Month: May 2024

By MARC LEVY Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania election officials say the rate of mail-in ballots rejected for technicalities saw a significant drop in last month’s primary election. That is after state officials tried anew to help voters avoid mistakes that might get their ballots thrown out. Pennsylvania’s top election official, Secretary of

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Lithuania has defended the decision not to allow Russian and Belarusian observers to monitor its upcoming presidential election, accusing both countries of spearheading campaigns that “pose a threat to our national security.” The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe — which includes Lithuania, Russia and Belarus — usually sends multinational

MAYSOON KHAN Associated Press/Report for America ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York City’s watchdog agency says it has launched a probe into allegations that the New York City Police Department has improperly used its official social media accounts to target public officials and private citizens. The city’s Department of Investigation confirmed the probe in a

By ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Prosecutors say a former Memphis police officer has been charged with federal civil rights violations in the fatal shooting of a man while the officer was on duty. The U.S. attorney’s office in Memphis said Wednesday that 32-year-old Patric J. Ferguson also was indicted by a

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s attorney general announced charges Wednesday against a former township clerk and a lawyer who had supported attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, alleging they accessed voting systems without authorization in a search of fraud. Former Adams Township Clerk Stephanie Scott, a

By WAFAA SHURAFA, SARAH EL DEEB and LEE KEATH Associated Press RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Tens of thousands of displaced and exhausted Palestinians have packed up their tents and other belongings from Rafah, dragging families on a new exodus. The main hospital has shut down, leaving little care for people suffering from malnutrition, illnesses

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer Nikola Jokic did it all again. And the MVP trophy is his again. Jokic, the Denver Nuggets star from Serbia, was announced Wednesday night as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player — his third time winning the award in the past four seasons, a feat that just six other players

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Homeless people who camp on public property in Portland, Oregon, and reject offers of shelter could be fined up to $100 or sentenced to up to seven days in jail under new rules approved unanimously by the City Council. The ordinance took effect immediately Wednesday. When shelter is not available, the

By DAVID FISCHER Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Deputies responding to a disturbance call at a Florida apartment complex burst into the wrong unit and fatally shot a Black U.S. Air Force airman who was home alone when they saw he was armed with a gun, an attorney for the man’s family said Wednesday. Senior

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will sign legislation to criminalize the misuse of a powerful animal tranquilizer called xylazine that is showing up in supplies of illicit drugs and contributing to a growing number of human overdose deaths. Shapiro received the bill Wednesday after it received approval from the state House of

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A New York real estate developer was charged with felony assault after police said he hit a woman with his car during a pro-Palestinian demonstration led by students connected to the Columbia University protest movement. Reuven Kahane, 57, was arrested Tuesday morning after driving his car

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s top prosecutor announced charges Wednesday against three men who are accused of using Meta’s social media platforms to target and solicit sex with underage children. The arrests are the result of a monthslong undercover operation in which the suspects connected with decoy accounts

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis police have announced they’ve opened an investigation into an “NBA player and citizen” altercation that happened at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on the night Bucks guard Patrick Beverley threw a ball at a fan in the final minutes of a season-ending loss to the Pacers. Police said in a news release Wednesday the

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Former California Congressman Pete McCloskey, who ran as a Republican challenging President Richard Nixon in 1972, has died. A spokesperson for the family says McCloskey died at home Wednesday. McCloskey was a pro-environment, anti-war lawmaker who co-authored the federal Endangered Species Act and co-founded Earth Day. He frequently butted heads with

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61. Brian Fox, an engineer at Albini’s studio, Electrical Audio Recording, said Wednesday that Albini died after a heart attack

By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Hardline Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tried and failed in sudden action Wednesday to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, her long-shot effort swiftly and resoundingly rejected by Democrats and Republicans tired of the political chaos. One of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters in Congress, Greene stood

By JOHN O’CONNOR AP Political Writer SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Democrats have changed the way candidates for the General Assembly get on the ballot. Republicans are complaining that they unfairly changed the rules mid-game. The change came last week with the introduction of the plan. It was approved by the House and Senate and

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York-area doctor has been convicted in the yearslong sexual abuse of multiple patients. Darius A. Paduch of North Bergen, New Jersey, was convicted by a jury on Wednesday in Manhattan federal court. Prosecutors say his victims included two males initially attacked before becoming adults. Jurors were shown evidence that

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Beyond Meat is reporting higher-than-expected revenue in the first quarter despite lower demand for its plant-based meats in the U.S. and abroad. The El Segundo, California-based company said Wedneday that its revenue fell 18% to $75.6 million in the January-March period. That was slightly higher than the $75.2 million

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Attorney General Dave Yost has advised Ohio’s public universities that a law written to deter Ku Klux Klan demonstrations could be used to impose felony charges on students who wear face coverings during pro-Palestinian protests. In a letter Monday, Yost told presidents at Ohio’s

By SEUNG MIN KIM and STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration plans to propose a new rule Thursday aimed at speeding up the asylum claims process for some migrants — a potential prelude to broader actions from President Joe Biden later this year that would impose a bigger crackdown at the

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER and STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case in which prosecutors allege he stole nearly $17 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts,

By KIM CHANDLER Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama has scheduled a second execution to be carried out with nitrogen gas. Gov. Kay Ivey set a Sept. 26 execution date for Alan Eugene Miller. Miller was convicted of killing three men during a 1999 workplace shooting. The attorney general’s office says the execution will