Solomon Islands lawmakers elect former Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manale as the new prime minister

Arizona lawmakers vote to undo near-total abortion ban from 1864, with Gov. Hobbs expected to sign

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Legislature approved a repeal of a long-dormant ban on nearly all abortions Wednesday, sending the bill to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who is expected to sign it. Two Republicans joined with Democrats in the Senate on the 16-14 vote in favor of repealing...

Alaska Senate passes budget differing from House version with roughly $1,580 payments to residents

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska residents would receive checks of around $1,580 this year under the version of the state operating budget passed by the Senate on Wednesday. The check size — a combination of the yearly dividend paid to residents plus an energy relief payment — is...

UCLA faces criticism for failure to act to stop attack on pro-Palestinian encampment

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Administrators and campus police at UCLA faced intense criticism Wednesday for failing to act quickly to stop an attack on a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus by counter-demonstrators who threw traffic cones and chairs, released pepper spray and tore down barriers. ...

Kansas legislators expect Kelly to veto their latest tax cuts and call a special session

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers approved a new, slightly smaller package of tax cuts before adjourning their annual session early Wednesday, expecting Gov. Laura Kelly to veto it and call a special legislative session to push for a plan more to her liking. The Democratic...

Police killed student outside Wisconsin school after reports of someone with a weapon, official says

MOUNT HOREB, Wis. (AP) — Police shot and killed a student outside a Wisconsin middle school Wednesday after receiving a report of someone with a weapon, the state's attorney general said in the first law enforcement briefing on gunshots that sent children fleeing and prompted an hourslong...

Nonstop Mideast coverage of Israel-Hamas war pauses for protests and police action at US schools

JERUSALEM (AP) — After weeks of nonstop coverage of destruction and death in the Gaza Strip, media across the wider Middle East have latched onto the demonstrations roiling American university campuses over the Israel-Hamas war. For some, the protests and what they described as a...

Searchers find a charred pit on Mexico City's outskirts that may be a clandestine crematorium

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Trailed by search dogs and police, María de Jesús Soria Aguayo and more than a dozen volunteers on Wednesday walked carefully through fields of weeds and dry earth with their eyes fixed on the ground. On the fringes of Mexico City, the group began to search...

Columbia University student journalists had an up-close view for days of drama

Student journalists on the Columbia University campus knew what was coming long before police with riot shields arrived to begin arresting the pro-Palestinian protesters. They had watched the situation spiral as the protesters stood their ground, refusing to abandon Hamilton Hall and...

The Latest | Muslim organizations blast UCLA officials, saying they failed to intervene during brawl

Muslim organizations and students blasted UCLA officials and police in a Wednesday news conference, saying they failed to intervene as students in pro-Palestinian encampment on the Los Angeles campus were verbally harassed, pepper sprayed and beaten during a brawl with counter-protesters earlier in...