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Someone accessed files said to contain damaging info about Trump AG-nominee Gaetz, lawyer says

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — An attorney says an unauthorized person gained access to a file containing confidential testimony from women who have made allegations about former Rep. Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump’s pick to become the next attorney general. Attorneys involved in a civil case brought by a Gaetz associate were notified this week that

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What is a ‘bomb cyclone’?

Associated Press A powerful storm is bearing down on the West Coast and bringing with it a scary-sounding weather term – bomb cyclone. Bomb cyclone is a term used by weather enthusiasts to describe a process that meteorologists usually call bombogenesis. It’s the rapid intensification of a cyclone in a short period of time, and

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Prosecutors oppose tossing Trump’s hush money conviction but are open to sentencing delay

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — New York prosecutors oppose any effort to dismiss President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money conviction, but they expressed openness Tuesday to delaying sentencing until after his second term. The Manhattan district attorney’s office said in a court filing that Trump’s forthcoming presidency isn’t grounds for dropping a case that was

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FEMA administrator says she supports investigation of alleged Trump bias in relief efforts

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency tells lawmakers she has encouraged the agency’s inspector general to review whether an employee was acting alone when directing workers helping hurricane victims to avoid homes with yards signs supporting President-elect Donald Trump. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said Tuesday it is critical

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Was it the Mouse King? ‘Nutcracker’ props stolen from a Michigan ballet company

CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A ballet group in suburban Detroit is scrambling after someone stole a trailer filled with props for upcoming performances of the beloved holiday classic “The Nutcracker.” The lost items include a grandfather clock and a Christmas tree. “The Nutcracker” is a musical ballet written by Tchaikovsky. A girl dreams of

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Wisconsin regulators file complaint against former justice who led 2020 election probe

Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Judicial regulators have filed a complaint against a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice who spread election conspiracy theories and was hired by Republicans to lead an investigation into President-elect Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election, accusing him of violating multiple rules of conduct. The Office of Lawyer Regulation’s

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Alabama man charged with machine gun possession was at Tuskegee shooting, complaint says

TUSKEGEE, Ala. (AP) — Court documents show that a man charged with illegally possessing a machine gun was also at Tuskegee University during a hail of gunfire that left one person dead and others wounded. Authorities say 20-year-old Jeremiah Williams was arrested on Thursday after months of investigation unrelated to the shooting at Tuskegee. But

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The Kremlin has revised its nuclear policy. Does that make the use of atomic weapons more likely?

The 4-year-old document has a bland, bureaucratic title — “Basic Principles of State Policy on Nuclear Deterrence” — but its contents are chilling, especially with its newest revisions. Better known as Russia’s nuclear doctrine, the revamped version that was signed Tuesday by President Vladimir Putin spells out the circumstances that allow him to use Moscow’s

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Iran defies international pressure, increasing its stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium, UN says

Associated Press VIENNA (AP) — Iran has defied international demands to rein in its nuclear program and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, according to a confidential report by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog seen Tuesday by The Associated Press. The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency said that

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Residents in Haiti’s capital stand with police in a battle to repel the latest gang attack

Associated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A powerful gang coalition has launched a new attack on Haiti’s capital. Gunmen targeted an upscale community in Port-au-Prince where they clashed with residents who fought side-by-side with police. Tuesday’s attack was led by the Viv Ansanm group. Its leader is former elite police officer Jimmy Chérizier. He had

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Hakeem Jeffries wins reelection as House Democratic leader despite party’s losses

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Leader Hakeem Jeffries won reelection Tuesday as the Democratic leader. The New York Democrat received support from his colleagues despite the party’s inability to win back majority control of the chamber in the November election. Jeffries was chosen during an internal party vote of the House Democrats underway at the Capitol.

