Associated Press

Connecticut Senate passes wide-ranging bill to regulate AI. But its fate remains uncertain

HARTFORD (AP) — The Connecticut Senate pressed ahead Wednesday with one of the first major legislative proposals in the U.S. to reign in bias in artificial intelligence decision-making and protect people from harm, including manufactured videos or deepfakes. The vote was held despite concerns the bill might stifle innovation, become a burden for small businesses […]
4 hours ago
Associated Press

New California rule aims to limit health care cost increases to 3% annually

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Doctors, hospitals and health insurance companies in California will be limited to annual price increases of 3% starting in 2029 under a new rule state regulators approved Wednesday in the latest attempt to corral the ever-increasing costs of medical care in the United States. The money Californians spent on health care […]
5 hours ago
Associated Press

Arizona grand jury indicts 11 Republicans who falsely declared Trump won the state in 2020

PHOENIX (AP) — Eleven Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring that Donald Trump beat Joe Biden in Arizona in the 2020 presidential election were charged Wednesday with conspiracy, fraud and forgery, marking the fourth state to bring charges against “fake electors.” The eleven people who had been nominated to be Arizona’s Republican […]
5 hours ago
Associated Press

Louisiana dolphin shot dead; found along Cameron Parish coast

CAMERON, La. (AP) — Up to $20,000 is being offered for information leading to a criminal conviction or civil penalty involving a dolphin that was found shot to death in southwest Louisiana. Federal wildlife officials, in a news release Monday, said a juvenile bottlenose dolphin was found shot to death March 13 along the coast […]
7 hours ago
Associated Press

Ex-Connecticut city official is sentenced to 10 days behind bars for storming US Capitol

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Connecticut business owner who has served as an elected alderman in his hometown was sentenced Wednesday to 10 days behind bars for joining a mob’s assault on the U.S. Capitol over three years ago, court records show. Chief Judge James Boasberg also ordered Gene DiGiovanni Jr. to perform 50 hours of […]
8 hours ago
Associated Press

Billionaire Texas oilman inks deal with Venezuela’s state-run oil giant as US sanctions loom

MIAMI (AP) — A company started by a Texas billionaire oilman announced a deal Wednesday with Venezuela’s state-owned oil company to rehabilitate five aging oil fields, days after the Biden administration put a brake on sanctions relief over concerns about the fairness of the country’s upcoming presidential election. LNG Energy Group is a publicly traded […]
9 hours ago
Associated Press

Former Wisconsin college chancellor fired over porn career is fighting to keep his faculty post

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s top official has taken the first steps toward removing a faculty member who was earlier fired from his job as chancellor over his fledgling porn career. The former chancellor, Joe Gow, said Wednesday that interim Chancellor Betsy Morgan filed three charges against him March 29, accusing […]
10 hours ago
Associated Press

US Rep. Donald Payne Jr., a Democrat from New Jersey, has died at 65 after a heart attack

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr., of New Jersey, died Wednesday after a heart attack this month that left him hospitalized, officials said. He was 65. In a statement, Gov. Phil Murphy called his fellow Democrat a “steadfast champion for the people of New Jersey.” “With his signature bowtie, big heart, and […]
11 hours ago
Associated Press

Investigator says Trump, allies were uncharged co-conspirators in plot to overturn Michigan election

DETROIT (AP) — A state investigator testified Wednesday that he considers former President Donald Trump and his White House chief of staff to be uncharged co-conspirators in a scheme to claim that he had won Michigan in the 2020 election, despite Democrat Joe Biden’s clear victory. Trump and Mark Meadows were among the names mentioned […]
12 hours ago
Associated Press

Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by US to hit Russian-held areas, officials say

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday. Long sought by Ukrainian leaders, the new missiles give Ukraine nearly double the striking […]
12 hours ago
Associated Press

The Latest | Germany will resume working with UN relief agency for Palestinians after a review

Germany said Wednesday that it plans to follow several other countries in resuming cooperation with the U.N. relief agency for Palestinians in Gaza after the publication of an independent review of its neutrality. The head of the Arab League hailed the report, saying it showed that Israel’s allegations were baseless and part of a “systematic […]
22 hours ago
Associated Press

What to listen for during Supreme Court arguments on Donald Trump and presidential immunity

