Month: January 2024

By CHRISTINE FERNANDO Associated Press The U.S. Election Assistance Commission is searching for its fourth leader since 2019, just as voting begins in this year’s presidential election. The agency helps develop standards for voting equipment and provides state and local election officials with a wide range of assistance. It also adopts voluntary voting system guidelines,

By JOHN HANNA AP Political Writer TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The top judicial official in Kansas says the state’s courts need at least $2.6 million in additional funds to recover from an October cyberattack that prevented the electronic filing of documents and blocked online access to records for weeks. State Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer Apple is prepared to remove the blood-oxygen sensor from its internet-connected watches if a court doesn’t give it more leeway while it pursues a bid to overturn a ruling that has blocked its use of the technology. A potential redesign of two Apple Watch models, the Series 9 and

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — For one night at least, San Francisco 49ers All-Pro fullback Kyle Juszczyk was not the biggest star in his family. All it took was pop superstar-turned-Chiefs fan Taylor Swift wearing a puffy winter coat designed by Juszczyk’s wife, Kristin, that looked like the

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Pacific Northwest is bracing for more hazardous winter weather after a weekend storm that resulted in at least seven deaths. Tens of thousands of people remained without power on Tuesday as a vast area including parts of southwest Washington and western Oregon were under an

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Attorneys for the first inmate slated to be put to death with nitrogen gas have asked a federal appeals court to block the upcoming execution in Alabama. Kenneth Eugene Smith’s attorneys asked the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to block his execution scheduled for Jan. 25. The appellate court will

By DAVID BAUDER and LEA SKENE Associated Press Writers The return of a struggling newspaper from an investment firm to a local owner would normally be cause for celebration in the troubled news industry. But The Baltimore Sun’s newly announced owner has a very specific political background, and some are concerned about what the 187-year-old

By ALI SWENSON Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — ChatGPT maker OpenAI has outlined a plan to prevent its artificial intelligence tools from being used to spread election misinformation in 2024. The San Francisco-based startup says it will not allow people to use its technology for political campaigning or lobbying. Users also can’t misrepresent the

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer Much of the United States is shivering through brutal cold as most of the rest of the world is feeling unusually warm weather. However strange it sounds, that contradiction fits snugly in explanations of what climate change is doing to Earth, scientists said. In a map of global temperatures

By THOMAS ADAMSON AP Fashion Writer PARIS (AP) — It was Wild West meets melting pot America at the Louis Vuitton Fall-Winter 2024 men’s show Tuesday, where musician-turned-designer Pharrell Williams unveiled his highly-anticipated sophomore collection. The show, set against the dramatic silhouette of the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, masterfully channeled Americana, with Native American

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — St. John’s coach Rick Pitino is recovering from COVID-19 and will miss his team’s game against Seton Hall on Tuesday night. The school announced his absence about three hours before tipoff. Associate coach Steve Masiello will serve as the Red Storm’s acting coach against the Pirates and will handle media responsibilities.

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The prospect of a JetBlue-Spirit Airlines merger took a major hit in court on Tuesday when a federal judge sided with the Biden administration and blocked the $3.8 billion deal. The judge ruled that JetBlue’s purchase of Spirit, the nation’s largest low-cost airline, would harm

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Emmy Awards reached a record low in ratings. The Monday night show hosted by Anthony Anderson and aired on Fox reached just 4.3 million people, according to the Nielsen company. That’s down from the previous record low of 5.9 million in 2022, the last

By COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press DENVER (AP) — The shooter who killed five people and endangered the lives of over 40 others at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs plans to plead guilty to new federal charges for hate crimes and firearm violations under an agreement that would allow the defendant to avoid the death

By THOMAS BEAUMONT Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ candidacy rolled into Iowa last spring as if it had been designed by a committee of drooling Republican officials in a GOP-leaning state. A Navy veteran, DeSantis had been whisked into a second term and had a fresh set of conservative

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — There is both good news and bad news for Atlantic City’s casinos and racetracks that took sports bets in 2023. Figures released Tuesday show they won nearly $5.8 billion from gamblers, setting a new record. But the bad news is that only three of the

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Supporters of former rebel leader Guy Philippe have launched protests that paralyzed some cities across Haiti as they demand the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Local media are reporting that demonstrators forced the closures of schools, government agencies and private businesses on Monday in places including the southern cities of

By SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON Associated Press/Report For America COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Several transgender candidates vying for state office in Ohio are facing challenges and outright disqualification for omitting their former names from petition paperwork. That’s because of a little-known state elections law that mandates candidates disclose name changes. But the law isn’t mentioned in the