Month: May 2024

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Mississippi man accused of destroying a statue of a pagan idol at Iowa’s state Capitol last December has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in return for prosecutors dropping a felony hate crime count. Former congressional and legislative candidate Michael Cassidy was set for trial June 3. But the

By LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A state appeals court termination letter involving a former top official of the now-defunct agency that ran West Virginia’s foster care and substance use support services is public information. The judges sided with a television station that was denied the information. West Virginia Intermediate Court of

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated Press A Kansas women’s health clinic that has often served as an epicenter of conflict over abortion rights has temporarily stopped offering the procedure. The recently elected president of Trust Women’s board of directors told The Associated Press on Friday that the decision was not made because of anything “nefarious.” The

By TERRY SPENCER Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say Sean Kingston and his mother committed more than a million dollars in fraud in recent months, stealing money, jewelry, a Cadillac Escalade and furniture. Arrest warrants released Friday say the 34-year-old Kingston and his 61-year-old mother, Janice Turner, have been charged in Fort

By KIM CHANDLER Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The United Auto Workers on Friday accused Mercedes of interfering in last week’s union election at two Alabama factories. The union filed an objection to the result with the National Labor Relations Board. The union accused the company of intimidating and coercing workers into voting against

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Caleb Carr, the scarred and gifted son of founding Beat Lucien Carr who endured a traumatizing childhood and became a bestselling novelist, accomplished military historian and late-life memoirist of his devoted cat, Masha, has died at 68. Carr died of cancer Thursday, according to an

By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Democratic senators are requesting a meeting with Chief Justice John Roberts after reports that two separate flags carried by rioters at the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol had flown outside of houses owned by Justice Samuel Alito. Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin and

By DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press Nineteen Republican state attorneys general have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to get involved in a dispute over climate-change lawsuits. The Republican attorneys general want the high court to block lawsuits filed by five Democratic-led states seeking damages from oil companies for their role in contributing to climate change.

By TARA COPP Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin underwent a medical procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Friday evening and has resumed duty after temporarily transferring power to his deputy, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement. Austin is continuing to deal with bladder issues

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Voting rights advocates have asked a federal judge to strike down restrictions contained in Ohio’s sweeping 2023 election law that they say restrict a host of trusted individuals from helping voters with disabilities cast absentee ballots. The motion for summary judgment filed Friday came in

PARIS (AP) — The cross at the apse of Notre-Dame de Paris, which survived the devastating 2019 fire, has been reinstalled atop the cathedral’s framework after a meticulous restoration by artistic ironworkers from Normandy. The imposing cross, spanning 12 meters and weighing 1.5 tons, is the only element of the choir roof that resisted the

PARIS (AP) — A Paris court has sentenced three high-ranking Syrian officials in absentia to life in prison for complicity in war crimes in a landmark case against the regime of Syria’s President Bashar Assad and the first such case on European soil. The trial focused on the officials’ role in the alleged 2013 arrest

By TARA COPP and DIDI TANG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun at a major defense conference in Singapore next week. The announcement came shortly before Austin underwent a medical procedure on Friday evening and temporarily transferred power to his deputy.

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands (AP) — An American arrested in the Caribbean for illegally carrying ammunition is returning to the United States after receiving a suspended sentence of one year and a fine of several thousand dollars. A Turks and Caicos Islands government spokesman said Friday that Bryan Hagerich was free to leave the

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — R&B superstar Usher joins the night concert lineup for this summer’s 30th anniversary of the Essence Festival of Culture. Organizers late Thursday announced that Usher will perform during the festival. This year it runs July 4-7 at various venues in New Orleans. The festival is marking three decades. Usher is also

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An 18-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly taking part in a violent attack on a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, last month. UCLA police say the man was detained in Beverly Hills on Thursday morning and was booked at the UCLA Police Department for felony assault

By STEVE LeBLANC Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has recommended another three individuals for pardons, putting her on track to push for more individual pardons in her first year and a half as governor than her two immediate predecessors recommended in their eight years in office. It also follows approval earlier

The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has, as expected, announced an additional $275 million in military aid for Ukraine as Kyiv struggles to hold off advances by Russian troops in the Kharkiv region. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the announcement on Friday saying the package “is part of our efforts to

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Warnings were issued well before a campaign event about winds that caused a deadly Mexico stage collapse this week, but they went unheeded. That raised questions Friday about why organizers didn’t cancel the outdoor rally, where 9 people died and 192 were injured. It also raised questions about whether increasingly extreme

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — A former CIA officer and contract linguist for the FBI accused of spying for China for at least a decade has pleaded guilty in a federal courtroom in Honolulu. As part of an agreement with prosecutors, Alexander Yuk Ching Ma has pleaded guilty to a count

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Caleb Carr, the scarred and gifted son of Beat poet Lucien Carr who endured a traumatizing childhood and became a bestselling novelist, accomplished military historian and late-life memoirist of his devoted cat, Masha, has died at 68. Carr died of cancer Thursday, according to an

By JASON DEAREN Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday sentenced a North Carolina man to 25 years in prison for teaching someone how to make bombs meant to kill federal law enforcement officers. A jury found Christopher Arthur, 40, guilty in 2023 for the bomb-related charges, as well as for

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities say nearly 140 migrants have reached Greek shores over the past 24 hours. One man drowned off the southern island of Crete while making the dangerous crossing from North Africa. Greece, along with Spain and Italy, remains a key entry point for people from the Middle East or Africa

By JAMEY KEATEN and MARIA CHENG Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — A global treaty to fight pandemics like COVID is going to have to wait: After more than two years of negotiations, rich and poor countries have failed to come up with a plan for how the world might respond to the next pandemic. After

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A prosecutor told jurors at a fraud trial’s start that a self-exiled wealthy Chinese businessman became an internet sensation and conned thousands of people worldwide out of $1 billion. But defense lawyer Sabrina Shroff told the Manhattan federal court jury Friday that Guo Wengui was not

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A battle is under way for the future of Ohio’s $94 billion teacher pension fund. The State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio is facing intense scrutiny, including state investigations and a lawsuit. Would-be reformers are attempting to deliver long-promised benefits to retirees, but the governor