By Ivan Rodriguez and Cole Higgins, CNN (CNN) — Azira G. Hill hasn’t forgotten the days she used to volunteer as an usher for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in order to save money on tickets for performances. A passion that was fueled during her childhood in Cuba. “I grew up with music all the time
Continue ReadingBy KIM CHANDLER Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A second in vitro fertilization provider in Alabama is pausing parts of its care to patients after the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are legally considered children. Alabama Fertility Services said in a statement Thursday that has “made the impossibly difficult decision to hold
Continue ReadingBISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota is seeking reelection. The first-term Republican senator announced his reelection plans in a video on Thursday. He was first elected to the Senate seat in 2018 in a closely watched race against then-Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, the last Democrat to hold statewide office in North
Continue ReadingBy JUAN A. LOZANO Associated Press ANAHUAC, Texas (AP) — A trial began Thursday to determine if a Texas school district can continue to punish a Black high school student for refusing to change his hairstyle that he and his family say is protected by a new state law that prohibits race-based hair discrimination. At
Continue ReadingBy Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN (CNN) — Stef Luthin squinted at her laptop screen. Something seemed off that January morning, but at first, she couldn’t pinpoint it. Then, the 25-year-old social media marketing coordinator in Chicago noticed a small detail that surprised her. The default font in her Word document was different, even though she
Continue ReadingBy Chris Boyette, CNN (CNN) — The National Transportation Safety Board released the findings of its investigation into the 2022 collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh, ruling “critical lapses in bridge maintenance and oversight by multiple agencies” led to the disaster, and if proper oversight had been applied, the bridge would have been shut down years
Continue ReadingBy The Associated Press The mother of Russia’s top opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Thursday that she has seen her son’s body and that she is resisting strong pressure by authorities to agree to a secret burial outside the public eye. Speaking in a video statement from the Arctic city of Salekhard, Lyudmila Navalnaya said
Continue ReadingBy JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s automatic voter registration has put almost all eligible citizens on the rolls, but now some Republicans want to turn that system off. The Senate Ethics Committee on Thursday voted to advance a bill that would require people to opt in to voter registration when they receive
Continue ReadingBy BERT WILKINSON Associated Press GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — The parents of two teenagers who survived a fire that killed 20 people at a high school dormitory for Indigenous girls last year have sued the government and accused authorities of negligence. The lawsuit that attorneys shared with reporters late Wednesday is seeking more than $50,000
Continue ReadingBy REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press LA PARAGUA, Venezuela (AP) — Families and friends have started burying loved ones who were among at least 16 people killed in the collapse of an illegally operated gold mine in a remote area of central Venezuela. The mournful tributes come as demands step up for government help with
Continue ReadingBy JUAN A. LOZANO Associated Press ANAHUAC, Texas (AP) — A trial began Thursday to determine if a Texas school district can continue to punish a Black high school student for refusing to change his hairstyle that he and his family say is protected by a new state law that prohibits race-based hair discrimination. At
Continue ReadingNEW YORK (AP) — Customers of AT&T, the country’s largest wireless provider, are reporting widespread outages. Some iPhone users saw SOS messages displayed in the status bar on their cellphones. The message indicates that the device is having trouble connecting to their cellular provider’s network. That can be a big problem in an emergency. AT&T
Continue ReadingGHAZNI, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban have carried out a double public execution at a stadium in the southeast of the country. Relatives of the victims of stabbings fired guns at the two convicted men while thousands of people watched. The Taliban’s Supreme Court had ruled that the two men were responsible for the
Continue ReadingMOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Thursday took a co-pilot’s seat in a nuclear-capable strategic bomber on a flight that appeared aimed at bolstering his image ahead of next month’s election he’s all but certain to win. Putin’s 30-minute flight in a Tu-160M supersonic strategic bomber also seemed intended to send a reminder
Continue ReadingBy Anna Chernova, Sebastian Shukla, Christian Edwards and AnneClaire Stapleton, CNN (CNN) — The mother of Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny, who died in an Arctic penal colony last week, said Thursday she had seen her son’s body and was being pressured to hold a secret funeral. Lyudmila Navalnaya said she had seen her son’s
Continue ReadingBy DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Nvidia sparked a rally on Wall Street Thursday after the AI chipmaker reported another blowout quarter. The S&P 500 rose 1.5% in morning trading. The big gain puts the benchmark index on track for another record high while pushing it into winning territory for
Continue ReadingBy MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writher Ella Mills knows we all want to eat healthier. But the English food writer and businesswoman also knows we’re busy and we want everything to taste good. And she knows many people are nervous about the idea of committing to no meat. Mills is ready to hold our hands
Continue ReadingBy ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose in January as homebuyers seized upon easing mortgage rates and a modest pickup in properties on the market. Existing home sales rose 3.1% last month from December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4 million, the National
Continue ReadingSRINAGAR, India (AP) — An avalanche that hit a popular Himalayan ski resort in Indian-controlled Kashmir has killed a Russian skier while five others were rescued. Officials said earlier that at least four foreigners who were skiing and their local guide were hit by the avalanche on Thursday and buried in snow high in the
Continue ReadingBy RUSS BYNUM Associated Press SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — As a proposed mine on the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp nears final approval, Georgia lawmakers are considering a three-year pause on further permits that would allow the mine to expand. The bill approved by a House committee Thursday won’t affect plans by Twin Pines Minerals
Continue Reading