Top General News

Slovakia's populist prime minister shot multiple times in attempted assassination

May. 15, 2024 13:33 PM EDT

PRAGUE (AP) — Slovakia's populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday after a political event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe. The pro-Russian leader, 59, was reported to be...

Biden and Trump agree to 2 presidential debates, in June and in September

May. 15, 2024 12:40 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on Wednesday agreed to hold two campaign debates — the first on June 27 hosted by CNN and the second on Sept. 10 hosted by ABC — setting the stage for the first presidential face-off in just weeks. The...

Netanyahu fends off criticism at home and abroad over his lack of a postwar plan for Gaza

May. 15, 2024 13:13 PM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday fended off criticism that he is not planning for a postwar reality in the Gaza Strip, saying it was impossible to prepare for any scenario in the embattled Palestinian enclave until Hamas is defeated. Netanyahu...

Lies, loyalty and a gag order upheld: Tuesday's Trump hush money trial takeaways

May. 14, 2024 18:47 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump's attorneys started grilling prosecutors' star witness in his hush money trial Tuesday, portraying former attorney Michael Cohen as a media-obsessed liar who's determined to see the former president behind bars. Cohen endured intense questioning by...

On the eve of his visit to China, Putin says Russia is prepared to negotiate over Ukraine

May. 15, 2024 10:37 AM EDT

BEIJING (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin says the Kremlin is prepared to negotiate over the conflict in Ukraine in an interview with Chinese media on the eve of visit to partner Beijing that has backed Moscow in its full-scale invasion of its neighbor. “We are open to a...

What is the celebrity 'blockout' over the war in Gaza?

May. 15, 2024 05:11 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Some social media users are calling out celebrities for what they say is inaction in the face of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza — and they've taken to a “blockout” to pressure the stars to take a stand. For the blockout, users put a block on seeing any and all...

Fewer US overdose deaths were reported last year, but experts are still cautious

May. 15, 2024 12:58 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — The number of U.S. fatal overdoses fell last year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data posted Wednesday. Agency officials noted the data is provisional and could change after more analysis, but that they still expect a drop when the final...

Pickup driver with lengthy record held in Florida bus crash that killed 8 Mexican farmworkers

May. 15, 2024 13:47 PM EDT

OCALA, Fla. (AP) — A man with a long record of dangerous driving pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to driving under the influence-manslaughter in the deaths of eight Mexican farmworkers whose bus was sideswiped by his pickup truck in central Florida. Dozens more were injured. Bryan...

Ukrainian troops pull out of some areas and Zelenskyy postpones foreign trips amid Russian offensive

May. 15, 2024 11:20 AM EDT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces withdrew from some parts of the country's northeast and battled Russian troops in other areas Wednesday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to postpone all his upcoming foreign trips underscored the seriousness of the threat his soldiers face. ...

United Methodists scrap their anti-gay bans. A woman who defied them seeks reinstatement as pastor

May. 15, 2024 09:12 AM EDT

Twenty years ago, Beth Stroud was defrocked from her beloved job as a United Methodist pastor in Philadelphia. In a church trial, she was found guilty of violating “Christian teaching” because she had acknowledged living in a committed relationship with another woman. Earlier...

Latest General News

Editorial Roundup: Alabama

May. 15, 2024 14:02 PM EDT

Cullman Times. May 11, 2024. Editorial: Alabama Open Records Act gets timely support The Alabama Broadcasters Association and the Alabama Press Association applaud Sen. Arthur Orr from Decatur and Rep. Cynthia Almond from Tuscaloosa for sponsoring SB270, the bill that...

What to know about a bus crash that killed 8 Mexican farmworkers in Florida

May. 15, 2024 13:57 PM EDT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A bus carrying farmworkers to a watermelon field in central Florida was sideswiped by a drunk driver and overturned in a field, killing eight people and injuring dozens of others, authorities said. The man accused of causing Tuesday's crash has a...

Guatemalan court orders release of journalist jailed for nearly 2 years on money laundering charges

May. 15, 2024 13:56 PM EDT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A Guatemalan court ordered the release Wednesday of journalist José Rubén Zamora, jailed for nearly two years on money laundering charges. Zamora, the 67-year-old founder of El Periodico newspaper, was sentenced to six years in prison last June for alleged...

France imposes emergency in Pacific territory of New Caledonia as violent unrest turns deadly

May. 15, 2024 13:55 PM EDT

PARIS (AP) — France announced Wednesday it is imposing a state of emergency in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia for at least 12 days, boosting security forces' powers to quell deadly unrest that has left four people dead. French government spokeswoman Prisca Thevenot...

Man pleads guilty in theft of Arnold Palmer green jacket and other memorabilia from Augusta

May. 15, 2024 13:51 PM EDT

CHICAGO (AP) — A former warehouse assistant for the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia pleaded guilty Wednesday to transporting millions of dollars worth of stolen Masters tournament memorabilia and historic items, including one of Arnold Palmer's green jackets. Richard...

Editorial Roundup: Pennsylvania

May. 15, 2024 13:50 PM EDT

Philadelphia Daily News/Inquirer. May 9, 2024. Editorial: Pa. lawmakers must join other states in fighting the rise of exorbitant hospital ‘facility fees’ Thirteen states have taken action to ban the charges and protect consumers. In Harrisburg, a similar...

Who gets to claim self-defense in shootings? Airman’s death sparks debate over race and gun rights

May. 15, 2024 13:49 PM EDT

For the past decade, “Stand Your Ground” laws have been invoked time and time again by gun owners who claim self-defense after carrying out shootings. Critics have denounced them as “shoot first” laws that have created a climate of vigilantism in which gun owners operate with impunity in...

Pickup driver with lengthy record held in Florida bus crash that killed 8 Mexican farmworkers

May. 15, 2024 13:47 PM EDT

OCALA, Fla. (AP) — A man with a long record of dangerous driving pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to driving under the influence-manslaughter in the deaths of eight Mexican farmworkers whose bus was sideswiped by his pickup truck in central Florida. Dozens more were injured. Bryan...

Hearing delayed for Utah author of children's book on grief who is charged in husband's death

May. 15, 2024 13:45 PM EDT

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — A Utah judge on Wednesday postponed a hearing to determine if prosecutors have enough evidence to proceed to trial in the case of a woman charged with fatally poisoning her husband before she published a children’s book about coping with grief. Judge...

Editorial Roundup: South Dakota

May. 15, 2024 13:44 PM EDT

Yankton Press & Dakotan. May 13, 2024. Editorial: Noem, The Tribes And A No-Win Situation South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has been on a roll of sorts lately, although it’s probably been the worst kind of roll possible for a politician. Details in...