Top General News

Judge holds Trump in contempt, fines him $9,000 and raises threat of jail in hush money trial

Apr. 30, 2024 10:23 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. And if he does it again, the judge warned, he...

Protesters take over Columbia University building in escalation of Israel-Hamas war demonstrations

Apr. 30, 2024 10:59 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Dozens of protesters took over a building at Columbia University in New York early Tuesday, barricading the entrances and unfurling a Palestinian flag out of a window in the latest escalation of demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war that have spread to college campuses...

Netanyahu vows to invade Rafah 'with or without a deal' as cease-fire talks with Hamas continue

Apr. 30, 2024 09:18 AM EDT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Tuesday to launch an incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering from the almost 7-month-long war, just as cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas...

Florida Democrats hope abortion and marijuana questions draw young voters despite low enthusiasm

Apr. 30, 2024 06:14 AM EDT

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Jordan Vassallo is lukewarm about casting her first presidential ballot for President Joe Biden in November. But when the 18-year-old senior at Jupiter High School in Florida thinks about the things she cares about, she says her vote for the Democratic incumbent is an...

Shootout that killed 4 law officers began as task force tried to serve a warrant, police say

Apr. 30, 2024 10:43 AM EDT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A shootout that killed four law enforcement officers and wounded four others in North Carolina began as officers approached a home to serve a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm, police said. Some of the officers who rushed to the Charlotte...

Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others

Apr. 30, 2024 10:31 AM EDT

LONDON (AP) — A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a east London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four others, British authorities said. A 36-year-old man was arrested in a residential area near Hainault subway station,...

Scammers stole more than $3.4 billion from older Americans last year, an FBI report says

Apr. 30, 2024 11:09 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Scammers stole more than $3.4 billion from older Americans last year, according to an FBI report released Tuesday that shows a rise in losses through increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics to trick the vulnerable into giving up their life savings. Losses from...

Mammograms should start at 40 to address rising breast cancer rates at younger ages, panel says

Apr. 30, 2024 11:08 AM EDT

Regular mammograms to screen for breast cancer should start younger, at age 40, according to an influential U.S. task force. Women ages 40 to 74 should get screened every other year, the group said. Previously, the task force had said women could choose to start breast cancer...

EPA bans consumer use of a toxic chemical widely used as a paint stripper but known to cause cancer

Apr. 30, 2024 10:10 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday it has finalized a ban on consumer uses of  methylene chloride, a chemical that is widely used as a paint stripper but is known to cause liver cancer and other health problems. The EPA said its action will protect...

Chinese scientist who first published COVID sequence stages protest after being locked out of lab

Apr. 30, 2024 10:02 AM EDT

SHANGHAI (AP) — The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China staged a sit-in protest outside his lab after authorities locked him out of the facility — a sign of the Beijing's continuing pressure on scientists conducting research on the coronavirus. ...

Latest General News

To fend off tourists, a town in Japan is building a big screen blocking the view of Mount Fuji

Apr. 30, 2024 11:34 AM EDT

FUJIKAWAGUCHIKO, Japan (AP) — The town of Fujikawaguchiko has had enough of tourists. Known for a number of scenic photo spots that offer a near-perfect shot of Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji, the town on Tuesday began constructing a large black screen on a stretch of a sidewalk to...

'Hell's Kitchen' and 'Stereophonic' lead Tony Award nominations, shows honoring creativity's spark

Apr. 30, 2024 11:32 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Two Broadway shows celebrating the spark of sonic creativity — the musical “Hell’s Kitchen” fueled by Alicia Keys songs, and the play "Stereophonic" about a '70s rock band at the edge of stardom — each earned a leading 13 Tony Award nominations Tuesday, a list that also...

The Latest | Judge finds Trump violated gag order in hush money trial 9 times, fines him $9K

Apr. 30, 2024 11:25 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s hush money trial resumed Tuesday with Judge Juan M. Merchan first ruling on prosecutors' prior request to hold the former president in contempt of court over alleged violations of a gag order that bars him from speaking publicly about witnesses and jurors in the...

Former Italian foreign minister convicted for role in sale of Monte Carlo apartment

Apr. 30, 2024 11:24 AM EDT

MILAN (AP) — A former Italian foreign minister has been convicted and sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for his role in the sale of an apartment in Monte Carlo inherited by his right-wing party. Gianfranco Fini is a former leader of the far-right Italian Social...

Stock market today: An ugly April for Wall Street is closing with some more losses

Apr. 30, 2024 11:21 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are falling Tuesday after the latest hotter-than-forecast reading on the economy raised more worries about inflation and interest rates staying high. The S&P 500 was 0.7% lower in midday trading and on track to close out its first losing month in...

Lincoln's Civil War order to block Confederate ports donated to Illinois by governor and first lady

Apr. 30, 2024 11:20 AM EDT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The document in which Abraham Lincoln set in motion the Union's military response to the launch of the U.S. Civil War is now among Illinois' prized papers of the 16th president, thanks to a donation by the state's governor and first lady. The order to...

5 takeaways from the global negotiations on a treaty to end plastic pollution

Apr. 30, 2024 11:17 AM EDT

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — The world’s nations finished a round of negotiations early Tuesday on a treaty to end plastic pollution and made more progress than they have in three prior meetings. Coming into Ottawa, many feared the effort would stall to craft the first legally binding...

This radical economist became Argentina's president railing against politicians. Now he needs them.

Apr. 30, 2024 11:09 AM EDT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — When interviewed about his plans after a shock electoral victory last fall, Argentina's President-elect Javier Milei gave his go-to answer in a blink: “To exterminate inflation." “After that ..." he trailed off, as though searching for anything...

Scammers stole more than $3.4 billion from older Americans last year, an FBI report says

Apr. 30, 2024 11:09 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Scammers stole more than $3.4 billion from older Americans last year, according to an FBI report released Tuesday that shows a rise in losses through increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics to trick the vulnerable into giving up their life savings. Losses from...

Court upholds Milwaukee police officer's firing for posting racist memes after Sterling Brown arrest

Apr. 30, 2024 11:04 AM EDT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a former Milwaukee police officer was properly fired for posting racist memes related to the arrest of an NBA player that triggered a public outcry. Officer Erik Andrade was involved in the 2018 arrest of Sterling...