Associated Press In the months since he became Donald Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance has repeatedly deflected questions about whether the Republican presidential nominee lost the 2020 election, saying he was focused on the future. During a rally in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Vance was more declarative, saying “no” when asked about whether Trump
Continue ReadingLOS ANGELES (AP) — The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $880 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse dating back decades, in what an attorney said was the largest single child sex abuse settlement with a Catholic archdiocese, it was announced Wednesday. After the announcement of the agreement in principle, Archbishop José
Continue ReadingSANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — A 54-year-old woman died Wednesday from injuries sustained earlier in the week when her co-worker shot her at California’s Santa Monica College, authorities said. Felicia Hudson was pronounced dead Wednesday evening following the shooting late Monday at the school’s Center for Media and Design, officials said. Hudson was a custodial
Continue ReadingSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s governor is ending an emergency public health order that suspended the right to carry guns at public parks and playgrounds in the state’s largest metro area. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced on Wednesday the expiration of her emergency public health order after more than a year.
Continue ReadingAP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Percival Everett’s novel “James” has won a $50,000 prize that continues Everett’s recent wave of literary honors. “James” was awarded the Kirkus Prize for fiction on Wednesday. Everett’s novel is a reworking of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” that imagines Mark Twain’s classic from the perspective of the
Continue ReadingLOS ANGELES (AP) — A Southern California man was arrested Wednesday after federal prosecutors say he used a drone to deliver fentanyl and other drugs to customers, including one who died of a fentanyl overdose. Christopher Patrick Laney, 34, of Lancaster, California, was arrested on several charges, including distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, four
Continue ReadingBIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Authorities say a man has been charged in a mass shooting that left four people dead and more than a dozen wounded in the city of Birmingham, Alabama, last month. Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said Wednesday that 22-year-old Damien McDaniel was charged with one count of capital murder and 17
Continue ReadingLOS ANGELES (AP) — Oil company Phillips 66 announced Wednesday that it plans to shut down a Los Angeles-area refinery by the end of 2025, citing market concerns. The refinery accounts for about 8% of California’s refining capacity, according to the state’s Energy Commission. The company said it will remain operating in the state. “With
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ campaign is dismissing accusations that she and a co-author plagiarized parts of a 2009 book on the U.S. criminal justice system as a desperate attempt by “rightwing operatives” to distract voters ahead of next month’s election. Plagiarism experts and academics who reviewed the claims said
Continue ReadingAssociated Press A justice on New Hampshire’s highest court has been charged for allegedly trying to interfere with a criminal investigation into her husband. New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella announced Wednesday that New Hampshire Supreme Court Associate Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi has been indicted by a Merrimack County grand jury for two felonies
Continue ReadingAP White House Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris engaged in a combative interview with Fox News on Wednesday, sparring with anchor Bret Baier on immigration and shifting policy positions while asserting that if elected, she would not represent a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency. Harris’ interview marked her first foray onto the
Continue ReadingMEXICO CITY (AP) — A U.S. indictment unsealed in the District of Columbia claims that the leader of one of Mexico’s most violent gangs continued to control an offshoot group, the Northeast Cartel, from inside a Mexican prison. Miguel Angel Treviño Morales, known by the alias “Zeta 40,” has been in prison in Mexico since
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Florida elections officials are seeking accommodations from Gov. Ron DeSantis after multiple counties were devastated by Hurricanes Milton and Helene. County elections supervisors have written the Florida secretary of state requesting flexibility with the voting rules ahead of the November election. They noted that the storms caused
Continue ReadingAssociated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi judge has dismissed a lawsuit that challenged a potential conflict between a 2022 state law that bans most abortions and a 1998 state Supreme Court ruling that said abortion is guaranteed in the Mississippi Constitution. Hinds County Chancery Judge Crystal Wise Martin wrote Tuesday that the American
Continue ReadingMENDENHALL, Miss. (AP) — Three people were killed and four were critically injured Wednesday when a bridge in Mississippi that was closed nearly a month ago collapsed while a work crew was prepping it for demolition, authorities said. The bridge over the Strong River on State Route 149 in Simpson County, about 40 miles (64
Continue ReadingAssociated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The top U.N. humanitarian official accused Israel on Wednesday of blocking the delivery of desperately needed aid to Gaza, and the U.S. ambassador demanded that its government step up efforts to tackle the Palestinian territory’s ”intolerable and catastrophic humanitarian crisis.” Acting humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya and U.S. Ambassador Linda
Continue ReadingPHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix officers repeatedly punched and shocked a deaf Black man with a Taser nearly two months ago when they responded to a call that the man had committed an assault at a convenience store, according to body camera footage. The man, Tyron Scott McAlpin, 34, has been charged with felony resisting arrest
Continue ReadingAssociated Press A man charged with two rapes in Utah who lived under a series of names in the United Kingdom and allegedly faked his own death says he changed his names because of threats made against his life. During a court hearing Wednesday, Nicholas Rossi testified that, after moving to Europe in 2017, he
Continue ReadingAssociated Press The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center says there is a 60% chance that a weak La Nina event will develop this autumn and could last until March. La Nina is part of a natural climate cycle that can cause extreme weather across the planet — and its effects vary from
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Former One Direction singer Liam Payne, 31, whose chart-topping British boy band generated a global following of swooning fans, was found dead Wednesday after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, local officials said. Buenos Aires police said in a statement that Payne fell from the third
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