Month: May 2024

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A federal judge is rejecting a lawsuit by a former Democratic congressman running for Georgia state Supreme Court who claims a state agency is unconstitutionally trying to block him from talking about abortion. U.S. District Judge Michael Brown ruled Thursday that John Barrow doesn’t have standing to

By MICHAEL PHILLIS Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency distributed about $3 billion to states last year to replace harmful lead pipes based on unverified data, according to an agency inspector general’s memo, likely meaning some states got too much money and others got too little. Investigators found two states had

By COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press DENVER (AP) — A man was convicted Thursday of killing four people at his ex-girlfriend’s home in suburban Denver in 2022 a week after she was granted a court order to keep him away from her. Joseph Mario Castorena, 22, was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder after deliberation

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Pentagon officials are cautiously optimistic that an overall decline in reported sexual assaults among active-duty service members and the military academies suggests that leaders are finally getting a handle on what has been a persistent problem. But they say there is more work to be done,

By ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The Arkansas Supreme Court has upheld four voting restrictions passed by Republican lawmakers in 2021 that were struck down by a state judge as unconstitutional. Justices on Thursday unanimously reversed and remanded the decision against the four laws. The court had earlier stayed the judge’s

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer A key Boeing supplier that makes the fuselages for its popular 737 Max airplanes is laying off about 450 workers. That’s because production has slowed down ever since a panel flew off one of those airplanes operated by Alaska Airlines in midair in January. A spokesman for Spirit AeroSystems

UNION CITY, Ga. (AP) — An Atlanta police officer who authorities say shot and killed a Lyft driver who was driving him home was arrested and charged with murder. Fulton County Jail records show 34-year-old Koby Minor was being held without bond after his arrest early Wednesday in Union City. Court records didn’t list an

By LEKAN OYEKANMI and VALERIE GONZALEZ Associated Press GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — Early estimates indicate up to 2,000 gallons of oil may have spilled into surrounding waters when a barge carrying fuel broke free from a tugboat and slammed into a bridge near Galveston, Texas, the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday. The barge crashed into

By REBECCA BOONE Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A judge is considering what effect a paperwork snafu should have on one of the three murder charges against Chad Daybell, an Idaho man accused of killing his wife and his new girlfriend’s two children. Seventh District Judge Steven Boyce alerted attorneys Thursday afternoon that the

By SUDHIN THANAWALA Associated Press Five Americans are facing prison sentences of up to 12 years in the Turks and Caicos Islands on charges they illegally carried ammunition while in the popular, upscale tourist destination about 600 miles southeast of Miami. Three of the arrests have prompted pleas for mercy from the governors of Oklahoma,

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peruvian lawmakers have begun yet another effort to remove President Dina Boluarte from office as authorities continue various investigations against her and her inner circle. The small legislative opposition on Thursday cited “moral incapacity” as the reason for the removal request they submitted to Parliament. Boluarte has already survived four attempts

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The sports streaming platform planned by ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery finally has a name. The joint venture will be called Venu Sports. The companies announced plans in February for the platform, which some consider to be the equivalent of Hulu for sports. Further details, including pricing and launch timing,

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer McDonald’s plans to introduce a $5 meal deal in the U.S. next month to counter slowing sales and customers’ frustration with high prices. The deal would let customers get a four-piece McNugget, small fries, a small drink and either a McDouble burger or a McChicken sandwich for $5 in

By SUSAN HAIGH Associated Press HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A former top official in Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s budget office has pleaded not guilty to extortion, bribery, conspiracy and false statement charges. Konstantinos Diamantis appeared in federal court in Hartford on Thursday. Federal authorities allege Diamantis demanded and received thousands of dollars in bribes from

By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has announced multiple arrests in a series of complex stolen identity theft cases that officials say are part of a wide-ranging scheme that generates enormous proceeds for the North Korean government, including for its weapons program. The conspiracy involves thousands of North Korean information

By REBECCA SANTANA and ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Thursday that a new fast-track docket in immigration courts will cut the time it takes decide asylum claims from years to months for some single adults. Migrants who settle in five cities — Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New

By JIM VERTUNO Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a full pardon Thursday for a former U.S. Army sergeant convicted of murder for fatally shooting an armed demonstrator in 2020 during nationwide protests against police violence and racial injustice. Abbott announced the pardon shortly after the Texas Board of Pardons

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopia lodged a complaint over statements by the U.S. ambassador after he said the release of political prisoners could help the country engage in a productive dialogue and that detaining critics won’t resolve the country’s issues. The Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement that Ambassador

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A major North Carolina political donor and his associate have been convicted a second time of attempting to bribe the state’s insurance commissioner to secure preferential regulatory treatment for his insurance business. Insurance magnate Greg Lindberg and former consultant John Gray were convicted Wednesday of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Bad Bunny’s sports representation firm sued the baseball players’ association Thursday, asking for a restraining order against the union that would allow it to keep working with the company’s clients — a roster it says now includes NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. Rimas Sports, under

By WILL GRAVES AP National Writer SPRING, Texas (AP) — Simone Biles is not “cured.” A cure implies finality. An ultimate and decisive victory. If the gymnastics superstar has learned anything in the three years since those strange, uncertain days in Tokyo when she put her mental health and personal safety ahead of her pursuit

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer CANNES, France (AP) — Francis Ford Coppola on Thursday premiered his self-financed opus “Megalopolis” at the Cannes Film Festival, unveiling a wildly ambitious passion project the 85-year-old director has been pondering for decades. Reactions ranged from “a folly of gargantuan proportions” to “the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.” But

By ED WHITE Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit man who dropped a teenager’s body into a dumpster has been convicted of second-degree murder. The case gripped the region in 2022 when police spent months combing a landfill for Zion Foster’s remains. Her body was never found during that summer search through tons of

By YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Authorities in Belarus have announced raids and the seizure of property of 104 opposition activists who have fled the country. The action announced on Thursday was the latest step in the crackdown on dissent that has continued unabated for nearly four years. Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander

FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta (AP) — A wildfire that has forced thousands of people out of their homes in Canada’s oil sands hub city of Fort McMurray, Alberta is being held in place as rain and cooler temperatures sweep through the area. Alberta Wildfire information officer Christie Tucker says the blaze remained out of control —

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The government of South Sudan and rebel opposition groups have signed a “commitment declaration” for peace during high-level mediation talks in Kenya, described as key step in efforts to end the conflict in South Sudan that has long crippled its economy. The content of the agreement