Chair of New York Democrats faces criticism over KKK remark
NEW YORK (AP) — The chairman of the New York Democrats is facing condemnation and calls to resign from members of his own party after he invoked the Ku Klux Klan and its former leader while explaining why he didn’t endorse a New York Democratic mayoral candidate. State Democratic Chair Jay Jacobs, who is white, […]12 hours ago
Police shooting looms over Emanuel in confirmation battle
WASHINGTON (AP) — The fatal police shooting of a Black teen in Chicago seven years ago is looming large over the city’s former mayor, Rahm Emanuel, as he looks to win confirmation as President Joe Biden’s ambassador to Japan. Several liberal House lawmakers and activists complain that Emanuel’s handling of the death of 17-year-old Laquan […]12 hours ago
Chief: Police fatally shot Florida teen pointing air rifle
TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) — Police fatally shot a Florida teenager after he pointed what turned out to be an air rifle at people, cars and officers, a police chief said. Police identified him as Alexander King, a 17-year-old junior at Tarpon Springs High School who had 22 previous encounters with law enforcement. Officers responded […]13 hours ago
Man accused of killing Florida officer held without bond
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A judge on Tuesday morning ordered an 18-year-old man to be held without bond in the fatal shooting of a South Florida police officer. Judge Tabitha Blackmon also ordered Jason Banegas to undergo a mental health screening at the request of his public defender. Banegas, who had been released on […]13 hours ago
2 teachers face charges from entering wrong home, shooting
VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Two newly hired physical education teachers at a Florida elementary school were arrested after the shooting of a man whose apartment they entered thinking it belonged to someone else following a night of drinking. One of the teachers mistakenly climbed into bed with the man, his wife and their baby, […]13 hours ago
UN atomic agency head to visit Iran as nuke talks uncertain
WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the U.N.’s atomic watchdog plans to visit Iran before the end of next month amid questions about whether Iran will return to negotiations aimed at reviving the languishing 2015 nuclear deal. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said Tuesday he intends to visit Tehran “soon” to discuss and […]13 hours ago
Agent: Georgia deputies unjustified in stopping man who died
SANDERSVILLE, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent told jurors Monday that a man who died after being stopped by Washington County sheriff’s deputies had not committed a crime and should have been allowed to keep walking. Local news outlets report John Durden told jurors that then-deputies Henry Lee Copeland, Michael Howell and […]13 hours ago
As Bitcoin goes mainstream, Wall Street looks to cash in
NEW YORK (AP) — Love cryptocurrencies or hate the very idea of them, they’re becoming more mainstream by the day. Cryptocurrencies have surged so much that their total value has reached nearly $2.5 trillion, slightly more than the world’s most valuable company, Apple, and have amassed more than 200 million users. At that size, it’s […]13 hours ago
COVID-19 and pregnancy: Women regret not getting the vaccine
PHENIX CITY, Ala. (AP) — Sometimes when she’s feeding her infant daughter, Amanda Harrison is overcome with emotion and has to wipe away tears of gratitude. She is lucky to be here, holding her baby. Harrison was 29 weeks pregnant and unvaccinated when she got sick with COVID-19 in August. Her symptoms were mild at […]14 hours ago
Spanish court throws out lawsuit against US treasure hunters
MADRID (AP) — A Spanish court has shelved a lawsuit against American treasure hunters that accused them of having destroyed an underwater archaeological site when they looted a sunken galleon for tons of precious coins over a decade ago. In 2007, the Florida-based Odyssey Marine Exploration scooped up over half a million silver and gold […]14 hours ago
US Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska expects to be indicted
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska expects to be charged with lying to the FBI while federal agents were investigating campaign contributions funneled to him from a Nigerian billionaire, the nine-term Republican said as he proclaimed his innocence and promised to fight the charges. In a YouTube video posted Monday night, […]14 hours ago
Woman reaches plea deal after daughter found dead amid filth
ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) — A 50-year-old Louisiana woman has accepted a 50-year sentence as part of a plea agreement in the death of her 25-year-old disabled daughter, who died dehydrated and in filth. Karen Johnson Harrison of the Plainview area pleaded guilty Monday to manslaughter and conspiracy to commit second-degree murder of Cyra Shantelle Marie […]14 hours ago
