Push to expand voting rights in US for those held in jails
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.
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.
Mississippi tornadoes kill 23, injure dozens overnight
March 25, 2023 GMTROLLING FORK, Miss. (AP) — Powerful tornadoes tore through parts of the Deep South on Friday night, killing at least 23 people in Mississippi, obliterating dozens of buildings and leaving an especially devastating mark on a rural town whose mayor declared, “My city is gone.”
Officials: 2 dead, 5 missing in chocolate factory explosion
March 25, 2023 GMTWEST READING, Pa. (AP) — An explosion at a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania on Friday killed two people and left five people missing, authorities said. One person was pulled from the rubble overnight.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Army Corps further delays decision on Great Lakes oil tunnel
March 23, 2023 GMTTRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A federal review of plans for a Great Lakes oil pipeline tunnel will take more than a year longer than originally planned, officials said Thursday, likely delaying completion of the project — if approved — until 2030 or later.
Oxford school shooter’s parents can face manslaughter trial
March 23, 2023 GMTDETROIT (AP) — The parents of a teenager who killed four students at a Michigan high school can face trial for involuntary manslaughter, the state appeals court said Thursday in a groundbreaking case of criminal responsibility for the acts of a child.
Lawsuit: Slurs, coercion at BBQ chain with racist history
March 23, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina barbecue chain known for its pro-segregation stance in a landmark 1960s case and its embrace of the Confederate flag in 2000 is facing allegations of racism and sexual harassment by the fired general manager of one of its restaurants.
Muddy clothes? ‘Cop City’ activists question police evidence
March 23, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — When police stormed an Atlanta-area music festival two days after a rainstorm, they were looking for suspects wearing muddy clothing.
Ohio toxic train derailment upends school baseball, track
March 23, 2023 GMTEAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — On the surface, everything looks normal.
There's the East Palestine High School baseball team learning the finer points of baserunning at one edge of Reid Memorial Stadium.
NYPD officer rappels down building to stop man from jumping
March 23, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — A police officer rappelled down a Manhattan skyscraper to stop a man who was facing financial fraud charges from jumping out of a 31st-floor window.
The daring arrest happened after federal agents went to the man's apartment near Carnegie Hall Wednesday morning to take him into custody.
Biden approval dips near lowest point: AP-NORC poll
March 23, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Approval of President Joe Biden has dipped slightly since a month ago, nearing the lowest point of his presidency as his administration tries to project a sense of stability while confronting a pair of bank failures and inflation that remains stubbornly high.
Holocaust survivor shares on TikTok to educate young people
March 23, 2023 GMTMORRISTOWN, N.J. (AP) — Holocaust survivor Tova Friedman is a TikTok star at age 85, thanks to her 17-year-old grandson.
In the family living room in Morristown, New Jersey, he records short videos of his grandmother reminiscing about life in 1944 and 1945 when she was a 6-year-old child at the Auschwitz death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.
Iraq WMD failures shadow US intelligence 20 years later
March 23, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — In his U.S. Capitol office, Rep. Jason Crow keeps several war mementos. Sitting on a shelf are his military identification tags, the tailfins of a spent mortar and a piece of shrapnel stopped by his body armor.
Rare tornado near Los Angeles rips building roofs; 1 injured
March 23, 2023 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — A rare tornado touched down in a Los Angeles suburb, ripping roofs off a line of commercial buildings and sending the debris twisting into the sky and across a city block, injuring one person.
Launch debut of 3D-printed rocket ends in failure, no orbit
March 23, 2023 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A rocket made almost entirely of 3D-printed parts made its launch debut Wednesday night, lifting off amid fanfare but failing three minutes into flight — far short of orbit.
Body found near Denver high school shooting suspect’s car
March 23, 2023 GMTDENVER (AP) — A body was found Wednesday night in the Colorado woods near the abandoned car that belonged to a 17-year-old student accused of shooting two administrators at his Denver high school earlier in the day, a sheriff said.
Jill Biden: It’s time for men to step up for women’s rights
March 23, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — First lady Jill Biden on Wednesday used a Women's History Month event at the White House to call on men to step up and fight to protect women's rights.
The first lady, speaking ahead of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, didn't mince words as she lamented that women find themselves relitigating “battles that we thought we had won a long time ago.”
