AP National News

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Jurors in the case of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes on Thursday heard starkly different interpretations of her motives and actions as her long-running criminal trial nears the finish line. A federal prosecutor cast Holmes as a desperate con artist who brazenly lied to

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — New Year’s Eve fireworks that were called off last year on the Las Vegas Strip due to the coronavirus pandemic are returning with hopes for big crowds — even as the emerging omicron variant spreads in more states. Tourism and elected officials stood Thursday on an

By CAROLYN THOMPSON Associated Press Educators have announced plans to increase security in response to TikTok posts warning of shooting and bomb threats at schools around the country Friday as officials assured parents the viral posts were not considered credible. The posts circulating online warned that multiple schools would receive shooting and bomb threats. The

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Officials say an electrical fault from an improperly disconnected battery in a used vehicle led to the fire aboard a cargo ship docked in Florida that resulted in $40 million worth of damage. The National Transportation Safety Board released a report of its findings Thursday, along with eight safety recommendations to

By JOHN FLESHER AP Environmental Writer TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A new federal regulation requires higher safety standards for pipelines carrying oil and other hazardous liquids through sensitive areas. The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued the rule Thursday. It designates the Great Lakes region, marine coastal waters and beaches as “high

By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department says an engineer who worked for decades as a federal defense contractor has been arrested on charges of trying to pass classified information to someone he thought was a Russian agent but who was actually an undercover FBI employee. The FBI conducted an undercover

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former train engineer has pleaded guilty to terrorism for intentionally derailing a locomotive near a Navy hospital ship deployed in Los Angeles harbor. The ship was there to help during the coronavirus pandemic last year. Eduardo Moreno entered the plea Thursday. Moreno worked at the Port of Los Angeles in

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities have issued a search warrant for Alec Baldwin’s cell phone, saying it could hold evidence that might be helpful as they investigate a deadly shooting on a New Mexico film set. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was wounded in the Oct. 21 shooting on the

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — New Year’s Eve fireworks that were called off last year on the Las Vegas Strip due to the coronavirus pandemic are returning this year with hopes for big crowds — even as the an emerging omicron variant spreads in more states. Tourism and elected officials stood

By ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate parliamentarian says a Democratic effort to let millions of immigrants remain temporarily in the U.S. should be dropped from an expansive social and environment bill. That’s according to people informed of the decision, and it deals another blow to a long-time priority of the party

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM, JENNIFER PELTZ and ALI SWENSON Associated Press This year’s holiday season was supposed to be a do-over for last year’s subdued celebrations. Instead it’s turning into a redux of restrictions, cancellations and rising angst over the never-ending pandemic. Lines again stretch around blocks at some COVID-19 testing sites. Refrigerated mobile morgues are

By KATE BRUMBACK and JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — An official with Rivian Automotive said the company was attracted to Georgia’s education system, resources and talent when choosing a site for its $5 billion battery and assembly plant, resources and talent already present in the state. The Irvine, California-based electric vehicle manufacturer plans

By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Federal judges in Louisiana and Texas continue to chip away at Biden administration COVID-19 vaccine mandates. In a lawsuit filed by Louisiana, Indiana and Mississippi, a Louisiana federal judge declined to block a requirement that all employees of federal contractors get vaccinated — noting that there

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota woman suspected of shooting at strangers in vehicles over the last few months is facing four charges of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. Authorities have not released a potential motive. Latoya Weston declined to make a statement to police and her lawyer said she’s not guilty. The

By JIM MUSTIAN Associated Press Michael Cohen claims in a new lawsuit that Donald Trump retaliated against him for writing his tell-all memoir last year. The lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court says Cohen’s abrupt return to federal prison last year endangered his life and amounted to punishment for criticizing the former president. Cohen says

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s workplace regulators are extending the state’s coronavirus pandemic regulations into next year with some revisions that employers say could worsen the labor shortage. The move Thursday was criticized by business groups and hailed by labor advocates. The revised rules require that vaccinated but asymptomatic workers

REDDING, Calif. (AP) — A section of a major interstate highway in Northern California has reopened after a nearly 24-hour closure caused by blizzard conditions as the latest of back-to-back storms pushed through. The California Department of Transportation says traffic resumed moving around 1 p.m. Thursday on a stretch of Interstate 5 north of the

By LORNE COOK and RAF CASERT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders are pressing Russia to enter peace talks with Ukraine. At the same time, they are renewing a threat to impose unprecedented sanctions should Moscow send its troops over the border. Ukraine’s president is pleading for more sanctions to be imposed before

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is exhorting the world to make “concrete” progress within days toward a goal of vaccinating 40% of the global population against COVID-19 before the year ends. Guterres delivered that message in a virtual news briefing, while working from home himself because of