Month: July 2023

By CAROLYN THOMPSON Associated Press CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. (AP) — For a single, unthinkable moment last summer, the Chautauqua Institution was a hostile place for the freedom of expression that has been its hallmark for 150 years: As Salman Rushdie was about to speak, an audience member leapt onto the stage and stabbed the celebrated author

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico man who confessed to five bank robberies last year, including one bank he robbed twice, has been sentenced to more than two years in prison. Jason Smeltzer made off with a total of less than $4,000 during the five robberies over five weeks in early 2022. The 41-year-old

By RENATA BRITO, ELAINE GANLEY and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press When Mbengue Nyimbilo Crepin regained consciousness after collapsing in the desert, the sun had already set. Tunisian authorities had violently forced him, his wife and their 6-year-old daughter across the border to Libya by foot without water, in the blazing heat, he said. Nyimbilo crumpled

By MICHAEL PHILLIS, BEATRICE DUPUY and REBECCA BLACKWELL Associated Press KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — In the sweltering summer heat, nobody tries to cool off by jumping into a hot tub. In parts of Florida, however, that’s what the ocean has felt like. Earlier this week, sea surface temperatures reached as high as 101.2 degrees

By The Associated Press The Mega Millions jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.05 billion Friday night, only the fifth time in the history of the game that the grand prize has reached into the billions. No one managed to beat the massive odds and match all six numbers for Friday’s estimated $940 million jackpot. The

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting his Sri Lankan counterpart in the first visit by a French leader to the Indian Ocean island nation. The two discussed an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region Saturday, along with politics, maritime activities and climate change. Macron’s visit follows his trip to the South

By ERIC TUCKER and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a stunning new allegation in an already serious case: Former President Donald Trump sought to delete Mar-a-Lago surveillance footage to obstruct the Justice Department’s investigation into his handling of classified documents. The latest criminal charges unsealed Thursday deepen Trump’s legal jeopardy, alleging

By MAX RALPH Associated Press AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand striker Hannah Wilkinson has helped create two milestones at the Women’s World Cup. With her 48th-minute goal in the tournament opener against Norway, she led the co-host Football Ferns to their first win in six trips to the Women’s World Cup. She’s also

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers broke for their August recess this week with work on funding the government largely incomplete, fueling worries about whether Congress will be able to avoid a partial government shutdown this fall. Congress has until Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year, to act on

By CHRISTINE FERNANDO Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Leading up to the 2020 election, Facebook ads targeting Latino and Asian American voters described Joe Biden as a communist. A local station claimed a Black Lives Matter co-founder practiced witchcraft. Doctored images showed dogs urinating on Donald Trump campaign posters. None of these claims was true,

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Former Puerto Rican boxer Félix Verdejo has been found guilty on two charges related to the death of his 27-year-old pregnant lover. The jury could not agree on verdicts for two other charges Friday after a 25-week trial in which the jury heard gruesome details about the April 2021

By HUIZHONG WU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Typhoon Doksuri weakened into a tropical storm late night Friday after bringing heavy rain and winds that left more than a million people without power in southern China. After making landfall Friday morning in southern Fujian province, where at least 400,000 people were evacuated, the storm