Kansas lawmakers near approval of ‘born alive’ abortion bill
March 23, 2023 GMTTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas proposal based on the claim that providers leave infants to die after they're born during certain types of abortions is nearing legislative approval, as Republicans pursue limited anti-abortion measures following a decisive statewide vote last year protecting abortion rights.
Arrest made in fire at planned Wyoming abortion clinic
March 23, 2023 GMTCHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A woman was arrested on charges of setting fire to a building in Wyoming that was being renovated to house the state’s only full-service abortion clinic, authorities said Wednesday, hours after a judge temporarily blocked a ban on abortion that went into effect a few days ago.
Judge halts Wyoming abortion ban days after it took effect
March 23, 2023 GMTCHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Abortion will again be legal in Wyoming — at least for now — after a judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked a ban that took effect a few days earlier.
Starbucks workers protest before annual shareholder meeting
March 23, 2023 GMTSEATTLE (AP) — Starbucks workers and labor activists rallied outside the company’s Seattle headquarters Wednesday to protest what they describe as union-busting efforts by executives.
Organizers said employees also walked off the job at more than 100 stores in 40 U.S.
A hectic week for abortion policy with laws and lawsuits
March 23, 2023 GMTNine months after the U.S. Supreme Court ended a nationwide right to an abortion, the landscape is far from settled, with lawmakers considering broader bans or stronger protections and legal challenges popping up nationwide.
Transgender youth: ‘Forced outing’ bills make schools unsafe
March 23, 2023 GMTTULSA, Okla. (AP) — Al Stone-Gebhardt worked hard in school to make sure he graduates in May, and he spent hundreds of dollars on commencement regalia, but he is fully prepared not to participate in the ceremony.
North Dakota House passes school gender pronoun prohibition
March 23, 2023 GMTPublic schools and state agencies in North Dakota would be prohibited from referring to students and employees by any pronouns that don't reflect the sex assigned to them at birth, under a bill approved by the legislature.
Gwyneth Paltrow ski collision trial brings doctors to stand
March 22, 2023 GMTPARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Two doctors on Wednesday described X-rays, brain scans and neurological tests documenting the medical condition of a man suing Gwyneth Paltrow for a 2016 ski collision at an upscale Utah ski resort.
Fox, Dominion argue over legal standards to prove defamation
March 22, 2023 GMTWILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Lawyers for Fox News and a voting machine company tangled Wednesday over the high bar to prove defamation in a $1.6 billion lawsuit that has embarrassed the conservative network over its airing of false claims related to the 2020 presidential election.
Fed raises key rate by quarter-point despite bank turmoil
March 22, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve extended its year-long fight against high inflation Wednesday by raising its key interest rate by a quarter-point despite concerns that higher borrowing rates could worsen the turmoil that has gripped the banking system.
NYC neighborhood carries on during wait for Trump grand jury
March 22, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — As the world waits to see whether a grand jury in lower Manhattan indicts former President Donald Trump, neighborhood resident Barbara Malmet decided to give up her front-row seat.
Otieno family attorneys push back against officers’ defense
March 22, 2023 GMTRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — As a video was released publicly this week showing sheriff’s deputies and employees of a Virginia mental hospital pinning Irvo Otieno to the floor, attorneys for several of the defendants charged with second-degree murder in his death began to weigh in to defend their clients.
New bill aims to outlaw caste discrimination in California
March 22, 2023 GMTCalifornia may become the first state in the nation to outlaw caste-based bias, a safeguard people of South Asian descent say is necessary to protect them from discrimination in housing, education and the tech sector where they hold key roles.
Uniquely New Orleans mayoral recall effort fails
March 22, 2023 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — Because it happened in New Orleans, an effort to oust the mayor over typical big city complaints — high crime rates, slacking services, alleged misuse of taxpayer property — was anything but typical.
Bipartisan support emerges for Senate railroad safety bill
March 22, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan consensus that Congress should act to toughen regulations on railroads emerged Wednesday as senators heard fresh testimony on the fiery hazardous train derailment last month on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.
What to know about new research on coffee and heart risks
March 22, 2023 GMTCoffee lovers — and their doctors — have long wondered whether a jolt of java can affect the heart. New research published Wednesday finds that drinking caffeinated coffee did not significantly affect one kind of heart hiccup that can feel like a skipped beat.