By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s new prime minister plans to ban cellphone use in schools and repeal tobacco controls in the agenda for his first three months in office. Christopher Luxon outlined 49 actions he said his conservative government intends to take in the next 100 days. He
Continue ReadingBy Amy Simonson, CNN (CNN) — Kansas is going back to the drawing board after hundreds of people blasted the state’s new license plate design for next year, with many saying it resembled those of other states and a rival state university from neighboring Missouri. “I’ve heard you loud and clear,” Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly
Continue ReadingBy TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer MIAMI (AP) — Khris Middleton had a thought pop into his head immediately after Milwaukee topped Miami to finish group play in the NBA’s In-Season Tournament with an unbeaten record. “We’re going to Vegas,” he said. Maybe. But not yet. Middleton didn’t know he’d skipped one important step —
Continue ReadingBy KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court has started hearing the final arguments of some of the city’s best-known pro-democracy activists tried under a law imposed by China’s ruling Communist Party to crush dissent. The activists’ subversion trial which continued Wednesday is the biggest prosecution yet under such law.
Continue ReadingBy JOSH DUBOW AP Sports Writer SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Erasing most of a 24-point deficit assured the Sacramento Kings of advancing in the In-Season Tournament. Malik Monk made sure they did it with a win. Monk hit a fadeaway with 7 seconds left and the Kings rallied late to beat the Golden State Warriors
Continue ReadingVANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Brock Boeser scored twice to help the Vancouver Canucks beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 on Tuesday night. Elias Pettersson snapped a third-period tie as Vancouver improved to 3-4 in its last seven games. Thatcher Demko stopped 30 shots. Ryan Strome scored for Anaheim, and John Gibson made 24 saves. The
Continue ReadingBy Dianne Gallagher, Shawn Nottingham and Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN (CNN) — Prosecutors have dropped charges against Christina Pierre, the woman who was struck in the face by a Charlotte police officer and was later seen on video being repeatedly punched and kneed by another officer during her arrest earlier this month, court records show. Pierre
Continue ReadingBy BILL BARROW Associated Press PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Rosalynn Carter will receive her final farewells Wednesday in the same tiny town where she was born and that served as a home base as she and her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, climbed to the White House and spent four decades thereafter as global humanitarians.
Continue ReadingBy The Associated Press MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Michael Ajayi’s 25 points helped Pepperdine defeat Idaho State 77-62 on Tuesday. Ajayi also contributed 10 rebounds, five assists, and four steals for the Waves (4-5). Jalen Pitre scored 16 points and added nine rebounds. The Bengals (3-4,) were led by Miguel Tomley, who posted 14 points.
Continue ReadingBy ROBERT YOON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — By now, Americans should be well aware that the process of electing a president isn’t like electing a senator or governor. In presidential primaries, the major political parties use a complex delegate selection process to pick their nominees to compete in November. Candidates win delegates in a
Continue ReadingSEATTLE (AP) — Keion Brooks Jr. scored 18 points and collected 12 rebounds and Washington was never threatened in an 83-56 win over UC San Diego on Tuesday night. Kentucky graduate transfer Sahvir Wheeler scored 17 points, reserve Braxton Meah 14 and Koren Johnson 12 for Washington (4-2). Bryce Pope scored 15 points and reserve
Continue ReadingBy JOEY CAPPELLETTI and ALI SWENSON Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign legislation in the coming days aimed at curbing deceptive uses of artificial intelligence and manipulated media. The legislation comes as concerns grow that generative AI could be used in the 2024 presidential race to mislead
Continue ReadingBy COLLEEN SLEVIN and MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press BRIGHTON, Colo. (AP) — Opening statements are scheduled to begin in the third and final trial over the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, who died after he was stopped by police in suburban Denver. Jurors will have to decide if two paramedics committed a crime when they
Continue ReadingBy SHARON LURYE of The Associated Press and CHARLES LUSSIER of The Advocate BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — When Raynesha Cummings enrolled her three teenagers in a private school, she hoped to keep them safe from COVID-19. It was small, with no frills — there was just one teacher and the school didn’t serve lunch
Continue ReadingBy Clare Sebastian, CNN London (CNN) — In early November, drone video surfaced online appearing to show a targeted strike blowing up three antennas on the roof of an apartment block. The Ukrainian drone commander who posted it claimed to have destroyed a Russian Pole-21 electronic warfare system on the eastern front near Donetsk. Ukraine
Continue ReadingBy MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a challenge to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s ability to fight fraud, part of a broader attack on regulatory agencies led by conservative and business interests. The case before the justices Wednesday involves the Biden administration’s appeal of a lower-court
Continue ReadingBy ERIC TUCKER and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has embraced the rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as patriots, vowed to pardon a large portion of them if he wins a second term and even collaborated on a song with a group of jailed defendants.
Continue ReadingBy MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. life expectancy rose last year, but it still isn’t close to what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. It was up by more than a year in 2022, after plunging two straight years at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s now 77 years,
Continue ReadingBy JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Republicans are moving to preserve their majorities as they propose additional Black voting districts in a special legislative session that opened Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones in October found that Georgia’s voting districts illegally diluted Black voting power. He ordered Georgia to draw Black majorities
Continue ReadingBy MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Country singer Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” tops Apple Music’s global song chart in 2023. The giant music streamer on Tuesday released its end-of-year lists and provided listeners with data on their own most listened-to tunes. Nigerian rapper Rema’s “Calm Down” was No. 1 on the
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