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Bridges in Yellowstone and Denali parks are among dozens getting federally funded upgrades

Associated Press Federal highway officials on Thursday announced $635 million to repair or replace numerous old and outdated bridges ranging from Alaska to Maine, including a couple located in popular national parks. The grants for more than 70 small- and medium-size bridges in 19 states mark the latest infusion from a $1.2 trillion infrastructure law

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Climate change is making extreme downpours in Spain heavier and more likely, scientists say

Associated Press Human-caused climate change made Spain’s rainfall about 12% heavier and doubled the likelihood of a storm as intense as this week’s deluge of Valencia, according to a rapid but partial analysis Thursday by World Weather Attribution, a group of international scientists who study global warming’s role in extreme weather. Monstrous flash floods in

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Pentagon audit says Boeing cleaned up on Air Force parts, including soap dispensers marked up 8,000%

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — According to a Pentagon audit, Boeing has overcharged the Air Force on spare parts for a major cargo plane, including marking up the price of simple lavatory soap dispensers by 8,000%. The Defense Department’s inspector general reported this week that Boeing’s overcharges totaled nearly $1 million for 12 items used

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Moving company expected at Giuliani’s NYC apartment after missed deadline for asset handover

Associated Press A moving company representative and lawyers were expected to be given access to Rudy Giuliani’s Manhattan apartment on Thursday after the former New York City mayor failed to turn over belongings to two former Georgia election workers who won a $148 million defamation judgment against him. The two sides hurled allegations against each

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Ex-school district lawyer accepts plea deal following Parkland school shooting probe

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A former South Florida school district attorney accused of illegally sharing information from a statewide grand jury on the 2018 Parkland school shooting has pleaded no contest to a reduced charge. Former Broward County Public Schools general counsel Barbara Myrick pleaded no contest Thursday to a misdemeanor count of attempted

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An Alaska deer hunter has been found dead in an apparent brown bear mauling, officials say

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Authorities say a 50-year-old hunter has been found dead in an apparent brown bear mauling on an island in southeastern Alaska. Tad Fujioka, of Sitka, was reported overdue Tuesday evening after not returning from a solo daylong hunting trip on heavily forested Baranof Island. State wildlife troopers, the U.S. Coast Guard

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‘Obamacare’ enrollment opens, as Republicans threaten the health insurance program used by millions

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans can start signing up Friday for health care coverage offered through the Affordable Care Act marketplace for 2025. The future of ‘Obamacare’ has emerged as a key issue in the closing days of the presidential campaign, with a top GOP leader promising this week to overhaul the program should

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UK apologizes for child’s death in case that made air pollution in low-income areas a national issue

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The British government has apologized for the death of a 9-year-old girl who is believed to be the first person in the U.K. to have air pollution listed on her death certificate, after a decade-long battle that highlighted the risks vehicle emissions pose to children in low-income communities. The apology

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Attackers set fire to the headquarters of a Bangladesh party that backed ousted leader Sheikh Hasina

Associated Press DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Attackers have set fire to the headquarters of a Bangladesh party that supported the country’s ousted leader Sheikh Hasina. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on the Jatiya Party offices on Thursday night in Bangladesh’s capital. It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was hurt in the attack.

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Film academy adds handwritten ‘Pulp Fiction’ script, Miyazaki art, more to vast collection

AP Film Writer Quentin Tarantino’s handwritten script for “Pulp Fiction” is the stuff of moviemaking legend. And now it’s going to be preserved by the Academy Collection in Los Angeles. The script is one of many new acquisitions to the vast academy collection, the largest film-related collection in the world, the organization announced Thursday. Other

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Western envoys concerned about arrests and disappearances as Kenya takes UN rights council seat

Associated Press NAIROBI (AP) — Western envoys in Kenya have raised concerns over reports of arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances and urged for swift investigations as the country takes up its seat in the United Nations Human Rights Council. In a joint statement on Thursday, the nine ambassadors and high commissioners said they “will support

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Voting rights groups worry AI models are generating inaccurate and misleading responses in Spanish

Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — With just days before the presidential election, Latino voters are facing a barrage of targeted ads in Spanish and a new source of political messaging in the artificial intelligence age: chatbots generating unfounded claims in Spanish about voting rights. AI models are producing a stream of election-related falsehoods in

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Finland charges a combatant with war crimes allegedly committed in 2014 in Ukraine

Associated Press HELSINKI (AP) — Prosecutors in Finland have filed charges over alleged war crimes in 2014 by a combatant who fought against Ukrainian forces in a Russian-backed separatist region of Ukraine.The National Prosecution Authority did not identify the suspect while announcing the five charges Thursday in a statement, but Finnish media outlets as Russian

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Kamala Harris says Trump’s comment on women ‘is offensive to everybody’

Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Kamala Harris said Thursday that Donald Trump’s comment that he would protect women whether they “like it or not” shows that the Republican presidential nominee does not understand women’s rights “to make decisions about their own lives, including their own bodies.” “I think it’s offensive to everybody, by the way,”

