AP National News

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Sesame Place has announced the implementation of diversity and inclusion training for its employees following a $25 million class-action lawsuit alleging multiple incidents of discrimination after outcry sparked from a video of a costumed character snubbing two 6-year-old Black girls went viral online. The Sesame Street-themed park, operated by SeaWorld Parks, in

By MARIA CHENG AP Medical Writer LONDON (AP) — Since May, nearly 90 countries have reported more than 31,000 cases of monkeypox. The World Health Organization classified the escalating outbreak of the once-rare disease as an international emergency last month. The U.S. declared it a national emergency last week. But that doesn’t mean monkeypox is

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana man sentenced to life in prison without parole in a 1979 double murder is being released after 42 years behind bars — after his sentence was commuted. The Louisiana Board of Pardons and Parole voted 2-1 on Monday to free inmate David Chenevert. The board commuted the inmate’s

WIXOM, Mich. (AP) — Michigan environmental have issued violation notices against an auto trim maker following the release of industrial chemicals into a river system northwest of Detroit. Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy says its Water Resources Division served Tribar Manufacturing in Wixom on Tuesday. A plating solution containing hexavalent chromium was

By JEAN-YVES KAMALE Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was “concerned” about reports of the detention of an opposition political leader in Congo. On the second day of his visit to the central African nation, Blinken said his delegation was “trying to get more facts” about the

By DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press Research that analyzed social media posts finds that hateful references to gays, lesbians and other LGBTQ people surged online after Florida passed a law that bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. References to pedophiles and “grooming” rose by more than 400 percent in

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani police have arrested a news director at a popular TV station in the southern port city of Karachi on charges of broadcasting anti-army comments by an opposition politician loyal to ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan. The private ARY television confirmed that Ammad Yousaf, who is also

By DAVID BILLER Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Police in Rio de Janeiro are seeking the arrest of six people accused of involvement in stealing 16 artworks together valued at more than 700 million reais ($139 million), some of which were recovered. Police said in a statement that the group stole the works

By SEUNG MIN KIM and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden arrived in South Carolina on Wednesday to begin what is expected to be at least a seven-day vacation with members of his family. The first couple was planning to be in Kiawah Island, noted for its private beach

By LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alan Tudyk owes his teachers more than a few measly apples. As a student, he received sound career guidance from those who recognized his nascent talent. The result: The world lost an aspiring hotel manager and gained a versatile supporting actor, now a leading man

By CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden, whose elder son Beau died of cancer years after deploying to Iraq, signed legislation on Wednesday expanding federal health care services for millions of veterans who served at military bases where toxic smoke billowed from huge “burn pits.” “We owe you,” Biden said. “You’re

By MARÍA VERZA Associated Press POXINDEJE, Mexico (AP) — A painter in orange overalls touches up the image of a hand holding a rifle while an artist perched on scaffolding painstakingly places bits of colorful ceramic in a mosaic of a guerrilla fighter. The artists aren’t just decorating a wall: Together, they are helping to

By JAKE BLEIBERG, DAVE COLLINS and MICHAEL TARM Associated Press DALLAS (AP) — The nearly $50 million defamation verdict against Alex Jones for his years of lies about the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre is far from a final reckoning. Jones’ attorneys plan to appeal and try to lower the price tag a Texas jury

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Drug cartel gunmen burned over two dozen stores and blocked streets with blazing vehicles in western Mexico in a response to a series of arrests of drug cartel figures, authorities said Wednesday. Images circulated on social media showed men commandeering cars and buses and setting them on fire late Tuesday in

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer A couple of days before Serena Williams claimed the 22nd of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles at Wimbledon in 2016, she was asked what she makes of it when people refer to her as one of history’s greatest female athletes. Her reply: She prefers being characterized as “one

By DANIEL NIEMANN and FRANK JORDANS Associated Press COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — German officials say water levels on the Rhine River could reach a critically low point in the coming days, making the transport of goods along the river increasingly difficult. Weeks of dry weather have turned several of Europe’s major waterways into trickles, posing

FORT STEWART, Ga. (AP) — More than 3,800 Army soldiers are returning home to Georgia five months after their rapid deployment to Europe after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Several hundred troops arrived Tuesday at Fort Stewart to be reunited with spouses and children waving flags and homemade signs. Army officials say the rest of the

LONDON (AP) — Children ages 1-9 in London were made eligible for booster doses of a polio vaccine Wednesday after British health authorities reported finding evidence the virus has spread in multiple areas of the city but found no cases of the paralytic disease in people. Britain’s Health Security Agency said it detected viruses derived

By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY Associated Press Longtime Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette has won his Democratic primary, advancing to a general election in which Republicans hope to win back the seat and give it power over elections. In Minnesota, Republican Kim Crockett has advanced to face Democratic Secretary of State Steve Simon. Crockett