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Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s Associate Immigration Minister Chris Penk has overturned a visa refusal for the U.S. conservative commentator Candace Owens, citing “the importance of free speech.” Owens planned a speaking tour of Australia and New Zealand. But Australia refused her visa in October and New Zealand later denied her

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — More than 3,700 residents were allowed to return to their Malibu homes on Thursday after calmer winds and rising humidity in Southern California helped firefighters battle a blaze that had forced thousands, including college students and celebrities, to evacuate earlier this week. But another 1,600 people with homes in Malibu —

Associated Press SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon lawmakers have approved $218 million in emergency wildfire funding after convening for a special session. The state has seen a historic wildfire season in 2024. Blazes scorched a record 1.9 million acres, largely in rural eastern Oregon, and destroyed over 40 homes. According to Gov. Tina Kotek’s office,

Associated Press Fewer grandparents were living with and taking care of grandchildren, there was a decline in young children going to preschool and more people stayed put in their homes in the first part of the 2020s compared with the last part of the 2010s, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday, reflecting some

Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Hours of secretly recorded videos and phone calls have offered a rare glimpse into how the longest-serving legislative leader in American history operated behind closed doors. The corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan stretches into its third month and testimony has covered multiple alleged schemes. They range

AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes fell Thursday following some potentially discouraging data on the economy. The S&P 500 slipped 0.5% for its fourth loss in the last six days. It’s a pause for the index, which has been rallying toward one of its best years of the millennium. The Dow

Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A storm that swept up the East Coast that brought torrents of rain and high winds caused some misery for New England ski resort operators. But unseasonable cold returned Thursday to the Upper Midwest. Powerful winds Wednesday into Thursday caused power outages in Maine, and ski resort operators had

Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Isatta Bah wakes up from a nap in a crowded shelter on the outskirts of Beirut, clutching her baby, Blessing. The 24-year-old from Sierra Leone spends her days waiting for an exit visa that could put her and her 1-year-old on a plane back to the West African nation. She

Associated Press TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey is seeking to drastically reduce the amount of plastics and other packaging material that’s tossed out once a package is opened. Lots of packaging that keeps items safe during shipping routinely ends up in landfills or as environmental pollution. Among that packaging is bubble wrap, air-filled plastic

Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Mali’s armed forces, supported by Russian mercenaries, committed abuses against civilians since the withdrawal of a U.N. peacekeeping mission late last year, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Thursday. Malian armed forces and the Russia-backed Wagner Group deliberately killed at least 32 civilians, including seven in a

Associated Press BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota regulators have approved permits for underground carbon dioxide storage for a massive pipeline proposed for the Midwest. The approval Thursday is another victory for Summit Carbon Solutions, whose project has faced fierce opposition from landowners. The proposed 2,500-mile, $8 billion pipeline would transport carbon dioxide emissions from

Associated Press TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — It’s not an accident that “The Sopranos,” the quintessential show about New Jersey, opens with its main character driving past gasoline and oil storage tanks along the New Jersey Turnpike. From the outskirts of New York to the Delaware River shoreline across from Philadelphia, New Jersey is home to

Associated Press THOMASTON, Maine (AP) — Kaja Veilleux has been hunting New England attic treasures for more than 50 years. He once found a copy of the Declaration of Independence sitting on a pile of trash, and he made headlines this year when he stumbled upon a million-dollar portrait gathering dust in an old farmhouse

Associated Press ROVANIEMI, Finland (AP) — Shuffling across icy ground on a cold December afternoon, lots of tourist groups poured into Santa Claus Village, a winter-themed amusement park perched on the edge of the Arctic Circle. They frolic in the snow, take a reindeer sleigh ride, sip a cocktail in an ice bar or even