Jury convicts 3 of murder in death of rapper XXXTentacion
March 20, 2023 GMTFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Three men were found guilty Monday of the 2018 killing of star rapper XXXTentacion, who was shot outside a South Florida motorcycle shop while being robbed of $50,000.
Michael Boatwright, 28, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, were all found guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery by a jury that deliberated a little more than seven days.
2 students hurt in Texas school shooting, suspect arrested
March 20, 2023 GMTARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Two students were injured in a shooting outside a Dallas-area high school on Monday morning and police arrested the person suspected of opening fire, officials said.
The shooting began on a high school campus in the suburb of Arlington around 6:55 a.m., before many students arrived for the first day back to classes after the spring break, according to police and school district officials.
School library book bans are seen as targeting LGBTQ content
March 20, 2023 GMTDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Teri Patrick bristles at the idea she wants to ban books about LGBTQ issues in Iowa schools, arguing her only goal is ridding schools of sexually explicit material.
Sara Hayden Parris says that whatever you want to call it, it's wrong for some parents to think a book shouldn't be readily available to any child if it isn’t right for their own child.
With overdoses up, states look at harsher fentanyl penalties
March 20, 2023 GMTRENO, Nev. (AP) — State lawmakers nationwide are responding to the deadliest overdose crisis in U.S.
Researchers: Inbreeding a big problem for endangered orcas
March 20, 2023 GMTSEATTLE (AP) — People have taken many steps in recent decades to help the Pacific Northwest's endangered killer whales, which have long suffered from starvation, pollution and the legacy of having many of their number captured for display in marine parks.
Digital literacy: Can the republic ‘survive an algorithm’?
March 20, 2023 GMTSEATTLE (AP) — Shawn Lee, a high school social studies teacher in Seattle, wants to see lessons on the internet akin to a kind of 21st century driver's education, an essential for modern life.
Lee has tried to bring that kind of education into his classroom, with lessons about the need to double-check online sources, to diversify newsfeeds and to bring critical thinking to the web.
Trump silent on abortion as 2024 campaign pushes forward
March 20, 2023 GMTDAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — No elected Republican has done more to restrict abortion rights in the U.S. than Donald Trump.
But in the early days of the 2024 presidential contest, no Republican has worked harder to avoid the issue than the former president.
Trump’s call for protests gets muted reaction by supporters
March 20, 2023 GMTDA leading Trump case says rhetoric won’t intimidate office
March 19, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is standing firm against Donald Trump’s increasingly hostile rhetoric, telling his staff that the office won’t be intimidated or deterred as it nears a decision on charging the former president.
Miami Beach struggles with spring break violence, big crowds
March 20, 2023 GMTMIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — For the third year in a row, Miami Beach finds itself struggling with spring break violence, including two fatal shootings and unruly crowds, despite a massive police presence and activities designed to give people alternatives to drinking alcohol and roaming the streets.
Adam Sandler gets Mark Twain prize surrounded by celeb pals
March 20, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Adam Sandler placed his hand on the bronze bust of Mark Twain and speculated that it “one day might be the weapon used to bludgeon me in my sleep."
A host of comedic and entertainment royalty gathered at Washington’s Kennedy Center as Sandler was presented with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Biden’s appeals court nominee faces rare Democratic scrutiny
AP ExclusiveMarch 20, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — One of President Joe Biden's nominees to a federal appeals court has generated rare concern from some Democrats and outside groups over his signature on a legal brief defending a parental notification law in New Hampshire, injecting the issue of abortion into his confirmation fight from an unexpected flank.
New York Community Bank to buy failed Signature Bank
March 20, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — New York Community Bank has agreed to buy a significant chunk of the failed Signature Bank in a $2.7 billion deal, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said late Sunday.
The 40 branches of Signature Bank will become Flagstar Bank, starting Monday.
Miami Beach sets spring break curfew after 2 fatal shootings
March 19, 2023 GMTMIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Miami Beach officials imposed a curfew beginning Sunday night during spring break after two fatal shootings and rowdy, chaotic crowds that police have had difficulty controlling.
Boston celebrates at a chilly St. Patrick’s Day parade
March 19, 2023 GMTBOSTON (AP) — Boston held its St. Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday, an event Mayor Michelle Wu called one of the biggest events of the year for the city and a day for bringing people together.
