National-World

AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — A Federal Reserve official has given a lengthy defense of the central bank’s political independence. It comes just days after former President Donald Trump, previously an outspoken Fed critic, won re-election. Andriana Kugler, a member of the Fed’s board, says economic research shows that an independent central bank typically

Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A vote in New Zealand’s parliament was suspended and two lawmakers ejected Thursday amid debate over a controversial proposed law redefining the country’s founding agreement between Indigenous Māori and the British Crown. The proposal has scant support and is unlikely to become law but passed its first vote

Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court on Thursday sentenced the mastermind of a failed bomb plot during anti-government protests in December 2019 to nearly 24 years in jail. In the city’s first case brought under an anti-terrorism law, the court handed down a prison term of 23 years and 10 months

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has had few defenders in Congress as reliable as Matt Gaetz, who has thundered at one prosecutor after another for perceived bias against the president-elect and emphatically amplified the Republican’s rallying cry that the criminal investigations into him are “witch hunts.” That kinship was rewarded Wednesday when Trump

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian man has gone on trial on charges of high treason for a video he had allegedly sent to Ukraine’s security services. The case is the latest in a growing series of espionage cases amid the fighting in Ukraine. The Volgograd District Court began hearing a new case against Nikita Zhuravel,

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani court has rejected a plea for acquittal from former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been held in prison for more than a year in a graft case. The court order was another blow to Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, who were accused of retaining and selling state gifts

Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency is warning that the “space for negotiation and diplomacy … is getting smaller” over Iran’s advancing atomic program as wars in the Mideast rage on and as President Donald Trump will return to the White House. Rafael Mariano Grossi

Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Amnesty International said Thursday it has identified several UAE-made armoured personnel carriers on the ground in Sudan after verifying pictures shared on social media showing the vehicles captured or destroyed by the Sudanese army. The vehicles were equipped with the Galix defense system which is produced by two French arms

Associated Press CHIPINGE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Gertrude Siduna appears to have little appetite for corn farming season. Rather than prepare her land in Zimbabwe’s arid southeastern Chipinge district for the crop that has fed her family for generations, the 49-year-old — bitter at repeated droughts that have decimated yields — turns her thoughts to the

Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s government will not help the illegal miners inside a closed mine as part of an official policy against illegal mining. The miners in the mineshaft in Stilfontein in North West province are believed to be suffering from a lack of food and water after police closed off the

Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Typhoon Usagi swamped rural villages in floods, knocked down power and displaced thousands more people before blowing away on Friday from the northern Philippines, which has now been pounded by five major storms in less than a month. A new storm in the Pacific could strengthen into a powerful

Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia plans to require social media platforms to act to prevent online harms to users such as bullying, predatory behavior and algorithms pushing destructive content. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the digital “duty of care” requirement will place the onus on digital platforms to proactively keep Australians safe and

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Demand Justice, a progressive organization focused on the judiciary, is set to bombard Capitol Hill with a message for the closing weeks of the 118th Congress: Do “whatever it takes” to confirm President Joe Biden’s nominees as a second Donald Trump presidency looms. The Republican president-elect’s victory and the GOP

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s Supreme Court has handed a suspended prison sentence to a former lawmaker who was found guilty of embezzling funds while leading a group supporting Korean survivors of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery. Yoon Meehyang, who was also convicted of fraudulently receiving government subsidies and unlawfully collecting donations,

Associated Press BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — For the third straight year, efforts to fight climate change haven’t lowered projections for how hot the world is likely to get — even as countries gather for another round of talks to curb warming, according to an analysis Thursday. At the United Nations climate talks, hosted in Baku,

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Just hours after Republican Sen. John Thune was elected as the incoming Senate majority leader on Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump presented him with one of his first tests — an announcement that he intends to nominate controversial Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general. The Florida Republican is one of the

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is famously unconventional, but he made conventional picks for his two top foreign policy positions. That could be reassuring to American allies, while China and Iran have reasons to be wary. Trump on Wednesday announced his choice of Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state. Two days

AP Music Writer Juan Luis Guerra 4.40 took home the album of the year trophy at the 2024 Latin Grammy Awards for his “Radio Güira,” not long after receiving record of the year for “Mambo 23.” “Let me share this with all the nominees, it is a great privilege to be with you,” Guerra said

Associated Press KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine (AP) — The four drones were designed to carry bombs, but instead the men of Ukraine’s Khartia brigade pack them with food, water and handwarmers and launch them in darkness toward the front line, a 15-minute flight away. The unit commander who goes by the callsign Kit, or “cat,” pilots

AP Sports Writer PARIS (AP) — There was a brief altercation between a small number of fans early into Thursday’s Nations League soccer game between France and Israel despite heavy security inside the stadium, a week after violence erupted in Amsterdam in connection with an Israeli club team’s visit. Around 10 minutes after the game

Associated Press CHANCAY, Peru (AP) — A remote fishing town on the edge of Peru’s coastal desert is the site for a $1.3 billion megaport majority-owned by the Chinese shipping giant Cosco. Chinese President Xi Jinping inaugurated the port Thursday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Peru. The development is expected to encompass 15

AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks slipped Thursday as the market’s big burst following Donald Trump’s election continued to cool. The S&P 500 fell 0.6%, though it’s still near its all-time high set on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 207 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.6%. Cisco

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have won enough seats to control the U.S. House, completing the party’s sweep into power and securing their hold on U.S. government alongside President-elect Donald Trump. A House Republican victory in Arizona, alongside a win in slow-counting California earlier Wednesday, gave the GOP the 218 House victories that make

