Associated Press

Associated Press

South Carolina man gets life without parole for killing 5 while high on meth

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A man who authorities said was high on methamphetamine and hadn’t slept for days when he killed five people inside a home frequented by drug users was sentenced to life without parole Friday after pleading guilty to their murders. James Douglas Drayton, 28, admitted to the October 2022 killings in Spartanburg […]
6 months ago

Venezuelan former presidential hopeful urges unity after prison release and Maduro’s ouster

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan politician Enrique Márquez, who spent more than a year in prison after challenging the 2024 presidential election results, on Friday called on the country’s political opposition and the ruling party to take advantage of the circumstances forced by the ouster of former President Nicolás Maduro and work together for the […]
6 months ago

In Minnesota, US cardinals and pope’s ambassador decry mass deportations and call for reconciliation

ST PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Two American cardinals and the Vatican’s ambassador to the U.S. denounced the mass deportations in Minnesota under the federal government’s immigration crackdown, but they urged everyone to repair strained relations and work together toward humane solutions. In St. Paul on Friday, Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington addressed growing concerns with […]
6 months ago

Attorney general announces indictments against 30 more people who protested at a Minnesota church

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday that 30 more people have been indicted for allegedly taking part in an anti-immigration enforcement protest at a Minnesota church. Of those people, 25 have already been arrested, Bondi said in a post on X. Others arrested include independent journalists Don Lemon and Georgia […]
6 months ago

Biden flies commercial from Reagan National Airport and winds up stuck in delays like everyone else

WASHINGTON (AP) — A crowd gathered at a commuter gate at Reagan National Airport on Friday as fog-laden Washington skies caused an hourlong ground stop that backed up passengers hoping to head out from American Airlines’ Terminal D. But soon the already densely packed area swelled even more, as word spread across nearby gates that, […]
6 months ago

The end of Hollywood or a brighter future? What a Paramount-owned Warner Bros. means for the movies

Two of Hollywood’s oldest studios may be consolidating into one. In a shocking twist after a monthslong bidding war, Paramount has emerged as the apparent victor in the fight to acquire Warner Bros. Netflix, who backed away from the deal Thursday, had hoped to win the movie studio and its vast film library. Paramount wants […]
6 months ago

Maryland man who worked at embassy in Burkina Faso sentenced for rape of 2 girls

BALTIMORE (AP) — A Maryland man who was an employee at the U.S. Embassy in Burkina Faso has been sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting two girls while working in the African nation, federal prosecutors said. Fode Sitafa Mara, 41, was convicted last year by a federal jury of four counts of aggravated […]
6 months ago

Civil Rights agency rules against transgender Army worker who asked to use women’s bathroom

NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. civil rights agency has determined that the federal government can bar transgender employees from using bathrooms aligned with their gender identity, dismissing an appeal from a transgender woman who worked for the U.S. Army. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission decided Thursday against a civilian IT specialist who worked for […]
6 months ago

Callers to Washington state hotline press 2 for Spanish and get accented AI English instead

SEATTLE (AP) — Press “two” for Spanish … accent? For months, callers to the Washington state Department of Licensing who have requested automated service in Spanish have instead heard an AI voice speaking English in a strong Spanish accent. The agency has since apologized and says it’s trying to fix the problem. Washington resident Maya […]
6 months ago

House Democrats say they’re headed back to power. Their agenda is a work in progress

LEESBURG, Va. (AP) — Gathered at a resort in suburban Virginia, House Democrats this week were acting like a party on the verge of reclaiming power as they drafted policy blueprints and spoke confidently about election victories in November. “We’re here at this issues conference to talk amongst each other and with outside stakeholders and […]
6 months ago

NASA overhauls its Artemis program to return astronauts to the moon

NASA said Friday it’s adding an extra moon mission by Artemis astronauts before attempting a high-risk lunar landing with a crew. The shakeup in the flight lineup came just two days after NASA’s new moon rocket returned to its hangar for more repairs and a safety panel warned the space agency to scale back its […]
6 months ago

OpenAI gets $110 billon in funding from a trio of tech powerhouses, led by Amazon

ChatGPT maker OpenAI has received $110 billion in funding from Amazon, SoftBank and Nvidia, putting the technology company’s pre-money valuation at $730 billion. Amazon is leading the trio of tech heavyweights in commitments, putting up $50 billion, followed by $30 billion each from Nvidia and SoftBank, said OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman on Friday. […]
6 months ago