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Jersey Mike’s sandwich chain is acquired by private equity firm Blackstone

NEW YORK (AP) — Jersey Mike’s, the quickly expanding sandwich chain, is being acquired by the private equity firm Blackstone. The transaction is “intended to help enable Jersey Mike’s to accelerate its expansion across and beyond the U.S. market,” the companies said Tuesday, as well as aid ongoing technological investments. Under terms of the agreement,

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The mausoleum holding Congo independence hero Lumumba’s gold-capped tooth is vandalized

Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo’s government says the mausoleum of assassinated independence leader Patrice Lumumba has been vandalized. It is not immediately clear whether Lumumba’s remains which are a single gold-capped tooth were damaged or stolen. A mausoleum curator told the national press agency that the glass doors had been smashed Monday and

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Brazilian police arrest 5 officers in alleged 2022 coup plot to kill President Lula, others

Associated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s federal police have arrested five officers accused of plotting a coup that included plans to overthrow the government following the 2022 elections and kill then-President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Police say the coup plotters also planned to kill Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre

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Forget driverless cars. One company wants autonomous helicopters to spray crops and fight fires

Associated Press HENNIKER, N.H. (AP) — When Hector Xu was learning to fly a helicopter in college, he recalled having a few “nasty experiences” while trying to navigate at night. The heart-stopping flights led to his research of unmanned aircraft systems while getting his doctorate degree in aerospace engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Then,

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Bill Clinton explains why philanthropy fills his post-presidential life in his new book ‘Citizen’

AP Business Writer Former President Bill Clinton talks about how philanthropy has allowed him to continue making changes in the world to help others in his new book, “Citizen: My Life After the White House,” published Tuesday by Knopf. He also recounts his experiences from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaigns in 2008 and

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Pakistani police arrest a man accused of insulting the Quran and save him from being lynched by mob

Associated Press PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Police in Pakistan have arrested a man accused of insulting Islam’s holy book after being alerted that a mob wanted to lynch him. They say the man was arrested Tuesday on the outskirts of Peshawar, the capital of deeply conservative Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Video posted on social media showed

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Scholz’s party struggles to quell debate over whether he should seek a second term as German leader

Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — While Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets world leaders in Brazil, a discussion is swirling in his party at home about whether he should seek a second term as German leader in an early election expected in February. Unlike their rivals, Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats haven’t yet formally nominated their candidate for

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Ukraine fires several US-made longer-range missiles into Russia for the first time

Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine fired several American-supplied longer-range missiles into Russia, officials said Tuesday, marking the first time Kyiv used the weapons that way in 1,000 days of war. The use of the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, came as Russian President Vladimir Putin formally lowered the threshold for using

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Thousands of UK farmers descend on Parliament to protest a tax they say will ruin family farms

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British farmers have descended on Parliament to protest a tax hike they say will deal a “hammer blow” to struggling family farms. An estimated 13,000 people packed the streets around Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office on Tuesday, demonstrating against the government’s decision to impose inheritance tax on agricultural property. The

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Putin lowers the threshold for using his nuclear arsenal after Biden’s arms decision for Ukraine

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday formally lowered the threshold for Russia’s use of its nuclear weapons, a move that follows U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to let Ukraine strike targets inside Russian territory with American-supplied longer-range missiles. The new doctrine allows for a potential nuclear response by Moscow even to a conventional attack on Russia

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Police in Georgia break up protesters’ camp in Tbilisi but they quickly return

Associated Press TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Police and demonstrators have scuffled again in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi. Officers moved before dawn to break up a camp protesting the results of last month’s parliamentary election and demanding a new vote. Thousands of people later returned and set up camp again. The round-the-clock protest follows the Oct. 26

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Foreign governments criticize Hong Kong’s sentencing of 45 activists. Beijing defends it

Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Forty-five prominent activists in Hong Kong have been sentenced to up to 10 years in jail, sparking criticism from foreign governments and rights groups. The democracy advocates were among 47 people charged under a Beijing-imposed national security law in 2021 for their involvement in an unofficial primary election to

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Somaliland opposition leader defeats incumbent to win presidential election

Associated Press MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The opposition leader in Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland won last week’s election. The electoral commission announced the results Tuesday. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi of the Waddani Party received more than 50% of the votes. President Muse Bihi Abdi of the ruling Kulmiye Party, who was seeking a second term,

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‘Bomb cyclone’ brings high winds and soaking rain to Northern California and Pacific Northwest

Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — What was expected to be one of the strongest storms in the northwest U.S. in decades arrived Tuesday evening, knocking out power and downing trees across the region. The Weather Prediction Center issued excessive rainfall risks beginning Tuesday and lasting through Friday as the strongest atmospheric river — a large

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The White House’s Christmas tree is a symbol of resilience for hurricane-hit North Carolina farms

Associated Press NEWLAND, N.C. (AP) — The Cartner family had known since last year that one of their farm’s Christmas trees would be headed to the White House this winter. But then Hurricane Helene struck, unleashing a deadly deluge across western North Carolina, including Avery County, where Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm has stood for decades.

