Month: February 2024

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — When writer-director Laura Chinn was a teenager in 2005, her mother moved her and her terminally ill brother to Florida. The idea was for him to spend his last days in hospice in peace. Instead, the place was mobbed by protesters and media because,

By BERT WILKINSON Associated Press GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — ExxonMobil says it plans to explore for oil and gas in a disputed area off South America’s coast where the Venezuelan military had previously expelled two U.S. oil companies. The move could escalate tensions between Venezuela and neighboring Guyana, which awarded the exploration license. The area

LONDON (AP) — London’s famous criminal courthouse was evacuated after an electrical fire that sparked a loud bang in a nearby substation. The fire Wednesday knocked out power to the courtrooms in the Old Bailey and sent black smoke billowing into the streets. About 1,500 people were evacuated from the Central Criminal Court. Lawyers in

By SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s been 12 years since a pair of conservative writers compared a prominent climate scientist to a convicted child molester for his depiction of global warming. Now, a jury is about to decide whether the comments were defamatory. Closing arguments were expected Wednesday in a lawsuit brought

By JIM SALTER Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri prosecutor has filed a motion to vacate the conviction of a man imprisoned for more than 30 years for the shooting death of a 15-year-old boy. The motion filed Wednesday is the second in two weeks challenging a longstanding murder conviction in the St.

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Thousands have rallied in front of Slovakia’s Parliament to condemn a plan by the new government of the populist prime minister to eliminate the office of the special prosecutor dealing with major crime and corruption. A final vote is Thursday. A number of people linked to the prime minister’s party face

By STEPHEN GROVES and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans blocked a bipartisan border package Wednesday, scuttling months of negotiations with Democrats on legislation intended to cut back record numbers of illegal border crossings. Many Republicans said the election-year compromise wasn’t enough, even as supporters of the bill insisted it represented

NEW YORK (AP) — Henry Timms is quitting as president of Lincoln Center of the Performing Arts after five years. The 47-year-old announced his resignation as of the summer to become CEO of the advisory firm the Brunswick Group. He took over Lincoln Center in May 2019, becoming its sixth leader in 5½ years. Under

By KATHY McCORMACK Associated Press MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire man accused of killing his 5-year-old daughter told a judge that his attorneys plan to acknowledge his guilt on two lesser charges — falsifying physical evidence and abusing a corpse. Adam Montgomery spoke via teleconference with Judge Amy Messer on the first day

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — In his bid for U.S. Senate in Ohio, Trump-endorsed Republican Bernie Moreno casts himself as a “political outsider.” But Moreno served on two government boards at entities that boosted his blockchain company while he served. Moreno’s campaign says he was recruited to the voluntary positions

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer BALTIMORE (AP) — The new chief of the World Meteorological Organization says the rate of human-caused climate change is accelerating and that warming has triggered more Arctic cold outbreaks further south, weighing in on two issues that divide climate scientists. In her first sit-down interview since taking office last

By The Associated Press For some people with COVID-19, antiviral pills that can be taken at home can lessen the chances of winding up in the hospital. But the pills have to be taken right away, so you must get tested, obtain a prescription and get the medication within five days of symptoms appearing. The

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry flew more than 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) to see his father after King Charles III was diagnosed with cancer. But Harry did not see his estranged brother, William, during a visit that lasted scarcely 24 hours. The royal brothers remain emotionally and physically an ocean

By KENYA HUNTER AP Health Writer Tens of thousands of Americans are hospitalized with COVID-19 every week. Thousands die from it every month. And yet, an antiviral treatment proven to lessen the chances of severe outcomes is going underused. The drug, Paxlovid, is lauded by experts as a powerful tool that can prevent hospitalization and

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI, AAMER MADHANI and SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is sending senior aides to Michigan on Thursday to meet with Arab American and Muslim leaders. The visit comes as his administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war frustrates members of a key constituency in a 2024 battleground state.

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — As Puerto Rico struggles with chronic power outages and a decaying electric grid, federal officials believe the U.S. territory that is heavily dependent on fossil fuels can fully shift to clean energy by 2050, according to a new study that has been two years

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Las Vegas will be flooded with so many pre- Super Bowl events that Shaquille O’Neal lowered the prices to his popular carnival-themed “ Shaq’s Fun House. ” Instead of raising the rate, O’Neal decided to offer potential attendees more bang for their buck to

By ANDREW DAMPF AP Sports Writer ROME (AP) — Italian sprinter Marcell Jacobs still feels like he has something to prove as he prepares to defend gold in the 100 meters at this year’s Paris Olympics. That’s why he’s “changed everything” by moving from Italy to Florida to train with a new coach. Jacobs was

LOVELAND, Colo. (AP) — The locomotive of a cargo train derailed in northern Colorado early Wednesday, spilling hundreds of gallons of diesel, authorities said. The Great Western Railway locomotive did not tip over when it went off the rails at a switch in the tracks just before 1 a.m. but a fuel tank was punctured,

By JOSH FUNK Associated Press Federal investigators say they will determine the cause of last year’s fiery Norfolk Southern derailment in eastern Ohio at a hearing in East Palestine this June 25. The National Transportation Safety Board findings will come nearly 17 months after the Feb. 3, 2023, derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border that prompted

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Brittany Howard’s second solo album, the 12-track “What Now,” is a thrilling mix of songs that lean into jazz, R&B, soul, house and metal. There’s “Power to Undo” that seems to be a gleeful nod to Prince and “Every Color in Blue” that has a

By The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Carnegie Hall’s 2024-25 season will feature a festival celebrating Latin music titled “Nuestros Sonidos (Our Sounds).” Gustavo Dudamel opens the season and the festival on Oct. 8, leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic in three concerts that include a new work by Gabriela Ortiz narration by Spanish actress

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, NICK INGRAM and MARK VANCLEAVE Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An ignitable cake burns away a Kansas City Chiefs logo to reveal pop superstar Taylor Swift ‘s image underneath. Prayer candles feature the Grammy winner and her star tight end boyfriend Travis Kelce. Sweatshirts are emblazoned with “Kelce’s Best Catch”

By RUTH ALONGA and JEAN-YVES KAMALE Associated Press GOMA, Congo (AP) — Residents say one of eastern Congo’s most active rebel groups is attacking a community considered the last line of defense before the region’s largest city of Goma. The M23 rebels claim they have no intention to seize Goma again but warn that attacks

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — A judge has sentenced a former senior intelligence official in Canada’s national police force to 14 years in prison for breaching the country’s secrets law. Cameron Jay Ortis led the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Operations Research group, which assembles classified information on criminal networks. An Ontario Superior Court justice said Wednesday

By FARAI MUTSAKA Associated Press HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe’s Cabinet has agreed to back a move in Parliament to abolish the death penalty. The punishment was last used in the southern African nation nearly 20 years ago. Zimbabwe is one of more than a dozen countries in Africa and more than 50 across the

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronomers have found the best evidence yet of a vast, young ocean beneath the icy exterior of Saturn’s Death Star lookalike mini moon. The French-led team analyzed changes in Mimas’ orbit and rotation and reported Wednesday that a hidden ocean 12 to 18 miles

By GABE STERN and JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Even without Donald Trump on Nevada’s Republican ballot, Nikki Haley was denied her first victory. The indignity of a distant second-place finish behind “none of these candidates” was a fresh blow for Haley, facilitated by the staunch Trump allies who lead Nevada’s