By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts bill that bars someone from sharing explicit images or videos without consent was approved unanimously by the Massachusetts Senate. The bill, which was approved Thursday and now goes to conference committee to hash out differences with the House, means only South Carolina has not banned
Continue ReadingBy DAMIAN J. TROISE and STAN CHOE AP Business Writers NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks extended their push to record heights on Wall Street Thursday, led by big gains for chipmakers. The S&P 500 rose 16.91 points, or 0.3%, to 5,241.53 and set an all-time high for a third straight day. Three out of
Continue ReadingBy SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders have agreed in principle to open membership negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina, even though the Western Balkan country must still do a lot of work before talks can begin. The 27 leaders gave the political green light at a summit in Brussels after the European Commission
Continue ReadingBy MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday a major Israeli ground assault on the southern Gaza town of Rafah would be “a mistake” and “unnecessary” to defeating Hamas, underscoring the further souring of relations between the United States and Israel. Blinken, on his sixth urgent
Continue ReadingBy GENE JOHNSON and MARK THIESSEN Associated Press Authorities are searching for an escaped inmate and an accomplice in a white supremacist gang who fled after the accomplice shot and wounded Idaho corrections officers as they were transporting the inmate from a Boise hospital, according to police. Police said Nicholas Umphenour is suspected of shooting
Continue ReadingBy WAYNE PARRY Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The firing of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend after allegations of illegal gambling and theft from the Japanese baseball player is shining renewed attention on compulsive gambling. The team fired interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, who has been Ohtani’s constant companion since
Continue ReadingBy TODD RICHMOND Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Michigan attorneys have pressed a federal appellate panel in Cincinnati to move their lawsuit seeking to shut down a portion of an aging petroleum pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac from federal to state court. The attorneys argued Thursday before the three-judge panel that the state’s
Continue ReadingBy MARYCLAIRE DALE Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A judge says a federal lawsuit against the NFL’s disability plan can proceed to trial. The potential class action on behalf of retired players accuses the league of routinely denying valid injury claims so that it won’t have to make disability payments. The judge said the plan’s
Continue ReadingGRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Court records show a man accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend and kidnapping and killing her 2-year-old daughter has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge of kidnapping resulting in death. The plea agreement entered into Thursday by Rashad Trice shows he faces a minimum term of life in prison
Continue ReadingBy KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed off on legislation designed to protect songwriters, performers and other music industry professionals against the potential dangers of artificial intelligence. The move makes Tennessee the first state in the U.S. to enact such measures. Supporters say the goal is to
Continue ReadingBy The Associated Press Sports and gambling are once again in the spotlight in the wake of the Los Angeles Dodgers firing Ippei Mizuhara, the interpreter and close friend of newly acquired star player Shohei Ohtani. The abrupt dismissal of the 39-year-old Mizuhara came amid reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN regarding his
Continue ReadingBy The Associated Press Sports and gambling are once again in the spotlight in the wake of the Los Angeles Dodgers firing Ippei Mizuhara, the interpreter and close friend of newly acquired star player Shohei Ohtani. The abrupt dismissal of the 39-year-old Mizuhara came amid reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN regarding his
Continue ReadingBy HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and TODD RICHMOND Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — After a season with very little snow, a blast of snowy weather could dump a foot or more in some northern states, just as spring officially arrives. Parts of Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin are under winter weather advisories, with snow
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The California Highway Patrol issued a SigAlert for lane closures on Interstate 10 in Cabazon Thursday due to a fire involving hazardous waste aboard a truck. CalFire Riverside County says the the fire was reported on a Burrtec Waste Management truck at 9:14 a.m. in the westbound freeway lanes near the Main Street offramp. Two lanes were closed to traffic
Continue ReadingBy John Miller and Sabrina Shulman, CNN (CNN) — After four years on the run, a senior leader of MS-13 – one of the largest transnational criminal organizations – was captured this month in Southern California on terrorism charges, court documents say. Freddy Ivan Jandres-Parada was accused by federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New
Continue ReadingBy Katie Hunt, CNN (CNN) — About 74,000 years ago, Sumatra’s Mount Toba experienced a super-eruption, one of the largest in Earth’s history, potentially kicking off a massive disruption in the world’s climate. Some scientists have suspected a volcanic winter resulting from the eruption was a big enough shift to wipe out most early humans due to
Continue ReadingBy SONIA PÉREZ D. Associated Press GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday that a Texas law giving state authorities the power to arrest and deport migrants who have entered the country illegally is unconstitutional. “It is our strongly held view as a matter of law that SB4 (the Texas
Continue ReadingOTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canadian officials say they will set targets to decrease the number of new temporary residents in the country. Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Thursday it’s the first time Canada will do this. The federal government plans to decrease the number of temporary residents from the current 6.2% of the population down
Continue ReadingBy MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday a major Israeli ground assault on the southern Gaza town of Rafah would be “a mistake” and unnecessary to defeating Hamas, underscoring the further souring of relations between the United States and Israel. Blinken, on his sixth urgent
Continue ReadingPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — City leaders in Portland, Oregon, are reviving a protest response team, though some residents are skeptical and say their confidence was eroded by the police response to 2020 racial justice protests in the city. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports the Portland City Council on Wednesday approved a 6% salary increase for officers
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