Associated Press

Associated Press

NYC man who randomly punched TikTok influencer convicted for that assault and other attacks

NEW YORK (AP) — A man who randomly punched a woman walking down a Manhattan street nearly two years ago has been convicted of hate crime charges for that assault and several others. A New York state court judge on Wednesday found Skiboky Stora guilty of assaulting, stalking and harassing strangers in what prosecutors described […]
6 months ago

Toucan seen flying around Sin City has been rescued

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A toucan that has been seen flying around Las Vegas for months has been saved, a bird rescue group said Wednesday. “We’ve all just been so worried about him,” said Skye Marsh, the president and co-founder of the SouthWest Exotic Avian Rescue. “It’s a relief.” Sam the toucan has been living […]
6 months ago

Lawyers say Pennsylvania student protesters did not know a man who joined scrum was the police chief

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Lawyers for student protesters detained in Pennsylvania for four days after a scuffle with police say their clients had no idea the stocky older man in street clothes who joined the fray and put his arm around a 15-year-old girl’s neck was the local police chief. The attorneys said the students from […]
6 months ago

Old Apollo rocks shed new light on the moon’s magnetic field long ago

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Lunar rocks collected by Apollo astronauts more than half a century ago are providing a fresh take on the moon’s mysterious magnetic field, scientists reported Wednesday. Samples to be retrieved by future moonwalkers in NASA’s new Artemis program should yield even more clues. Four Artemis astronauts are expected to fly […]
6 months ago

Maduro’s lawyer says US is blocking Venezuela government from paying deposed leader’s drug defense

The Trump administration is blocking Venezuela’s government from paying for the cost of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s defense against drug trafficking charges in New York, a move that potentially interferes with his constitutional right to counsel, his lawyer says. Attorney Barry Pollack told a Manhattan federal judge in an email last week that the U.S. […]
6 months ago

IMF sees ‘buoyant’ US economy accelerating this year but warns of risks from tariffs, rising debt

WASHINGTON (AP) — A “buoyant” U.S. economy is poised to see accelerated growth and lower unemployment this year. But big federal budget debts ”represent a growing stability risk,” the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday. The 191-country lending organization’s assessment of the world’s biggest economy was mostly positive. The IMF saw U.S. gross domestic product — […]
6 months ago

Justice Department says it’s reviewing whether any Epstein-related records were mistakenly withheld

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department said Wednesday that it was looking into whether it improperly withheld documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files after several news organizations reported that some records involving uncorroborated accusations made by a woman against President Donald Trump were not among those released to the public. The announcement followed news reports […]
6 months ago

Man gets 15 years in prison in Texas crash that killed a founding member of The Chicks

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after admitting his reckless driving caused a head-on collision in rural West Texas that killed Laura Lynch, a founding member of the country music group now known as The Chicks, prosecutors said. Domenick Chavez, 33, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in […]
6 months ago

New York sues Counter-Strike game developer saying ‘loot boxes’ promote gambling

NEW YORK (AP) — New York’s attorney general has sued video game developer Valve, claiming the “loot boxes” found in Counter-Strike and other popular video game franchises illegally promote gambling. State Attorney General Letitia James said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in New York state court that games such as Counter-Strike 2, Team Fortress 2 […]
6 months ago

No-parking zone in Nancy Guthrie’s neighborhood widened amid complaints about journalists, streamers

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The no-parking zone around the home of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother where journalists and social media streamers have stationed themselves over the past three weeks since her disappearance is being widened in response to bitter complaints from neighbors about congested roads, trespassing and trash left alongside roadways. Pima County […]
6 months ago

Bird flu outbreak in California elephant seals prompts officials to cancel popular tours

Researchers say seven seal pups have tested positive for an avian flu virus at California’s Año Nuevo State Park and several more are showing signs of the illness. The outbreak has prompted park officials to cancel the park’s popular seal-watching tours for the remainder of the seal breeding season. Researchers with University of California-Santa Cruz […]
6 months ago

Prosecutors charge Wisconsin legislator with misdemeanor after blowup over Hispanic resolution

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Prosecutors charged a Wisconsin legislator with disorderly conduct Wednesday in connection with a feud over who was involved with drafting resolutions honoring Hispanics last year. Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, a Milwaukee Democrat, faces up to 90 days in jail if she’s convicted in Milwaukee County Circuit Court. Online court records didn’t list […]
6 months ago