Boston is home to one of the country’s largest Irish enclaves, and the parade typically draws about 1 million people.
New law allows anti-abortion monument at Arkansas Capitol
March 19, 2023 GMTLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has signed a new law that will allow a monument near the state Capitol marking the number of abortions performed in Arkansas before the U.S.
GOP donor faces trial on charges of sex trafficking minors
March 19, 2023 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A formerly well-connected Republican donor, accused of plying petite, vulnerable teenage girls with cash, liquor and gifts, goes on trial Tuesday on federal charges of sex trafficking minors.
Republican bills push cash bail, subvert Democratic changes
March 19, 2023 GMTMADISON, Wis. (AP) — Just two days before he drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee, killing six people and injuring more than 60, Darrell Brooks Jr.
Prosecutor to release video of death of man in custody
March 18, 2023 GMTDINWIDDIE, Va. (AP) — Prosecutors plan next week to release the video that led authorities in Virginia to charge seven deputies and three state mental hospital employees with second-degree murder in the death of a handcuffed and shackled man.
Supervisor in Tyre Nichols’ death retired before firing
March 18, 2023 GMTMEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Memphis police supervisor on scene when Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by officers retired with his benefits the day before a hearing to fire him, according to documents filed to revoke his law enforcement certification.
Wyoming governor signs measure prohibiting abortion pills
March 18, 2023 GMTWyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has signed into law the nation's first explicit ban on abortion pills since they became the predominant choice for abortion in the U.S. in recent years.
Gordon, a Republican, signed the bill Friday night while allowing a separate measure restricting abortion to become law without his signature.
US warns about fake, dangerous pills being sold in Mexico
March 18, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning about dangerous counterfeit pills being sold at pharmacies in Mexico that often contain fentanyl.
The travel alert posted Friday says Americans should “exercise caution when purchasing medication in Mexico.”
Pro-Moscow voices tried to steer Ohio train disaster debate
March 18, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Soon after a train derailed and spilled toxic chemicals in Ohio last month, anonymous pro-Russian accounts started spreading misleading claims and anti-American propaganda about it on Twitter, using Elon Musk's new verification system to expand their reach while creating the illusion of credibility.
1 dead, 1 hurt in shooting during Miami Beach spring break
March 18, 2023 GMTMIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Gunfire erupted in an area of Miami Beach crowded with people on spring break, killing one person, wounding another and sending dozens scrambling for safety, police said.
Two males were shot Friday night, and one person was detained at the scene, the Miami Beach Police Department tweeted.
California military base locked down after vehicle runs gate
March 18, 2023 GMTCORONADO, Calif. (AP) — A California military base was put in lockdown after a vehicle went through the facility's main gate without stopping, a military spokesperson said.
Regulators: Nuclear plant leak didn’t require public notice
March 18, 2023 GMTMinnesota regulators knew four months ago that radioactive waste had leaked from a nuclear power plant in Monticello — but they didn’t announce anything about the leak until this week.
Judge orders more Trump lawyer testimony in Mar-a-Lago probe
March 18, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors investigating the potential mishandling of classified documents at former President Donald Trump's Florida estate will be able to again question a Trump lawyer before a grand jury, a judge has ruled in a sealed order.
Farmworkers use Florida march to pressure other companies
March 18, 2023 GMTFarmworkers were leading a five-day, 45-mile (72-kilometer) trek on foot this week from one of the poorest communities in Florida to a mansion-lined, oceanfront town that is one of the richest in an effort to pressure retailers to leverage their purchasing power for better worker pay and working conditions.
California will remake San Quentin prison, emphasizing rehab
March 17, 2023 GMTSAN QUENTIN, Calif. (AP) — Visiting San Quentin, California's oldest prison once home to a gas chamber used to execute inmates on the nation's largest death row, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday touted a plan to overhaul the facility in favor of a rehabilitation-centered approach that could become a model for the world.
St. Patrick’s Day rites: Parades, bagpipes, clinking pints
March 17, 2023 GMTFrom New York City, to Savannah, Georgia, to the halls of the White House, thousands of people in the U.S.
7 deputies charged with murder in the death of Irvo Otieno
March 17, 2023 GMTDINWIDDIE, Va. (AP) — Video from a state mental hospital shows a Black Virginia man who was handcuffed and shackled being pinned to the ground by seven deputies who are now facing second-degree murder charges in his death, according to relatives of the man and their attorneys who viewed the footage Thursday.
