AP National

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Song Jae-lim, a South Korean actor known for his roles in K-dramas “Moon Embracing the Sun” and “Queen Woo,” was found dead at his home in capital Seoul. He was 39. Officials at Seoul’s Seongdong district police station didn’t immediately comment Wednesday on the cause of death. South Korea’s Yonhap

Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — The United States has sanctioned a commander of Sudan’s paramilitary forces, saying he played a leading role in the ongoing violence against civilians in West Darfur. The U.S. Department of Treasury said in a statement on Tuesday that Abdel Rahman Juma Barakallah led the Rapid Support Forces campaign in West

Associated Press SITUBONDO, Indonesia (AP) — The Indonesian and Australian militaries are holding joint combat drills off Indonesia’s main island of Java with about 2,000 troops training in air, maritime, amphibious and land operations. They’ll participate in a live-fire exercise near Banongan beach of East Java’s Situbondo district with tanks, artillery, infantry and attack helicopters,

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson won the House Republican nomination Wednesday to stay on the job, on track to keep the gavel after a morning endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump ahead of a full House vote in the new year. While Johnson has no serious challenger, he faces dissent within his

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — In the first seriously contested Senate Republican leadership election in decades, three senators are vying to replace longtime GOP leader Mitch McConnell when he steps down from the post at the beginning of next year. South Dakota Sen. John Thune, Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Florida Sen. Rick Scott have

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have elected South Dakota Sen. John Thune as the next Senate majority leader, completing a momentous shift in their leadership that elevates a top deputy of Mitch McConnell into a key position as President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. Thune, 63, is in his fourth Senate term

Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — African leaders may have been quick to congratulate Donald Trump on his election, professing a desire for mutually beneficial partnerships, but there are meager expectations that his presidency will change things for this continent of over 1.4 billion people. In the wake of Trump’s win, Kenya’s William Ruto said

Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — When Zarifa Nawfal’s family arrived in Beirut for her wounded daughter’s surgery, one of the first things she wanted to do was go to the sea. The Mediterranean had been a constant companion at their home in Gaza before the war. “The moment I smelled the sea, I felt at

Associated Press Conspiracy theory purveyor Infowars and most of its assets went on the auction block Wednesday, with Alex Jones waiting to see if he will be allowed to stay or if he will get kicked off its online platforms. The private auction was being held as part of Jones’ personal bankruptcy, which resulted from

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump made a victor’s return to Washington on Wednesday, visiting the White House for a nearly two-hour meeting with President Joe Biden and committing to a straightforward transition of power as the president-elect moves quickly to build out his new administration. Sitting in front of a crackling fire in

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Let the office debates begin — John Krasinski is People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2024. The magazine announced the actor-writer-director as its pick Tuesday night during “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Krasinski starred in “The Office” before launching the “Quiet Place” franchise and leading the action series “Jack Ryan.”

Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. political chief has accused allies of Sudan’s warring military and paramilitary forces of “enabling the slaughter” that has killed more than 24,000 people and created the world’s worst displacement crisis. Undersecretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday: “This is unconscionable. It is illegal, and

Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is looking to consolidate his party’s power in Thursday’s parliamentary election to help him implement his election pledges to solve the country’s economic woes and foster good governance. Dissanayake won the presidential election on Sept. 21 in a victory that marked a

Associated Press ZHUHAI, China (AP) — Online discussion about China’s deadliest mass killing in years was being censored Wednesday as authorities in a southern city cleared candles and flowers from the memorial to the 35 people dead. Police have offered little information about the 62-year-old driver who rammed his vehicle into a sports complex in

Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Dozens of soldiers and police fanned out across a neighborhood on a recent night in the Turks & Caicos Islands just days after the archipelago reported a record 40 killings this year. They were on the hunt for criminals and illegal weapons fueling a surge of violence

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dallas Long, a three-time NCAA shot put champion who won a gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, has died. USC says a family member informed them that Long died of natural causes Sunday in Whitefish, Montana. No further details were provided. Long’s gold-medal performance in Tokyo included a then-Olympic record

Republican Gabe Evans won election to a U.S. House seat representing Colorado on Tuesday, defeating Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo. The 8th Congressional District, which is located north of Denver, was drawn after Colorado was awarded an additional House seat in decennial reapportionment. Evans serves in the state House and previously was a police lieutenant. Caraveo

Republican Rep. David Valadao won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing California on Tuesday, defeating Democrat Rudy Salas. Valadao has long been able to outrun the partisanship of his district, which Democrat Joe Biden carried by double digits in 2020. He is also one of two House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump

Associated Press In picking Fox News Channel host Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense, President-elect Donald Trump has selected a military veteran and popular conservative media personality with a large following of his own. In his decade at the network, Hegseth has developed a close rapport with Trump, who also reportedly considered him