A settlement is reached in a case tied to eBay’s bizarre deliveries and harassment campaign

BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts couple who were subjected to threats and bizarre anonymous deliveries — including live insects, a funeral wreath and a bloody pig Halloween mask — by former eBay Inc. employees reached a settlement Wednesday in their lawsuit against the company. In their 2021 lawsuit filed in Boston federal court, David and […]
6 months ago

Bill and Hillary Clinton, battle-tested, gear up for another Washington fight

WASHINGTON (AP) — For some of their conservative critics, this is the scandal that could finally topple them. Their resistance to testifying proved futile. And now, staring down another epic fight, they’re harnessing their considerable political skills to try and turn the table on their accusers. For Bill and Hillary Clinton, the 1990s are back. […]
6 months ago

Police video shows Vince McMahon’s 100 mph car crash in Connecticut

Newly released police video shows former WWE CEO Vince McMahon’s high-speed car crash in Connecticut last summer and reveals that a state trooper was trying to catch up to him to pull him over at the time. McMahon, now 80, was driving his 2024 Bentley Continental GT on the Merritt Parkway in Westport on July […]
6 months ago

Bill Gates ‘spoke candidly’ about Epstein ties at a Gates Foundation meeting, spokesperson says

Bill Gates addressed his connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and “took responsibility for his actions” during a town hall meeting of his nonprofit Gates Foundation on Tuesday, the nonprofit said. “Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail,” a Gates Foundation spokesperson said in a statement. Gates appears multiple times in the Justice […]
6 months ago

Vance says administration is pausing some Medicaid funding to Minnesota because of fraud concerns

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday that the Trump administration would “temporarily halt” some Medicaid funding to the state of Minnesota over fraud concerns, as part of what he described as an aggressive crackdown on misuse of public funds. Medicaid is the U.S. health care safety net for low-income Americans. As of […]
6 months ago

UN sanctions 4 commanders in Sudan’s paramilitary force accused of atrocities in Darfur

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions on four commanders of Sudan’s warring paramilitary force suspected of atrocities against civilians that U.N. experts said showed “hallmarks of genocide.” The four commanders in the Rapid Support Forces, which have been at war with the Sudanese military since 2023, were added to the blacklist […]
6 months ago

Feds give record $27B in loans for utility expansion in Georgia and Alabama

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal energy officials on Wednesday announced a record $27 billion loan to electric utilities in Georgia and Alabama, saying the loan will save customers money as the companies undertake a huge expansion driven by demand from computer data centers. A total of $22.4 billion will go to Georgia Power and $4.1 billion […]
6 months ago

Harvey Weinstein hires Luigi Mangione and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ lawyers as his 3rd NY trial looms

NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein has hired Luigi Mangione and Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers to represent him at his third New York rape trial, reshaping his legal team after declining to end the matter with a guilty plea. The lawyers, Jacob Kaplan, Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, confirmed the move in court papers Tuesday. […]
6 months ago

What to know about the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning after college student’s death

A Rhode Island college football player died from carbon monoxide poisoning after he tried to charge his phone in his car during a massive snow storm in a power outage. The storm knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of people across the Northeast. First responders found 21-year-old Salve Regina University student Joseph Boutros unresponsive […]
6 months ago

Cuba says it killed 4 people aboard Florida-registered speedboat that opened fire on soldiers

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba’s government said Wednesday that its soldiers killed four people aboard a speed boat registered in Florida that opened fire on officers in Cuban waters. Cuba’s Interior Ministry issued a statement that provided few details about the shooting, but noted that the boat was roughly one mile northeast of Cayo Falcones, off […]
6 months ago

Judge says he will order Greenpeace to pay an expected $345 million in oil pipeline protest case

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota judge has said he will order Greenpeace to pay damages expected to total $345 million in connection with protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline from nearly a decade ago, a figure the environmental group contends it cannot pay. In court papers filed Tuesday, Judge James Gion said […]
6 months ago

Crews in Florida battle a 25,000-acre wildfire near ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

Crews in South Florida were trying to contain a wildfire in Big Cypress National Preserve that had burned more than 25,000 acres (100 square kilometers) near the immigration detention facility known as “ Alligator Alcatraz ” as of Wednesday. The fire caused periodic lane closures due to smoke and poor visibility on the stretch of […]
6 months ago