AP National News

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD AP Political Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — In two months, Larry Elder went from conservative talk radio host to leader of the Republican field in the California recall election that could remove Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. His GOP star turn is fanning talk of his future, win or lose, in the

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) — Police say three people were arrested in East St. Louis, hours after a shooting in the southern Illinois city that wounded at least seven people. Police say it was a wild incident that included a getaway car crashing into a commuter train. The shooting occurred Thursday afternoon, across the

By TOM HAYS Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A former radio station intern says R&B singer R. Kelly kept her locked in a darkened room for days before sexually assaulting her while she was unconscious in 2003. The woman recounted the episode for the first time in public on Thursday at Kelly’s New York

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco’s trash disposal company has agreed to pay $36 million in criminal penalties for its role in a wide-ranging bribery scheme involving the city’s former public works director. Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds announced Thursday that the three subsidiaries of Recology Inc. have pledged to cooperate in ongoing investigations

By JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona police officer was charged with aggravated assault for his actions during an encounter four years ago in which he is accused of shooting a handcuffed man in the testicles with a stun gun. Glendale Officer Matthew Schneider, who has since retired, faces three felony assault

By GERARDO CARRILLO and MARCO UGARTE Associated Press TULA, Mexico (AP) — Two days after flooding claimed at least 14 lives north of Mexico’s capital, the streets of Tula remain submerged as full reservoirs upstream continued releasing more water. Mexican authorities say heavy rains in recent days in central Mexico filled the area’s reservoirs to

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California public schools and colleges would have to stock their restrooms with free menstrual products under legislation sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia’s bill that passed Thursday builds on her 2017 law requiring low-income schools in disadvantaged areas to provide students with free

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kentucky have voted in a special session to scrap a statewide mask mandate in schools. The GOP-dominated legislature passed the pandemic measure Thursday during the third day of a special session. The bill approved Thursday sets education policies in response to disruptions caused

By MICHAEL BIESECKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Louisiana wildlife officials say they have documented more than 100 oil-soaked birds after crude oil spilled from a refinery flooded during Hurricane Ida. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said Thursday that a growing number of oiled birds had been observed within heavy pockets of oil

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A former city commissioner who once ran the Florida Democratic Party will serve prison time for taking money from Uber and undercover FBI agents in exchange for his influence. A federal judge sentenced former Tallahassee Commissioner Scott Maddox to five years in prison on corruption charges.

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court has ruled that not guilty verdicts in criminal cases must be unanimous, marking a significant change in how jury trials are conducted in the U.S. territory. For nearly seven decades, Puerto Rico’s constitution has allowed a minimum of nine jurors

By SEAN MURPHY The Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s Supreme Court has agreed to hear a prosecutor’s request that two members of the state’s Pardon and Parole Board should not be allowed to vote on a high-profile death row inmate’s commutation hearing. Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater wants the high court to

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California would bar police from using certain face-down holds that have led to multiple unintended deaths under a measure headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom. The bill expands on the state’s ban on chokeholds in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis policeman. The Assembly

SEATTLE (AP) — A second defendant has been convicted of trying to sabotage railroad tracks near the U.S.-Canada border in Washington state. A federal jury in Seattle on Thursday convicted 28-year-old Ellen Brennan Reiche of violence against a railroad carrier. Her co-defendant pleaded guilty in July. They were arrested last November near Bellingham, carrying wire,

By MARK PRATT Associated Press Beards aren’t just cool and trendy — they might also be an evolutionary development to help protect a man’s delicate facial bones from a punch to the face. That’s the conclusion of a trio of scientists from the University of Utah who are among the winners of this year’s spoof

By ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are starting to push plans for providing paid family and medical leave, easing climate change and bolstering education through House committees. It’s a drive in which Democrats are battling Republicans and among themselves over President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion vision for reshaping federal priorities. Five panels

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted former Kansas state Rep. Michael Capps on 19 counts alleging that he tried to defraud federal, state and county government organizations out of more than $450,000 in coronavirus relief funding. The U.S. Attorney’s office in Kansas said in a news release Thursday that the Wichita

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A new study finds that about a third of the female service members in the Air Force and Space Force say they’ve experienced sexual harassment and many can describe accounts of sexism and a stigma associated with pregnancy and maternity leave. The review, done by the

CAIRO, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia sheriff says jury selection in a death penalty trial has been delayed while an attorney gets tested for the coronavirus. Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said proceedings that began last week in the murder trial of Donnie Russell Rowe were halted Thursday while a prosecutor awaits results of a