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Missouri Republican election challenger says he should be allowed to watch early voting

Associated Press ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) — A Republican committeeman has asked a judge to stop early voting in Missouri’s third-largest county until it allows “watchers” or challengers” to observe the polls. The county’s election director and Republican secretary of state say early voting will continue in St. Charles County until a judge issues a

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Inspired by Harris, many Black sorority and fraternity members are helping downballot races

Associated Press HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Inspired by the candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris, individual members of historically Black sororities and fraternities are working to help her presidential campaign and that of downballot candidates. Known as the Divine Nine, the not-for-profit sororities and fraternities are not allowed themselves to endorse a particular candidate and

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Moroccan authorities detain a human rights activist who accused government of ‘blackmailing’ France

Associated Press RABAT, Morocco (AP) — A Moroccan economist known for his work defending human rights has been detained after criticizing the government in remarks posted on social media during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to the North African kingdom. Morocco’s state news agency says prosecutors apprehended Fouad Abdelmoumni in Casablanca on Wednesday

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Iowa election officials sued by 4 naturalized citizens who say their right to vote was harmed

Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Four Iowa voters and a Hispanic civil rights group are suing Iowa’s top election official after he directed election workers to challenge the ballots of people who may be naturalized citizens. The complaint alleges the state infringed upon their rights in its attempt to keep ineligible noncitizens from

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US imposes sanctions on top members of the armed wing of a Mexican fentanyl-trafficking cartel

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Thursday imposed sanctions on senior members of the armed wing of a Mexican drug cartel that operates on border territories in and around Chihuahua, Mexico. Five Mexican citizens and two companies linked to La Linea, a violent Mexico-based drug trafficking organization that smuggles fentanyl and other synthetic

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The Taliban say blasts and gunfire in Iran targeted and killed at least 2 Afghans earlier this month

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A Taliban spokesman says explosions and gunfire in Iran targeted and killed at least two Afghans earlier this month. Iran has denied any shooting took place in the country’s restive southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan, which borders Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. The Taliban spokesman said on Thursday that explosions and gunfire targeted

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EU Commission fines Teva $500 million for trying to stop rival’s multiple sclerosis drug

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission has fined Israeli generic drugmaker Teva more than 460 million euros ($500 million) for improperly seeking to protect the patent for its multiple sclerosis drug and for disparaging a rival company’s development of a competing medicine. The commission said in a statement Thursday that the pharmaceutical firm “misused the

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US applications for jobless benefits fall as layoffs remain at historically healthy levels

AP Business Writer Fewer Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week as layoffs remained at historically healthy levels despite elevated interest rates. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claim applications fell by 12,000 to 216,000 for the week of Oct. 26. That’s fewer than the 227,000 analysts forecast. Weekly applications for jobless benefits are

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Donald Trump gambles with late-stage trips to Democratic New Mexico and Virginia

Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Donald Trump is traveling to New Mexico and Virginia in the campaign’s final days. It’s a risky detour from the seven battleground states to spend time in places where Republican presidential candidates haven’t won in decades. The former president campaigned in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Thursday during a swing

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Chinese online retailer Temu faces European Union investigation into rogue traders and illegal goods

AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — Chinese online retailer Temu is facing a European Union investigation over suspicions it’s failing to prevent the sale of illegal products. The 27-nation bloc’s executive arm opened its investigation on Thursday after putting Temu on its list of “very large online platforms” needing the strictest level of scrutiny under

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Minnesota farm town reshaped by migrants wrestles with real changes beyond the political vitriol

Associated Press WORTHINGTON, Minn. (AP) — Two Guatemalans wearing traditional embroidered skirts bought coconut boba teas on an October afternoon at the bustling downtown Asian market. In decades past, the building served as this rural town’s hardware store where farmers shopped for hammers, nuts and bolts. Over the past generation, immigrants from Southeast Asia, East

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Los Angeles sees city bus burned, store thefts and rowdy crowds after Dodgers win World Series

Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rowdy crowds took to the streets in Los Angeles after the Dodgers won the World Series, setting a city bus on fire, breaking into stores and setting off firecrackers. But Mayor Karen Bass on Thursday emphasized that “the overwhelming majority of celebrations were joyful and peaceful.” LA police Officer

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Then & Now: How immigration reshaped the look of a Minnesota farm town

Associated Press WORTHINGTON, Minn. (AP) — Immigration from around the world has transformed Worthington, bringing new businesses to emptying downtown storefronts as well as new worship and recreational spaces to this town of 14,000 residents in the southwestern Minnesota farmland. On the same downtown block where children once admired Coast King bikes while their parents

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Rocket fire from Lebanon kills 7 in Israel as US officials try to push for cease-fires

Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Rocket barrages from Lebanon into northern Israel killed four foreign workers and three Israelis on Thursday, Israeli medics said, the deadliest cross-border strikes in Israel since it invaded Lebanon. Israel kept up airstrikes it says targeted Hezbollah militants across Lebanon, where health authorities on Thursday reported 24 people

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UN report warns of famine, aggravated by conflicts and climate shocks

Associated Press ROME (AP) — Severe food crises threaten hundreds of thousands in vulnerable areas, including Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, Mali and the Palestinian territories, where populations face or approach famine, a report by the United Nations’ food agencies says. Conflicts, economic instability, and climate shocks — combined with reduced funding for emergency food and

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At least 10 people are killed by police in Mozambique post-election protests, medical groups say

MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) — Two medical groups in Mozambique say at least 10 people were fatally shot by police and 63 others sustained gunshot wounds when authorities cracked down on unrest following the presidential election. The country is bracing Thursday for more protests against a vote criticized as fraudulent by opposition parties and questioned by

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Russian bomb hits building in Ukraine’s 2nd largest city, killing 3, including 2 teens

Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces have struck a residential building in Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, killing three, including two teenage boys, and injuring scores of others. The region’s governor says a 12-year-old boy was fatally injured when the building was hit by a Russian 500-kilogram glide bomb early Thursday. He said

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Samsung reports ‘major’ progress in supply deal for AI chips

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Samsung Electronics has reported progress on a major supply deal for artificial intelligence-focused chips, aiming to reassure investors following a slowdown in semiconductor profits during the last quarter. The South Korean technology giant said Thursday its operating profit for the July-September period increased by more than 277% from

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At least 14 killed in long-running land dispute between rebel clans in southern Philippines

COTABATO, Philippines (AP) — Philippine military and civilian officials say at least 14 people have been killed in a long-seething land dispute involving two Muslim guerrilla commanders and their followers in a southern Philippine town. The fighting erupted Wednesday between the two commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in a village in Pagalungan town

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TEPCO ex-chair at time of Fukushima nuclear disaster dies at 84 while on trial over responsibility

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings’ former chairperson, who led the emergency response after a meltdown at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and was accused of being responsible for failing to prevent the disaster as top management, has died, with his trials still pending. He was 84. Tsunehisa Katsumata died on

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Opponents use parental rights and anti-trans messages to fight abortion ballot measures

Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — As voters in nine states determine whether to enshrine abortion rights in their state constitutions, opponents are using parental rights and anti-transgender messages to try to undermine support for the ballot proposals. The measures do not mention gender-affirming surgeries. Legal experts say changing existing parental notification and consent laws regarding

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Use of smoke-emitting firecrackers renews air pollution debate in India’s capital ahead of Diwali

Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — As India gears up for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, people are divided over whether they should celebrate by setting off firecrackers, which worsen the country’s chronic air pollution. Diwali, which will be celebrated Thursday, is marked by socializing and exchanging gifts with family and friends. But every

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A Lebanese family planning for a daughter’s wedding is killed in an Israeli strike on their home

Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — The family WhatsApp group chat buzzed with constant messages. Israel was escalating its airstrikes on villages and towns in southern Lebanon. Everyone was glued to the news. Reda Gharib woke up uncharacteristically early that day, Sept. 23. Living a continent away in Senegal, he scrolled through videos and pictures shared

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8 of 11 members of Mexico’s Supreme Court to resign in protest of controversial judicial overhaul

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Eight justices of Mexico’s Supreme Court have said they will leave the court rather than stand for election as required by a controversial judicial overhaul passed last month. Supreme Court President Norma Piña and seven others submitted letters Tuesday and Wednesday stating they would leave their posts rather than compete in

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Pennsylvania challenge of Elon Musk’s $1M-a-day voter sweepstakes moves to federal court

Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Pennsylvania prosecutor’s effort to shut down Elon Musk’s $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes moved to federal court on Thursday after a state judge let both sides debate their grievances in a hearing skipped by the world’s richest man. Judge Angelo Foglietta agreed that Musk, as a named defendant in the

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Ukrainian front-line school system goes underground to protect against bombs and radiation

Associated Press ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP) — To be a parent in the Ukrainian front-line city of Zaporizhzhia means weighing your child’s life against the Russian weapons within striking distance. Most rain death in an instant: the drones, the ballistic missiles, the glide bombs, the artillery shells. But Russian soldiers control another weapon they have never

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Vatican tribunal explains conviction of cardinal and others in ‘trial of the century’

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The Vatican tribunal said Wednesday it convicted a cardinal of aggravated fraud and other charges because of his “objectively inexplicable behavior” in paying a self-styled intelligence analyst over a half-million euros in Vatican money that she then spent on luxury items and vacations. The city-state’s tribunal issued 816 pages

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A key manufacturing index in China turned positive in October after months of contraction

BEIJING (AP) — A closely watched survey on manufacturing in China has edged into positive territory. The government statistics agency said Thursday that the Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 50.1 in October. A reading above 50 indicates an improvement over the previous month. It was the first improvement after five straight months of decline. The

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