State and US officials tout spending to plug ‘orphan wells’
March 17, 2023 GMTATCHAFALAYA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, La. (AP) — Stacks of valves, networks of pipes and hulking, two-story-tall tanks litter parts of the swampy landscape of Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin, rusting relics of sites where oil wells were drilled in the 1970s, an unwanted legacy of the energy industry that has long helped drive the Louisiana economy.
Veto of Kansas bill on trans athletes sets up override fight
March 17, 2023 GMTTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas bill banning transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly for the third year in a row Friday, setting up a hotly contested fight in the Republican-controlled Legislature to override her.
Mother: Irvo Otieno was ‘brilliant and creative and bright’
March 17, 2023 GMTIrvo Otieno had realized his passion: making hip-hop. He could write a song in less than five minutes. And he was streaming his music under the moniker “Young Vo,” while working toward starting his own record label.
Haaland criticized over ‘difficult’ choice on Willow project
March 17, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — In early March, President Joe Biden met with members of Alaska's bipartisan congressional delegation as they implored him to approve a contentious oil drilling project in their state.
Chauvin, who killed George Floyd, pleads guilty in tax case
March 17, 2023 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The former Minneapolis police officer convicted in the 2020 killing of George Floyd pleaded guilty Friday to two tax evasion counts, admitting that he didn't file Minnesota income taxes for two years due to “financial concerns.”
Feds spend $2.4 million on cloud seeding for Colorado River
March 17, 2023 GMTDENVER (AP) — The Southern Nevada Water Authority on Thursday voted to accept a $2.4 million grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to fund cloud seeding in other Western states whose rivers feed the parched desert region.
Texas, Florida push border laws as governors eye presidency
March 17, 2023 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — Led by tough-talking Republican governors weighing presidential runs, Texas and Florida are debating especially strict legislation on border security as the GOP tests federal authority over immigration.
California will remake San Quentin prison, emphasizing rehab
March 17, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The infamous state prison on San Francisco Bay that has been home to the largest death row population in the United States will be transformed into a lockup where less-dangerous prisoners will receive education, training and rehabilitation, California officials announced Thursday.
The AP Interview: Gov. Wes Moore reflects on first 2 months
March 16, 2023 GMTANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Thursday he's aiming for “the most full assault on child poverty” to ever happen in Maryland during his first legislative session, touching on a wide variety of topics in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press.
Newsom pledges 1,200 tiny homes for California’s homeless
March 16, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will spend about $30 million to build 1,200 small homes across the state this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday, part of a plan to help house the nation's largest homeless population and to address an issue that has persistently plagued the state during the governor's time in office.
BNSF train derailment spills diesel fuel on tribal land in Washington
March 16, 2023 GMTANACORTES, Wash. (AP) — Two BNSF trains derailed in separate incidents in Arizona and Washington state on Thursday, with the latter spilling diesel fuel on tribal land along Puget Sound.
Yellen declares bank system sound, as new rescues ordered
March 16, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen offered firm, upbeat reassurances to rattled bank depositors and investors Thursday, even as American financial institutions and European agencies ordered fresh rescue efforts following the second-largest bank collapse in U.S.
COVID-19 pill Paxlovid moves closer to full FDA approval
March 16, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill Paxlovid won another vote of confidence from U.S. health advisers Thursday, clearing the way for its full regulatory approval by the Food and Drug Administration.
Trump’s VP? Some in GOP already jockeying for consideration
March 16, 2023 GMTOXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Trips to Mar-a-Lago. Glowing speeches. Front-row seats at major events.
The first Republican presidential primaries are nearly a year away and the candidate field is unsettled.
Biden climate legacy tested by backlash over Willow project
March 16, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — When Elise Joshi was at the White House last year, her eyes welled with happy tears as President Joe Biden hosted thousands of supporters to celebrate groundbreaking legislation targeting climate change.
Utah bans abortion clinics in wave of post-Roe restrictions
March 16, 2023 GMTSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Abortion clinics in Utah could be banned from operating under a law signed by the state’s Republican governor, setting off a rush of confusion among clinics, hospitals and prospective patients in the deeply conservative state.
