At least 21 dead after tornadoes rake US Midwest, South
April 1, 2023 GMTWYNNE, Ark. (AP) — Storms that dropped possibly dozens of tornadoes killed at least 21 people in small towns and big cities across the South and Midwest, tearing a path through the Arkansas capital, collapsing the roof of a packed concert venue in Illinois, and stunning people throughout the region Saturday with the damage's scope.
After Nashville, Congress confronts limits of new gun law
April 1, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Nine months ago, President Joe Biden signed a sweeping bipartisan gun law, the most significant legislative response to gun violence in decades.
“Lives will be saved,” he said at the White House.
‘War of the states’: EV, chip makers lavished with subsidies
April 1, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — States are doling out more cash than ever to lure multibillion-dollar microchip, electric vehicle and battery factories, inspiring ever-more competition as they dig deeper into their pockets to attract big employers and capitalize on a wave of huge new projects.
Alaska Native Scouts feted 67 years after rescuing Navy crew
April 1, 2023 GMTGAMBELL, Alaska (AP) — Bruce Boolowon, then a lean 20-year-old, and a group of friends were hunting for murre eggs in a walrus skin boat on a remote Alaska island in the Bering Strait when they saw a crippled airplane flying low.
Biden’s strategy on Trump’s indictment: No comment
March 31, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Does President Joe Biden have any reaction to the indictment of former President Donald Trump?
Doomsday plot? After 3 years, slain kids’ mom to stand trial
April 1, 2023 GMTBOISE, Idaho (AP) — It has been more than three years since police announced that two kids were missing from a rural eastern Idaho town, and each twist in the grim investigation has seemed stranger than the last.
Journalist’s arrest threatens reporting from Russia
March 31, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — The arrest of a Wall Street Journal reporter on espionage charges in Russia has news organizations based outside the country weighing for the second time in a year whether the risks of reporting there during wartime are too great.
Lanterns and crescents: more retailers court Ramadan buyers
April 1, 2023 GMTWith her 3-year-old daughter sitting inside a red Target shopping cart, Aya Khalil looked through the aisles with anticipation. The author was on a mission: See for herself that her children's book about a boy and his grandmother baking for an Islamic feast was actually carried by her local Target store in Toledo.
Transgender Day of Visibility rallies held amid backlash
April 1, 2023 GMTMONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Thousands of people rallied across the country Friday as part of a Transgender Day of Visibility in support of the rights of transgender people and their resilience amid what many denounced as an increasingly hostile environment.
‘Window into history’: Tapes detail LBJ’s stolen election
April 1, 2023 GMTDALLAS (AP) — The story was a blockbuster: A former Texas voting official was on the record detailing how nearly three decades earlier, votes were falsified to give then-congressman Lyndon B. Johnson a win that propelled the future president into the U.S.
Probe of deadly Black Hawk crash begins as Army IDs victims
April 1, 2023 GMTLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The nine service members who died in a crash involving two U.S.
Storms strike Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana; 7 reported dead
April 1, 2023 GMTLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A monster storm system tore through the South and Midwest on Friday, spawning deadly weather including tornadoes that shredded homes and shopping centers in Arkansas, collapsed a theater roof during a heavy metal concert in Illinois and made a fatal sweep into rural Indiana.
Federal judge temporarily blocks Tennessee’s anti-drag law
April 1, 2023 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked Tennessee’s first-in-the-nation law placing strict limits on drag shows just hours before it was set to go into effect, siding with a group that filed a lawsuit claiming the statute violates the First Amendment.
Towering Monument Valley buttes display sunset spectacle
April 1, 2023 GMTMONUMENT VALLEY, Utah (AP) — A sunset spectacle featuring two mitten-shaped rock formations played out this week at Monument Valley on the Navajo Nation along the Arizona and Utah border.
Twice a year, in late March and mid-September, spectators, photographers and videographers get a visual treat.
Body of Florida toddler found in alligator jaws after search
April 1, 2023 GMTST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The body of a 2-year-old Florida boy who had been the subject of a frantic search after his mother was slain was found Friday in a lake in the jaws of an alligator, police said.
Mourners gather for 1st Nashville school shooting funeral
April 1, 2023 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Family and friends of Evelyn Dieckhaus, one of three children who were killed in a school shooting in Nashville this week, remembered her Friday as a “shining light” and said farewell to a girl who loved art, music, animals and snuggling with her older sister on the couch.
