National-World

Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly has approved a resolution asking the U.N.’s highest court to state what Israel’s obligations are in Gaza and the West Bank to provide humanitarian assistance essential for the survival of Palestinian civilians. The vote Thursday on the Norwegian-sponsored resolution seeking an advisory opinion from the

Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says a food company has chosen the Bluegrass State for a facility that will employ more than 900 people. He said Thursday that the $69 million investment ranks as the fifth-largest jobs project since he took office in 2019. Beshear says an Australia-founded ready-meals business

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A Chinese national has been charged with acting as an illegal agent for Beijing when serving as the campaign manager for an unnamed local California politician. The arrest of Yaoning “Mike” Sun has come at a time of rising concerns that the Chinese government has cultivated a network of operatives

AP Health Writer Packaged foods in the U.S. must follow new rules in order to call themselves “healthy.” That’s according to changes finalized by the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday. It’s an update of the agency’s definition originally devised 30 years ago. The move is aimed at helping Americans navigate food labels at the

Associated Press EVERGLADES, Fla. (AP) — In a region of Florida known as the River of Grass, John Kominoski plops into hip-deep waters. Blobs of brown periphyton – a mishmash of algae, bacteria and other organisms – carpet the surface. The air is thick and sticky as Kominoski, a Florida International University professor, pushes a

Associated Press A Utah mother who police believe was shot and killed by her husband along with three of their children was a refugee who fled violence in Myanmar and dreamed of thriving with her family in the U.S., relatives said Thursday. Police believe the husband killed his family before shooting himself, and a teenage

Associated Press/Report for America SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Several environmental groups are suing California air regulators over their continuing support for biofuels. The lawsuits say a recent update of a contentious climate program fails to address their environmental impacts. They want California to incentivize more charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. The California Air Resources Board

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of Republican senators is demanding that the Biden administration revoke a science and technology agreement with China. It comes barely a week after the two countries renewed cooperation for five more years to keep ties from deteriorating. In a letter Thursday to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the

Associated Press EL ALTO, Bolivia (AP) — A long row of small metal huts dots one of the hills surrounding Bolivia’s capital. The view is dizzying. Inside the precarious structures, Aymara shamans pray to the Andean gods to protect them from the threat of collapse. In recent years, the erosion of the mountain range around

AP Sports Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — A provision to transfer the land that is the site of the old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia is no longer included in Congress’ slimmed-down, short-term spending bill that lawmakers are racing to pass before a government shutdown. The removal Thursday of that

AP Business Writer Amazon workers affiliated with the Teamsters union are on strike for a second day at seven of the company’s delivery hubs just days before Christmas. At midnight on Saturday, the Teamsters say workers at a prominent unionized warehouse in New York will also join. The union has not indicated how many employees

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge has rejected arguments that a bank mismanaged painter Thomas Hart Benton’s estate by selling his artwork for less than what it was worth and losing more than 100 pieces. Judge Mark Styles ruled last week that there were only five unaccounted-for pieces by Benson. Radio station KCUR

Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — A man has been sentenced to life without parole for fatally strangling his deaf cellmate while he was in Baltimore’s jail awaiting a murder trial. Thirty-five-year-old Gordon Staron was sentenced Thursday after he pleaded guilty to strangling Javarick Gantt. A jury had already convicted him in the earlier case, which

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers have won city council approval for a $1.3 billion downtown arena despite vocal opposition from nearby residents. The City Council voted 12-5 Thursday to approve the project at a packed City Hall meeting. Owners of the NBA team hope to move in by 2031. Mayor Cherelle Parker says the

Associated Press Connecticut’s Office of Inspector General says a police officer was justified when he fatally shot a man as he tried to flee in a stolen vehicle while being attacked by a police dog. A report released Thursday found a West Hartford Officer Andrew Teeter was justified in firing five rounds into the torso

Associated Press In the first major flex of his influence since Donald Trump was elected, Elon Musk brought to a sudden halt a bipartisan budget proposal by posting constantly on his X megaphone and threatening Republicans with primary challenges. The social media warnings from the world’s wealthiest man preceded Trump’s condemnation of a measure negotiated

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Two more members of Mexico’s armed forces have been killed by an improvised landmine, just days after two soldiers died in a similar blast earlier this week. The blasts mark an unprecedented one-week death toll from improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, planted by drug cartels in Mexico. The interior secretary of

Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Israeli and Hamas appear close to reaching a ceasefire deal to wind down the war in Gaza. But disagreements remain over several issues. According to people familiar with the deal, the agreement is take place in phases and include a halt in fighting, an exchange of captive Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, and

Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has filed a legal notice that he intends to sue a woman who accused him of sexual harassment. The filing on Thursday accuses former aide Charlotte Bennett of defaming him in a Dec. 9 statement that said the former governor sexually harassed her.

Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — American farmers, small business owners and wildfire survivors are among those who will suffer if Congress cannot agree on a new spending bill after President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan that included more than $100 billion in disaster aid. The money is urgently needed after Hurricanes Helene

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Officials say FBI agents searched the home of a Los Angeles deputy mayor this week as part of an investigation into whether he made a bomb threat against City Hall. A statement from the office of Mayor Karen Bass says she was notified of Tuesday’s search at the residence of Brian

Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — American farmers are hoping that aid to agriculture will be revived as Congress struggles to avert a looming partial government shutdown. A one-year extension of federal farm programs, around $30 billion in economic relief and a break for the ethanol industry were part of a bipartisan deal that collapsed Wednesday

Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Nearly 3 million people could receive a boost in Social Security payments under legislation that’s set for a final vote in the Senate. The Social Security Fairness Act would end longtime provisions that reduce the federal benefit for people who are also eligible for other pensions. The policies have heavily

AP Sports Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Capitals and Wizards owner Ted Leonsis, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and other area leaders celebrated the start of an $800 million downtown arena renovation Thursday. The event came several hours before an attempt to potentially get the NFL’s Washington Commanders back into

Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will shuffle his Cabinet on Friday. The prime minister’s office says Trudeau will participate in the swearing-in ceremony and chair a meeting with his new Cabinet later Friday. New Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc says Trudeau has “full support of his Cabinet” and that he respects

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A former Virginia sheriff has been convicted on federal bribery charges for deputizing individuals in exchange for cash payments. The jury in Charlottesville, Virginia, convicted former Culpeper Sheriff Scott Jenkins on all counts Wednesday night after several hours of deliberations. News outlets report that Jenkins took the stand in his own

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Amy Allen might not yet be a household name, but her work lives in your brain rent free. And it’s grabbed the attention of the Grammys. The 32-year-old songwriter has composed enduring hits with Halsey, Selena Gomez and Tate McRae, and won a Grammy for her contributions to Harry

AP Sports Writer NBC Sports makes its first foray into doing an NFL alternate broadcast on Saturday when it puts the matchup between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs into the realm of the Madden video game universe. The Madden altcast will be streamed on Peacock with the main broadcast airing on NBC, beginning

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities are searching for a Michigan woman reported missing at Grand Canyon National Park. National Park Service officials say 66-year-old Martha Anne Overholser was last seen at Mather Point on the canyon’s South Rim on Dec. 10. They say she later failed to return on a commercial bus

Associated Press Suspected drone sightings in the eastern U.S. are continuing to captivate many, but the federal government’s authority to track and disable any threatening unmanned aircraft is set to expire after Friday. A proposal to extend that authority is included in a temporary spending bill that continued to be debated in Congress on Thursday.

Associated Press Congress has until midnight Friday to come up with a way to fund the government, or federal agencies will shutter. It’s up to each federal agency to determine how it handles a shutdown, but there would be disruptions in many services. Benefits checks for Social Security and Medicare recipients would go out, though.

Associated Press A 20-year-old blind cat named Tiki caused a scare after he was seen on ice floating in a Massachusetts pond and then fell in. The black-and-white cat can thank an alert passerby who called first responders Monday and a couple of nearby construction workers for his rescue. One worker jumped into a rowboat

AP Media Writer Neil Cavuto, a business journalist who hosts a weekday afternoon show on Fox News Channel and has been with the network since its inception in 1996, is leaving after Thursday’s show, Fox said. A workhorse at the network, Cavuto also hosts programs at Fox’s sister, the Fox Business Network, and is not

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans police say they’ve arrested a man suspected in one of the mass shootings that broke out within one hour of each other during a large parade. The police department said in a statement Wednesday that the suspect and another person were arguing before they began shooting at each other.

Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The Kenyan government has declared gender-based violence the nation’s most pressing security threat, with 100 women killed in the past four months alone, most of them by men who were known to them, including intimate partners. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi referred to the escalating crisis as “the elephant

AP Business Writer American Airlines said Thursday it has settled a federal race discrimination lawsuit filed by three Black men who were ordered to deboard a flight last January. Financial details of the settlement weren’t released. American called it an “amicable resolution” to the lawsuit, which was filed in May in federal court in New

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — MrBeast’s ambitious reality show, which the YouTube megastar hopes will expand his massive online reach and turn the corner on recent controversies, is already raising questions from consumer advocates over a partnership with a fintech company. Prime Video’s Thursday premiere of the record-setting “Beast Games” capped off a tumultuous

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — NATO’s secretary general has visited a military training site in Bulgaria, inspecting the activities of a multinational unit set up as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Mark Rutte told reporters it was important to ensure that the alliance continues to provide military assistance, training and advice to

Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — The number of executions in the U.S. remained near historic lows in 2024 and was mostly carried out in a small group of states. But the report by the Death Penalty Information Center also highlights that the death penalty remains entrenched in a small group of states. One of these

Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A man in western Congo has died with hemorrhagic fever symptoms. Health authorities say that has led them to suspect that a still-unidentified virus may be involved alongside malaria in a mysterious outbreak that has killed dozens of people. Congo authorities said last week that they suspected malaria in

Associated Press BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A fast-moving winter storm brought snow, ice, strong winds and bitter cold to much of the upper Midwest, snarling traffic in the Twin Cities and forcing North Dakota officials to shut down an interstate highway. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for large areas of Minnesota,

