AP National News

By GRANT SCHULTE Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new watchdog report warns that Nebraska’s prisons face a persistent staffing crisis that has created dangerous conditions, including maximum-security units that are going unstaffed for hours at a time and one incident where a tired employee fell asleep on the job. The Inspector General of

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A clash between gunmen and National Guard troops in the Mexican state of Michoacan has left at least two guardsmen wounded, officials said Wednesday. The shooting occurred near one of the entrances to the town of Tepalcatepec, about 350 miles (565 kilometers) west of Mexico City. Members of the army arrived

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A man described by U.S. authorities as the world’s most prolific purveyor of child pornography at the time of his arrest in Ireland was sentenced on Wednesday to 27 years in federal prison. Eric Eoin Marques, 36, created and operated computer servers on the dark web

By FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Crews searching for a missing man at Grand Canyon National Park made an unexpected discovery this summer. They found the remains of another person who authorities believe was last seen at the park in 2015. The medical examiner’s office is working to confirm the identity. Park

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX’s first private flight streaked into orbit Wednesday night with two contest winners, a health care worker and their rich sponsor, the most ambitious leap yet in space tourism. It was the first time a spacecraft circled Earth with an all-amateur crew and no

By SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Republican attorney who worked in former President Donald Trump’s administration and who falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen in Wisconsin appears to have been hired to help with the taxpayer-funded investigation into how the election was run. Andrew Kloster was listed as the author

By SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago’s new schools chief will be San Antonio schools Superintendent Pedro Martinez. Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced new leadership for the nation’s third-largest school district on Wednesday. He replaces Chicago Public Schools interim chief Jose Torres. Torres has been leading the roughly 350,000-student district after CEO Janice Jackson

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Stories ranging from retellings of the myths of Paul Bunyan and of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen” to a look back at the Black Panther Party are among the 10 nominees on the longlist for the National Book Award for young people’s literature. On

By MARCOS ALEMÁN Associated Press SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Thousands of people in El Salvador are marching against the government of President Nayib Bukele. The demonstration Wednesday centered on fears Bukele may try for re-election in 2024. Protests also voiced concern about the president’s concentration of power and the controversial decision to make

By NOAH BERGER and JOHN ANTCZAK Associated Press SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — Fire crews moved to ramp up the battle Wednesday against two expanding forest fires threatening Sequoia National Park’s giant sequoia trees and infrastructure. The Colony and Paradise fires, ignited by lightning strikes last week, covered about 14 square miles (36 square

By JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer “Maybe it won’t catch on.” That’s what Tarana Burke was thinking — indeed, hoping — when she first found out the phrase “MeToo” was suddenly circulating online in October 2017, in the wake of shocking revelations about Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. It was a phrase she had come up

By YVES-LAURENT GOMA Associated Press LIBREVILLE, Gabon (AP) — Gabon’s government says the United Nations is withdrawing 450 Gabonese peacekeepers from its mission in Central African Republic following allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse. Gabon’s defense ministry said Wednesday it has opened an investigation into the allegations. It said if any allegations are proven, perpetrators

DUNWOODY, Ga. (AP) — Gas has been temporarily turned off at an apartment complex in Georgia where a building exploded last weekend and partially collapsed, sending four people to a hospital. Atlanta Gas Light said inspectors have identified appliance and fuel line issues within the buildings. Officials said they have been directed by the Dunwoody

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Attorneys are asking a judge to dismiss a new manslaughter charge against the former suburban Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright. Former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter says she mistakenly drew her gun instead of her stun gun as Wright was trying to drive away from officers. Prosecutors charged

By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM, Ore. (AP) — After humble beginnings as a pushcart operation in an Oregon town and growing into a company with hundreds of drive-thru coffee shops, Dutch Bros Coffee launched an initial public offering Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange. The offering drew an enthusiastic response from investors, who

By COLLEEN LONG and ANDREW DEMILLO Associated Press An estimated 2,600 Los Angeles Police Department employees are citing religious objections to try to get out of the required COVID-19 vaccination. In Washington state, thousands of state workers are seeking similar exemptions. And in Arkansas, a hospital has been swamped with so many such requests from

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MATTHEW PERRONE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Influential government advisers will debate Friday if there’s enough proof that a booster dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective — the first step toward deciding which Americans need one and when. The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday posted much of

SEATTLE (AP) — Federal officials have approved a plan that calls for cutting nontribal salmon fishing along the West Coast when the fish are needed to help the Northwest’s endangered killer whales. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries adopted the plan Tuesday as recommended by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. It calls for restricting commercial

By GLENN GAMBOA and HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writers Though last year’s racial justice protests unleashed an avalanche of donations for minority causes, the philanthropic community remains divided about which donations should be counted as advancing racial equity. Candid, a leading philanthropy research organization, told The Associated Press that it broadened its definition of racial