New Mexico Supreme Court blocks local abortion ordinances
March 31, 2023 GMTALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court blocked local anti-abortion ordinances Friday pending the outcome of a case centered on constitutional rights to equal protection and due process.
Minneapolis and state agree to revamp policing post-Floyd
March 31, 2023 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The city of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights signed a “court-enforceable settlement agreement” Friday to revamp policing in the city where George Floyd was murdered by an officer nearly three years ago.
EPA approves California rules phasing out diesel trucks
March 31, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Biden administration cleared the way Friday for California's plan to phase out a wide range of diesel-powered trucks, part of the state's efforts to drastically cut planet-warming emissions and improve air quality in heavy-traffic areas like ports along the coast.
Justice Department sues Norfolk Southern over derailment
March 31, 2023 GMTThe federal government filed a lawsuit against railroad Norfolk Southern over environmental damage caused by a train derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border that spilled hazardous chemicals into nearby creeks and rivers.
Moscow prison for US reporter was used in Stalin’s purges
March 31, 2023 GMTLefortovo prison, where American journalist Evan Gershkovich has been jailed on espionage charges, dates from the czarist era and has been a terrifying symbol of repression since Soviet times.
US Navy deploys more chaplains for suicide prevention
March 31, 2023 GMTNAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Virginia. (AP) — On Navy ships docked at this vast base, hundreds of sailors in below-deck mazes of windowless passageways perform intense, often monotonous manual labor. It's necessary work before a ship deploys, but hard to adjust to for many already challenged by the stresses plaguing young adults nationwide.
District sued over axing of student paper after LGBTQ issue
March 31, 2023 GMTLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A former high school journalist and the Nebraska High School Press Association sued Friday over a school district's shutdown of the school newspaper after it published an LGBTQ-focused edition.
Bill to criminalize help for Idaho minors’ abortions passes
March 31, 2023 GMTBOISE, Idaho (AP) — A bill that would criminalize helping minors obtain an abortion without parental consent won final passage in Idaho's legislature on Thursday and is headed to the desk of Republican Gov.
FBI documents give new view into Las Vegas shooter’s mindset
March 31, 2023 GMTLAS VEGAS (AP) — The high-stakes gambler who carried out the deadliest mass shooting in modern America, killing 60 and injuring hundreds more in Las Vegas, was apparently angry over how the casinos were treating him despite his high-roller status, according to a fellow gambler.
911 calls reveal terror at Nashville school during attack
March 31, 2023 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities released 911 recordings on Thursday that capture the terror inside a Nashville elementary school during a mass shooting this week, as callers pleaded for help in hushed voices while sirens, crying and gunfire could be heard in the background.
Mississippi pushes more state policing in mostly Black city
March 31, 2023 GMTJACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The majority-white and Republican-led Mississippi Legislature is taking final steps to expand the the territory of a state-run police department inside the capital city of Jackson, which is majority-Black and governed by Democrats.
House GOP approves broad bill to ‘unleash’ American energy
March 31, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Thursday approved a sprawling energy package that seeks to undo virtually all of President Joe Biden's agenda to address climate change.
Suit contests University of Wyoming trans woman in sorority
March 30, 2023 GMTCHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The nationwide battle over the places where transgender people may belong has flared at the University of Wyoming, where a lawsuit filed by seven sorority members challenges the induction of a transgender woman into their local chapter.
Minnesota train derailment, ethanol fire renew safety fears
March 30, 2023 GMTPRINSBURG, Minn. (AP) — Hundreds of people had to evacuate their Minnesota town after a train hauling ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire early Thursday, but authorities were hopeful that the quick response and cold weather would help limit the impact of this latest crash.
Nashville shooting timeline: What we know so far
March 30, 2023 GMTMonday’s shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville unfolded over approximately 15 minutes as a shooter opened fire inside, killing six people, before police arrived and fatally shot the suspect.
American detained in Russia a ‘brave, committed’ journalist
March 30, 2023 GMTWorking as a journalist in Moscow seemed a natural fit for Evan Gershkovich, the son of immigrants from the Soviet Union who grew up speaking Russian at home in Princeton, N.J.
After he graduated in 2014 from Bowdoin College, one of the country’s most selective schools, however, “it took me awhile to figure out that journalism was the career for me,” he said in a 2020 interview on the school's website.
