AP National News

Associated Press SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon lawmakers have approved $218 million in emergency wildfire funding after convening for a special session. The state has seen a historic wildfire season in 2024. Blazes scorched a record 1.9 million acres, largely in rural eastern Oregon, and destroyed over 40 homes. According to Gov. Tina Kotek’s office,

Associated Press Fewer grandparents were living with and taking care of grandchildren, there was a decline in young children going to preschool and more people stayed put in their homes in the first part of the 2020s compared with the last part of the 2010s, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday, reflecting some

Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Hours of secretly recorded videos and phone calls have offered a rare glimpse into how the longest-serving legislative leader in American history operated behind closed doors. The corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan stretches into its third month and testimony has covered multiple alleged schemes. They range

AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes fell Thursday following some potentially discouraging data on the economy. The S&P 500 slipped 0.5% for its fourth loss in the last six days. It’s a pause for the index, which has been rallying toward one of its best years of the millennium. The Dow

Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A storm that swept up the East Coast that brought torrents of rain and high winds caused some misery for New England ski resort operators. But unseasonable cold returned Thursday to the Upper Midwest. Powerful winds Wednesday into Thursday caused power outages in Maine, and ski resort operators had

Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Isatta Bah wakes up from a nap in a crowded shelter on the outskirts of Beirut, clutching her baby, Blessing. The 24-year-old from Sierra Leone spends her days waiting for an exit visa that could put her and her 1-year-old on a plane back to the West African nation. She

Associated Press ROVANIEMI, Finland (AP) — Shuffling across icy ground on a cold December afternoon, lots of tourist groups poured into Santa Claus Village, a winter-themed amusement park perched on the edge of the Arctic Circle. They frolic in the snow, take a reindeer sleigh ride, sip a cocktail in an ice bar or even

Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian government says it will tax large digital platforms and search engines unless they agree to share revenue with Australian news media organizations. Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said Thursday the tax would apply from Jan. 1 to tech companies that earn more than

AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — The Biden administration has announced it is raising tariffs on solar wafers, polysilicon and some tungsten products from China to protect U.S. clean energy businesses. The notice from the U.S. Trade Representative’s office said tariffs on solar wafers and polysilicon will rise to 50% from 25% and 25% duties

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’s picking Kari Lake as director of Voice of America, installing a staunch loyalist who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor and a Senate seat to head the congressionally funded broadcaster that provides independent news reporting around the world. Lake, an immigration hard-liner, was a

Associated Press NASARAWA, Nigeria (AP) — Dressed in a faded pink dress, 6-year-old Juliet Samaniya squats under scorching skies to chip at a jagged white rock with a stone tool. Dust coats her tiny hands and her hair as she works hour after hour for less than a dollar a day. The landscape around her

Associated Press NASARAWA, Nigeria (AP) — Growing demand for the lithium used in batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage has created a new frontier for mining in Nigeria. But it’s led to exploitation of children who are often poor and take work in small, illegal mines to support themselves and their families. The Associated

Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Papua New Guinea will gain its own team in Australia’s rugby league in a soft diplomacy deal linked to limiting Chinese influence in the South Pacific. The Australian government will spend $380 million over a decade to add a team from its nearest neighbor to the National Rugby League

NEW YORK (AP) — Woody Allen’s former personal chef has filed a lawsuit against the filmmaker and his wife Soon-Yi Previn. In it, the chef, Hermie Fajardo, claims the couple fired him because he took time off to train with the U.S. Army Reserves and raised questions about his pay. Representatives for Allen did not

AP Sports Writers Bill Belichick had seemingly been waiting for the right opportunity to return to an NFL sideline. Instead, the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach is headed to the college ranks to take over at North Carolina. The school announced it had reached a five-year deal with Belichick on Wednesday night, roughly a week

Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Two men have been freed after their convictions were overturned in a 2009 double homicide whose investigation was overseen by a discredited Kansas City, Kansas, police detective. Forty-year-old Dominique Moore said he was “thankful and blessed” after his release Wednesday from a state prison. Cheers greeted 34-year-old Cedric

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol defended his martial law decree as an act of governance and denied rebellion charges, vowing Thursday to “fight to the end” in response to attempts to impeach him and intensifying investigations into last week’s dramatic move. The main opposition Democratic Party quickly

AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Embattled Japanese automaker Nissan has tapped Jeremie Papin as its chief financial officer in a major management reshuffle billed as key to a turnaround. The move, announced in the United States Thursday, means Papin, chairman of Nissan’s Americas Management Committee, replaces Stephen Ma, who will oversee Nissan Motor Corp.’s

SYDNEY (AP) — A team from rugby league hotspot Papua New Guinea will enter the National Rugby League from 2028 after officially being granted a license. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Papua New Guinean counterpart James Marape met in Sydney on Thursday to shake hands over the deal, the culmination of two years

WASHINGTON (AP) — A person accused of accosting U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace in a Capitol Office building pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to a misdemeanor assault charge. Witnesses told police that James McIntyre, 33, of Chicago, shook Mace’s hand in an “exaggerated, aggressive” manner after approaching the South Carolina Republican in the Rayburn House Office