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In southern India’s tea country, small but mighty efforts are brewing to bring back native forests

Associated Press UDHAGAMANDALAM, India (AP) — Scattered groves of native trees, flowers and the occasional prehistoric burial ground are squeezed between hundreds of thousands of tea shrubs in southern India’s Nilgiris region — a gateway to a time before colonization and the commercial growing of tea that reshaped the country’s mountain landscapes. These sacred groves

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Toronto author Anne Michaels wins Giller Prize for novel ‘Held’

TORONTO (AP) — Poet-novelist Anne Michaels has won the Giller Prize for her novel “Held,” a multi-generational examination of war and trauma. The 100,000 Canadian dollar ($71,000) Giller prize honors the best in Canadian fiction. Past winners have included Margaret Atwood, Mordecai Richler and Alice Munro. Michaels appealed for “unity” among “all the arts” during

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Democrat keeps slight lead for North Carolina Supreme Court as counties finish count

Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The final counts by counties are about over and a Democratic incumbent on North Carolina’s Supreme Court has an ever-slight lead over a Republican challenger. Associate Justice Allison Riggs had trailed on election night by roughly 10,000 votes to Jefferson Griffin. But that margin dwindled last week as provisional

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Numerous children injured by a vehicle outside an elementary school in central China

Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Chinese state media say numerous children were injured by a vehicle outside an elementary school in central China’s Hunan province. Students were arriving for classes on Tuesday morning at Yongan Elementary School in the city of Changde when the incident occurred. No details were immediately available, and it wasn’t

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45 pro-democracy activists get 4 to 10 years in prison in Hong Kong’s biggest national security case

Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Forty-five ex-lawmakers and activists were sentenced to four to 10 years in prison Tuesday in Hong Kong’s biggest national security case under a Beijing-imposed law that crushed a once-thriving pro-democracy movement. They were prosecuted under the 2020 national security law for their roles in an unofficial primary election. Prosecutors

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What to know about Sean Duffy, Trump’s choice to become transportation secretary

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Sean Duffy to become transportation secretary in his new administration, positioning him to oversee a complex system that includes pipelines, railroads, cars, trucks, airlines and mass transit systems, as well as funding for highways. Here are some things to know about Duffy. He is a

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Victims of 2022 mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ club sue county for not enforcing red flag laws

Associated Press/Report for America DENVER (AP) — Victims and family of those killed in the mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs in 2022 filed lawsuits Sunday against the El Paso County commissioners and former sheriff. The lawsuits allege that the killings could’ve been prevented if the sheriff’s office used the state’s red

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NYC priest who allowed Sabrina Carpenter to shoot a music video in church further stripped of duties

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The leader of a New York City church where pop star Sabrina Carpenter filmed provocative scenes for a music video was stripped of his duties Monday after church officials said an investigation revealed other instances of mismanagement. Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello was relieved of “any pastoral oversight or governance role”

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Mississippi Gulf Coast restaurant and its co-owner are sentenced for mislabeling seafood

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi Gulf Coast restaurant and its co-owner have been sentenced on federal charges of mislabeling inexpensive imported seafood as local premium fish. Mary Mahoney’s Old French House was sentenced Monday to five years of probation and ordered to pay nearly $1.5 million. The Justice Department says that includes a criminal

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Democratic Arizona governor says she’ll work with Trump on border security if it won’t harm families

Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said Monday she is willing to work with Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s new administration on border security issues like fentanyl interdiction. But that’s not the case in areas that she said could harm Arizona families like mass deportation. Hobbs traveled to the Arizona border with

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Speaker Johnson’s ‘epic’ weekend with Trump shows strengths and limits of his power

AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — There was House Speaker Mike Johnson walking behind President-elect Donald Trump’s entourage into Saturday night’s UFC fight at Madison Square Garden, his stature overcome by the enormity of the scene around him. And Johnson mugging with musicians Kid Rock and Jelly Roll. And there was Johnson on Trump’s airplane,

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Georgia appeals court cancels hearing in election interference case against Trump

Associated Press ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia appeals court on Monday canceled oral arguments that were scheduled for next month on the appeal of a lower court ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue to prosecute the election interference case she brought against President-elect Donald Trump. Trump and other defendants had

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