How ‘swatting’ calls spread as schools face real threats
March 30, 2023 GMTA spate of threats and false reports of shooters have been pouring into schools and colleges across the country for months, raising concerns among law enforcement and elected leaders.
Schools in Pennsylvania and Utah were the latest targeted by so-called swatting.
9 killed in Army Black Hawk helicopter crash in Kentucky
March 30, 2023 GMTFORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — U.S. Army investigators are trying to determine what caused two Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters to crash during a routine nightime training exercise in Kentucky, killing all nine soldiers aboard.
Vatican disavows decrees linked to seizure of Native lands
March 30, 2023 GMTResponding to Indigenous demands, the Vatican has formally repudiated the “Doctrine of Discovery” -- papal documents from the 15th century that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands.
Judge’s ruling undercuts US health law’s preventive care
March 30, 2023 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge in Texas who previously ruled to dismantle the Affordable Care Act struck down a narrower but key part of the nation's health law Thursday that requires most insurers to cover preventive services that include screenings for cancer, diabetes and mental health.
Manhattan claws back people as urban counties stem outflow
March 30, 2023 GMTTurns out the pandemic hasn't permanently dissuaded people — especially immigrants — from seeking their fortunes amid Manhattan's bustling streets.
The county that encompasses Manhattan added more than 17,000 residents in the year ending last July after losing almost 111,000 people in the previous 12-month period, according to population estimates released Thursday by the U.S.
Has T. rex lost its bite? Menacing snarl may be wrong
March 30, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — The Tyrannosaurus rex is often shown baring massive, sharp teeth, like the ferocious creature in “Jurassic Park.” But new research suggests that this classic image might be wrong.
Helicopters in Kentucky crash are versatile Army workhorses
March 30, 2023 GMTTwo U.S. Army Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters crashed during training Wednesday night in Kentucky, killing nine soldiers.
Gun injuries in US surged during pandemic, CDC study shows
March 30, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — For every American killed by gunfire, an estimated two or more more survive, often with terrible injuries — a fact that public health experts say is crucial to understanding the full impact of guns on society.
Man charged in 20-plus calls of false threats in US, Canada
March 30, 2023 GMTSEATTLE (AP) — U.S. authorities on Thursday said they arrested a Washington state man who made more than 20 “swatting” calls around the country and in Canada, prompting real emergency responses to his fake reports of bombs, shootings or other threats.
FACT FOCUS: No ‘incredible rise’ in transgender shooters
March 30, 2023 GMTMoments after the assailant who killed six people at a Nashville private school was identified as transgender, a baseless narrative emerged: that there has been an incredible rise in transgender or nonbinary mass shooters in recent years.
Horses came to American West by early 1600s, study finds
March 30, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The horse is symbolic of the American West, but when and how domesticated horses first reached the region has long been a matter of historical debate.
A new analysis of horse bones gathered from museums across the Great Plains and northern Rockies has revealed that horses were present in the grasslands by the early 1600s, earlier than many written histories suggest.
Lawyer: FTX founder likely challenging new crypto charges
March 30, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — A lawyer for Sam Bankman-Fried signaled Thursday that the onetime cryptocurrency darling is challenging the validity of new charges added to an indictment after he agreed to be brought to the United States in December from the Bahamas rather than fight extradition.
Used car prices are surging. Here’s why you should buy now
March 30, 2023 GMTWell, it was nice while it lasted.
For nearly a year, the average used vehicle in the United States had been edging toward affordable again for millions of people. The relief felt belated and relatively slight, but it was welcome nonetheless.
‘Gone wrong’: Doubts on carbon-credit program in Peru forest
March 30, 2023 GMTSAN MARTÍN, Peru (AP) — The Cordillera Azul National Park on the eastern flank of the Peruvian Andes takes in a sweep of Amazon rainforest, mountains and waterfalls in a territory about the size of Connecticut, so precious that tens of millions of dollars in carbon credits have been sold in a program that supporters said would protect its trees.
Rejection of Black educator angers some Mississippi senators
March 30, 2023 GMTJACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi's Republican-led Senate voted Wednesday against confirming veteran educator Robert P. Taylor as state superintendent of education, angering some Black Democrats who said the rejection was at least partly because Taylor is Black and wrote years ago about the state's racist history.
