Senior Canadian ministers have condemned an anti-NATO protest in Montreal that turned violent, saying “hatred and antisemitism” have no place in the country. Police said they made at least three arrests following a demonstration that began late afternoon Friday. Two cars were set on fire and windows at some businesses and a

Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — At least six Russian mercenaries were killed in an attack by an al-Qaida-linked group in central Mali, according to a statement by the extremists on its media platform. The group, known by its acronym, JNIM, said it ambushed a convoy of mercenaries working for the Wagner Group on Thursday

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus has granted asylum to a former Polish judge who faced espionage charges at home following his defection in May to the Kremlin-allied country. Both fugitive Tomasz Szmydt and Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus’ autocratic President, have alleged that Szmydt fell victim to political repression in Poland, an EU and NATO member that

Associated Press Scott Turner, President-elect Donald Trump choice to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is a former NFL player who ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term. Turner, 52, is the first Black person selected to be a member of the Republican’s Cabinet. Here are some things

Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce’s wife announced Friday that she’s pregnant with the couple’s fourth child. Kylie Kelce posted a photo on Instagram of the couple’s three young daughters reacting to the news. The oldest daughter, Wyatt, appears to be cupping her head in shock. The middle daughter, Elliotte, is smiling. The youngest, Bennett,

BERLIN (AP) — American photographer and activist Nan Goldin has used a speech at the opening of her exhibition in Germany to condemn Israel’s war in Gaza. Goldin, 71, said Friday she wanted to use her retrospective show at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin “as a platform to amplify my position of moral outrage” at

Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Israeli-Moldovan rabbi living in the United Arab Emirates has gone missing, with Israeli authorities raising the suspicion Saturday he may have been kidnapped as tensions remain high with Iran. Israeli media citing unnamed security sources reported that Zvi Kogan, who has been missing since noon Thursday,

Associated Press HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) — The first woman to command Canada’s military called out a U.S. senator on Saturday for questioning the role of women in combat. Gen. Jennie Carignan responded to comments made by Idaho Republican Sen. Jim Risch, the ranking member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who was asked

AP Health Writer Unlike scores of people who scrambled for the blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight in recent years, Danielle Griffin had no trouble getting them. The 38-year-old information technology worker from New Mexico had a prescription. Her pharmacy had the drugs in stock. And her health insurance covered all but $25

Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico has been taking a bashing for allegedly serving as a conduit for Chinese parts and products into North America. Officials here are terrified that a re-elected Donald Trump or politically struggling Justin Trudeau could simply expel their country from the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement. Mexico’s ruling Morena party

HANOVER, N.H. (AP) — A sorority at Dartmouth College and two members of a fraternity are facing charges related to the death of a student who drowned after attending an off-campus party this summer. Won Jang, 20, of Middletown, Delaware, had been reported missing in July after the party. State and local emergency responders searched

AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken is leaving on a diplomatic trip to Europe that includes a meeting of foreign ministers from the leading industrialized nations that will focus on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Blinken will participate in Group of Seven and bilateral meetings outside Rome

Associated Press LIMA, Peru (AP) — Sadith Silvano’s crafts are born from ancient songs. Brush in hand, eyes on the cloth, the Peruvian woman paints as she sings. And through her voice, her ancestors speak. “When we paint, we listen to the inspiration that comes from the music and connect to nature, to our elders,”

Associated Press ROME (AP) — Pope Francis will travel to the Mediterranean island of Corsica on Dec. 15, making yet another visit to France that avoids the capital and all the pomp and protocol that accompanies a proper state visit. The one-day visit to the French island region, confirmed Saturday by the Vatican, is to

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO says its leader and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump have met for talks on global security. The military alliance said in a brief statement on Saturday that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Trump met on Friday in Palm Beach, Florida. It said they discussed “the range of global security issues facing

Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — This past week has seen the most significant escalation in hostilities that Ukraine has witnessed since Russia’s full-scale invasion and marks a new chapter in the nearly three-year war — one tinged with uncertainty and fear. It began with U.S. President Joe Biden reversing a longstanding policy by granting

Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski has been selected by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist Civic Coalition as its candidate in next year’s presidential election, beating out Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski. Tusk announced the decision at a party gathering on Saturday, a day after the party members voted in a primary

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The president of Cyprus says Moody’s two-notch credit ratings upgrade to A3 from Baa2 will open the threshold to quality foreign investment that will generate new jobs. President Nikos Christodoulides said Saturday that the rating agency’s action reflects his government’s efforts at cementing Cyprus’ reputation as a credible investment destination through

Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party is headed for a victory in state elections in politically significant Maharashtra while the opposition won mineral-rich Jharkhand state. Polling in the two states are seen as a test of Modi’s popularity after his party returned to power in June national elections

Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte said Saturday she has contracted an assassin to kill the president, his wife and the House of Representatives speaker if she herself is killed, in a brazen public threat that she warned was not a joke. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin referred the “active threat”

Associated Press VANG VIENG, Laos (AP) — A little town known as a backpacker paradise in northern Laos has come under spotlight for a mass poisoning case that has killed at least six tourists and potentially injured scores of others. News broke earlier this week that two Australian teens became critically ill after a night

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s government says it has decided not to attend a memorial service near Japan’s Sado Island Gold Mines due to disagreements with Japan over the event, which stirred longstanding tensions over the abuse of Korean forced laborers at the site before the end of World War II.

Associated Press PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Fighting between armed Sunni and Shiite groups in northwestern Pakistan killed at least 37 people and injured 25 others, a senior police officer from the region said Saturday. The overnight violence was the latest to rock Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and comes days after a deadly

Associated Pres UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A key U.N. General Assembly committee has adopted a resolution paving the way for negotiations on a first-ever treaty on preventing and punishing crimes against humanity after Russia dropped amendments that would have derailed the effort. The resolution was approved by consensus late Friday by the assembly’s legal committee,

Associated Press WINDSOR, Calif. (AP) — Forecasters warned over the weekend that another round of winter weather could complicate travel leading up to Thanksgiving in parts of the U.S. In California, where a person was found dead in a vehicle submerged in floodwaters on Saturday, authorities braced for more precipitation while still grappling with flooding

Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Lubnan Baalbaki, the conductor of the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra, watched on his phone screen as the Israeli army destroyed his family home in southern Lebanon. The house in Odaisseh housed his late father’s art collection and library and his parents were buried in the garden. Israeli warplanes and ground forces

Associated Press Travel can be stressful in the best of times. Now add in the high-level anxiety that seems to be baked into every holiday season and it’s clear that travelers could use some help calming frazzled nerves. Travel pros say there is plenty you can do ahead of time to make for a happier

Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Democrats’ crushing loss in Montana’s nationally important U.S. Senate race settled a fierce political debate over whether a surge of newcomers in the past decade favored Republicans. It also addressed the question of whether one of the new arrivals could even take high office. Voters answered with an emphatic

Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Two weeks before Election Day, activists from across the country gathered for an online rally heralding the historic number of state ballot initiatives seeking to change the way people vote. Hopes were high that voters would ditch traditional partisan primaries and embrace ballots with more candidate choices. Instead,

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump launched a blitz of picks for his Cabinet, but he took his time before settling on billionaire investor Scott Bessent as his treasury secretary nominee. The Republican not only wanted someone who jibes with him, but an official who can execute his economic vision and look straight

Associated Press/Report for America HOUSTON (AP) — Extreme weather is making power outages longer and more frequent across the U.S. People with health conditions who depend on medical devices powered by electricity are particularly vulnerable. In Texas, these people can get notified in advance about planned blackouts, but that doesn’t help in a disaster. Texas

Associated Press BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — United Nations climate talks adopted a deal to inject at least $300 billion annually in humanity’s fight against climate change, aimed at helping developing nations cope with the ravages of global warming in tense negotiations. The $300 billion will go to developing countries who need the cash to wean

