National-World

AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Who are the top reggaeton musicians in the world? Or throughout history? Does Bad Bunny come to mind? Daddy Yankee? For years, urbano music has been defined solely by its male superstars. But that’s not the case, and certainly not in recent history. A crop of newer talent

AP Soccer Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Organizers of a breakaway European Super League have revealed new plans to create a rival to the Champions League. The Unify League is the latest incarnation of a proposed elite competition for the biggest soccer clubs in Europe. It comes after the launch of a Super League in

DETROIT (AP) — A company that sells replacement winter tires is recalling more than 541,000 of them in the U.S. because they don’t have enough snow traction to meet North American standards. Prinx Chengshan Tire North America is recalling certain Fortune Tormenta and Prinx Hicountry tires with three-peak mountain snowflake symbols on the sidewalls. The

AP Business Writers WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers stepped up their spending at retail stores last month, providing a boost to the economy in the early phases of the winter holiday shopping season. The Commerce Department said Tuesday that retail sales rose 0.7% in November. That’s a solid increase and higher than October’s 0.5% gain. The

MILAN (AP) — Rescue officials say the operation to transport an injured spelunker out of a cave in northern Italy has cleared a difficult passage Tuesday. The officials say they have left the uncharted part of the Bueno Fonteno cave and entered the main tunnel. The operation is in its fourth day and is expected

AP Sports Writer Record numbers of basketball fans filled arenas to watch the rookie seasons of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese unfold. Simone Biles captivated the world at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Coco Gauff made women’s tennis history. It was all part of a pivotal year for women in sports, both financially and culturally, and

Associated Press BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) — On Christmas Eve in 1741, Moravian settlers named this Pennsylvania city after the biblical birthplace of Jesus. Nearly 300 years later, Moravians continue celebrating their Christmas season traditions in Bethlehem. They include the “putz,” a Nativity scene that tells the story of Christ’s birth with miniature wooden figurines, the

LONDON (AP) — The world’s most famous fictional Top Gun is now a decorated naval hero. Tom Cruise was awarded the U.S. Navy’s top civilian honor on Tuesday for “outstanding contributions to the Navy and the Marine Corps” with “Top Gun” and other films. Cruise, who has been working in the U.K., was given the

Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Boston is planning to renovate a crumbling stadium in one of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods for its new professional women’s soccer team. The nearly $200 million project is expected to start in the coming weeks and has the support of Mayor Michelle Wu. She argues the public-private partnership —

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A lawyer accused of trying to interfere in British politics on behalf of China has lost a legal challenge against the U.K.‘s domestic intelligence agency. Britain’s MI5 security service issued an alert to all lawmakers in January 2022 warning that London-based lawyer Christine Lee was knowingly engaged in “political interference

STRASBOURG, France (AP) — The European Union’s legislature has celebrated the bravery and staunch resistance of Venezuelan opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia while awarding them the EU’s top human rights honor. The European Parliament president said the Sakharov Prize is “in recognition of your tireless efforts to restore freedom and democracy

Global security leaders are warning that nuclear threats are growing as weapons spending has surged around the world. At the same time, private bunker sales are on the rise globally. Critics warn these bunkers create a false perception that a nuclear war is survivable. They argue that people planning to live through an atomic blast

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A new poll finds that Democrats are feeling more pessimistic about the U.S. economy after Donald Trump’s victory. Republicans, meanwhile, are still dour about the current state of the economy but hopeful that growth will be stronger next year when Trump returns to the White House as president. The latest

Associated Press When Bernard Jones Jr. and his wife, Doris, built their dream home, they didn’t hold back. A grotto swimming pool with a waterfall for hot summer days. A home theater for cozy winter nights. A fruit orchard to harvest in fall. And a vast underground bunker in case disaster strikes. “The world’s not

AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The Broadway revival of “Chicago” has lasted for decades, in part thanks to casting celebrities in the top spots of a show about the venality of celebrity. Roxie Hart, the washed-up chorus girl and murderer at its heart, has been played by such diverse actors as Brooke Shields,

AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The Broadway revival of “Chicago” has lasted for decades, in part thanks to casting celebrities in the top spots of a show about the venality of celebrity. Roxie Hart, the washed-up chorus girl and murderer at its heart, has been played by such a range of actors as

AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators are investigating whether TikTok breached the bloc’s digital rulebook by failing to deal with risks to Romania’s presidential election. The vote was thrown into turmoil over allegations of electoral violations and Russian meddling. The European Commission is escalating its scrutiny of the popular video-sharing platform after

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is urging anyone disappointed over her loss in last month’s election to “stay in the fight” as Donald Trump prepares to take office. The remarks Tuesday to students in the Maryland Corps service year program were her most extensive since her concession speech. It’s unclear what

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops will occupy a buffer zone inside Syria for the foreseeable future. Israel’s recent capture of the buffer zone has sparked condemnation, with critics accusing Israel of violating the 1974 ceasefire and possibly exploiting the chaos in Syria for a land grab. Netanyahu entered the buffer zone on

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani officials say militants on a motorcycle opened fire at a police post in the country’s restive northwest, killing at least two officers and wounding three others before fleeing the scene. No one immediately claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack in Shangla, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan. A local

Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — After two costly delays, the Pinellas County Commission is set to vote on its share of financing for a new $1.3 billion Tampa Bay Rays ballpark. Rays officials say they’re confident of approval this time. The overall plan was approved by the county commission and city of St. Petersburg

Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Advertisements pasted along the sidewalk in Kyiv ask for donations to help fill financial gaps across Ukraine’s military. By scanning a QR code people can help buy anything from body warmers, to drones and armored cars for soldiers defending the nearly 1,000-kilometer or 620-mile front line. Grassroots funding for

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — At a time of heightened political division, Americans’ confidence in their country’s judicial system and courts dropped to a record low of 35% this year, according to a new Gallup poll. The United States saw a sharp drop of 24 percentage points over the last four years, setting the country

AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Crime writer John D. MacDonald, a master of the genre, was so prolific that sometimes he couldn’t keep up with what he was doing. He might have dozens of stories in submission at once and would leave some unfinished or unpublished as he moved to a new idea.

Associated Press PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump says he might reverse President Joe Biden’s decision to permit Ukrainian forces to use American long-range weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory. Trump on Monday called the move by Biden “stupid.” He also criticized the current administration for not consulting him before the decision

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — An attorney defending Jay-Z against the rape allegation brought against him last week by an unnamed woman outlined a range of evidence Monday that he said showed the accuser’s account to be “provably, demonstrably false.” The woman told NBC News last week that Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs sexually

Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri’s status as one of the most active death penalty states is about to change for one simple reason: The state is running out of inmates to execute. The lethal injection of Christopher Collings on Dec. 3 left just eight men on Missouri’s death row. By contrast, nearly 100

Associated Press Up in the sky, is that a drone, a plane or a helicopter? Experts who study unmanned aircraft systems — better known as drones — say it can be tough to tell from miles away. But there are clues. A light in the sky at night can easily be misinterpreted, according to John

Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Two men, including a dual Iranian American citizen, have been arrested on charges that they exported sensitive technology to Iran that was used in a drone attack in Jordan that killed three American troops early this year and injured dozens of other servicemembers. Officials said the pair were arrested after

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Prosecutors in Bolivia on Monday sought the arrest of former President Evo Morales in connection to a sexual abuse investigation involving his alleged fathering of a child with a 15-year-old girl. The arrest warrant, which still must be approved by a judge, was issued after Morales defied an order to

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A man detained in Venezuela during the civil unrest that followed the country’s disputed July presidential election has died while in custody. His is the third such death reported by the inmates’ rights group, Venezuelan Prison Observatory. The nongovernmental organization says the 43-year-old man died Monday after spending more than four