Associated Press Authorities say two Union Pacific employees were killed and three people were injured when a freight train collided with a tractor-trailer and derailed in a small West Texas city. The train also damaged the local Chamber of Commerce building. Officials in Pecos said the train derailed around 5 p.m. Wednesday. Nebraska-based Union Pacific

Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Winston Leiva rattles off a long list of things immigrants should do to protect themselves against President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to conduct mass deportations when he returns to the White House. Make a plan for someone to care for your children if you are arrested. Don’t open the door

AP Health Writer California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu, which is tearing through dairy cows in that state and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the U.S. That raises new questions about the outbreak of the virus, also known as Type A H5N1. It was detected for

Associated Press Immigration in 2024 drove U.S. population growth to its fastest rate in 23 years as the nation surpassed 340 million residents, the U.S. Census Bureau said Thursday. The 1% growth rate this year was the highest it has been since 2001, and it was a marked contrast to the record low of 0.2%

AP National Writer It took more than 100 years, a few billion dollars and the cold, hard realization that you can’t fight progress forever. And now, finally, college football has what the rest of sports have — a legitimate postseason tournament. The first 12-team College Football Playoff kicks off Friday and Saturday with four first-round

AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The first time Chris and Rich Robinson were at the Grammy Awards, it was 1991. The siblings behind the band The Black Crowes had just released their debut album “Shake Your Money Maker” and were nominees for best new artist. They didn’t have high hopes. Sure enough, Mariah

AP Business Writer Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose in November to their fastest pace since March as home shoppers were encouraged by a wider selection of properties on the market, even as mortgage rates mostly ticked higher. Existing home sales rose 4.8% last month, from October, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — It’s a photo that sent a tremor through British politics: Elon Musk flanked by British politician Nigel Farage and a wealthy backer, in front of a gilt-framed painting of a young Donald Trump. Taken this week at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the image suggested that Musk, a key player

AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. increasingly relies on Canadian crude oil to meet domestic demand and that relationship faces potential strain amid tariff threats. More than 50% of crude oil imported to the U.S. comes from Canada, up from 33% in 2013. The increase follows a jump in production from Canada’s

NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL has begun production on the second season of an all-access, behind-the-scenes show with the makers of the popular “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” series. The league, in announcing the continuation of the show Thursday, said Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk is the first player confirmed to be involved in

Associated Press TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisian authorities recovered the bodies of 20 people who appeared to have drowned after a shipwreck off the country’s Mediterranean coastline, near a popular point of departure for migrants attempting to reach Europe by boat. The country’s National Guard said in a statement that coast guard members dispatched to

AP Film Writers ‘Tis the season for spirited and winless debates about what the best Christmas movie is. No one needs us to remind you about the obvious holiday movies playing on repeat on cable, whether it’s “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “Home Alone” or “Love, Actually,” or even those holiday adjacent classics like “Eyes Wide

AP Business Writer The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell markedly last week following a big increase the week before. Jobless claim applications declined by 22,000 to 220,000 for the week of Dec. 14, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 229,000 analysts were forecasting. Continuing claims, the total number of

AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The American economy grew at a healthy 3.1% annual clip from July through September, propelled by vigorous consumer spending and an uptick in exports, the government said in an upgrade to its previous estimate. Third-quarter growth in U.S. gross domestic product — the economy’s output of goods and services

BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers have approved legislation designed to protect the country’s highest court against possible future manipulation or obstruction by authoritarian or extremist politicians. Officials have cited experiences in Poland, Hungary and elsewhere as illustrating the need to bolster the Federal Constitutional Court. The measure was drawn up by the three parties in

Associated Press EVERGLADES, Fla. (AP) — For decades, largescale engineering projects for development and agriculture drained and partitioned South Florida’s Everglades, a vast wetlands landscape home to endangered and threatened species and a vital source of drinking water for millions of Floridians. A plan approved by Congress in 2000 has aimed to undo some of

AP Technology Writer CLONDALKIN, Ireland (AP) — Dozens of massive data centers humming at the outskirts of Dublin are consuming more electricity than all of the urban homes in Ireland and starting to wear out the warm welcome that brought them here. Now, a country that made itself a computing factory for Amazon, Google, Meta,

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish police say they will participate as observers as Chinese authorities conduct investigations aboard a China-flagged ship in the Baltic Sea that was seen in an area where two undersea data cables were damaged last month. Sweden’s prime minister said at the end of November that his country had formally asked China

Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders insist no decisions can be taken about the future of Ukraine without its consent or behind their backs. Demonstrations of solidarity with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are mounting barely a month before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Zelenskyy attended an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. Ukraine’s position

Associated Press MILAN (AP) — Italy’s deputy premier, Matteo Salvini, is sounding defiant as he awaits a verdict in Sicily for preventing some 100 migrants from disembarking a rescue boat in 2019 when he was interior minister. Salvini, who leads the Euroskeptic, anti-migrant League, told a rally last week that “defending the borders, the dignity,