Tornado recovery tough in Mississippi, one of poorest states
March 27, 2023 GMTROLLING FORK, Miss. (AP) — A massive tornado obliterated the modest one-story home that Kimberly Berry shared with her two daughters in the Mississippi Delta flatlands, leaving only the foundation and random belongings — a toppled refrigerator, a dresser and matching nightstand, a bag of Christmas decorations, some clothing.
Churches provide solace in tornado-ravaged Mississippi Delta
March 26, 2023 GMTROLLING FORK, Miss. (AP) — As a deadly tornado tore through the lower Mississippi Delta, the Rev. Mary Stewart clung to a door in the hallway of her Rolling Fork home, shielding herself from the branches and chunks of debris that came flying through her shattered windows.
Deputies accused of shoving guns in mouths of 2 Black men
March 27, 2023 GMTBRANDON, Miss. (AP) — Several deputies from a Mississippi sheriff’s department being investigated by the Justice Department for possible civil rights violations have been involved in at least four violent encounters with Black men since 2019 that left two dead and another with lasting injuries, an Associated Press investigation found.
Amid strained US ties, China finds unlikely friend in Utah
March 27, 2023 GMTSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — China’s global campaign to win friends and influence policy has blossomed in a surprising place: Utah, a deeply religious and conservative state with few obvious ties to the world’s most powerful communist country.
Key takeaways from AP’s report on China’s influence in Utah
March 27, 2023 GMTSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — China's global influence campaign has been surprisingly robust and successful in Utah, an investigation by The Associated Press has found.
New Maryland provider opening in post-Roe ‘abortion desert’
March 27, 2023 GMTCHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A new abortion provider is opening this year in Democratic-controlled Maryland — just across from deeply conservative West Virginia, where state lawmakers recently passed a near-total abortion ban.
Twenty years on, reflection and regret on 2002 Iraq war vote
March 27, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow was sitting in Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s conference room at the Pentagon, listening to him make the case that Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction.
Biden’s Justice Dept. keeps hard line in death row cases
March 26, 2023 GMTCHICAGO (AP) — Rejon Taylor hoped the election of Joe Biden, the first U.S. president to campaign on a pledge to end the death penalty, would mean a more sympathetic look at his claims that racial bias and other trial errors landed him on federal death row in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Twitter hunts Github user who posted source code online
March 27, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Some parts of Twitter's source code — the fundamental computer code on which the social network runs — were leaked online, the social media company said in a legal filing that was first reported by The New York Times.
More relatives of Colorado shooting victims sue Sturm Ruger
March 27, 2023 GMTSTAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — More relatives of people shot to death at a Colorado supermarket in 2021 are suing gun-maker Sturm, Ruger & Co. over how it marketed the firearm used in the massacre, adding to litigation first filed earlier this month against the company.
Kansas court to review pair of unenforced abortion laws
March 27, 2023 GMTTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' highest court is considering whether the state can restrict how doctors end second-trimester pregnancies or impose extra health and safety rules for abortion providers after a decisive statewide vote last year confirming that the state constitution protects abortion rights.
All 7 Pennsylvania chocolate factory explosion victims found
March 27, 2023 GMTWEST READING, Pa. (AP) — All seven bodies have been recovered from the site of a powerful explosion at a chocolate factory in a small town in eastern Pennsylvania, officials said.
Is the David porn? Come see, Italians tell Florida parents
March 27, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — The Florence museum housing Michelangelo’s Renaissance masterpiece the David on Sunday invited parents and students from a Florida charter school to visit after complaints about a lesson featuring the statue forced the principal to resign.
Daunting recovery underway in tornado-devastated Mississippi
March 27, 2023 GMTROLLING FORK, Miss. (AP) — Help began pouring into one of the poorest regions of the U.S. after a deadly tornado tore a path of destruction for more than an hour across a long swath of Mississippi, even as furious new storms Sunday struck across the Deep South.
Freeway crash kills 6 youths thrown from car in Tennessee
March 26, 2023 GMTPLEASANT VIEW, Tenn. (AP) — A car crash killed six young people, including a 1-year-old infant, after they were ejected from their vehicle early Sunday on a freeway in middle Tennessee, authorities said.
Fire damages complex housing Wright Brothers plane factory
March 26, 2023 GMTDAYTON, Ohio (AP) — An early morning fire damaged a commercial building complex housing a former airplane factory founded by the Wright Brothers in Ohio on Sunday, authorities said.