Drought over? Spring outlook finds relief -- and flood risk
March 16, 2023 GMTALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Record snowfall and rain have helped to loosen drought’s grip on parts of the western U.S. as national forecasters and climate experts warned Thursday that some areas should expect more flooding as the snow begins to melt.
Mobile sports bets booming in some states as others shy away
March 16, 2023 GMTThe stakes are higher in Ohio this year for March Madness — and not just because it's a regional host for the first round of the men's NCAA basketball tournament.
US pregnancy deaths dropped in 2022, after COVID spike
March 16, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Deaths of pregnant women in the U.S. fell in 2022, dropping significantly from a six-decade high during the pandemic, new data suggests.
More than 1,200 U.S. women died in 2021 during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth, according to a final tally released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Tennessee eyes 18+ gun-carry age with court or Capitol deal
March 16, 2023 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Two years after Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee led the charge to allow residents 21 and older to carry handguns in public without a permit, younger adults could soon have the same privilege, with or without the governor's signoff.
Researchers document 55 more white sharks in Cape Cod waters
March 16, 2023 GMTThe scientific nonprofit that tracks the white shark population in Cape Cod waters identified 55 sharks never before documented in the area during its most recent research season, but experts say that's no reason for tourists who flock to the vacation hotpsot every summer to be afraid of going in the water.
Willow oil project approval intensifies Alaska Natives’ rift
March 16, 2023 GMTANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Biden administration’s approval this week of the biggest oil drilling project in Alaska in decades promises to widen a rift among Alaska Natives, with some saying that oil money can't counter the damages caused by climate change and others defending the project as economically vital.
Advice from attorneys general remains secret in some states
March 16, 2023 GMTCHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — When officials in Wyoming faced public pressure to allow a citizen recount of election results, they reached out to the state attorney general for legal advice about how to proceed.
Seeking Alzheimer’s clues from few who escape genetic fate
March 16, 2023 GMTST. LOUIS (AP) — Doug Whitney inherited the same gene mutation that gave Alzheimer’s disease to his mother, brother and generations of other relatives by the unusually young age of 50.
Train hauling corn syrup derails in Arizona; no injuries
March 16, 2023 GMTTOPOCK, Ariz. (AP) — A freight train carrying corn syrup - not hazardous materials - derailed in western Arizona, near the state’s border with California and Nevada, BNSF Railway said.
Railway spokesperson Lena Kent said there were no injuries in the derailment near Topock and, according to preliminary reports, no hazardous materials involved.
Storms end Southern California water restrictions for 7M
March 16, 2023 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s 11th atmospheric river left the storm-soaked state with a bang Wednesday, bringing flooded roadways, landslides and toppled trees to the southern part of the state as well as drought-busting rainfall that meant the end of water restrictions for nearly 7 million people.
Thousands of LA school district workers to hold 3-day strike
March 16, 2023 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — Tens of thousands of workers in the Los Angeles Unified School District will strike for three days next week over stalled contract talks and teachers will join them, likely shutting down the nation's second-largest school system, union leaders announced Wednesday.
Arizona governor blasted for plans to defy execution order
March 16, 2023 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is being criticized by a victim’s sister and a powerful county prosecutor for her plans to defy a court order to execute a prisoner next month for his conviction in a 2002 killing.
Long-used US abortion pill under threat in Texas lawsuit
March 16, 2023 GMTHere is what’s at stake in abortion medication case
March 16, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge heard arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit that poses a threat to the nationwide availability of a leading abortion medication. The hearing comes as a conservative Christian group seeks to reverse federal approval of the drug mifepristone.
2 dead after canyons flood near Utah-Arizona line
March 15, 2023 GMTSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Two men were found dead after floodwaters poured into a slot canyon near the Utah-Arizona border, endangering three groups of hikers who had to be hoisted out by helicopter.
Biden says he’s focused ‘intensely’ on lowering drug costs
March 15, 2023 GMTLAS VEGAS (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday said his administration was focused “intensely” on lowering health care costs and took aim at “MAGA” Republicans who he said are intent on dialing back Medicare coverage for millions of Americans.
Wisconsin man pleads guilty to role in Whitmer kidnap scheme
March 15, 2023 GMTBELLAIRE, Mich. (AP) — A Wisconsin man accused of assisting the key figures in a plot to kidnap Michigan's governor pleaded guilty Wednesday to a lesser charge and will cooperate with prosecutors.
