AP National News

By WASBIR HUSSAIN Associated Press GAUHATI, India (AP) — Rescuers found two more bodies as they resumed clearing operations after an overnight halt looking for nearly 70 missing people after a mudslide triggered by weeks of heavy downpours killed at least 16 people at a railroad construction site in India’s northeast, officials said Friday. More

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The main union for Atlantic City casino workers reached agreements on new contracts with four casinos on Thursday, providing for what one its president called “the best contract we’ve ever had” and labor peace that will avoid a strike on Fourth of July weekend, one

By TODD RICHMOND Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s conservative-controlled Supreme Court handed Republicans their newest weapon to weaken any Democratic governors in the battleground state, ruling this week that political appointees don’t have to leave their posts until the Senate confirms their successor. The court’s decision — in the case of a conservative

By MICHAEL TARM AP Legal Affairs Writer CHICAGO (AP) — R. Kelly could be in his 80s before the singer is free again, based on a 30-year prison term imposed this week by a New York federal judge for parlaying his fame to sexually abuse young fans, including some who were children. And if the

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador’s Bitcoin-boosting president is back at it, doubling down on his country’s losing investment in the cryptocurrency by buying over $1.5 million more. President Nayib Bukele wrote on his Twitter acount Thursday after posting the purchase: “Bitcoin is the future! Thank you for selling cheap.” Bukele said his

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Police say nine people have been shot in Newark, New Jersey, including a teenager. Acting Newark public safety director Raul Malave told reporters at the scene that all of the victims are expected to survive and police are searching for a vehicle believed to have been involved in the shooting. Five

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The federal control board that oversees the finances of Puerto Rico’s government has approved a $12.4 billion general fund budget for the U.S. territory after legislators failed to approve one amid bickering. The board’s version of the budget approved Thursday had been rejected last

By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — A Navy investigation released Thursday revealed that shoddy management and human error caused fuel to leak into Pearl Harbor’s tap water last year, poisoning thousands of people and forcing military families to evacuate their homes for hotels. The investigation is the first detailed account of

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Looking to avoid power blackouts, California may turn to the one energy source it’s otherwise desperate to get rid of: fossil fuels. A sweeping energy proposal Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Thursday puts the state in the business of buying power to ensure there’s enough to go

By RALPH D. RUSSO and ERIC OLSON AP College Sports Writers In a surprising and seismic shift in college athletics, the Big Ten voted Thursday to add Southern California and UCLA as conference members beginning in 2024. The expansion to 16 teams will happen after the Pac-12’s current media rights contracts with Fox and ESPN

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Companies selling shampoo, food and other products wrapped in plastic have a decade to cut down on their use of the polluting material if they want their wares on California store shelves. Major legislation passed and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday aims to significantly

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court declined Thursday to take up a case involving a state law that gives California-based flight crews more generous meal and rest breaks than required by federal rules. Several Virgin America flight attendants sued to be included under the law, and an appeals court in San Francisco ruled in

By JUAN LOZANO and ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The tractor-trailer at the center of a human-smuggling attempt that left 53 people dead had passed through an inland U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint with migrants inside the sweltering rig earlier in its journey, a U.S. official said Thursday. The truck went through the

By KIM CHANDLER Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama officials said they are moving forward with plans to build two supersize prisons despite a bond sale falling more than $200 million short of expectations.  The Alabama Corrections Institution Finance Authority hoped to sell $725 million in bonds for the project. Instead, the authority was

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — State officials are ordering local school districts across Texas to audit and correct security deficiencies at their schools before the start of the next school year. The Texas Education Agency issued directives Thursday “to support the safety and security of public schools.” The order especially targets how secure exterior doors are.

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will not consider amending its constitution to eliminate indentured servitude as a possible punishment for crime after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration predicted that it could cost the state billions of dollars to pay minimum wage to prison inmates. Democratic Sen. Sydney Kamlager said Thursday that

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — One death and nearly two dozen hospitalizations are being tied to a new listeria outbreak of unknown origin. Health officials said Thursday that they have not identified a food that might be spreading the deadly bacteria. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is telling

By WILSON RING Associated Press U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont underwent surgery Thursday after he broke his hip in a fall at his home, according to his spokesman. The 82-year-old Democrat fell Wednesday night in McLean, Virginia, a statement said. Doctors determined the best course of action would be to have surgery to repair