AP National News

Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Lubnan Baalbaki, the conductor of the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra, watched on his phone screen as the Israeli army destroyed his family home in southern Lebanon. The house in Odaisseh housed his late father’s art collection and library and his parents were buried in the garden. Israeli warplanes and ground forces

Associated Press Travel can be stressful in the best of times. Now add in the high-level anxiety that seems to be baked into every holiday season and it’s clear that travelers could use some help calming frazzled nerves. Travel pros say there is plenty you can do ahead of time to make for a happier

Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Democrats’ crushing loss in Montana’s nationally important U.S. Senate race settled a fierce political debate over whether a surge of newcomers in the past decade favored Republicans. It also addressed the question of whether one of the new arrivals could even take high office. Voters answered with an emphatic

Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Two weeks before Election Day, activists from across the country gathered for an online rally heralding the historic number of state ballot initiatives seeking to change the way people vote. Hopes were high that voters would ditch traditional partisan primaries and embrace ballots with more candidate choices. Instead,

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump launched a blitz of picks for his Cabinet, but he took his time before settling on billionaire investor Scott Bessent as his treasury secretary nominee. The Republican not only wanted someone who jibes with him, but an official who can execute his economic vision and look straight

Associated Press/Report for America HOUSTON (AP) — Extreme weather is making power outages longer and more frequent across the U.S. People with health conditions who depend on medical devices powered by electricity are particularly vulnerable. In Texas, these people can get notified in advance about planned blackouts, but that doesn’t help in a disaster. Texas

Associated Press BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — United Nations climate talks adopted a deal to inject at least $300 billion annually in humanity’s fight against climate change, aimed at helping developing nations cope with the ravages of global warming in tense negotiations. The $300 billion will go to developing countries who need the cash to wean

Associated Press ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — In a sprawling secondhand clothing market in Ghana’s capital, early morning shoppers jostle as they search through piles of garments, eager to pluck a bargain or a designer find from the stalls selling used apparel from the West. Ghana is one of Africa’s leading importers of used clothing, with

AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Alyssa Nakken, the first woman to coach in a Major League Baseball game, is leaving the San Francisco Giants to join the Cleveland Guardians. Nakken made history in 2022 when she took over as first-base coach following an ejection. A former college softball star at Sacramento State, Nakken joined

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has named Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer to lead the Department of Labor, elevating a Republican congresswoman who has strong support from unions in her district but lost reelection in November. Chavez-DeRemer has a legislative record that has drawn plaudits from unions, but organized labor leaders remain skeptical

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (AP) — Idaho police say a teenager has been arrested in connection with the body of an infant found last month at a hospital in a box meant for people to anonymously give up a newborn. The Blackfoot Police Department said in a social media post Friday that an 18-year-old from Twin Falls

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has nominated a critic of COVID-19 health measures to lead the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Marty Makary came to national attention for opposing mask mandates and other steps during the pandemic. He is a surgeon, author and professor at Johns Hopkins University. Makary is the latest

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has chosen money manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction and deregulation, to serve as his next treasury secretary. Bessent is a past supporter of Democrats who has become an enthusiastic supporter of Trump. He’s an advocate of cutting spending while extending the tax cuts approved

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that he’ll nominate billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction, to serve as his next treasury secretary, one of several personnel decisions that he unveiled as he closed out the workweek. Trump also said he would nominate Russell Vought to lead

WAUPACA, Wis. (AP) — A drunken driver who was traveling the wrong way on a Wisconsin highway has been sentenced to more than 35 years in prison. Scott Farmer’s truck crashed into another vehicle, killing four siblings. Farmer had pleaded no contest to homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle. The crash happened last

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government has announced another investigation against opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, continuing its efforts to blame her for the economic sanctions that the United States has imposed against the South American country. Machado will be investigated for expressing support for a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives  that

WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC’s “This Week” — Sens. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. ___ NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.; Sen.-elect Adam Schiff, D-Calif. ___ CNN’s “State of the Union” — Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. ___ CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Duckworth; Sens.

Associated Press/Report for America BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana’s GOP-dominated Legislature approved a constitutional amendment on Friday that would allow lawmakers to expand the number of crimes in which juveniles between 14 and 16 years old could be tried as adults. The measure would remove constitutional restrictions on juvenile crimes transferable to adult courts

AP Health Writer A California infant has died and at least 10 other people have been sickened in an outbreak of listeria food poisoning tied to ready-to-eat meat and poultry products that include chicken feet, duck neck, beef shank and pork hock, federal health officials reported Friday. Yu Shang Food, Inc., of Spartanburg, South Carolina,

Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has announced that the state’s reliance on hotels and motels to shelter homeless people will be phased out in the next couple of years. Healey announced on Friday changes to the state’s emergency family shelter system. She said the changes would help more families find stable,