Associated Press CHANGCHUN, China (AP) — By day, Xing Long works in an office for a state-owned company in Changchun, an industrial city in the northeastern rust belt of China. By night, he’s a DJ and underground rave organizer, a side gig that offers an escape from the humdrum of reviewing corporate contracts. For a

Associated Press/Report for America BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana’s GOP-dominated House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed individual and corporate tax cuts, along with a constitutional amendment. The measures are key provisions in Gov. Jeff Landry’s sweeping tax reform package, the centerpiece of the state’s third special legislative session of the year. The House voted

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has selected South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to head the Department of Homeland Security. It’s one of the biggest government agencies that will be integral to his vow to secure the border and carry out a massive deportation operation. She rose to prominence in conservative circles for resisting

Associated Press Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be ambassador to Israel, has long rejected a Palestinian state in territory previously seized by Israel. He also has repeatedly signaled his staunch support for hardline Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and says the U.S. needs to stand firmly behind Israel. Huckabee frequently

Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The European Union says it will not renew a fishing agreement with Senegal that has been criticized by many Senegalese. The decision comes after the EU identified Senegal as a “non-cooperating country” in the fight against illegal fishing earlier this year. European vessels will have to leave Senegalese waters

Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — A former prosecutor and local police official has been arrested in connection with the grisly decapitation of a mayor on Oct. 6. Officials in the southern state of Guerrero confirmed Tuesday that Germán Reyes had been arrested on charges of homicide for the killing of Alejandro Arcos just a

Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Washington Rep. Dan Newhouse has won reelection to the U.S. House. He is one of two remaining House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump. He survived a challenge Tuesday from Jerrod Sessler, who was endorsed by Trump. In his bid for a sixth term, Newhouse was endorsed

Democrat George Whitesides won election to a U.S. House seat representing California on Tuesday, defeating Republican Rep. Mike Garcia. Democrats have long sought to flip this Los Angeles County district, which Democrat Joe Biden comfortably carried in 2020. The party briefly won it in the 2018 midterms but lost it when Garcia won the seat

Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Washington on Tuesday. Newhouse, who has held the seat since 2015, defeated Donald Trump-endorsed Republican Jerrod Sessler, a Navy veteran and former NASCAR driver. Newhouse was one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at

Food and beverage manufacturer Kraft Heinz says it’s no longer serving the Lunchables meals it created for U.S. schools. The company introduced the two packaged meals at the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year. At the time, Kraft Heinz said the offerings were protein-enriched and contained reduced levels of saturated fat and sodium to meet

AP Science Writer BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — Even as Earth sets new heat records, humanity this year is pumping 330 million tons (300 million metric tons) more carbon dioxide into the air by burning fossil fuels than it did last year. This year the world is on track to put 41.2 billion tons (37.4 billion

NEW YORK (AP) — Amtrak service in parts of the Northeast U.S. has been disrupted or delayed, after a fire broke out near a train route in New York City. Amtrak said Tuesday that initial reports indicated a brush fire stemming from a transformer at an Amtrak substation caused power losses for trains in the

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A World War I veteran whose remains were identified earlier this year during a probe into the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre was among those honored in a memorial service Tuesday at Tulsa’s Oaklawn Cemetery. C.L. Daniel was the first victim of the massacre to be identified among remains discovered in a

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada Democrats still hold the power in the state Legislature but have fallen short of winning a two-thirds supermajority in both houses that would have stripped Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo of his veto power. Lombardo vetoed a record 75 bills in 2023. Democrats lost their razor-thin supermajority in the state Assembly

Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — As Baltimore gun violence continues trending downward after years of rampant bloodshed, a historically troubled neighborhood in the city’s southwest corner is celebrating a long-awaited victory: zero homicides in over a year. The numbers are especially meaningful for the Brooklyn community, where a mass shooting in July 2023 tore through

Associated Press A pet squirrel who was a social media star before being seized by authorities in upstate New York has tested negative for rabies. Peanut the squirrel landed at the center of national furor after it was seized from its owner and euthanized. A Chemung County official said during a news conference Tuesday that

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A subway commuter who helped an ex-Marine restrain an agitated man aboard a Manhattan subway last year testified that he tried to convince the veteran to loosen his grip around the man’s neck. Eric Gonzalez on Tuesday recalled coming upon the chaotic struggle in which Daniel Penny had Jordan

AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A Canadian teen is hospitalized in critical condition with what is believed to be bird flu. British Columbia health officials said Tuesday it’s not clear how the teen picked up the virus . Bird flu has been detected recently in wild birds and poultry in the province but