Dayton fire crews were sent to the site just before 2:30 a.m.
Army pulls recruiting ads after Jonathan Majors’ arrest
March 26, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The arrest of actor Jonathan Majors has upended the Army’s newly launched advertising campaign that was aimed at reviving the service’s struggling recruiting numbers.
Union Pacific 2nd railroad to drop push for one-person crews
March 26, 2023 GMTOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific has become the second major freight railroad in the past week to back away from the industry's longstanding push to cut train crews down to one person as lawmakers and regulators increasingly focus on rail safety following last month's fiery derailment in Ohio.
Jonathan Majors arrested on assault charge in New York
March 26, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — The actor Jonathan Majors was arrested Saturday in New York on charges of strangulation, assault and harassment, authorities said.
‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ comes out blazing with $73.5M
March 26, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — “John Wick: Chapter 4,” the fourth installment in the Keanu Reeves assassin series, debuted with a franchise-best $73.5 million at the box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Veto puts Kentucky in thick of fight over transgender rights
March 26, 2023 GMTFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's veto of a bill aimed at transgender health care puts the state in the middle of a national fight, but with more immediate consequences as the state's looming election offers an early test on the state-by-state assault on gender-affirming care for minors.
States’ divisions on abortion widen after Roe overturned
March 26, 2023 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A group of Tennessee Republicans began this year’s legislative session hoping to add narrow exceptions to one of the strictest abortion bans in the country, armed with the belief that most people — even in conservative Tennessee — reject extremes on the issue.
GOP states press voter photo ID rules, with unclear effects
March 26, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — As Ohio’s primary approaches, a strict new photo ID requirement is stirring concerns for military veterans and out-of-state college students, in Amish communities and among older voters.
California looks to spend some Medicaid money on housing
March 26, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — At the start of 2022, Thomas Marshall weighed 311 pounds. He had been hospitalized 10 times in five years, including six surgeries. He had an open wound on his left leg that refused to heal — made worse by living in a dirty, moldy house with five other people, two ball pythons, four Chihuahuas and a cage full of rats.
Factory or farm? Oregon may alter land use for chipmakers
March 26, 2023 GMTNORTH PLAINS, Ore. (AP) — Aaron Nichols walked past rows of kale growing on his farm, his knee-high brown rubber boots speckled with some of the richest soil on earth, and gazed with concern toward fields in the distance.
Search on for missing in deadly chocolate factory explosion
March 26, 2023 GMTWEST READING, Pa. (AP) — An explosion at a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania on Friday killed three people and left four people missing, authorities said. One person was pulled alive from the rubble overnight.
‘There’s nothing left’: Deep South tornadoes kill 26
March 26, 2023 GMTROLLING FORK, Miss. (AP) — Rescuers raced Saturday to search for survivors and help hundreds of people left homeless after a powerful tornado cut a devastating path through Mississippi, killing at least 25 people, injuring dozens, and flattening entire blocks as it carved a path of destruction for more than an hour.
After tornado, harrowing tales of survival in Mississippi
March 26, 2023 GMTSILVER CITY, Miss. (AP) — Nothing remained of William Barnes’ home in the tiny western Mississippi town of Silver City after a killer tornado tore it off its foundations. He stood in disbelief Saturday as he surveyed the lot where he'd lived for 20 years, twisted debris of cinder blocks and mangled wood siding scattered across where his home once stood.
Voting rights effort targets those held in jails across US
March 25, 2023 GMTCHICAGO (AP) — The voting precinct could have been any one of hundreds throughout Chicago, except that these voters in the first round of the mayoral election were all wearing the same beige smocks.
Tornadoes deadliest in Mississippi since 2011
March 25, 2023 GMTWith at least 25 people dead in Mississippi, tornadoes that ravaged parts of the Deep South overnight were the deadliest in the state in more than a decade, according to National Weather Service records.
Challenger wins close race to lead United Auto Workers union
March 25, 2023 GMTDETROIT (AP) — A challenger defeated the president of the United Auto Workers in a close election and vowed Saturday to take a more confrontational stance in negotiating with the big automakers.
A court-appointed monitor declared challenger Shawn Fain the winner over incumbent Ray Curry.
2 dead in rail car; human smuggling investigation indicated
March 25, 2023 GMTTwo people found dead in a railroad car in south Texas were Honduran men, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Saturday, indicating it was investigating the case as possible human smuggling.