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina reached its Medicaid expansion enrollment goal of 600,000 people just over a year since the program rolled out. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper called the enrollment numbers a “monumental achievement” that is “life-changing” for people in need of health insurance. Medicaid expansion received bipartisan support in its passage through the

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Federal authorities have charged a National Guard soldier with murder in a shooting that triggered a weekend lockdown at a Georgia military base. Court records show 25-year-old Natravien Landry made an initial court appearance Monday before a federal magistrate judge in Augusta. He’s charged with killing another man Saturday morning at

Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for running a business to help pregnant Chinese women travel to the United States to deliver babies who would automatically have American citizenship. U.S. authorities had sought a more than five-year prison term for Michael Wei

ATHENS, N.Y. (AP) — Efforts to save an imperiled 150-year-old lighthouse in New York are getting a boost with federal officials announcing new funding to study ways to protect the structure. New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer says that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is funding a study on how to restore the Hudson-Athens

Associated Press The U.S. Census Bureau is changing how it counts international migration in its annual population estimates. Officials said Monday that the bureau will add a large share of humanitarian immigrants to its calculations to better reflect the influx of refugees to the United States this decade. The change will be incorporated into 2024

Associated Press TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Should underage gambling no longer be a crime? New Jersey lawmakers are considering changing the law to make gambling by people under age 21 no longer punishable under criminal law. Instead, the proposal would impose fines ranging between $500 and $2,000. The money would be used for prevention, education,

Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey’s red-hot internet gambling market continued to smash records in November, even as revenue inside physical casinos continued to lag behind pre-pandemic levels at six of Atlantic City’s nine casinos. State gambling regulators say internet gambling brought in $214 million in November, narrowly eclipsing the previous record

AP Medical Writer President-elect Donald Trump seemed to entertain the discredited theory that vaccines cause autism as he answered questions from journalists Monday at his Mar-a-Lago club. Trump said that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services who has been an anti-vaccine advocate, would look into the

DETROIT (AP) — Starting in September of 2027, all new passenger vehicles in the U.S. will have to sound a warning if rear-seat passengers don’t buckle up. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday that it has finalized the rule. It also requires longer warnings when front seat belts aren’t fastened. Front seat changes

Police in Madison, Wisconsin, believe multiple factors prompted a 15-year-old student to open fire at a private Christian school, but they declined to share those Tuesday. The shooting Monday at Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin’s capital city was just days before winter break. A fellow student and a teacher were killed and six others

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Eight former senior officials in North Macedonia, including a former prime minister, are under investigation for alleged financial misconduct regarding gambling licences of a state lottery company approved under the previous government. Authorities did not name the officials but state-run television reported that they include former Dimitar Kovachevski – who

JENIN, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian security forces have launched a rare crackdown against local militant groups in the northern West Bank. They have sent in armored cars and are engaging in fierce gunbattles that have killed at least two people in the volatile area. The raid marks an unusual step for the Palestinian Authority.

Associated Press SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia judge has denied a former prosecutor’s legal motion to halt her upcoming trial on charges that she interfered with police investigating the 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery. A senior judge on Monday rejected former District Attorney Jackie Johnson’s argument that the Georgia attorney general’s office should be

Associated Press TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has pardoned 33 people and commuted the sentences of three women, one of whom was supported by Kim Kardashian, in the first use of his clemency authority during his administration. The clemency comes after Murphy set up a special review board under an

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kristen Bell will return as host of next year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards, streaming live on Netflix for a second consecutive year. The star of “Nobody Wants This” and “The Good Place,” was the first host of the SAG Awards in 2018. The 31st annual awards ceremony will air Feb. 23

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is challenging President-elect Donald Trump to reject the isolationist voices within their party and build his foreign policy around military strength. He argues that if the United States retreats from global engagement, “its enemies will be only too happy to fill the void.” In an