WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has taken the unusual step of tapping military leaders for high-level diplomacy, sending the top U.S. commander in the Middle East to talks over Iran’s nuclear program and positioning the Army secretary as a key negotiator on ending the Russia-Ukraine war. Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, […]
Venezuela’s former President Nicolás Maduro and current acting President Delcy Rodríguez — both raised Catholic in an overwhelmingly Christian country — have a deep reverence for an Indian spiritual leader who died in 2011. Religious identity is complex in Venezuela, where it is common for people to blend multiple religious and spiritual practices. For Maduro […]
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — It’s been a week since “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie ‘s mother disappeared from her home in Arizona in what authorities say was a kidnapping. Investigators have been examining ransom notes and looking for evidence but have not named a suspect. On Friday, officers returned to 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie ‘s home […]
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — What’s in a surname? For many people from Spain and Latin America, it’s about who your father is and who your mother is. The tradition of using two surnames helps clearly identify familial relationships in much of the Spanish-speaking world. But in the United States, having two surnames can be a […]
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Alberto Castañeda Mondragón says his memory was so jumbled after a beating by immigration officers that he initially could not remember he had a daughter and still struggles to recall treasured moments like the night he taught her to dance. But the violence he endured last month in Minnesota while being detained […]
ATLANTA (AP) — President Donald Trump ’s second term has presented an array of opportunities for political opponents, from immigration crackdowns and lingering inflation to attacks on independent institutions and friction with overseas allies. But many Democrats are staying focused on health care, an issue that was once a political liability but has become foundational […]
Experts say abductions for ransom are rare, despite the prevalence of dramatic hostage crises on television. But the apparent kidnapping of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother has raised questions about how law enforcement handles hostage negotiations in real life, and the risks of media attention for victims. In the days since Nancy Guthrie, 84, […]
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is heading into a challenging reelection bid as she continues to suffer fallout from last year’s devastating wildfire and ongoing criticism of City Hall on issues from street paving to homelessness. The deadline is Saturday for candidates to enter the contest ahead of the June 2 […]
The Pentagon said Friday it is cutting ties with Harvard University, ending all military training, fellowships and certificate programs with the Ivy League institution. The announcement marks the latest development in the Trump administration’s prolonged standoff with Harvard over the White House’s demands for reforms at the Ivy League school. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said […]
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A judge says the federal government must return three families hurt by the first Trump administration’s policy of separating parents from the children at the border, saying their deportations in recent months relied on “lies, deception and coercion.” The order, issued Thursday, found the deported families should have been allowed to […]
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Attorneys for the federal government have until next Thursday to reach an agreement with human rights lawyers who are seeking to ensure the right to counsel for people detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Minnesota, a judge said Friday. Advocates said people held at the facility on the edge […]
A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must keep funds flowing to child care subsidies and other social service programs in five Democratic-controlled states — at least for now. U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick in New York, who was nominated by former President Barack Obama, granted the states’ request for a preliminary […]
MILTON, Ga. (AP) — A person believed to be the son of rapper Lil Jon has been found dead in a pond north of Atlanta, police said Friday. Nathan Smith, known professionally as D.J. Young Slade, left his home in Milton “under unusual circumstances” early Tuesday morning, police said. Lil Jon said in a statement […]
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A jury has found former major league outfielder Yasiel Puig guilty of obstruction of justice and lying to federal officials investigating an illegal gambling operation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Friday. The verdict came after a multiweek trial that featured testimony from Major League Baseball officials and Donny Kadokawa, a Hawaii […]
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Nearly two weeks after an ice storm knocked out power to her home, Barbara Bishop still finds herself trying to flip the lights on and looking in her fridge for food that has since spoiled. Bishop, 79, and her 85-year-old husband, George Bishop, live in a rural area near Oxford, Mississippi, […]
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona must stop enforcing abortion restrictions that predate and contradict a 2024 voter-approved constitutional amendment guaranteeing abortion rights, a judge ordered in a ruling released Friday. Maricopa Superior Court Judge Greg Como found that the older laws present unnecessary obstacles to getting an abortion, including barring one if a woman was seeking […]
CHICAGO (AP) — A soft layer of white snow blankets the grounds of the Chicago Botanic Garden. The air is chilly, the sky gray. Inside, however, the air is warm and lights illuminate more than 10,000 vividly colored orchids. Staff members move in and out of greenhouses, preparing to open the garden’s 12th annual Orchid […]
SAN DIEGO (AP) — At least three people have died and three others have required liver transplants after eating the aptly named Death Cap mushroom that is proliferating in California following a rainy winter. The California Department of Public Health is urging people to avoid mushroom foraging altogether this year because Death Cap mushrooms are […]
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City police officer was convicted Friday of second-degree manslaughter after he tossed a picnic cooler filled with drinks at a fleeing suspect, causing the man to fatally crash his motorized scooter. Judge Guy Mitchell handed down the guilty verdict Friday in Bronx criminal court in the case against […]
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The sheriff investigating the apparent abduction of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother said Friday he was frustrated that a camera at Nancy Guthrie ‘s home wasn’t able to capture images of anyone the day she went missing. Investigators have found that the home’s doorbell camera was disconnected early Sunday and […]
MIAMI (AP) — Winged babies shooting heart-shaped arrows might get most of the credit on Valentine’s Day, but the real magic behind millions of romantic bouquets happens in a cargo warehouse at a South Florida airport. Agricultural specialists at Miami International Airport will process about 990 million stems of cut flowers in the weeks before […]
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will resume staff cuts that were briefly paused during January’s severe winter storm, according to two FEMA managers, stoking concern across the agency over its ability to address disasters with fewer workers. FEMA at the start of January abruptly stopped renewing employment contracts for a group of staffers known as […]
A district attorney has turned over to a special prosecutor the criminal cases accusing members of a secretive North Carolina religious group of holding down and beating a one-time member 13 years ago. The victim asked a judge to kick District Attorney Ted Bell off the case just days before a retrial — that had […]
WASHINGTON (AP) — Repairs on a pipe rupture that has sent sewage flowing into the Potomac River northwest of Washington, D.C., will take weeks more to repair because of an unexpected blockage, according to the local water authority. In a release posted on its website Thursday, DC Water, which operates the sewer system, said a […]
