AP National News

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) —  A military outpost in southern Syria was hit by a coordinated attack Wednesday, but U.S. officials say no American troops stationed there were injured or killed. Initial reports said the attack appeared to include two drone strikes and a small number of rockets. One official says

By MARY CLARE JALONICK, MICHAEL BALSAMO and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Steve Bannon is facing a contempt charge from Congress after he refused to cooperate with a House committee investigating the violent Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. But it’s the Justice Department that decides what happens next. As the House readies

By MARYCLAIRE DALE Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The NFL has proposed changes to the $1 billion concussion settlement after an outcry over test score adjustments known as “race-norming.” The adjustments make it harder for retired Black players to win dementia awards that average $500,000 or more. The proposed changes come after months of closed-door

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A pair of activist lawyers have pleaded guilty to charges they torched an empty New York City police vehicle last year amid the unrest over the police killing of George Floyd. Urooj Rahman and Colinford Mattis could get up to 10 years in prison at sentencing next year on

By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The FBI and a family attorney say items believed to belong to Brian Laundrie and potential human remains have been found in a Florida wilderness park during the search for clues in the slaying of his girlfriend, Gabby Petito. Searchers including Laundrie’s parents found unspecified

By MATTHEW PERRONE and LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators are extending COVID-19 boosters to Americans who got the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine. They also said Wednesday anyone eligible for an extra dose can get a brand different from the one they received initially. The Food and Drug Administration announcement

GULF SHORES, Ala. (AP) — The latest batch of police recruits in an Alabama beach town faced an interview board that included law enforcement executives and a civilian who was recognizable by his voice if not by his face: Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman. Freeman was part of a seven-member panel that interviewed nine potential officers

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The man who died in a gunfight in Tucson this month with law enforcement officers after fatally shooting a federal agent inside an Amtrak train was facing multiple California criminal charges. Two Arizona newspapers report that an Alameda County Sheriff’s Office spokesman says 26-year-old Darrion Taylor was out of jail on

DALLAS (AP) — Authorities in Dallas say a man shot into an apartment and hit a gas line, causing an explosion that injured seven people, including four firefighters. The Dallas Morning News reports that Phillip Dankins faces seven counts of deadly conduct. Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans says investigators believe Dankins shot into an apartment

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government has ordered a halt to imports of disposable gloves from a Malaysian company and its subsidiaries after determining they rely on forced labor. Customs and Border Protection has issued an order to stop any inbound shipments from Supermax Corporation Berhad and three subsidiaries. CBP says its investigation of the

By DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer Stocks ended higher on Wall Street Wednesday, bringing the S&P 500 to the brink of another record high. The benchmark index climbed 0.4% for its sixth gain in a row. Anthem and Abbott Laboratories helped lead gains among health care stocks after turning in solid quarterly earnings reports.

By ALEX VEIGA and LYNN ELBER Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Critics and supporters of Dave Chappelle’s Netflix special that included anti-transgender comments gathered outside the company’s offices Wednesday, with “Trans lives matter” and “Free speech is a right” among their competing messages. A small number of people gathered in advance of a planned

By DÁNICA COTO and PIERRE-RICHARD LUXAMA Associated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Efforts to win the return of 17 members of a U.S.-based missionary group and a local driver have stretched into a fourth day, with a violent gang demanding $1 million ransom per person. The group seized includes five children aged from 8 months

By DON BABWIN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — A judge who ordered the president of the Chicago police officers’ union to stop encouraging his members to disobey the city’s COVID-19 mandate will remain on the case. The union filed a motion asking Cook County Judge Cecilia Horan to recuse herself because of her former law

MIAMI (AP) — A former NFL wide receiver and South Florida native has pleaded guilty to stealing identities to fraudulently obtain coronavirus-related unemployment insurance benefits in California. Kenbrell Armod Thompkins pleaded guilty Monday in Miami federal court to unauthorized access device fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to court records. According to a plea agreement,

By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Law enforcement sources and a family attorney say items believed to belong to Brian Laundrie and potential human remains have been found in a Florida wilderness park during the search for clues in the slaying of his girlfriend, Gabby Petito. Searchers including Laundrie’s parents found

By MARCY GORDON AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The senator leading a probe of Facebook’s Instagram and its impact on young people is asking Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify in the Senate. Zuckerberg is being asked to appear before the panel that has heard far-reaching criticisms from a former employee of the company.

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s pick for ambassador to Beijing has told lawmakers considering his nomination that Americans should “have confidence in our strength” when dealing with the rise of China, a nation he says the U.S. and its allies can manage. Nicholas Burns is a former senior State

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s defense chief has voiced concern about a buildup of NATO’s forces near the country’s borders, and called for stronger defense ties with neighboring Belarus. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu noted recent efforts to boost military cooperation between the two allies, including modernization of military infrastructure for shared

NEW YORK (AP) — One of the country’s most acclaimed and innovative literary magazines is shutting down. The Believer was founded nearly 20 years ago. It had been part of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ College of Liberal Arts since 2017. The bi-monthly publication’s final issue, No. 139, is scheduled for February/March 2022. The