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court hears arguments Thursday over whether Donald Trump is immune from prosecution in a case charging him with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. It’s a historic day for the court, with the justices having an opportunity to decide once and for all whether former presidents […]
1 day ago
Associated Press

Arizona House advances a repeal of the state’s near-total abortion ban to the Senate

PHOENIX (AP) — A proposed repeal of Arizona’s near-total ban on abortions won approval from the state House Wednesday after two weeks of mounting pressure on Republicans over an issue that has bedeviled former President Donald Trump’s campaign to return to the White House. Three Republicans joined in with all 29 Democrats Wednesday to repeal […]
1 day ago
Associated Press

USPS commits to rerouting Reno-area mail despite bipartisan pushback and mail ballot concerns

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The USPS announced on Tuesday it will follow through with its plan to reroute Reno-area mail processing to Sacramento, a move that drew bipartisan ire from Nevada lawmakers while raising questions about the rate at which mail ballots can be processed in a populous part of a crucial swing state. Postmaster […]
1 day ago
Associated Press

NASA leaders discuss global challenges, solutions with Mexico president, lawmakers and students

MEXICO CITY (AP) — In a frequently tense relationship often defined by a shared border, the United States sent two officials with a different perspective to Mexico this week for a bit of space diplomacy. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pamela Melroy – both former astronauts –spent two hours chatting with President Andrés […]
1 day ago
Associated Press

Alabama lawmakers advance bill to ensure Biden is on the state’s ballot

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Senate voted Tuesday for legislation meant to ensure President Joe Biden will appear on the state’s November ballot, mirroring accommodations made four years ago for then-President Donald Trump. The issue of Biden’s ballot access has arisen in Alabama and Ohio as Republican secretaries of state warn that certification deadlines […]
1 day ago
Associated Press

Transgender Tennessee woman sues over state’s refusal to change the sex designation on her license

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A transgender Tennessee woman sued the state’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security on Tuesday after officials refused to change the sex on her driver’s license to match her gender identity. The lawsuit was filed in Davidson County Chancery Court in Nashville under the pseudonym Jane Doe by the American Civil […]
1 day ago
Associated Press

Ex-police officer pleads guilty to punching man in custody about 13 times

BOSTON (AP) — A former Weymouth, Massachusetts, police officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to assaulting a man in his custody nearly two years ago by punching him about a dozen times without justification. Justin Chappell, 43, pleaded guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, according to federal prosecutors. U.S. District Court […]
1 day ago
Associated Press

Someone fishing with a magnet dredged up new evidence in Georgia couple’s killing, officials say

McRAE-HELENA, Ga. (AP) — Someone using a magnet to fish for metal objects in a Georgia creek pulled up a rifle as well as some lost belongings of a couple found slain in the same area more than nine years ago. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says driver’s licenses, credit cards and other items dragged […]
1 day ago
Associated Press

Supreme Court to weigh whether doctors can provide emergency abortions in states with bans

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly two years after overturning the constitutional right to abortion, the Supreme Court will consider Wednesday how far state bans can extend to women in medical emergencies. The justices are weighing a case from Idaho, where a strict abortion ban went into effect shortly after the high court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe […]
1 day ago
Associated Press

Transgender Louisianans lost their ally in the governor’s seat. Now they’re girding for a fight

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — As transgender people in Louisiana watched surrounding states in the deeply conservative South implement a slew of laws targeting nearly every facet of their lives in recent years, they counted on their ally in the governor’s office to keep their home a relative oasis. Former Gov. John Bel Edwards, the […]
1 day ago
Associated Press

Pentagon set to send $1 billion in new military aid to Ukraine once bill clears Senate and Biden

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is poised to send $1 billion in new military aid to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Tuesday as the Senate moved ahead on long-awaited legislation to fund the weapons Kyiv desperately needs to stall gains being made by Russian forces in the war. The decision comes after months of frustration, as […]
1 day ago
Associated Press

US government agrees to $138.7M settlement over FBI’s botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department announced a $138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest. When […]
2 days ago
Associated Press

Remains believed to be missing woman, daughter found at West Virginia home on same day suspect died

BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) — Remains believed to be that of a woman and her daughter who have not been seen in nearly 24 years were found at a southern West Virginia home on the same day that the girl’s alleged killer died while imprisoned, state police said. Susan Carter and her daughter, Natasha “Alex” Carter, […]
2 days ago