AP National News

Associated Press Founded during the Black Freedom Movement of the 1960s, Kwanzaa is a non-religious holiday that is observed by millions of Americans. It has become a nationally recognized celebration of African culture and community in the United States that also is celebrated in countries with large African descendant populations. It serves as a nationwide

Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — They warned about him. Now they’ll have to work with him. A handful of prominent Democratic governors are quickly adjusting their approach to President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office, hoping to avoid antagonizing him to ensure they’ll have a working relationship with his new administration. They’re in a

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean investigators are pressing ahead with their probe into impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his Dec. 3 martial law declaration. On Friday, they issued another summons demanding that he appear for questioning on Christmas Day, despite his continued refusal to cooperate. The Corruption Investigation Office for

Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — One of the six members of Venezuela’s political opposition who have been sheltering for nine months in the Argentine diplomatic compound in the capital, Caracas, has abandoned the premises. Two people familiar with the situation at the facility confirmed to The Associated Press that Fernando Martinez left the ambassador’s

When Pope Francis left the Vatican earlier this month for his traditional Christmastime outing downtown, he acknowledged what many Romans have been complaining about for months: That his big plans for a Holy Year had turned their city into a giant construction pit, with traffic-clogging roadworks tearing up major thoroughfares, scaffolding covering prized monuments and

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas’ attorney general sought again on Thursday to stop a man on death row from testifying to lawmakers who have raised doubts about his guilt and successfully paused his execution at the last minute in October. Robert Roberson was convicted in 2003 of killing his 2-year-old daughter. His execution had been

AP Sports Writer BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Australian breaker Rachael “Raygun” Gunn has tried to be a good sport about the jokes and criticism that poured in from around the globe after her controversial performance at the Paris Olympics. But maybe “Raygun: the Musical” was a bridge too far. Comedian Stephanie Broadbridge called off the

Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia has announced it will pay for more police in Solomon Islands and create a police training center in the South Pacific island nation’s capital Honiara, where Chinese law enforcement instructors are already based under a bilateral security pact with Beijing. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday Australia

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Nine people have died in a massive fire in central Taiwan at a huge food-processing building that was under construction. Video posted on social media showed a wall of smoke and flames billowing out of one end of the five-story building in the city of Taichung. The cause of the fire

BERWYN, Ill. (AP) — Authorities say a 24-year-old man suspected of fatally shooting three people in central Illinois has been killed after firing shots at police in suburban Chicago. Police say officers in Berwyn were responding to a report of a man with a gun Wednesday night when he ran from them. The man forced

Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Activists have sued the federal government to release images of dead orca whales and other marine mammals entangled by commercial fishing boats off the U.S. West Coast. The complaints filed in Alaska and California on Thursday come after the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration failed to fulfill multiple Freedom

Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin 15-year-old who shot and killed a teacher and a fellow student Monday was only in her first semester at the school but seemed to be settling in, a school official said Thursday as families of the victims remembered them as people of faith who had deep connections

Associated Press JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s wish list for the incoming Trump administration includes oil and gas exploration in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and reversing restrictions on logging and road-building in a temperate rainforest that provides habitat for wolves, bears and salmon. Dunleavy has asked President-elect Donald Trump to

Associated Press/Report for America PHOENIX (AP) — A ruling by a Maricopa County judge has invalidated provisions of Arizona’s elections manual, including one that said the secretary of state must canvass election results even if a county has not certified its ballots. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney ruled this week that Arizona Secretary

Associated Press McALLEN, Texas (AP) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported more than 270,000 people to 192 countries over a recent 12-month period, the highest annual tally in a decade, according to a report released Thursday that illustrates some of the financial and operational challenges that President-elect Donald Trump will face to carry out

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota man yelled “Y’all don’t stop fighting” to his supporters after a judge decided not to free him from custody as he appeals his conviction in a gun and drug case. That case drew attention because it followed the commutation of his life sentence in a high-profile murder case. Myon Burrell

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — It’s that time of year when crowds of pagans, druids, hippies and tourists head to Stonehenge in Britain to celebrate the winter solstice, with the shortest day and the longest night in the Northern Hemisphere. Thousands are expected on Saturday at the megalithic circle on a plain in southern England

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two new baby lizards have hatched at the Los Angeles Zoo, the first of their species to be bred there, zoo officials said Thursday. Perentie lizards, or Varanus giganteus, are native to Australia and one of the world’s largest lizards, dwarfed only by the Komodo dragon and a few others. “It

Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — The premier of Canada’s oil-rich province of Alberta says Americans will pay a lot more for gas if President-elect Donald Trump imposes a 25% tariff on all Canadian products. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told The Associated Press in an interview on Thursday that American refineries won’t have much choice but

AP Sports Writer In the six years since the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for states to offer sports betting, each successive year has set a record for the amount of money wagered legally. Another new high-water mark of close to $130 billion is expected by the end of 2024. It coincides with what

Associated Press A Utah woman who police believe was shot and killed by her husband along with three of their children was a refugee who fled violence in Myanmar. The family of Bu Meh said Thursday that she had dreamed of her family living together in their own home in the United States. The relatives