US regulators lay out plan for over-the-counter hearing aids
WASHINGTON (AP) — Health regulators on Tuesday unveiled their proposal to allow Americans to buy hearing aids without a prescription, a long-awaited move intended to make the devices more accessible to millions of people with hearing problems. The Food and Drug Administration said the proposed rule would cut red tape that currently requires hearing exams […]14 hours ago
Court: U. of North Carolina can consider race in admissions
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that North Carolina’s flagship public university can continue to consider race as a factor in its undergraduate admissions, rebuffing a conservative group’s argument that affirmative action disadvantages white and Asian students. U.S. District Judge Loretta Biggs ruled late Monday that the University of North Carolina has […]14 hours ago
US expected to authorize mix-and-match COVID booster shots
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators are expected to authorize the mixing and matching of COVID-19 booster doses this week in an effort to provide flexibility as the campaign for extra shots expands. The upcoming announcement by the Food and Drug Administration is likely to come along with authorization for boosters of the Moderna and Johnson […]15 hours ago
Grammys release inclusion requirement to ensure diverse show
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Grammys will stick to its word with the public release of the full inclusion rider to ensure equity and inclusion in hiring on all levels of production for next year’s ceremony. The Recording Academy released on Tuesday an eight-page document detailing the rider’s purposes and objectives. The agreement requires producers […]15 hours ago
Alabama veterans board wants inquiry into chemical exposure
ANNISTON, Ala. (AP) — Alabama’s veterans affairs board is pushing for the creation of a program to aid veterans who have health problems that might stem from exposure to toxic chemicals at a former U.S. Army post. The State Board of Veterans Affairs unanimously passed a resolution that urges the Alabama congressional delegation to support […]15 hours ago
Three charged with murder of Alabama teen playing in bedroom
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Police have charged a third person with capital murder in the killing of a 13-year-old boy who was hit by a bullet that entered his bedroom as he played on an iPad. Jaden Zaire Jenkins, 19, was arrested Monday in the death of Kei’lan Allen. Tuscaloosa police said. Julian Lamont Gordon, […]16 hours ago
Lawyer who represented George Zimmerman arrested in Florida
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — A central Florida defense attorney who briefly represented George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case is accused of witness tampering in a juvenile rape case, sheriff’s officials said. Hal Uhrig, who works for The Defense Group, was arrested Monday on charges of solicitation to commit perjury and witness tampering, Osceola County […]16 hours ago
UN: 10,000 children killed or maimed during Yemen’s long war
GENEVA (AP) — More than 10,000 children in Yemen have been killed or injured in violence linked to years of war in the impoverished country, a spokesman for UNICEF said Tuesday. The verified tally from the United Nations’ reporting and monitoring operation provides what is surely an undercount of the real toll because many more […]16 hours ago
Walz launches reelection campaign in divided Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tim Walz launched his campaign for a second term Tuesday in an increasingly divided Minnesota, saying he made the tough calls necessary to beat back the COVID-19 pandemic and revive the economy. “Peggy and I asked Minnesotans to come together and make a goal line stand, to fight COVID and […]17 hours ago
Motorcyclist dies, hit by a trooper and run over by a truck
AUBURNDALE, Fla. (AP) — A motorcycle rider died on a state highway where he was struck by a state trooper and then run over by a tractor trailer, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The trooper was helping a construction crew working on a lane closure for repairs Monday night near Auburndale in central Florida, an […]17 hours ago
Utah lab to analyze DNA evidence from Atlanta child murders
ATLANTA (AP) — A Utah laboratory will examine DNA evidence from a string of killings committed in Atlanta during the 1970s and 1980s, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said. Bottoms wrote in a tweet on Monday that city investigators were traveling to Salt Lake City to provide “old DNA evidence” to a private lab. “It is […]17 hours ago
