Top General News
Final jurors seated for Trump's hush money case, with opening statements set for Monday
NEW YORK (AP) — The final jurors were seated Friday in Donald Trump’s hush money trial, and an appellate judge rejected the former president’s latest bid to halt the case as a hectic day in court set the stage for opening statements to begin Monday. The panel of New Yorkers who...
The Latest | Opening statements in Trump hush money trial set for Monday after latest appeal fails
NEW YORK (AP) — Opening statements in Donald Trump's hush money case are set to begin next week after a jury of 12 people and six alternates was seated Friday. The seating of the jury sets the stage for weeks of testimony in a case charging Trump with falsifying business records to suppress...
Israel, Iran play down apparent Israeli strike. The muted responses could calm tensions -- for now
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel and Iran on Friday both played down an apparent Israeli airstrike near a major air base and nuclear site in central Iran, signaling the two bitter enemies are ready to prevent their latest eruption of violence from escalating into a full-blown regional war. ...
Ukraine, Israel aid advances in rare House vote as Democrats help Republicans push it forward
WASHINGTON (AP) — With rare bipartisan momentum, the House pushed ahead Friday on a foreign aid package of $95 billion for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and humanitarian support as a robust coalition of lawmakers helped it clear a procedural hurdle to reach final votes this weekend. Friday’s vote...
Biden administration restricts oil and gas leasing in 13 million acres of Alaska's petroleum reserve
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Biden administration said Friday it will restrict new oil and gas leasing on 13 million acres (5.3 million hectares) of a federal petroleum reserve in Alaska to help protect wildlife such as caribou and polar bears as the Arctic continues to warm. The...
Emergency rooms refused to treat pregnant women, leaving one to miscarry in a lobby restroom
WASHINGTON (AP) — One woman miscarried in the lobby restroom of a Texas emergency room as front desk staff refused to check her in. Another woman learned that her fetus had no heartbeat at a Florida hospital, the day after a security guard turned her away from the facility. And in North Carolina,...
BNSF Railway says it didn't know about asbestos that's killed hundreds in Montana town
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — BNSF Railway attorneys told a Montana jury Friday that the railroad should not be held liable for the lung cancer deaths of two former residents of an asbestos-contaminated Montana town, one of the deadliest sites in the federal Superfund pollution program. ...
Chicago's response to migrant influx stirs longstanding frustrations among Black residents
CHICAGO (AP) — The closure of Wadsworth Elementary School in 2013 was a blow to residents of the majority-Black neighborhood it served, symbolizing a city indifferent to their interests. So when the city reopened Wadsworth last year to shelter hundreds of migrants without seeking...
Not a toddler, not a parent, but still love 'Bluey'? You're not alone
PHOENIX (AP) — A small blue dog with an Australian accent has captured the hearts of people across the world. She's the title character of “Bluey,” a kids' program consisting of seven-minute episodes that have enraptured children and adults alike. This week's release of its...
The NBA playoffs are finally here. And as LeBron James says, 'it's a sprint now'
There’s a 64-win team in Boston that ran away with the league’s best record. The defending champions in Denver, a group that won 57 games. A fearless young bunch in Oklahoma City, whose No. 1 seed was no fluke. A trio of Villanova alums in New York, who turned the Knicks into a real contender....
Latest General News
Sudan's horrific war is being fueled by weapons from foreign supporters of rival generals, UN says
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The year-old war in Sudan between rival generals vying for power has sparked “a crisis of epic proportions” fueled by weapons from foreign supporters who continue to flout U.N. sanctions aimed at helping end the conflict, the U.N. political chief said Friday. ...
A Nigerian chess champion plays the royal game for 58 hours — a new global chess record
NEW YORK (AP) — A Nigerian chess champion and child education advocate has played chess nonstop for 58 hours in New York City’s Times Square to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon. Tunde Onakoya, 29, hopes to raise $1 million for children's education...
Oklahoma City bombing still 'heavy in our hearts' on 29th anniversary, federal official says
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Federal officials are resolved never to allow a terrorist attack like the Oklahoma City bombing happen again, Deputy Homeland Security Adviser Caitlin Durkovich told survivors and loved ones of the 168 people killed in the April 19, 1995, bombing Friday. ...
USC cancels graduation keynote by filmmaker amid controversy over decision to drop student's speech
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The University of Southern California further shook up its commencement plans Friday, announcing the cancelation of a keynote speech by filmmaker Jon M. Chu just days after making the controversial choice to disallow the student valedictorian from speaking. The...
Mexican families searching for missing relatives unite to draw attention to their plight
TEPOTZOTLAN, Mexico (AP) — Dozens of women and men searched a garbage dump outside Mexico’s capital Friday looking for signs of missing loved ones, working without the protection of authorities as part of a nationwide effort to raise the profile of those who risk their lives to find others. ...
Tennessee Volkswagen workers vote on union membership in test of UAW's plan to expand its ranks
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Ballots were being counted Friday night at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the United Auto Workers union was optimistic it would win a vote to decide whether it will represent the factory’s 4,300 production workers. Union observers...
Federal officials investigating cockpit visit by Rockies coach during United flight
DENVER (AP) — Federal transportation officials are investigating an unauthorized inflight cockpit visit by a coach for the Colorado Rockies during a United Airlines charter flight last week from Denver to Toronto. Video surfaced this week that appears to show Rockies hitting coach...
More than 2,100 people are evacuated as an Indonesian volcano spews clouds of ash
MANADO, Indonesia (AP) — More than 2,100 people living near an erupting volcano on Indonesia's Sulawesi Island were evacuated Friday due to the dangers of spreading ash, falling rocks, hot volcanic clouds and the possibility of a tsunami. Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and...
The NBA playoffs are finally here. And as LeBron James says, 'it's a sprint now'
There’s a 64-win team in Boston that ran away with the league’s best record. The defending champions in Denver, a group that won 57 games. A fearless young bunch in Oklahoma City, whose No. 1 seed was no fluke. A trio of Villanova alums in New York, who turned the Knicks into a real contender....
Bitcoin's latest 'halving' has arrived. Here's what you need to know
NEW YORK (AP) — The “miners” who chisel bitcoins out of complex mathematics are taking a 50% pay cut — effectively reducing new production of the world’s largest cryptocurrency, again. Bitcoin's latest “halving" occurred Friday night. Soon after the highly anticipated...