Associated Press OME, Japan (AP) — Deep in a dark warehouse the sake sleeps, stored in rows of giant tanks, each holding more than 10,000 liters (2,640 gallons) of the Japanese rice wine that is the product of brewing techniques dating back more than 1,000 years. Junichiro Ozawa, the 18th-generation head of Ozawa Brewery, founded

Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Donald Trump’s return to the White House has made many countries anxious and recalculating where they stand with the U.S., but India appears to be welcoming the change that may embolden nationalist leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I know today a lot of countries are nervous about the

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Diamond Sports Group has reached a multiyear agreement with Prime Video to make its 16 regional sports network channels available as an add-on subscription. FanDuel Sports Network RSNs will be available for customers living within each team’s designated geographic area. The 16 networks cover fans in 31 states. Prime Video announced

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a California teenager pleaded guilty Wednesday in a case involving the swatting of a Florida mosque, among other institutions and individuals. Swatting is the practice of making a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal investigation into Chinese government efforts to hack into U.S. telecommunications networks has revealed a “broad and significant” cyberespionage campaign aimed at stealing information from Americans who work in government and politics, the FBI said Wednesday. Hackers affiliated with Beijing have compromised the networks of “multiple” telecommunications companies to

Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar lashed out Wednesday at Mexico’s failure to accept aid in the fight against drug cartels, claiming the country “closed the doors” on security cooperation. In a press conference, Salazar launched his harshest criticism yet of rampant violence, police corruption and the Mexican government’s mistaken attitude

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, was once embroiled in a sex trafficking investigation by the Justice Department he’s been tapped to lead, and has been under scrutiny by the House Ethics Committee over allegations including sexual misconduct. That probe effectively ended Wednesday, though,

Associated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — A man who failed in an attempt to break into Brazil’s Supreme Court killed himself in explosions outside the building Wednesday that forced justices and staff to evacuate, authorities said. The two strong blasts were heard about 7:30 p.m. after the day’s session finished and all the justices and

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith has asked a court to pause prosecutors’ appeal seeking to revive the classified documents case against President-elect Donald Trump in light of the Republican’s presidential victory. Smith’s team has been evaluating how to wind down the classified documents and the federal 2020 election interference case in

Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Philadelphia judge said the $1 million voter sweepstakes linked to Elon Musk was allowed to continue through Election Day because prosecutors failed to show that it was an illegal lottery. District Attorney Larry Krasner called the daily sweepstakes a scam. But Common Pleas Judge Angelo Foglietta in an opinion

Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — The last words Michelle Reed heard from her 6-year-old adopted son in early November were: “Mom, come get me.” But after American authorities blocked airlines from traveling to Haiti on Tuesday for 30 days after a number of planes were shot by gangs, 51-year-old Reed is once again cut

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — An endangered sea turtle that was found about a year ago some 5,000 miles (8,047 kilometers) from its native waters has been released into the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Houston Zoo. The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, named Boeier after the boat that rescued it, was found off the coast

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge ordered the Port of Oakland to stop using San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport as its airport’s new name while a lawsuit by the city of San Francisco is ongoing. San Francisco sued in April over what it says is a trademark violation and asked a federal judge

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — There were no protests on the streets as Donald Trump returned to Washington. He visited the nation’s capital on Wednesday, a week after emerging victorious in the presidential election. Trump met with House Republicans and Democratic President Joe Biden. Trump’s second term in office could bring even more upheaval than

AP Technology Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Social media site Bluesky has gained 1 million new users in the week since the U.S. election, as some X users look for an alternative platform to post their thoughts and engage with others online. Bluesky said Wednesday that its total users surged to 15 million, up from

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson, who served two Republican presidents as one of the country’s best known conservative lawyers and successfully argued on behalf of same-sex marriage, died Wednesday. He was 84. The law firm Gibson Dunn, where Olson practiced since 1965, announced his death on its website. No cause of

Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — The Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of police and dismissed a lawsuit alleging negligence in the 2020 death of a woman while she was in custody in suburban Detroit. The court says there was not enough evidence to show Harper Woods police were “grossly negligent” in how

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will hold talks Saturday with China’s Xi Jinping on the sidelines of an international summit in Peru, a face-to-face meeting that comes as Beijing braces for Donald Trump’s return to the White House. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the meeting will take place while

MONTEREY, Calif. (AP) — More than two decades after spotting a mysterious, gelatinous, bioluminescent creature swimming in the deep sea, California researchers this week announced that it was a new species of sea slug. Scientists with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute using a remote vehicle first noticed what they called a “mystery mollusc” in

DUBLIN (AP) — Mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor testified Wednesday that he had consensual sex with a woman suing him for sexual assault and said she fabricated her story. “Everything is a lie,” McGregor said in the High Court in Dublin. “It is a full blown lie among many lies.” The alleged victim said

Associated Press BRICK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey’s governor declared a drought warning. Black Hawk helicopters scooped water from a lake to dump on a forest fire burning in New York state. And across the country, firefighters were making good progress Wednesday battling a major wildfire in a county northwest of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, New

AP Political Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Republicans and Democrats are clawing for crucial U.S. House victories in California even as the GOP has now clinched control of the chamber. In a rematch from 2022, Rep. Ken Calvert defeated rival Democrat Will Rollins in a district east of Los Angeles. Calvert is the longest-serving Republican

Associated Press SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Basketball Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich is recovering from what the San Antonio Spurs described as a mild stroke, though there is no timetable for the NBA’s longest-tenured coach to return to the sideline. Popovich had the stroke on Nov. 2 at the arena where the Spurs play, the