National News

Anti-Abortion activists rally outside the Supreme Court, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. ...
Associated Press

Supreme Court justices unconvinced state abortion bans conflict with federal health care law

Conservative Supreme Court justices are skeptical that state abortion bans enacted after the overturning of Roe v. Wade violate federal law.
4 hours ago
Lisa Pisano looks at photos of her dog after her surgeries at NYU Langone Health in New York on Mon...
Associated Press

New Jersey woman becomes second patient to receive kidney from gene-edited pig

A New Jersey woman who was near death received a transplanted pig kidney that stabilized her failing heart.
4 hours ago
Associated Press

Instagram fraudster ‘Jay Mazini’ has been sentenced for his crypto scheme that preyed on Muslims

NEW YORK (AP) — The former Instagram influencer known as “ swindled millions of dollars from online followers and a network of Muslims during the pandemic was sentenced to seven years in prison on Wednesday, prosecutors said. Jebara Igbara, 28, of New Jersey, had pleaded guilty to fraud charges, admitting that he created a Ponzi […]
5 hours ago
Associated Press

Connecticut Senate passes wide-ranging bill to regulate AI. But its fate remains uncertain

HARTFORD (AP) — The Connecticut Senate pressed ahead Wednesday with one of the first major legislative proposals in the U.S. to reign in bias in artificial intelligence decision-making and protect people from harm, including manufactured videos or deepfakes. The vote was held despite concerns the bill might stifle innovation, become a burden for small businesses […]
5 hours ago
Associated Press

Judge orders anonymous jury for trial of self-exiled Chinese businessman, citing his past acts

NEW YORK (AP) — A self-exiled Chinese businessman is set to face an anonymous jury at his trial next month on fraud charges after a judge on Wednesday cited his past willingness to tamper with judicial proceedings as reason for concern. Guo Wengui goes to trial May 22 in Manhattan federal court, where jurors will […]
6 hours ago
Associated Press

New California rule aims to limit health care cost increases to 3% annually

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Doctors, hospitals and health insurance companies in California will be limited to annual price increases of 3% starting in 2029 under a new rule state regulators approved Wednesday in the latest attempt to corral the ever-increasing costs of medical care in the United States. The money Californians spent on health care […]
7 hours ago
Associated Press

Judge declines to dismiss lawsuits filed against rapper Travis Scott over deadly Astroworld concert

HOUSTON (AP) — A judge has declined to dismiss hundreds of lawsuits filed against rap star Travis Scott over his role in the deadly 2021 Astroworld festival in which 10 people were killed in a crowd surge. State District Judge Kristen Hawkins issued a one-page order denying Scott’s request that he and his touring and […]
8 hours ago
Associated Press

Louisiana dolphin shot dead; found along Cameron Parish coast

CAMERON, La. (AP) — Up to $20,000 is being offered for information leading to a criminal conviction or civil penalty involving a dolphin that was found shot to death in southwest Louisiana. Federal wildlife officials, in a news release Monday, said a juvenile bottlenose dolphin was found shot to death March 13 along the coast […]
8 hours ago
Associated Press

Oklahoma prosecutors charge fifth member of anti-government group in Kansas women’s killings

GUYMON, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma prosecutors charged a fifth member of an anti-government group on Wednesday with killing and kidnapping two Kansas women. Paul Jeremiah Grice, 31, was charged in Texas County with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit murder. Grice told an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation […]
9 hours ago
Associated Press

Sister of Mississippi man who died after police pulled him from car rejects lawsuit settlement

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A woman who sued Mississippi’s capital city over the death of her brother has decided to reject a settlement after officials publicly disclosed how much the city would pay his survivors, her attorney said Wednesday. George Robinson, 62, died in January 2019, days after three Jackson police officers pulled him from […]
9 hours ago
Associated Press

Ex-Connecticut city official is sentenced to 10 days behind bars for storming US Capitol

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Connecticut business owner who has served as an elected alderman in his hometown was sentenced Wednesday to 10 days behind bars for joining a mob’s assault on the U.S. Capitol over three years ago, court records show. Chief Judge James Boasberg also ordered Gene DiGiovanni Jr. to perform 50 hours of […]
10 hours ago
Associated Press

Chicago’s ‘rat hole’ removed after city determines sidewalk with animal impression was damaged

CHICAGO (AP) — The “rat hole” is gone. A Chicago sidewalk landmark some residents affectionately called the “rat hole” was removed Wednesday after city officials determined the section bearing the imprint of an animal was damaged and needed to be replaced, officials said. The imprint has been a quirk of a residential block in Chicago’s […]
10 hours ago
Associated Press

Billionaire Texas oilman inks deal with Venezuela’s state-run oil giant as US sanctions loom

MIAMI (AP) — A company started by a Texas billionaire oilman announced a deal Wednesday with Venezuela’s state-owned oil company to rehabilitate five aging oil fields, days after the Biden administration put a brake on sanctions relief over concerns about the fairness of the country’s upcoming presidential election. LNG Energy Group is a publicly traded […]
10 hours ago
Associated Press

Former Wisconsin college chancellor fired over porn career is fighting to keep his faculty post

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s top official has taken the first steps toward removing a faculty member who was earlier fired from his job as chancellor over his fledgling porn career. The former chancellor, Joe Gow, said Wednesday that interim Chancellor Betsy Morgan filed three charges against him March 29, accusing […]
11 hours ago
Associated Press

Jury sides with school system in suit accusing it of ignoring middle-schooler’s sex assault claims

