Virginia bill would end civil commitment of sex offenders

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Two Virginia Democratic lawmakers are spearheading a push to repeal a decades-old law that allows the state to hold certain sex offenders at psychiatric facilities indefinitely after their criminal sentences if they are deemed “sexually violent predators.” Critics say...

North Dakota lawmaker sorry for mass email of QAnon video

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A Republican state representative from North Dakota apologized for sending a video from the QAnon movement to all of his fellow lawmakers over the weekend, saying he mistakenly thought it was a message from President Donald Trump. Rep. Terry Jones said he forwarded the video, a...

Correction: Capitol Breach-Civil War story

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — In a story January 16, 2021, about Republican leaders invoking war rhetoric, The Associated Press incorrectly referred to an incoming chairwoman of the Michigan GOP. Instead, she is the incoming party co-chair. A corrected version of the story is below.

The Latest: Sunday protests quiet; officials brace for more

The Latest on demonstrating Sunday at statehouses across the country. ___ After a small, peaceful protest at the Ohio Statehouse on Sunday, Gov. Mike DeWine says security levels will remain high in Columbus for Wednesday’s presidential inauguration. DeWine praised demonstrators for exercising their free...

Pennsylvania lawmaker stricken with brain cancer dies

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania state senator stricken with brain cancer died Sunday, his family said. Sen. Dave Arnold, R-Lebanon, died peacefully at home with his wife and daughter by his side, his family and staff said in a statement distributed by the Senate Republican press office. “It...

California bill would ban intersex surgery for young kids

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California lawmaker is trying again to ban some medically unnecessary surgeries on intersex children until they are at least 6-years-old, hoping a narrower focus combined with new legislative leadership will be enough to get the first-of-its-kind legislation signed into law....

States declare emergencies, close capitols ahead of rallies

Responding to warnings of potentially violent demonstrations, governors across the nation are calling out National Guard troops, declaring states of emergency and closing their capitols to the public ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration next week. Though details remain murky, demonstrations are...

Ex-foreign correspondent reflects on risks for US reporters

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — In the summer of 2000, I was among a group of foreign correspondents, photographers and video journalists who went to England to attend a hostile environment-first aid training course. The trainers, all former Royal Marine commandos, taught us how to gingerly probe our way out of a...

2 nuke plants, 1 bribery scandal, no answers: Towns on edge

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — For much of the past four years, the residents of a pair of villages along Lake Erie have been on edge over the fate of their nuclear plants, which generate enough tax money to pay for nicer schools than their neighbors. Like many U.S. nuclear plants struggling to compete with with...

The Latest: China says COVID-19 hospitalizations above 1,000

BEIJING — China says it is now treating more than 1,000 people for COVID-19 as numbers of cases continue to surge in the country’s north. The National Health Commission said Friday that 1,001 patients are under care for the disease, 26 of them in serious condition. It says 144 total new cases were...