Victims of Nashville school shooting honored in somber vigil
March 30, 2023 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Hundreds gathered Wednesday at a candlelight vigil in Nashville to honor and mourn the three children and three adults who were killed in a shooting at a Christian school this week.
Study: Biggest Hollywood films still go mostly to white men
March 30, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — As Hollywood emerged from the pandemic, its biggest film productions dipped in diversity after years of incremental progress, according to a new study by UCLA researchers.
Freed ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero Paul Rusesabagina arrives in US
March 30, 2023 GMTHOUSTON (AP) — The man who inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda” and was freed by Rwanda last week from a terrorism sentence returned Wednesday to the United States and joined his family after being held for more than two years.
A college in upheaval: War on ‘woke’ sparks fear in Florida
March 30, 2023 GMTSARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Professors at the New College of Florida are using personal email because they’re afraid of being subpoenaed.
Students are concerned, too. Some fear for their physical safety.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski trial defense leans heavily on experts
March 30, 2023 GMTPARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Gwyneth Paltrow's attorneys came close to wrapping up their case on Wednesday by relying on more experts to mount their defense on the seventh day of trial over her 2016 ski collision with a 76-year-old retired optometrist.
Judge orders US to resume oil lease sales in North Dakota
March 30, 2023 GMTBISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal judge has ordered the U.S. government to resume regular oil and gas lease sales on federal lands in North Dakota, even as a legal battle continues over the Biden administration's suspension of the leasing program two years ago in an effort to combat climate change.
Permit to buy handgun no longer required in North Carolina
March 30, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina residents can now buy a handgun without getting a permit from a local sheriff, after the Republican-controlled legislature on Wednesday overrode the Democratic governor’s veto — a first since 2018.
Biden won’t veto Republican-led bill ending COVID emergency
March 30, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden won’t veto a Republican-led measure to end the national COVID emergency, despite having expressed strong objections against it earlier this year, ensuring the bill is on an easy path to becoming law.
West Virginia governor signs ban on gender-affirming care
March 30, 2023 GMTCHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice on Wednesday signed a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors, joining at least 10 other states that have enacted laws restricting or outlawing medically supported treatments for transgender youth.
California reparations amount, if any, left to politicians
March 30, 2023 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The leader of California's first-in-the-nation reparations task force on Wednesday said it won't take a stance on how much the state should compensate Black residents whom economists estimate may be owed more than $800 billion for decades of over-policing, disproportionate incarceration and housing discrimination.
Adnan Syed case pits victims’ rights against justice reform
March 30, 2023 GMTBALTIMORE (AP) — When Baltimore prosecutors asked to vacate Adnan Syed's murder conviction and have him freed after 23 years behind bars, their request exemplified a growing movement within the American criminal justice system to acknowledge and correct past mistakes, including police misconduct and prosecutorial missteps.
Graphic novelist, 9 other writers win $50,000 Whiting Awards
March 30, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — A graphic novelist based in Hawaii, a reporter for an offshoot of The Economist and a contributor to The New Yorker are among this year's winners of the Whiting Award, a $50,000 honor given annually to 10 emerging fiction and nonfiction writers.
Companies bid $264M in Gulf oil sale mandated by climate law
March 29, 2023 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — Oil companies offered a combined $264 million for drilling rights in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday in a sale mandated by last year’s climate bill compromise.
Most gig workers paid sick leave under new Seattle law
March 29, 2023 GMTSEATTLE (AP) — Most gig workers in Seattle will be permanently entitled to paid sick leave and safe time under a first-in-the-nation law signed by Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell on Wednesday. The measure expands pandemic-era protections and strengthens labor rights for app-based workers.
7 California officers charged in death of man in custody
March 29, 2023 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors charged seven California Highway Patrol officers and a nurse with involuntary manslaughter on Wednesday in connection with the 2020 death of a man who screamed “I can’t breathe” while multiple officers restrained him as they tried to take a blood sample.
Children lost in shooting were ‘feisty,’ a ‘shining light’
March 29, 2023 GMTNASHVILLE (AP) — Details from the rich, full lives of the three adults killed Monday at a Nashville elementary school have emerged quickly in the aftermath, but information on the three 9-year-old children — whose lives ended tragically young — has been slower to publicly surface from a community buried in grief.
