Top General News

Full jury of 12 people and 6 alternates is seated in Trump's hush money trial in New York

Apr. 19, 2024 14:55 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — A full jury of 12 people and six alternates was seated Friday in Donald Trump’s hush money case, setting the stage for opening statements next week in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president. The panel, which includes software engineers, an English...

The Latest | Full jury of 12 people and 6 alternates seated in Trump’s hush money trial

Apr. 19, 2024 14:43 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — A jury of 12 people and six alternates was seated on Friday in former President Donald Trump’s hush money criminal case. The completion of jury selection sets the stage for opening statements in the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president to begin...

Israel, Iran play down apparent Israeli strike. The muted responses could calm tensions -- for now

Apr. 19, 2024 14:05 PM EDT

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

Apr. 19, 2024 14:17 PM EDT

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

Apr. 19, 2024 13:07 PM EDT

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

Apr. 19, 2024 10:48 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — One woman miscarried in the lobby restroom 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...

BNSF Railway says it didn't know about asbestos that's killed hundreds in Montana town

Apr. 19, 2024 13:07 PM EDT

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — BNSF Railway attorneys are expected to argue before jurors 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

Apr. 19, 2024 05:52 AM EDT

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

Apr. 19, 2024 14:11 PM EDT

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'

Apr. 19, 2024 10:44 AM EDT

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

The Latest | Full jury of 12 people and 6 alternates seated in Trump’s hush money trial

Apr. 19, 2024 14:43 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — A jury of 12 people and six alternates was seated on Friday in former President Donald Trump’s hush money criminal case. The completion of jury selection sets the stage for opening statements in the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president to begin...

Jury weighs case against Arizona rancher in migrant killing

Apr. 19, 2024 15:10 PM EDT

PHOENIX (AP) — A jury in southern Arizona resumed its deliberations Friday in the trial of a rancher charged with fatally shooting an unarmed migrant on his property near the U.S.-Mexico border. Jurors received the case Thursday afternoon after a nearly one-month trial in a...

A convicted rapist is charged with murder in the killing of a Connecticut visiting nurse

Apr. 19, 2024 15:09 PM EDT

A convicted rapist was charged with murder and attempted sexual assault Friday in the killing of a visiting nurse at a Connecticut halfway house for sex offenders in October — a crime that spurred calls for better safety measures for home health care workers. Authorities added the...

4/20 grew from humble roots to marijuana's high holiday

Apr. 19, 2024 14:56 PM EDT

SEATTLE (AP) — Saturday marks marijuana culture’s high holiday, 4/20, when college students gather — at 4:20 p.m. — in clouds of smoke on campus quads and pot shops in legal-weed states thank their customers with discounts. This year’s edition provides an occasion for...

Full jury of 12 people and 6 alternates is seated in Trump's hush money trial in New York

Apr. 19, 2024 14:55 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — A full jury of 12 people and six alternates was seated Friday in Donald Trump’s hush money case, setting the stage for opening statements next week in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president. The panel, which includes software engineers, an English...

Man dies in fire under Atlantic City pier near homeless encampment

Apr. 19, 2024 14:54 PM EDT

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — A man died in a fire under an Atlantic City pier near a homeless encampment, authorities said. The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said Friday that Bruce Elder, 67, died in a fire that began Thursday evening under the Central Pier at the boardwalk and...

Thai plastics firm will pay $20 million to settle with U.S. over Iran sanctions violations

Apr. 19, 2024 14:51 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Bangkok -based plastics firm has agreed to pay $20 million to settle with the U.S. over 467 “egregious” violations of Iran sanctions, the U.S. Treasury announced on Friday. SCG Plastics Co. used U.S. banks to process $291 million in sales of Iranian...

Catholic priest resigns from Michigan church following protests over his criticism of a gay author

Apr. 19, 2024 14:47 PM EDT

BEAL CITY, Mich. (AP) — A Catholic priest has resigned as pastor of a church in a small central Michigan community, the result of weeks of controversy following his publicly expressed regret that a gay author had read a book to preschool children. Gay rights activists and others...

Ex-Philadelphia police officer pleads guilty in shooting death of 12-year-old boy

Apr. 19, 2024 14:44 PM EDT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A fired Philadelphia police officer pleaded guilty Friday to murder in the shooting of a fleeing 12-year-old boy, who prosecutors have said was on the ground and unarmed when the officer fired the fatal shot. Edsaul Mendoza also pleaded guilty to possession of...

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

Apr. 19, 2024 14:32 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...