What to watch as the midterms begin with Tuesday’s primaries

WASHINGTON (AP) — After months of speculating, pontificating and spinning, the midterm election season begins in earnest Tuesday. The primary results in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas will provide some of the first concrete evidence for what voters want as President Donald Trump’s second term approaches the halfway mark. Republicans insist that Trump’s most recent […]
6 months ago

Despite recent gains, tribal citizens descended from slaves face disparate treatment

MCLOUD, Okla. (AP) — Tribal citizens whose ancestors were enslaved by citizens of several tribal nations in Oklahoma are starting to see more inclusive access to Native American health care, education and other social services, but barriers remain. Federal and tribal agencies have worked in recent years to clarify eligibility requirements and train on-the-ground staff, […]
6 months ago

Colin Gray testifies in trial after his son was accused of Georgia high school shooting

ATLANTA (AP) — The father of accused school shooter Colt Gray has taken the stand in one of the latest cases in which parents are being put on trial after their children are accused in fatal shootings. Defense lawyers called Colin Gray to testify shortly after court began early Friday as they begin presenting their […]
6 months ago

UN nuclear watchdog says it’s unable to verify whether Iran has suspended all uranium enrichment

VIENNA (AP) — Iran has not allowed the United Nations nuclear watchdog to access nuclear facilities affected by the 12-day war in June, according to a confidential report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog circulated to member states and seen Friday by The Associated Press. The report stressed that therefore the agency “cannot verify whether Iran […]
6 months ago

Teenage girls are most likely to tear their ACLs. Parents say more must be done to protect them

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Sofia Tepichin was about 30 minutes into her club soccer team practice in October when she spotted a fast-approaching defender. She tapped the ball away and hopped over the defender’s outstretched foot, came down awkwardly, and heard a “pop.” She immediately fell to the ground, pain shooting through her left knee […]
6 months ago

Pentagon says Scouting America will alter policies to maintain support from US military

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says Scouting America will alter several policies to maintain its support from the U.S. military. The changes include a requirement that members use “biological sex at birth and not gender identity.” Hegseth has criticized Scouting America’s historic rebrand in 2024 from the Boy Scouts and other changes in […]
6 months ago

US wholesale prices arrive hotter than expected, up 0.5% from December and 2.9% from a year ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale prices came in hotter than expected last month. The Labor Department reported Friday that its producer price index, which measures inflation before it hits consumers, rose 0.5% from December and 2.9% from January 2025. Economists had forecast a 0.3% increase for the month and 1.6% year over year, according to […]
6 months ago

Black fathers embrace resources to support their pregnant partners through birth

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Cradling his newborn daughter in his lap in their Indianapolis home, JaKobi Burton’s love for the new lady in his life is evident with each caress. But the first-time dad’s commitment started months earlier. Burton attended every medical appointment and took classes with Dads to Doulas, a program created by the organization […]
6 months ago

US moves to legally control tanker and 2M barrels of oil seized off Venezuela’s coast in December

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has filed a complaint to legally take ownership of a sanctioned tanker and nearly 2 million barrels of petroleum seized off the coast of Venezuela in December, another step by President Donald Trump’s administration to assert power over the country’s oil sector after capturing leader Nicolás Maduro. It’s the […]
6 months ago

Bill Clinton faces grilling from lawmakers over his connections to Jeffrey Epstein

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton is testifying Friday before members of Congress investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, answering for his connections to the disgraced financier from more than two decades ago. The closed-door deposition in Chappaqua, New York, will mark the first time a former president has been compelled to testify to […]
6 months ago

US advises embassy staff in Israel to leave now if they want, as risk of war hangs over Middle East

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The U.S. Embassy in Israel on Friday told its staff that it could leave the country and urged anyone considering departure to do so immediately, as the threat of an American strike on Iran looms. U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee told embassy employees in an email that discussions with officials in […]
6 months ago

A new Gallup poll shows how Americans’ sympathies have shifted in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

WASHINGTON (AP) — American sympathies in the Middle East have shifted dramatically toward the Palestinians, according to new Gallup polling, after decades of overwhelming support for the Israelis. That shift accelerated during the war in Gaza. Three years ago, 54% of Americans sympathized more with the Israelis, compared to 31% for the Palestinians. Now, their […]
6 months ago