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A jury on Wednesday rejected a woman’s lawsuit seeking tens of millions of dollars from Virginia’s largest school system over allegations that she was raped multiple times as a middle schooler. The woman, who was identified in court papers only by her initials, sued Fairfax County Public Schools under Title IX, […]
11 hours ago
Associated Press

US Rep. Donald Payne Jr., a Democrat from New Jersey, has died at 65 after a heart attack

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr., of New Jersey, died Wednesday after a heart attack this month that left him hospitalized, officials said. He was 65. In a statement, Gov. Phil Murphy called his fellow Democrat a “steadfast champion for the people of New Jersey.” “With his signature bowtie, big heart, and […]
12 hours ago
Associated Press

Investigator says Trump, allies were uncharged co-conspirators in plot to overturn Michigan election

DETROIT (AP) — A state investigator testified Wednesday that he considers former President Donald Trump and his White House chief of staff to be uncharged co-conspirators in a scheme to claim that he had won Michigan in the 2020 election, despite Democrat Joe Biden’s clear victory. Trump and Mark Meadows were among the names mentioned […]
13 hours ago
Associated Press

Grand jury indicts man for murder in shooting death of Texas girl during ATM robbery

HOUSTON (AP) — A man accused of fatally shooting a 9-year-old girl when he was robbed at a Houston ATM in 2022 has been indicted for murder in her death. Tuesday’s indictment against Tony Earls comes nearly two years after another grand jury had declined to indict him in the death of Arlene Alvarez. “We […]
13 hours ago
Associated Press

Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by US to hit Russian-held areas, officials say

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday. Long sought by Ukrainian leaders, the new missiles give Ukraine nearly double the striking […]
13 hours ago
Associated Press

Guard kills Georgia inmate at hospital after he overpowered other officer, investigators say

SANDERSVILLE, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia prison guard shot and killed a prisoner she had helped escort to a hospital for treatment after he snatched another guard’s pepper spray and used it to overpower him, authorities said Wednesday. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said its agents are investigating the late Tuesday shooting at Washington County […]
14 hours ago
President Joe Biden speaks April 24, 2024, before signing a $95 billion war aid measure that includ...
Associated Press

Joe Biden signs bill that provides aid for Ukraine, others and forces TikTok to be sold or banned

President Joe Biden signed a bill with aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan that includes a provision to force TikTok to be sold or be banned in U.S.
15 hours ago
Associated Press

74-year-old Ohio woman charged in armed robbery of credit union was scam victim, family says

FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio (AP) — A 74-year-old woman charged in the armed robbery of an Ohio credit union last week is a victim of an online scam who may have been trying to solve her financial problems, according to her relatives. Ann Mayers, who had no previous run-ins with the law, faces counts of aggravated […]
15 hours ago
Associated Press

Teen charged in mass shooting at LGBTQ+ friendly punk rock show in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A teenage suspect who allegedly made derogatory remarks about LGBTQ+ people before opening fire at a backyard punk rock show faces seven felony charges for a shooting that killed one person and injured six others in Minneapolis. The document charging Dominic James Burris and another man says the shooting was motivated by […]
16 hours ago
Associated Press

Boeing’s financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge US to prosecute the company

Boeing said Wednesday that it lost $355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers. CEO David Calhoun said the company is in “a […]
18 hours ago
Associated Press

Biden says the US is rushing weaponry to Ukraine as he signs a $95 billion war aid measure into law

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he was immediately rushing badly needed weaponry to Ukraine as he signed into law a $95 billion war aid measure that also included assistance for Israel, Taiwan and other global hot spots. The announcement marked an end to the long, painful battle with Republicans in Congress […]
21 hours ago
Associated Press

The Latest | Germany will resume working with UN relief agency for Palestinians after a review

Germany said Wednesday that it plans to follow several other countries in resuming cooperation with the U.N. relief agency for Palestinians in Gaza after the publication of an independent review of its neutrality. The head of the Arab League hailed the report, saying it showed that Israel’s allegations were baseless and part of a “systematic […]
23 hours ago
Associated Press

Dozens arrested on California campus after students in Texas detained as Gaza war protests persist

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Police peacefully arrested student protesters at the University of Southern California on Wednesday, hours after police at a Texas university aggressively detained dozens in the latest clashes between law enforcement and those protesting the Israel-Hamas war on campuses nationwide. While tensions rose between police and protesters at USC earlier in the […]
1 day ago
Associated Press

What to listen for during Supreme Court arguments on Donald Trump and presidential immunity

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court hears arguments Thursday over whether Donald Trump is immune from prosecution in a case charging him with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. It’s a historic day for the court, with the justices having an opportunity to decide once and for all whether former presidents […]
1 day ago
Associated Press

Supreme Court appears skeptical that state abortion bans conflict with federal health care law

WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservative Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical Wednesday that state abortion bans taking effect after their sweeping ruling overturning Roe v. Wade violate federal healthcare law, though some also questioned the effects on emergency pregnancy care. The case marks the first time the Supreme Court has considered the implications of a state ban […]
1 day ago
Associated Press

USPS commits to rerouting Reno-area mail despite bipartisan pushback and mail ballot concerns

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The USPS announced on Tuesday it will follow through with its plan to reroute Reno-area mail processing to Sacramento, a move that drew bipartisan ire from Nevada lawmakers while raising questions about the rate at which mail ballots can be processed in a populous part of a crucial swing state. Postmaster […]
1 day ago