Top General News

12 jurors have been picked for Donald Trump's hush money trial. Selection of alternates ongoing

Apr. 18, 2024 18:52 PM EDT

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

Apr. 18, 2024 18:15 PM EDT

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...

House leaders toil to advance Ukraine and Israel aid. But threats to oust speaker grow

Apr. 18, 2024 18:00 PM EDT

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

Apr. 18, 2024 19:10 PM EDT

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 UN resolution backing full UN membership for Palestine

Apr. 18, 2024 18:45 PM EDT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States vetoed a widely backed U.N. resolution on Thursday that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for Palestine, a goal the Palestinians have long sought. The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 12 in favor, the...

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

Apr. 18, 2024 17:16 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 are meant to hold Iran accountable for its weekend attack and to deter...

Legislation that could force a TikTok ban revived as part of House foreign aid package

Apr. 18, 2024 18:57 PM EDT

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...

Trump loses bid to halt Jan. 6 lawsuits while he fights criminal charges in the 2020 election case

Apr. 18, 2024 16:53 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump lost a bid Thursday to pause a string of lawsuits accusing him of inciting the U.S. Capitol attack, while the former president fights his 2020 election interference criminal case in Washington. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington denied...

Two shootings, two different responses — Maine restricts guns while Iowa arms teachers

Apr. 18, 2024 13:25 PM EDT

Six months after a deadly mass shooting by an Army reservist, Maine lawmakers this week passed a wide-ranging package of new gun restrictions. Three months after a fatal school shooting, Iowa lawmakers this week passed legislation allowing trained teachers and staff to carry guns on...

Choctaw artist Jeffrey Gibson confronts history at US pavilion as its first solo Indigenous artist

Apr. 18, 2024 15:17 PM EDT

VENICE. Italy (AP) — Jeffrey Gibson’s takeover of the U.S. pavilion for this year’s Venice Biennale contemporary art show is a celebration of color, pattern and craft, which is immediately evident on approaching the bright red facade decorated by a colorful clash of geometry and a foreground...

Latest General News

Pennsylvania school district cancels actor's speech over his activism and 'lifestyle'

Apr. 18, 2024 19:40 PM EDT

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania school district has canceled an upcoming appearance by actor and children's book author Maulik Pancholy after district leaders cited concerns about what they described as his activism and “lifestyle.” Pancholy, who is gay, was scheduled...

Suspect in fire outside of US Sen. Bernie Sanders' Vermont office to remain detained, judge says

Apr. 18, 2024 19:39 PM EDT

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — The man accused of starting a fire outside independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Vermont office earlier this month will remain detained pending further legal proceedings, a federal judge ordered Thursday. Shant Michael Soghomonian was indicted by a grand...

Biden administration moves to make conservation an equal to industry on US lands

Apr. 18, 2024 19:29 PM EDT

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Biden administration on Thursday finalized a new rule for public land management that's meant to put conservation on more equal footing with oil drilling, grazing and other extractive industries on vast government-owned properties. Officials pushed past...

US committee releases sealed Brazil court orders to Musk's X, shedding light on account suspensions

Apr. 18, 2024 19:24 PM EDT

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A U.S. congressional committee released confidential Brazilian court orders to suspend accounts on the social media platform X, offering a glimpse into decisions that have spurred complaints of alleged censorship from the company and its billionaire owner Elon Musk. ...

Coalition to submit 900,000 signatures to put tough-on-crime initiative on California ballot

Apr. 18, 2024 19:22 PM EDT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A coalition backed by retailers like Walmart and Target announced Thursday it has collected enough signatures to put a ballot measure before California voters this November to enhance criminal penalties for shoplifting and drug dealing. Californians for...

San Francisco sues Oakland over new airport name that includes 'San Francisco'

Apr. 18, 2024 19:19 PM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco on Thursday sued Oakland after officials there voted in favor of changing the name of the city’s airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, saying the change will cause confusion and is already affecting its airport financially. ...

AP Week in Pictures: North America

Apr. 18, 2024 19:19 PM EDT

April 12 - 18, 2024 Girl Scouts watch a pinewood derby car race in Georgia, a pro-Palestinian demonstrator is carried away from a protest in New York and a man walks into a Sikh temple during celebrations for the Vaisakhi spring festival in Vancouver. This gallery...

Google fires 28 workers in aftermath of protests over big tech deal with Israeli government

Apr. 18, 2024 19:18 PM EDT

Google has fired 28 employees in the aftermath of protests over technology that the internet company is supplying the Israeli government amid the Gaza war, further escalating tensions surrounding a hot-button deal. The firings confirmed by Google late Wednesday came a day after nine...

First major attempts to regulate AI face headwinds from all sides

Apr. 18, 2024 19:10 PM EDT

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...

Man granted parole for his role in the 2001 stabbing deaths of 2 Dartmouth College professors

Apr. 18, 2024 19:04 PM EDT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A man who has served more than half of his life in prison for his role in the 2001 stabbing deaths of two married Dartmouth College professors as part of a plan to rob and kill people before fleeing overseas was granted parole Thursday. James Parker was 16 when...