Idaho governor signs firing squad execution bill into law
March 25, 2023 GMTBOISE, Idaho (AP) — Republican Gov. Brad Little signed a bill allowing execution by firing squad, making Idaho the latest state to turn to older methods of capital punishment amid a nationwide shortage of lethal-injection drugs.
Canada pledges Great Lakes funding after Trudeau-Biden talks
March 25, 2023 GMTTRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Canada has pledged a significant increase in spending to improve water quality in the Great Lakes following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, whose administration also has boosted funding for the shared waters.
As South bans abortion, thousands turn to Illinois clinics
March 25, 2023 GMTFAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. (AP) — Dr. Colleen McNicholas is fresh off performing two abortions when a ringing phone quickly stops her.
“Oh, ugh,” she said, eyes widened, before she darted off to another room.
Judge rules online archive’s book service violated copyright
March 25, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge has sided with four publishers who sued an online archive over its unauthorized scanning of millions of copyrighted works and offering them for free to the public. Judge John G.
DEA overseas review barely mentions corruption scandals
March 25, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — After nearly two years and at least $1.4 million spent, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Friday released an external review of its overseas operations that barely mentions recent corruption scandals and offers recommendations that critics dismissed as overly vague.
Los Angeles schools, union leaders reach deal after strike
March 25, 2023 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Unified School District and union leaders said Friday they reached a deal on pay raises for bus drivers, custodians and other support staff after a three-day strike that shut down the nation's second-largest school system.
17-year-old charged in kidnapping ending in Houston shooting
March 25, 2023 GMTA 17-year-old has been charged with kidnapping two migrants whose rescue this week from a Houston hotel by FBI agents after days of captivity ended in gunfire that killed another suspect.
Josiah Jackson was charged Friday with two counts of aggravated kidnapping in the abduction of a man and woman and the attempt to ransom them, Harris County court records show.
Teachers press school safety in wake of Denver shooting
March 25, 2023 GMTDENVER (AP) — Colorado teachers flooded into the state Capitol Friday to press for better protections for students and school staff after a 17-year-old Denver student shot two administrators, fled to the mountains and killed himself.
Jet pitched wildly, killing 1, amid cockpit warnings: NTSB
March 25, 2023 GMTHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A business jet flying over New England violently pitched upward then downward, fatally injuring a passenger, after pilots responding to automated cockpit warnings switched off a system that helps keep the aircraft stable, U.S.
Indigenous artists help skateboarding earn stamp of approval
March 25, 2023 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — Years ago, skateboarding was branded as a hobby for rebels or stoners in city streets, schoolyards and back alleys. Those days are long gone.
Skateboarding, which has Native Hawaiian roots connected to surfing, no longer is on the fringes.
Navajo Tech 1st among tribal universities to offer PhD
March 25, 2023 GMTA university on the largest Native American reservation in the U.S. launched its accredited doctoral program, becoming the first among more than 30 accredited tribal colleges and universities across the country to offer such a high level degree.
US, Canada end loophole that let asylum-seekers cross border
March 25, 2023 GMTST. JOHNSBURY, Vermont (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced a plan to close a loophole to an immigration agreement that has allowed thousands of asylum-seeking immigrants to move between the two countries along a back road linking New York state to the Canadian province of Quebec.
Minnesota nuclear plant shuts down for leak; residents worry
March 24, 2023 GMTMONTICELLO, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota utility began shutting down a nuclear power plant near Minneapolis on Friday after discovering water containing a low level of radioactive material was leaking from a pipe for the second time. While the utility and health officials say it is not dangerous, the issue has prompted concerns among nearby residents and raised questions about aging pipelines.
4 ex-cops charged in Tyre Nichols’ death barred from police
March 24, 2023 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Four of five former Memphis police officers charged in the killing of Tyre Nichols, a Black man who was handcuffed, brutally beaten and ignored by first responders for crucial minutes despite being barely conscious, can no longer work as law enforcement in Tennessee.
Bezos’ rocket company pins crash on overheated engine nozzle
March 24, 2023 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An overheated rocket engine nozzle caused last year’s Blue Origin launch failure that has grounded flights for six months, the company said Friday.
Tribe urges Army to speed up return of child’s 1879 remains
March 24, 2023 GMTFederal authorities expect to return a 13-year-old boy's remains to his Native American tribe in South Dakota this fall, they said Friday. The statement comes days after the tribe urged for a faster return of the child who died at a federal boarding school for Indigenous children in 1879.