Texas judge in abortion pill case is a conservative favorite
March 15, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A Texas judge hearing a case that could throw into jeopardy access to the nation's most common method of abortion is a former attorney for a Christian legal group who critics say is being sought out by conservative litigants because they believe he’ll be sympathetic to their causes.
Newborn found dead in Iowa ditch; mom, granddad charged
March 15, 2023 GMTThe mother and grandfather of a newborn found dead in a ditch in Iowa have been charged with first-degree murder, and court documents say they told investigators the baby was still alive when they put him in a trash bag and abandoned him.
EPA ‘neighbor’ rule cuts downwind pollution by power plants
March 15, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A new “good neighbor” rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency will restrict smokestack emissions from power plants and other industrial sources that burden downwind areas with smog-causing pollution they can’t control.
Here’s how an AI tool may flag parents with disabilities
AP InvestigationMarch 15, 2023 GMTPITTSBURGH (AP) — For the two weeks that the Hackneys’ baby girl lay in a Pittsburgh hospital bed weak from dehydration, her parents rarely left her side, sometimes sleeping on the fold-out sofa in the room.
San Francisco board open to reparations with $5M payouts
March 15, 2023 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Payments of $5 million to every eligible Black adult, the elimination of personal debt and tax burdens, guaranteed annual incomes of at least $97,000 for 250 years and homes in San Francisco for just $1 a family.
Arctic sea ice thins in 2 big jumps, and now more vulnerable
March 15, 2023 GMTClimate change attacked crucial Arctic sea ice thickness in two sudden big gobbles instead of steady nibbling, a new study says.
Special prosecutor steps down in case against Alec Baldwin
March 15, 2023 GMTSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A special prosecutor who doubles as a state legislator is stepping down from her role in the manslaughter case against actor Alec Baldwin in the death of a cinematographer on a New Mexico film set.
Experts say attacks on free speech are rising across the US
March 15, 2023 GMTBOISE, Idaho (AP) — In Idaho, an art exhibit was censored and teens were told they couldn't testify in some legislative hearings. In Washington state, a lawmaker proposed a hotline so the government could track offensively biased statements, as well as hate crimes.
Texas drove out Chinese firm, not the wind farm it planned
March 15, 2023 GMTDEL RIO, Texas (AP) — Long before a Chinese spy balloon captivated and spooked the U.S.
Despite market slump, high rates dim homebuyer affordability
March 15, 2023 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — Homeownership is likely to remain a pipe dream for many Americans this spring homebuying season.
The nation’s worst housing slump in nearly a decade stoked hope among prospective buyers that homes could be scooped up more easily.
Warnock’s campaign chief sees lessons from Dems in Georgia
March 15, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — When Quentin Fulks went back home to Ellaville, Georgia, last year, people kept telling him how proud they were to watch a native son lead Sen. Raphael Warnock’s reelection bid. Then came the caveat: They still weren’t going to vote for his boss.
Late-winter storm pummels Northeast with heavy, wet snow
March 15, 2023 GMTPITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) — A winter storm dumped heavy, wet snow in parts of the Northeast on Tuesday, causing tens of thousands of power outages, widespread school closings, dangerous driving conditions and a plane to slide off a taxiway.
Electric car stores will be restricted in Mississippi
March 15, 2023 GMTJACKSON, Miss (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill Tuesday restricting electric car manufacturers from selling vehicles in person unless they open franchised dealerships.
Defying calls from some fellow Republicans in the Legislature to veto the measure, Reeves enacted into law House Bill 401, introduced by Republican Rep.
Grandson of Iditarod co-founder wins Alaska sled dog race
March 15, 2023 GMTANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Ryan Redington on Tuesday won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, bringing his six dogs off the Bering Sea ice to the finish line on Nome’s main street.
Redington, 40, is the grandson of Joe Redington Sr., who helped co-found the arduous race across Alaska that was first held in 1973 and is known as the “Father of the Iditarod.”
Biden says Jimmy Carter has asked him to deliver his eulogy
March 15, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — President Joe Biden says he plans to deliver the eulogy at the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter, who remains under hospice care at his home in south Georgia.
Biden told donors at a California fundraiser Monday evening about his “recent” visit to see the 39th president, whom he has known since he was a young Delaware senator supporting Carter's 1976 presidential campaign.