Top General News

2 jurors dismissed from Trump hush money trial as prosecutors seek to hold ex-president in contempt

Apr. 18, 2024 12:32 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Two jurors in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial were dismissed Thursday, one after expressing doubt about her ability to be fair and impartial and the other over concerns that some of his answers in court may not have been accurate. The dismissals...

The Latest | A second seated juror dismissed by judge from Trump's hush money trial

Apr. 18, 2024 12:34 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Jury selection in Donald Trump ’s hush money case encountered new setbacks Thursday as two previously sworn-in jurors were excused — one for backtracking on whether she could be impartial and fair and the other over concerns that he may not have been truthful about whether he...

Biden scores endorsements from Kennedy family, looking to shore up support against Trump and RFK Jr.

Apr. 18, 2024 12:19 PM EDT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kerry Kennedy, a...

US and UK issue new sanctions on Iran in response to Tehran's weekend attack on Israel

Apr. 18, 2024 12:15 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and U.K. on Thursday imposed a new round of sanctions on Iran as concern grows that Tehran’s unprecedented attack on Israel could fuel a wider war in the Middle East. The sanctions were meant to hold Iran accountable for its weekend attack and to deter...

Israelis grapple with how to celebrate Passover, a holiday about freedom, while many remain captive

Apr. 18, 2024 07:02 AM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Every year, Alon Gat’s mother led the family's Passover celebration of the liberation of the ancient Israelites from Egypt thousands of years ago. But this year, Gat is struggling with how to reconcile a holiday commemorating freedom after his mother was slain and other family...

Once a fringe Indian ideology, Hindu nationalism is now mainstream, thanks to Modi's decade in power

Apr. 18, 2024 00:24 AM EDT

AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — Hindu nationalism, once a fringe ideology in India, is now mainstream. Nobody has done more to advance this cause than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, one of India’s most beloved and polarizing political leaders. And no entity has had more influence on his...

Climate change concerns grow, but few think Biden's climate law will help, AP-NORC poll finds

Apr. 18, 2024 08:16 AM EDT

Like many Americans, Ron Theusch is getting more worried about climate change. A resident of Alden, Minnesota, Theusch has noticed increasingly dry and mild winters punctuated by short periods of severe cold — symptoms of a warming planet. As he thinks about that,...

Once praised, settlement to help sickened BP oil spill workers leaves most with nearly nothing

Apr. 18, 2024 09:48 AM EDT

When a deadly explosion destroyed BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, 134 million gallons of crude erupted into the sea over the next three months — and tens of thousands of ordinary people were hired to help clean up environmental devastation from the biggest offshore...

United Arab Emirates struggles to recover after heaviest recorded rainfall ever hits desert nation

Apr. 18, 2024 12:02 PM EDT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates tried to wring itself out Thursday after the heaviest recorded rainfall ever to hit the desert nation, with its main airport allowing more flights even as floodwater still covered portions of major highways and communities. ...

Allman Brothers Band co-founder and legendary guitarist Dickey Betts dies at 80

Apr. 18, 2024 12:33 PM EDT

Guitar legend Dickey Betts, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest hit, “Ramblin’ Man,” has died. He was 80. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer died at his home in Osprey, Florida, David Spero, Betts’ manager of 20 years, confirmed. Betts had been...

Latest General News

Meta's newest AI model beats some peers. But its amped-up AI agents are confusing Facebook users

Apr. 18, 2024 12:38 PM EDT

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Generative AI is advancing so quickly that the latest chatbots available today could be out of date tomorrow. Google, Meta Platforms and OpenAI, along with startups such as Anthropic, Cohere and France’s Mistral, have been churning out new AI language...

Fire in truck carrying lithium ion batteries leads to 3-hour evacuation in Columbus, Ohio

Apr. 18, 2024 12:37 PM EDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Authorities evacuated an area of Ohio's capital, Columbus, for several hours on Thursday out of fear that a fire in truck's trailer could have caused lithium ion batteries to explode. Police began evacuating a several-block area west of downtown shortly after...

250,000 Afghan children need education, food and homes after returning from Pakistan, says NGO

Apr. 18, 2024 12:35 PM EDT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A quarter of a million Afghan children need education, food and homes after being forcibly returned from Pakistan, a nongovernmental organization said Thursday. Pakistan is cracking down on foreigners it alleges are in the country illegally, including 1.7 million...

The Latest | A second seated juror dismissed by judge from Trump's hush money trial

Apr. 18, 2024 12:34 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Jury selection in Donald Trump ’s hush money case encountered new setbacks Thursday as two previously sworn-in jurors were excused — one for backtracking on whether she could be impartial and fair and the other over concerns that he may not have been truthful about whether he...

Zimbabwe frees prisoners, including those sentenced to death, in an independence day amnesty

Apr. 18, 2024 12:34 PM EDT

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa granted clemency to more than 4,000 prisoners, including some who were on death row, in an independence day amnesty on Thursday. Zimbabwe marked 44 years of independence from white minority rule, which ended in 1980...

The Latest | Officials at Group of Seven meeting call for new sanctions against Iran

Apr. 18, 2024 12:34 PM EDT

Israel has vowed to respond to Iran’s unprecedented weekend attack, leaving the region bracing for further escalation after months of fighting in Gaza. Israel’s allies have been urging Israel to hold back on any response to the attack that could spiral. Officials at a Group of...

2 jurors dismissed from Trump hush money trial as prosecutors seek to hold ex-president in contempt

Apr. 18, 2024 12:32 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Two jurors in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial were dismissed Thursday, one after expressing doubt about her ability to be fair and impartial and the other over concerns that some of his answers in court may not have been accurate. The dismissals...

Second juror is dismissed in Trump's hush money case after prosecutors raise concerns about the accuracy of his answers

Apr. 18, 2024 12:29 PM EDT
NEW YORK (AP) — Second juror is dismissed in Trump's hush money case after prosecutors raise concerns about the accuracy of his answers.

Closing arguments set in trial of an Arizona rancher charged in fatal shooting of unarmed migrant

Apr. 18, 2024 12:20 PM EDT

NOGALES, Ariz. (AP) — Closing arguments are expected Thursday in the trial of an Arizona rancher charged with fatally shooting an unarmed migrant on his property near the U.S.-Mexico border last year. George Alan Kelly, 75, was charged with second-degree murder in the January 30,...

Biden scores endorsements from Kennedy family, looking to shore up support against Trump and RFK Jr.

Apr. 18, 2024 12:19 PM EDT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kerry Kennedy, a...