Michigan 1st state in decades to repeal ‘right-to-work’ law
March 24, 2023 GMTLANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan, long known as a mainstay of organized labor, on Friday became the first state in decades to repeal a union-restricting law known as “right-to-work” that was passed over a decade ago by a Republican-controlled Legislature.
A sex trafficking case, a plea deal and a mother’s pain
March 24, 2023 GMTSAN ANTONIO (AP) — Irma Reyes changed clothes in the back seat of the pickup: skirt, tights, turtleneck, leather jacket. All black. She brushed her hair and pulled on heels as her husband drove their Chevy through predawn darkness toward a courthouse hundreds of miles from home.
U.S. bishops’ new guidelines aim to limit trans health care
March 24, 2023 GMTUnited States Catholic bishops have issued guidelines that seek to stop Catholic hospitals from providing gender transition care, a move LGBTQ advocates say could harm the physical and emotional health of transgender people within the church.
Much of West Coast faces ban to fish salmon amid low stocks
March 24, 2023 GMTSAN DIEGO (AP) — As drought dried up rivers that carry California’s newly hatched Chinook salmon to the ocean, state officials in recent years resorted to loading up the fish by the millions onto trucks and barges to take them to the Pacific.
Ling Ma, Beverly Gage among authors honored by book critics
March 24, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Ling Ma's sharp and surreal “Bliss Montage” and Beverly Gage's sweeping biography of the late FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, “G-Man,” were among the winners Thursday night of the National Book Critics Circle awards.
Court blocks COVID-19 vaccine mandate for US gov’t workers
March 24, 2023 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — President Joe Biden’s order that federal employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 has been blocked by a federal appeals court.
Utah social media law means kids need approval from parents
March 24, 2023 GMTSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Children and teens in Utah would lose access to social media apps such as TikTok if they don’t have parental consent and face other restrictions under a first-in-the-nation law designed to shield young people from the addictive platforms.
Radioactive water leaks at Minn. nuclear plant for 2nd time
March 24, 2023 GMTMONTICELLO, Minn. (AP) — Water containing a radioactive material has leaked for a second time from a nuclear plant near Minneapolis and the plant will be shut down, but there is no danger to the public, the plant’s owner said Thursday.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s lawyer asks about missing GoPro video
March 24, 2023 GMTPARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Gwyneth Paltrow's attorneys asked the daughter of a man suing the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer over a 2016 ski collision about missing GoPro camera footage that they called “the most important piece of evidence" at trial Thursday.
After Denver school shooting, an outcry erupts over security
March 24, 2023 GMTDENVER (AP) — Outraged Denver students and parents demanded better school security and pushed for tighter firearm controls Thursday, a day after a 17-year-old student shot and wounded two administrators at a city high school beset with violence.
Los Angeles school strike ends, but no deal announced
March 24, 2023 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — A three-day strike by workers in the Los Angeles Unified School District ended Thursday, but it wasn't immediately clear if any progress was made in negotiations for higher pay for teachers’ aides, bus drivers, custodians and other support staff in the nation's second-largest school system.
Biden’s Canada agenda stacked: NORAD, migration deals likely
March 24, 2023 GMTOTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — President Joe Biden arrived in Canada on Thursday for talks with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on several of the world's most difficult challenges: the war in Ukraine, climate change, trade, mass migration and an increasingly assertive China.
Authorities: Suspect fatally shot during rescue of migrants
March 24, 2023 GMTHOUSTON (AP) — A hostage rescue that left a suspect fatally shot Thursday in Houston began days ago when three migrants were kidnapped from a vehicle in a neighboring county, according to a prosecutor.
Surge in eating disorders spurs state legislative action
March 23, 2023 GMTDENVER (AP) — Stranded at home amid pandemic lockdowns in spring 2020, Emma Warford stumbled down a social media rabbit hole in her quest to get in shape. Viral 28-day fitness challenges. YouTubers promising “hourglass abs.” Diet videos where slim-stomached influencers peddled calorie-tracking apps.
TikTok CEO grilled by skeptical lawmakers on safety, content
March 23, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A nearly six-hour grilling of TikTok’s CEO by lawmakers brought the platform’s 150 million U.S. users no closer to an answer as to whether the app will be wiped from their devices.
Police chief fires officer, releases video of shooting death
March 23, 2023 GMTFAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A northern Virginia police officer was fired Thursday after fatally shooting a man last month who had allegedly stolen two pairs of sunglasses from a busy shopping mall. Police also released video of the deadly encounter.
