AP National News

By RODRIQUE NGOWI, MICHAEL CASEY and DON THOMPSON Associated Press Hospitals across the U.S. are feeling the wrath of the omicron variant and getting thrown into disarray that is different from earlier COVID-19 surges. This time, they are dealing with serious staff shortages because so many workers are getting sick. People are showing up at

By LAURA UNGAR AP Science Writer LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A blood test may one day be able to predict whether someone who is pregnant will develop a serious blood pressure disorder months before symptoms show up. Preeclampsia happens in around one of 20 pregnancies, usually in the third trimester, and can cause organ damage,

By JANET McCONNAUGHEY Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana’s governor has pardoned the Black man whose 1892 arrest for refusing to leave an all-white railroad car led to the ruling that cemented “separate but equal” into U.S. law for half a century. Gov. John Bel Edwards signed the pardon for Homer Plessy on Wednesday

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Thousands of people have gathered in Las Vegas for a tech conference that’s been scaled back because of COVID-19 precautions. The floor of the CES gadget show opened Wednesday with conference attendees required to wear masks and show proof of vaccination. The event’s organizer, the Consumer Technology Association, hasn’t disclosed attendance

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — University of Florida President Kent Fuchs has announced that 2022 will be his final year in office. The 67-year-old scholar made the announcement in a video address released Wednesday, saying he plans to return to the classroom to teach electrical and computer engineering after his replacement is chosen, which he expects

By MATTHEW LEE and FRANK JORDANS Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Germany say that Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine’s border poses an “immediate and urgent challenge” to European security and that any intervention will draw severe consequences. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock presented a unified

By CURT ANDERSON AP Legal Affairs Writer A major lawsuit in the collapse of a Florida beachfront condominium that killed 98 people will go to trial in March 2023. That new deadline is about six months later than Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman had originally planned. But lawyers in the complex and unusual case said

By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Kyrie Irving might be just the jolt the Brooklyn Nets need to escape a midseason slump. After refusing to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, Irving has been unable to play at home, and for much of the season was unwelcome on the road. The Nets

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The Duchess of Sussex will receive a nominal 1-pound payment for invasion of privacy plus undisclosed damages for copyright infringement, under an agreement that ends her long-running dispute with Britain’s Mail on Sunday over the tabloid’s publication of a letter she wrote to her father. The terms

By ZEKE MILLER and MIKE STOBBE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials say they are not changing the definition of being “fully vaccinated” against COVID-19. But they are urging Americans to stay “up to date” on their virus protection by getting booster shots when eligible. The move to keep the existing definition of

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The oldest World War II veteran in the United States has died at the age of 112. Lawrence N. Brooks died Wednesday in New Orleans. He was also believed to be the oldest living man in the country. Brooks was known for his good-natured sense of humor, positivity and kindness. He

By JANET McCONNAUGHEY Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana’s governor has pardoned the Black man whose 1892 arrest for refusing to leave an all-white railroad car sparked the ruling that cemented “separate but equal” into U.S. law for half a century. Gov. John Bel Edwards signed the pardon Wednesday in New Orleans. The state

By JOHN PYE AP Sports Writer BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic’s father says his son is being held in a room with police out front after landing in Melbourne for the Australian Open. The top-ranked Djokovic received a medical exemption to play at the first Grand Slam tournament of the season. The exemption allows

By ROB GILLIES Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calls videos of a party on a recent Sunwing Airlines flight from Montreal to Cancun, Mexico a “slap in the face” to those who have tried to stay safe during the pandemic and says the country’s airline regulator is investigating. Videos of

By SUDHIN THANAWALA and JEFF AMY Associated Press SMYRNA, Ga. (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says he’ll push for a new state law that would loosen the state’s handgun requirements. Kemp announced the effort Wednesday at a gun shop in the Atlanta area city of Smyrna. He did not lay out specific changes he

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — ExxonMobil says it has made two additional oil discoveries off the coast of Guyana as the South American country prepares to become the world’s newest major oil producer. The discovery announced Wednesday occurred in an area where officials believe they can extract at least 10 billion oil-equivalent barrels. The

By ERIC TUCKER and DUSAN STOJANOVIC Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has announced sanctions against Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, accusing him of “corrupt activities” that threaten to destabilize the region and undermine peace accords. The Treasury Department alleged Wednesday that Dodik has used his leadership position to accumulate wealth through graft

LONDON (AP) — Four anti-racism demonstrators have been cleared of criminal damage in the toppling of a statue of a 17th-century slave trader during a Black Lives Matter protest in southwestern England. Protesters used ropes to pull down the bronze statue of Edward Colston and dump it in Bristol’s harbor on June 7, 2020. The

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The woman who accused former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of fondling her in the executive mansion said a prosecutor’s decision to drop the case shows why victims fear coming forward against powerful people. Brittany Commisso was one of Cuomo’s executive assistants before he resigned. She released a statement Tuesday, hours