Top General News
Iran fires air defense batteries in provinces as explosions heard near Isfahan
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran fired air defense batteries early Friday morning as explosions could be heard near a major air base near Isfahan, raising fears of a possible Israeli strike following Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country. It...
12 jurors have been picked for Donald Trump's hush money trial. Selection of alternates is ongoing
NEW YORK (AP) — A jury of 12 people was seated Thursday in former President Donald Trump’s history-making hush money trial, propelling the proceedings closer to opening statements and the start of weeks of dramatic testimony. The court quickly turned to selecting alternate...
Judge in Trump case orders media not to report where potential jurors work
NEW YORK (AP) — The judge in Donald Trump's hush money trial ordered the media on Thursday not to report on where potential jurors have worked and to be careful about revealing information about those who will sit in judgment of the former president. Judge Juan Merchan acted after...
India starts voting in the world's largest election as Modi seeks a third term as prime minister
NEW DELHI (AP) — Millions of Indians began voting Friday in a six-week election that's a referendum on Narendra Modi, the populist prime minister who has championed an assertive brand of Hindu nationalist politics and is seeking a rare third term as the country's leader. The voters...
House leaders toil to advance Ukraine and Israel aid. But threats to oust speaker grow
WASHINGTON (AP) — House congressional leaders were toiling Thursday on a delicate, bipartisan push toward weekend votes to approve a $95 billion package of foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as well as several other national security policies at a critical moment at home and abroad. ...
First major attempts to regulate AI face headwinds from all sides
DENVER (AP) — Artificial intelligence is helping decide which Americans get the job interview, the apartment, even medical care, but the first major proposals to reign in bias in AI decision making are facing headwinds from every direction. Lawmakers working on these bills, in...
US vetoes widely supported resolution backing full UN membership for Palestine
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States vetoed a widely backed U.N. resolution Thursday that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for Palestine, a goal the Palestinians have long sought and Israel has worked to prevent. The vote in the 15-member Security...
Legislation that could force a TikTok ban revived as part of House foreign aid package
WASHINGTON (AP) — Legislation that could ban TikTok in the U.S. if its China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake won a major boost late Wednesday when House Republican leaders included it in a package of bills that would send aid to Ukraine and Israel. The bill could be law as soon as next week...
Police arrest dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia, including congresswoman's daughter
NEW YORK (AP) — New York police removed a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at Columbia University on Thursday and arrested more than 100 demonstrators, including the daughter of a prominent Minnesota congresswoman. Several students involved in the protest said they also were...
Allman Brothers Band co-founder and legendary guitarist Dickey Betts dies at 80
Dickey Betts, who died Thursday at age 80, really was born a ramblin’ man. He left home at 16 to join the circus and became a renowned guitarist touring the world with the Allman Brothers Band. He wrote the group’s biggest hit, “Ramblin’ Man,” and remained on the road until...
Latest General News
Finding an apartment may be easier for California pet owners under new legislation
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California pet owners struggling to find a rental that accepts their furry, four-legged family members could have an easier time leasing new housing under proposed state legislation that would ban blanket no-pets policies and prohibit landlords from charging additional...
Here's what you need to know about the world's largest democratic election kicking off in India
NEW DELHI (AP) — The world’s largest democratic election could also be one of its most consequential. With a population of over 1.4 billion people and close to 970 million voters, India’s general election pits Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an avowed Hindu nationalist, against...
Iran fires air defense batteries in provinces as explosions heard near Isfahan
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran fired air defense batteries early Friday morning as explosions could be heard near a major air base near Isfahan, raising fears of a possible Israeli strike following Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country. It...
Jury selection could be nearing a close in Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York
NEW YORK (AP) — A third panel of potential jurors will be questioned Friday in Donald Trump’s hush money case, drawing jury selection a step closer to completion in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president. After a jury of 12 New Yorkers was seated Thursday, lawyers...
Emergency rooms refused to treat pregnant women, leaving one to miscarry in a lobby restroom
WASHINGTON (AP) — One woman miscarried in the restroom lobby of a Texas emergency room as front desk staff refused to admit her. 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, a...
12 students and teacher killed at Columbine to be remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
DENVER (AP) — The 12 students and one teacher killed in the Columbine High School shooting will be remembered Friday in a vigil on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the tragedy. The gathering, set up by gun safety and other organizations, is the main public event marking the...
Bitcoin's next 'halving' is right around the corner. Here's what you need to know
NEW YORK (AP) — Sometime in the next few days or even hours, the “miners” who chisel bitcoins out of complex mathematics are going to take a 50% pay cut — effectively slicing new production of the world’s largest cryptocurrency in half. That could have a lot of...
Today in History: April 19, 80 killed in Waco Siege, 168 killed in Oklahoma City bombing
Today is Friday, April 19, the 110th day of 2024. There are 256 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On April 19, 1993, the 51-day siege at the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, ended as fire destroyed the structure after federal agents...
UN approves an updated cholera vaccine that could help fight a surge in cases
The World Health Organization has approved a version of a widely used cholera vaccine that could help address a surge in cases that has depleted the global vaccine stockpile and left poorer countries scrambling to contain epidemics. WHO authorized the vaccine, made by EuBiologics,...
Teenager is charged with terrorism offenses in stabbings of bishop and priest at Sydney church
SYDNEY (AP) — A 16-year-old boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics during a Sydney church service has been charged by police with terrorism offenses. Authorities said the stabbing was declared a terrorist act because of the teenager’s suspected religious motivation and...
