Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump has promised to dismantle. He also selected Dr. Mehmet Oz, a former television talk show host and heart surgeon, to head the agency that oversees
Continue ReadingDOWNERS GROVE, Ill. (AP) — Authorities say a suburban Chicago woman faces hate crime charges for allegedly confronting a Palestinian American man wearing a sweatshirt with “Palestine” written on it and trying to knock a cellphone out of his pregnant wife’s hands as she recorded the encounter. The DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office says 64-year-old
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon will send Ukraine at least $275 million in new weapons. It comes as the Biden administration rushes to do as much as it can to help Kyiv fight back against Russia in the remaining two months before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. The latest tranche of weapons will
Continue ReadingAssociated Press CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The U.S. government recognized Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González as the “president-elect” of the South American country on Tuesday, months after President Nicolás Maduro claimed to have won the July election. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recognized González in a post on X in which he also demanded
Continue ReadingZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatia’s prime minister says that a presidential election will be held in the European Union country on Dec. 29. Authorities are yet to formally set the vote. A runoff vote will be held two weeks later if no candidate wins an outright majority on Dec. 29. Incumbent populist President Zoran Milanović
Continue ReadingBETHEL, Ohio (AP) — An explosion at an Ohio home killed two people, left another hospitalized with burns and sent debris flying through a neighborhood. It’s not yet known what caused the blast in Bethel on Tuesday morning. Several residents said it shook and caused minor damage to their homes. Bethel Tate Fire Chief Christopher
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s Prime Minister has approved an anticipated comprehensive military operation against separatist groups in the country’s restive southwest. Tuesday’s announcement by Shehbaz Sharif came more than a week after a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Quetta train station, killing 26 people, mostly soldiers. The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The founder of an artificial intelligence company that supplied school districts in Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta with a chatbot to create learning plans for students was arrested on fraud charges Tuesday, accused of spending investor money on herself as her company spiraled into bankruptcy. Joanna Smith-Griffin, 33,
Continue ReadingROME (AP) — Italian authorities have announced the seizure of an illegal excavation of an Etruscan burial site in the central Umbria region. They are investigating two people suspected of the theft of urns, sarcophagi and other artifacts worth 8 million euros or $8.5 million intended for sale on the black market. Authorities said Tuesday
Continue ReadingAP Tennis Writer MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Rafael Nadal bit his lower lip and his reddened eyes welled with tears as he stood alongside his Davis Cup teammates for Spain’s national anthem Tuesday before what he — and everyone — knew might be the last match of his career. Hours after Nadal’s 6-4, 6-4 loss
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — An attorney says an unauthorized person gained access to a file containing confidential testimony from women who have made allegations about former Rep. Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump’s pick to become the next attorney general. Attorneys involved in a civil case brought by a Gaetz associate were notified this week that
Continue ReadingANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An endangered fin whale that washed up near a coastal trail in Alaska’s largest city has attracted curious onlookers while biologists seek answers as to what caused the animal’s death. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration biologist examining the whale tells the Anchorage Daily News the whale was likely 1 to
Continue ReadingAssociated Press A powerful storm is bearing down on the West Coast and bringing with it a scary-sounding weather term – bomb cyclone. Bomb cyclone is a term used by weather enthusiasts to describe a process that meteorologists usually call bombogenesis. It’s the rapid intensification of a cyclone in a short period of time, and
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — For two weeks, Donald Trump has welcomed Elon Musk into his world. On Tuesday, it was Musk’s turn to play host to the president-elect. Trump flew to South Texas to watch as Musk’s SpaceX launched a Starship rocket near the Mexican border. Trump listened intently as the world’s richest man
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — New York prosecutors oppose any effort to dismiss President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money conviction, but they expressed openness Tuesday to delaying sentencing until after his second term. The Manhattan district attorney’s office said in a court filing that Trump’s forthcoming presidency isn’t grounds for dropping a case that was
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — President Joe Biden’s pending request to Congress for nearly $100 billion in emergency disaster aid includes money to rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge after its deadly collapse in March. Maryland’s congressional delegation is also working to secure 100% federal funding to cover the nearly $2 billion in estimated reconstruction
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency tells lawmakers she has encouraged the agency’s inspector general to review whether an employee was acting alone when directing workers helping hurricane victims to avoid homes with yards signs supporting President-elect Donald Trump. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said Tuesday it is critical
Continue ReadingCANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A ballet group in suburban Detroit is scrambling after someone stole a trailer filled with props for upcoming performances of the beloved holiday classic “The Nutcracker.” The lost items include a grandfather clock and a Christmas tree. “The Nutcracker” is a musical ballet written by Tchaikovsky. A girl dreams of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — President Joe Biden is making an urgent appeal to fellow world leaders to surge money to developing nations to curb climate change as he wraps up his final appearance at a major international summit. He announced on Tuesday a $325 million contribution to help developing countries move away
Continue ReadingTUSKEGEE, Ala. (AP) — Court documents show that a man charged with illegally possessing a machine gun was also at Tuskegee University during a hail of gunfire that left one person dead and others wounded. Authorities say 20-year-old Jeremiah Williams was arrested on Thursday after months of investigation unrelated to the shooting at Tuskegee. But
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