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge set an April retrial date on Tuesday for Sarah Palin’s libel case against The New York Times, even as lawyers on both sides for the first time said they hope to engage in talks to settle the case. Judge Jed S. Rakoff said during a telephone

Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — A month has passed since U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin delivered an ultimatum to Israeli officials. It called on them to ramp up aid to Gaza within 30 days or risk them reconsidering arms shipments. Humanitarian groups say Israel has failed with aid falling

Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A pregnant woman has filed a lawsuit seeking the right to an abortion in Kentucky. It’s the latest challenge to the state’s near-total ban on the procedure. The suit was filed Tuesday in state court in Louisville. It says Kentucky laws blocking abortions violate the plaintiff’s rights to privacy

Associated Press SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Dominican Republic prosecutors say Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was charged with illegally carrying a gun in his vehicle during the altercation in a parking lot that led to his arrest over the weekend. The attorney general’s office in the Dominican Republic said Tuesday in a

Assocated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The judge in a landmark trial over abuse at New Hampshire’s youth detention center has issued a preliminary order slashing the $38 million verdict to $475,000. Jurors awarded $38 million to a man who said he was abused at the Youth Development Center in the 1990s, but they found

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has long criticized America’s spy agencies, accusing them of trying to undermine his first administration and campaign to retake the White House. Trump announced Tuesday that he’s nominating former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA. Trump has promised to clean house and overhaul such

Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Republicans have reelected Robin Vos as the speaker of the state Assembly. Vos has held the position longer than anyone in state history and was reelected Tuesday despite Democrats gaining 10 seats in the Assembly. Vos overcame a challenge from a more conservative Republican who had backed impeaching

AP Sports Writer Former Duke star Kyle Singler’s cryptic Instagram post saying he fears for his life has drawn an outpouring of concern and support from former teammates and others. Singler, 36, spoke slowly and was shirtless in the short video, which was posted Tuesday morning. “I have been mistreated and abused, neglected, made into

LOS ANGELES (AP) — With destructive wildfires burning on both coasts, fire officials might use jargon unfamiliar to residents of states where such big blazes are relatively rare. Authorities will give daily updates about the percentage of containment that firefighters have reached. For example, when a blaze is 25% contained, it means crews have constructed

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s inflation has slowed to 2.7% in October, the lowest level in three years in a win for the libertarian government of President Javier Milei. He came to power almost a year ago promising to pull Argentina out of a dire economic crisis. Argentina’s statistics agency on Tuesday reported October’s

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The police officer from Ferguson, Missouri, who was critically injured during a protest on the 10th anniversary of Michael Brown’s death has been moved to a rehabilitation hospital. A family friend says Officer Travis Brown is showing significant improvement. More than 100 officers and first responders from several St. Louis-area departments

WAYNESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Officials say a driver has died after going around a barricade on a hurricane-damaged North Carolina highway that became a symbol of Helene’s destruction. Photos of Interstate 40 with multiple lanes washed out by Helene near the Tennessee state line drew widespread attention. The Junaluska Community Volunteer Fire Department says emergency

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — For a man who loves the spotlight, Donald Trump has been conspicuously out of view since his triumph in last week’s presidential election. There have been no rallies, no press conferences, no speeches. Instead, Trump has spent most of his first week as president-elect behind closed doors at Mar-a-Lago, his

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Control of the U.S. House rests on just over a dozen races where winners have not yet been determined. About half of those races are in California, which has only counted about three-quarters of its votes. This isn’t unusual or unexpected. The nation’s most populous state is consistently among the

AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The Justice Department is suing to block UnitedHealth Group’s $3.3 billion purchase of Amedisys. The government is citing concerns the deal would hinder access to home health and hospice services in the U.S. The antitrust complaint, filed in Maryland by the Justice Department and four states’ attorneys general

Associated Press A newly unsealed federal complaint says a man accused of having a machine gun at Tuskegee University admitted to firing his weapon during a weekend shooting, but denied shooting at anyone. The shooting early Sunday on the campus left one man dead and at least 16 others hurt. The man faces a federal

Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal appeals court panel incorrectly interpreted federal and state laws when it ruled that Mississippi cannot count mail-in ballots that are cast by Election Day but arrive a few days later. That’s the argument made by two groups, Vet Voice Foundation and Mississippi Alliance for Retired Americans. They

AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly two decades ago, My Chemical Romance released their career-defining rock opera, “The Black Parade.” It cemented their shift from mainstays of the emo scene to mainstream recognition. In 2025, fans will get to experience the 2006 album once again. The band announced Tuesday it will embark on

AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — Qatar has been praised at the United Nations’ top human rights body for improving labor laws before the 2022 World Cup. But Qatar was also urged to fully abolish its employment system for migrant workers known as kafala. Qatar returned to the Human Rights Council in Geneva for the