Associated Press ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — In a sprawling secondhand clothing market in Ghana’s capital, early morning shoppers jostle as they search through piles of garments, eager to pluck a bargain or a designer find from the stalls selling used apparel from the West. Ghana is one of Africa’s leading importers of used clothing, with

AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Alyssa Nakken, the first woman to coach in a Major League Baseball game, is leaving the San Francisco Giants to join the Cleveland Guardians. Nakken made history in 2022 when she took over as first-base coach following an ejection. A former college softball star at Sacramento State, Nakken joined

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho teenager has been arrested in connection with the body of an infant found last month at a hospital in a box meant for people to anonymously give up a newborn, police said Friday. The Blackfoot Police Department said in a social media post that an 18-year-old from Twin Falls,

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has nominated a critic of COVID-19 health measures to lead the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Marty Makary came to national attention for opposing mask mandates and other steps during the pandemic. He is a surgeon, author and professor at Johns Hopkins University. Makary is the latest

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that he’ll nominate billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction, to serve as his next treasury secretary, one of several personnel decisions that he unveiled as he closed out the workweek. Trump also said he would nominate Russell Vought to lead

WAUPACA, Wis. (AP) — A drunken driver who was traveling the wrong way on a Wisconsin highway has been sentenced to more than 35 years in prison. Scott Farmer’s truck crashed into another vehicle, killing four siblings. Farmer had pleaded no contest to homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle. The crash happened last

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government has announced another investigation against opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, continuing its efforts to blame her for the economic sanctions that the United States has imposed against the South American country. Machado will be investigated for expressing support for a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives  that

WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC’s “This Week” — Sens. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. ___ NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.; Sen.-elect Adam Schiff, D-Calif. ___ CNN’s “State of the Union” — Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. ___ CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Duckworth; Sens.

Associated Press/Report for America BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana’s GOP-dominated Legislature approved a constitutional amendment on Friday that would allow lawmakers to expand the number of crimes in which juveniles between 14 and 16 years old could be tried as adults. The measure would remove constitutional restrictions on juvenile crimes transferable to adult courts

Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has announced that the state’s reliance on hotels and motels to shelter homeless people will be phased out in the next couple of years. Healey announced on Friday changes to the state’s emergency family shelter system. She said the changes would help more families find stable,

AP Health Writer U.S. health officials said a California infant has died and at least 10 other people have been sickened in an outbreak of listeria food poisoning tied to ready-to-eat meat and poultry products that include chicken feet, duck neck and pork hock, feet and tongue. Yu Shang Food Inc. of Spartanburg, South Carolina,

Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Myanmar’s desperate military junta is ramping up attacks on villages that have fallen to opposition groups. The U.N. independent human rights investigator for Myanmar says the junta carries out beheadings, gang rapes and torture with women, children and the elderly among the victims. Thomas Andrews said in a new

Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Service workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport are voting on whether to go on a 24-hour strike around Thanksgiving amid complaints about low wages and poor working conditions. The vote is being taken by employees of two airport contractors who provide cabin cleaning services, trash removal and other services.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A former Florida detective accused of severely beating a Black man has been sentenced to nearly 25 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting a teenage girl. A judge in Jacksonville sentenced 35-year-old Josue Garriga on Monday. According to prosecutors, Garriga was a detective with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office gang unit

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A judge says he’ll rule next week on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ third request to be released from jail on bail while he awaits his sex trafficking trial. Judge Arun Subramanian said at a hearing Friday that he’ll put his decision until after Combs’ lawyers and federal prosecutors file letters

Associated Press An animal control officer shot and killed a pet dog in a Massachusetts town after mistaking it for a coyote in an incident that has the animal’s owner fuming, but that local police are describing as a sad mix-up. The shooting happened on Tuesday after police received a call of a report of

Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York has repealed a seldom-used law over a century old that made it a crime to cheat on your spouse. The misdemeanor once could have landed adulterers in jail for three months. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill on Friday repealing the statute. The law dates back to