CHOWCHILLA, Calif. (AP) — A powerful dust storm known as a haboob caused a vehicle pile-up on a central California highway, sending several people to hospitals with minor injuries, authorities said. An enormous rolling cloud of dust reduced visibility Monday afternoon on State Route 152 in Madera County, causing motorists to crash into one another,
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will hold talks Saturday with China’s Xi Jinping on the sidelines of an international summit in Peru, a face-to-face meeting that comes as Beijing braces for Donald Trump’s return to the White House. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the meeting will take place while
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MILAN (AP) — In a career spanning more than 50 years, Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano has gained a following as an animator, illustrator, video game creator and fine artist. All those facets are on display in the largest retrospective of his work in the West, which opened Wednesday in Milan. The “Amano Corpus
Continue ReadingAP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — An arbitrator upheld five-year suspensions of the chief executives of Bad Bunny’s sports representation firm for making improper inducements to players and cut the ban of the company’s only certified baseball agent to three years. Ruth M. Moscovitch issued the ruling Oct. 30 in a case involving Noah
Continue ReadingAP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Dogecoin is surging in value since Donald Trump won the presidential election. The cryptocurrency, whose mascot is a super-cute dog that muses things like “much wow,” has more than doubled since Election Day. The latest bump came after Trump named Tesla’s Elon Musk one of the heads of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine’s ranked choice tabulation is taking place in public, narrated play-by-play by the state’s elections chief. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows once sparred with President-elect Donald Trump over ballot access. Now she’s describing the vote-counting in painstaking detail on a livestream YouTube channel. She told The Associated Press it’s
Continue ReadingAssociated Press DETROIT (AP) — Mike Duggan says the coming year will be his last as Detroit mayor. His public announcement Wednesday came as many speculate he’s among the Democrats likely to launch a gubernatorial campaign to succeed term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Duggan declined to discuss his political future and says he will not seek
Continue ReadingBERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced he will ask for a vote of confidence in December, setting the path for an early election in February. His three-party coalition government collapsed last week when Scholz fired the finance minister following disagreements over how to revive the shrinking economy. Here are five things to
Continue ReadingLONDON (AP) — A teen charged with killing three girls and wounding 10 other people in a stabbing rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England this summer is scheduled to go on trial early next year. A judge on Wednesday said Axel Rudakubana will face trial Jan. 20 in Liverpool Crown Court. He
Continue ReadingAssociated Press South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem built a national profile that had fellow Republicans buzzing about her future. Lawmakers describe the man set to replace her as a friendly, plain-spoken rancher and specialty welder whom they expect to focus more on issues within the state. President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday picked Noem as the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump chose Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his attorney general on Wednesday, bypassing more experienced options in favor of a loyalist who has built a national reputation as a disruptor and whom Trump has tasked with dramatically overhauling the Justice Department. Trump
Continue ReadingAP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The decline in U.S. drug overdose deaths appears to have continued this year, giving experts hope the nation is seeing sustained improvement in the persistent epidemic. There were about 97,000 overdose deaths in the 12-month period that ended June 30, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The process of vetting candidates for some of the European Union’s top jobs has bogged down in acrimony. The biggest political faction in the bloc’s parliament, the European People’s Party, is accused by critics of collaborating with the hard right. Senior lawmakers have been questioning the 26 new members of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Daniele Rustioni will become just the third principal guest conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in its nearly century-and-a-half history, leading at least two productions each season starting in 2025-26 as a No. 2 to music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Rustioni agreed to a three-year term. He is to helm revivals
Continue ReadingANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s trade minister says Turkey expects to be offered “partner country” status with the BRICS bloc of developing economies. The state-run Anadolu Agency quoted his remarks during a parliamentary committee meeting. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the bloc’s summit in Russia last month. Turkey requested to join the group as a
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — Rapper Nelly won’t face drug charges following his arrest this summer at a St. Louis-area casino, a prosecutor said. “We don’t believe the facts in this case warrant the issuing of charges,” St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said in a statement Tuesday. Nelly, 49, whose birth name
Continue ReadingAssociated Press In picking Fox News Channel host Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense, President-elect Donald Trump has selected a military veteran and popular conservative media personality with a large following of his own. In his decade at the network, Hegseth has developed a close rapport with Trump, who also reportedly considered him
Continue ReadingPHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia’s mass transit system is proposing a 21.5% fare increase starting New Year’s Day and also considering severe service cuts that would take effect in the summer. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority announced its plans Tuesday and scheduled a Dec. 13 public hearing on its proposal. If approved by SEPTA’s board, riders
Continue ReadingCHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — An insurance magnate who was once a big political donor in North Carolina has pleaded guilty related to what prosecutors call a $2 billion scheme to defraud insurance regulators, policyholders and others. Greg Lindberg of Florida entered the plea on Tuesday in Charlotte to one count of conspiracy to commit offenses
Continue ReadingMEXICO CITY (AP) — Legislators from Mexico’s ruling party have reelected the head of the National Human Rights Commission despite widespread opposition and her refusal to criticize the government. The reelection of Rosario Piedra for another six-year term in a congressional vote Wednesday was another example of the ruling Morena party’s attempts to weaken independent
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