Alabama police officer killed, another wounded in shooting
March 29, 2023 GMTHUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama police officer has died and another was critically wounded after being shot by a man who barricaded himself in an apartment, authorities said.
The two officers with the Huntsville Police Department were shot Tuesday afternoon, as they responded to a report of a woman being shot at an apartment complex, Huntsville Deputy Police Chief Michael Johnson told news outlets.
UN seeks court opinion on climate in win for island states
March 29, 2023 GMTThe countries of the United Nations led by the island state of Vanuatu adopted what they called a historic resolution Wednesday calling for the U.N.'s highest court to strengthen countries' obligations to curb warming and protect communities from climate disaster.
Minneapolis council to discuss post-Floyd policing lawsuit
March 29, 2023 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minneapolis City Council is set to hold a special meeting Thursday to discuss a potential settlement in a lawsuit filed by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights over the city’s policing practices following the murder of George Floyd.
Mel King, who helped ease Boston’s racial strife, dies at 94
March 29, 2023 GMTBOSTON (AP) — Longtime Boston civil rights activist Mel King, whose 1983 campaign for mayor helped the city begin to repair some of the racial divisions sparked during the school busing crisis, has died.
Dangerous storms, tornadoes may target Midwest, South
March 29, 2023 GMTA seemingly relentless series of severe storms, likely with deadly tornadoes, are forecast to rip across parts of America’s Midwest and South over the next couple weeks, especially Friday, meteorologists said.
Poll: Cut federal spending — but not big-ticket programs
AP-NORC PollMarch 29, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — In the federal budget standoff, the majority of U.S. adults are asking lawmakers to pull off the impossible: Cut the overall size of government, but also devote more money to the most popular and expensive programs.
Nashville shooting highlights security at private schools
March 29, 2023 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — An alarm blared and lights flashed as a heavily armed assailant stalked the hallways of The Covenant School.
US energy officials release strategy to boost offshore wind
March 29, 2023 GMTThe U.S. Energy Department said Wednesday it has a new strategy to meet the goal of vastly expanding offshore wind energy to address climate change.
The Biden administration wants to build 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030 — enough to power more than 10 million homes.
Basic training without yelling: Army recruits get 2nd chance
March 29, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Last August, Daysia Holiday decided to try one more time to join the Army.
She’d taken the academic test and failed three times. So, when she was offered a slot in a new Army prep course to help improve her scores and qualify for basic training, she jumped at the chance.
Daughter: Mississippi tornado victim was ‘beautiful soul’
March 29, 2023 GMTROLLING FORK, Miss. (AP) — With her sister behind the wheel, Queen'terica Jones rushed across the flat Mississippi Delta as a powerful tornado bore down on their mother's home.
New California gas price law another defeat for oil industry
March 29, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — It was just a few weeks ago that California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the oil industry the second most powerful force on earth, trailing only Mother Nature in its ability to bend the elements — both physical and political — to its will.
Head of Nashville school in shooting would ‘run to’ danger
March 29, 2023 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The head of the Christian elementary school in Nashville who was killed in a shooting there on Monday was described by friends as smart, loving and a rare female leader within a male-led religious culture.
What we know about the Covenant school shooting in Nashville
March 29, 2023 GMTCourt backs victim’s family in Adnan Syed’s ‘Serial’ case
March 29, 2023 GMTANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A Maryland appellate court on Tuesday reinstated Adnan Syed's murder conviction and ordered a new hearing in the case, marking the latest development in the protracted legal odyssey chronicled in the hit podcast “Serial.”
Police: Nashville shooter fired indiscriminately at victims
March 29, 2023 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The shooter who killed three students and three staff members at a Christian school in Nashville legally bought seven weapons in recent years and hid the guns from their parents before carrying out the attack by firing indiscriminately at victims and spraying gunfire through doors and windows, police said Tuesday.
Probe of chocolate factory blast focuses on gas pipeline
March 29, 2023 GMTFederal safety officials are investigating the role of a natural gas pipeline in a fatal blast at a Pennsylvania chocolate factory, the National Transportation Safety Board announced Tuesday.
Boy Scouts’ $2.4 billion bankruptcy plan upheld by judge
March 29, 2023 GMTDOVER, Del. (AP) — A $2.4 billion bankruptcy plan for the Boy Scouts of America has been upheld by a federal judge, clearing an important hurdle in the legal challenge by certain insurance companies and dissenting sex abuse survivors.