News

By KEN MILLER Associated Press EDMOND, Okla. (AP) — A 5.1 magnitude earthquake shook an area near Oklahoma City late Friday, followed by smaller quakes during the next several hours, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. No injuries were reported and damage appeared to be minimal, mostly items overturned or shaken from shelves inside homes, according

By NINIEK KARMINI Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Separatist rebels in Indonesia’s restive Papua region are asking for the immediate release of a New Zealand pilot who’s been held hostage for almost a year. That’s according to a statement from Sebby Sambom, spokesperson of the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the

By CARLOS MUREITHI Associated Press ABERDARE RANGE, Kenya (AP) — In a dense layer of green thousands of feet above sea level, cedar, podo and hegeina trees pattern the landscape, thick moss hanging from their branches and feathery lichen attached to their barks. Numerous streams and rivers flow between them, plunging over steep waterfalls. Buffaloes,

NEWTON, Mass. (AP) — An 11-day strike by teachers in a Boston suburb has ended after their union and the school district tentatively agreed on a new contract. The Newton Teachers Association announced a deal Friday night that is expected to be ratified by union members and the Newton School Committee next week. Classes are

By AYANNA ALEXANDER Associated Press CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden got his first test of the 2024 campaign during the Democrats’ first presidential primary. Saturday’s contest in South Carolina held no surprises, since Biden faces only token opposition. What was most important for the Biden campaign was the level of support he received

By AYANNA ALEXANDER Associated Press CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The Democrats’ first primary of the 2024 presidential contest contains little mystery. South Carolina propelled President Joe Biden to the Democratic nomination four years ago and he faces only token opposition when voting concludes Saturday. What’s at stake for Biden is the depth of support he

By SOPHIE AUSTIN and TRÂN NGUYỄN Associated Press/Report for America SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — When California Sen. Mike McGuire takes over as leader of the state Senate on Monday, it will be the first time in decades that the state’s top two legislative leaders aren’t from a major urban center. But McGuire says the issues

By WILL WEISSERT and MEG KINNARD Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden is looking for an easy victory Saturday in South Carolina’s Democratic primary that officially kicks off his party’s nominating process, validating a new lineup he championed to better empower Black voters who helped revive his 2020 campaign. Biden is overwhelmingly

By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press COOKE CITY, Mont. (AP) — As Wesley Mlaskoch motored his snowmobile across a mountain in the Montana backcountry, the slope above him collapsed into a thick slab and began rushing down the hillside. He had triggered an avalanche. Within seconds, the fury of accelerating snow flipped the snowmobile on top

By THOMAS BEAUMONT and BRIAN SLODYSKO Associated Press LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) — Facing a cash crunch and harsh criticism from a faction of far-right conservatives, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel on Friday called for the party to unite behind the goal of defeating President Joe Biden. McDaniel spoke at the RNC’s winter meeting

By JOSH FUNK Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The major freight railroads all promised safety improvements after the fiery derailment in eastern Ohio a year ago, but they have yet to make meaningful safety improvements and reform efforts have stalled in Congress. A few key measures in the latest Federal Railroad Administration statistics, including

By JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — He’s viewed by some Palestinians as their Nelson Mandela, and he’s a prime candidate to become their president in the future. He’s also the highest-profile prisoner held by Israel. Now Marwan Barghouti’s freedom is at stake in cease-fire negotiations between Hamas and Israel. Hamas leaders demanded Friday

By GRAHAM LEE BREWER Associated Press For decades, the University of Pennsylvania has held hundreds of skulls that were once used to promote white supremacy through racist scientific research. As part of a growing effort among museums to reevaluate the curation of human remains, the Ivy League school laid some of the remains to rest