Judge allows anonymous jury for Trump rape lawsuit trial
March 23, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Jurors’ names will be kept secret at the upcoming civil trial in a writer’s rape lawsuit against former President Donald Trump, a judge ruled Thursday, citing “a very strong risk” they would otherwise face harassment and more.
Asteroid that could wipe out a city is near, but don’t fear
March 23, 2023 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An asteroid big enough to wipe out a city will zip harmlessly between Earth and the moon's orbit this weekend, missing both celestial bodies.
Saturday’s close encounter will offer astronomers the chance to study a space rock from just over 100,000 miles (168,000 kilometers) away.
Other states are copying Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” efforts
March 23, 2023 GMTLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Florida's move to expand its prohibition on teaching sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom comes as Republican lawmakers in other states are pursuing their own versions of what critics have dubbed the “Don't Say Gay” law.
Names, photos of Los Angeles undercover police posted online
March 23, 2023 GMTThe Los Angeles police chief and the department's constitutional policing director are under investigation after the names and photographs of undercover officers were released to a technology watchdog group that posted them online, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Disney World reaches union deal with minimum $18 hourly wage
March 23, 2023 GMTORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Unions for service workers at Walt Disney World reached a tentative deal with the company on Thursday that would raise the starting minimum wage from $15 to $18 an hour by the end of the year in a pact that could set the basement for starting pay throughout central Florida's sprawling tourism industry.
A fish can sense another’s fear, a study shows
March 23, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Our capacity to care about others may have very, very ancient origins, a new study suggests.
It might have been deep-rooted in prehistoric animals that lived millions of years ago, before fish and mammals like us diverged on the tree of life, according to researchers who published their study Thursday in the journal Science.
Regulators, landowners form habitat protection partnership
March 23, 2023 GMTTRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The Biden administration and industry groups pledged Thursday to promote logging practices and research intended to protect imperiled species on private forest lands.
Court: Arizona governor not required to carry out execution
March 23, 2023 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that state law doesn’t require Gov. Katie Hobbs to carry out the April 6 execution of a prisoner who was convicted of murder.
The decision issued Wednesday marks a legal victory for the newly elected Democratic governor whose office said the state isn’t currently prepared to carry out the death penalty.
Arizona court declines most of Lake’s appeal over gov’s race
March 23, 2023 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Supreme Court has declined to hear most of Republican Kari Lake’s appeal in a challenge of her defeat in the governor’s race but revived a claim that was dismissed by a trial court.
Autism now more common among Black, Hispanic kids in US
March 23, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — For the first time, autism is being diagnosed more frequently in Black and Hispanic children than in white kids in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
Why the religious fast for Ramadan, Lent and other holy days
March 23, 2023 GMTMuslims around the world are welcoming the start of Ramadan, a month of fasting, increased worship, heightened charity, good deeds and community.
Georgia law will ban most transgender care for kids under 18
March 23, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — Georgia will ban most gender-affirming surgeries and hormone replacement therapies for transgender people younger than 18, under a new law signed by Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday.
Legislators gave final approval to the law on Tuesday, despite impassioned pleas from Democrats and LGBTQ advocates against what has become the most fiercely contested bill of Georgia's 2023 legislative session.
Weather-weary California hopes for sunny spring after storms
March 23, 2023 GMTSAN DIEGO (AP) — Californians are tired. Tired of the rain, tired of the snow, tired of stormy weather and the cold, relentlessly gray skies that have clouded the Golden State nearly nonstop since late December.
Scientists say mine plan claiming no swamp harm has errors
March 23, 2023 GMTSAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Scientists for the federal government say documents that Georgia state regulators relied upon to conclude a proposed mine won't harm the nearby Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge contain technical errors and “critical shortcomings” that render them unreliable.
Feds: Woman charged in Wyoming clinic fire opposes abortion
March 23, 2023 GMTCHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A woman accused of setting fire last year to a Wyoming abortion clinic that was under construction told investigators that she opposes abortion and was experiencing anxiety and nightmares over the facility opening, authorities say in court documents.
1st Black editor named to lead Atlanta Journal-Constitution
March 23, 2023 GMTThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday named Leroy Chapman Jr. as its new editor-in-chief, making him the first Black editor to lead the newspaper in its 155-year history.
Chapman, 52, has worked in journalism for nearly three decades and has spent the past 12 years at the Journal-Constitution, serving as its managing editor since 2021.