Top General News
Biden gives life in prison to 37 of 40 federal death row inmates before Trump can resume executions
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday announced that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes...
House Ethics Committee accuses Gaetz of paying for sex, including with 17-year-old girl
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Ethics Committee on Monday accused Matt Gaetz of “regularly” paying for sex, including once with a 17-year-old girl, and purchasing and using illicit drugs as a member of Congress, as lawmakers released the conclusions of a nearly four-year investigation that...
Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to murder and weapons charges in UnitedHealthcare CEO's death
NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare pleaded not guilty on Monday to state murder and terror charges while his attorney complained that comments coming from New York’s mayor would make it tough to receive a fair trial. Luigi Mangione,...
Man faces murder charges in the death of a woman who was lit on fire in New York City subway
A man is facing murder and arson charges in New York City for allegedly setting a woman on fire inside a subway train and then watching her die after she was engulfed in flames, police said Monday. The suspect, identified by police as Sebastian Zapeta, was taken into custody hours...
Middle East latest: Defense minister acknowledges Israel killed Hamas leader
JERUSALEM — Israel’s defense minister has confirmed that Israel assassinated Hamas’ top leader last summer and is threatening to take similar action against the leadership of the Houthi rebel group in Yemen. The comments by Israel Katz appeared to mark the first time that...
Trump again calls to buy Greenland after eyeing Canada and the Panama Canal
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — First it was Canada, then the Panama Canal. Now, Donald Trump again wants Greenland. The president-elect is renewing unsuccessful calls he made during his first term for the U.S. to buy Greenland from Denmark, adding to the list of allied countries with...
Nissan and Honda to attempt a merger that would create the world's No. 3 automaker
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan have announced plans to work toward a merger that would form the world’s third-largest automaker by sales, as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed...
Magdeburg mourns Christmas market attack victims as fears swirl of deeper German social divisions
MAGDEBURG, Germany (AP) — Mourners laid flowers near the scene of the deadly Christmas market attack on Monday as investigators puzzled over the motive of the suspect and his previous encounters with authorities were scrutinized, while fears swirled that the rampage could deepen divisions in...
How faith communities can be welcoming of believers with disabilities this holiday season and beyond
The Rev. Shannon Blosser sees how his son loves church — the music, the singing, the communion. But the United Methodist pastor said his family hasn’t always felt like 11-year-old Noah, who is autistic, has been welcome. At one point, Blosser’s wife and the couple’s two sons...
Tennessee and Auburn remain 1-2 in AP Top 25 poll featuring 10 SEC teams
Tennessee and Auburn remained Nos. 1-2 atop The Associated Press men's college basketball poll. It's a fitting spot for a pair of Southeastern Conference teams considering the league put 10 teams into Monday's AP Top 25. The Volunteers (11-0) and Tigers (11-1) spent a third straight...
Latest General News
Surveillance videos appear to show 2 of 4 missing Ecuadorian kids taken by men in military uniform
GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa on Monday pledged that his government would not cover up for anyone involved in the disappearance of four children who were last seen running away from a military convoy earlier this month. The statement came as Noboa's...
Bill Clinton is hospitalized with a fever but in good spirits, spokesperson says
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton was admitted Monday to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington after developing a fever. The 78-year-old was hospitalized in the “afternoon for testing and observation," Angel Urena, Clinton's deputy chief of staff,...
3 fall into ocean after California wharf partially collapses due to heavy surf from major storm
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — Two people were rescued and a third swam to safety after a California pier under construction partially collapsed and fell into the ocean Monday as the state's central coast was pounded by heavy surf from a major storm expected to bring hurricane-force winds to the seas...
Latest challenge to North Carolina's power-shifting law focuses on state elections board control
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's current governor and his successor tacked on another lawsuit Monday disputing a key provision within a GOP law that erodes the powers of several incoming Democratic state leaders — the latest in a longstanding power struggle between North Carolina's...
Legendary drug lord Fabio Ochoa is deported to Colombia and walks free after 20 years in US prisons
BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — One of Colombia’s legendary drug lords and a key operator of the Medellin cartel has been deported back to the South American country, after serving 25 years of a 30-year prison sentence in the United States. A short while later, Fabio Ochoa was again a...
Middle East latest: Defense minister acknowledges Israel killed Hamas leader
JERUSALEM — Israel’s defense minister has confirmed that Israel assassinated Hamas’ top leader last summer and is threatening to take similar action against the leadership of the Houthi rebel group in Yemen. The comments by Israel Katz appeared to mark the first time that...
Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to murder and weapons charges in UnitedHealthcare CEO's death
NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare pleaded not guilty on Monday to state murder and terror charges while his attorney complained that comments coming from New York’s mayor would make it tough to receive a fair trial. Luigi Mangione,...
Judge rules Arkansas law allowing criminal charges against librarians is unconstitutional
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday struck down key parts of an Arkansas law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing “harmful” materials to minors. U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks found that elements of the...
Company official charged in 2022 oil-chemical discharge into Michigan's Flint River
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — The president of a chemical company has been charged in connection with the unauthorized discharge of oil that left a miles-long dark, oily sheen on the Flint River in Michigan more than two years ago. Rajinder Singh Minhas, 60, of Rochester, Michigan, was...
FAA probes holiday drone show accident that injured a boy in Florida
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that it has launched an investigation into why several drones collided and fell from the sky during a holiday show over the weekend in downtown Orlando, Florida, injuring a 7-year-old boy who required surgery. The...
