MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s military has conducted drills, overseen by President Vladimir Putin, that simulated a nuclear strike in response to a nuclear attack and involved multiple practice launches of ballistic and cruise missiles. The drills on Wednesday took place hours after the upper house of the Russian parliament revoked the ratification of a global
Continue ReadingBy DÁNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Environmental groups are urging a moratorium on deep-sea mining ahead of an international meeting in Jamaica where an obscure U.N. body will debate the issue amid fears it could soon authorize the world’s first license to harvest minerals from the ocean floor. More than
Continue ReadingDETROIT (AP) — A 60-year-old Detroit man will serve 15 months of probation after threatening to kill Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. The Michigan Attorney General’s office says Wednesday that James Toepler was sentenced Tuesday under a specialized mental health treatment court. He also was ordered to have no contact
Continue ReadingBy JENNIFER PELTZ and JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Cohen returned to the witness stand Wednesday in his ex-boss Donald Trump’s civil business fraud trial as the former president’s defense team tried to undermine the credibility and question the motives of his onetime personal attorney turned adversary. Outside the courtroom, Trump’s
Continue ReadingBy Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez and Pamela Brown, CNN Washington (CNN) — US authorities have begun a new effort to target fundraising and other forms of support for Hamas, including any tentacles the terrorist group has into the United States, current and former US officials tell CNN. The move is part of a broader reassessment ongoing in
Continue ReadingBy MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has approved Jacob Lew to be ambassador to Israel, moving quickly to get him in place during the country’s new war with Hamas. The panel voted 12-9 on Wednesday to move Lew’s nomination to the Senate floor for a final vote,
Continue ReadingBy WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin is having another moment. The world’s largest cryptocurrency soared to almost $35,000 this week, marking its highest value in nearly 18 months. The recent rally for volatile bitcoin coincides with the prospect of exchange-traded funds being launched based on spot bitcoin. Industry advocates say
Continue ReadingNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Voters in a Tennessee city have firmly rejected a far-right mayoral candidate after she refused to denounce white supremacists who showed up to support her at a candidate forum. Unofficial results show Gabrielle Hanson lost Tuesday by a wide margin to the incumbent Franklin mayor, Ken Moore. Hanson had been an
Continue ReadingBy DANIEL POLITI Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Former Argentine presidential candidate Patricia Bullrich has endorsed right-wing populist Javier Milei for next month’s runoff. She placed third in Sunday’s election behind Milei and Economy Minister Sergio Massa. Bullrich made sure to emphasize that the support for Milei was only from her presidential team
Continue ReadingBy RON TODT Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A judge has reinstated all charges, including a murder count, against a former police officer who shot and killed a driver through a rolled-up car window. Wednesday’s ruling came nearly a month after another judge dismissed murder and other charges against Officer Mark Dial in the fatal
Continue ReadingBy Lindsay Isaac and Antonia Mortensen, CNN (CNN) — The Vatican has accepted the resignation of a Polish bishop who stepped down after a sex scandal involving clergy from his diocese in the southern Polish city of Sosnowiec. According to Poland’s state news agency, the parish has been hit by a string of scandals over the past
Continue ReadingBy COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press DENVER (AP) — A Colorado judge chided a welding company that tried to pay off a $23,500 settlement with a subcontractor by sending the money in loose coins that weighed 3 tons. Judge Joseph Findley ruled Monday that JMF Enterprises “acted maliciously and in bad faith” by delivering a custom
Continue ReadingBy GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press The total number of abortions provided in the U.S. rose slightly in the 12 months after states began implementing bans on them throughout pregnancy, a new survey finds. The report out this week from the Society of Family Planning, which advocates for abortion access, shows the number fell to nearly
Continue ReadingBy GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press The total number of abortions provided in the U.S. rose slightly in the 12 months after states began implementing bans on them throughout pregnancy, a new survey finds. The report out this week from the Society of Family Planning, which advocates for abortion access, shows the number fell to nearly
Continue ReadingBy RON TODT Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A judge has reinstated all charges, including a murder count, against a former police officer who shot and killed a driver through a rolled-up car window. Wednesday’s ruling came nearly a month after another judge dismissed murder and other charges against Officer Mark Dial in the fatal
Continue ReadingBy Danny Freeman and Dakin Andone, CNN Philadelphia (CNN) — All charges, including murder, have been reinstated against the Philadelphia police officer who fatally shot 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry during a traffic stop in August. The ruling Wednesday came about a month after a municipal court judge dismissed the seven charges against Officer Mark Dial, including murder, voluntary manslaughter,
Continue ReadingBy KEVIN McGILL Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court panel is maintaining a 1992 deal that ensured Black representation on Louisiana’s highest court. Wednesday’s 2-1 ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a lower court ruling and keeps in place a 1992 federal court agreement that led to
Continue ReadingBy Katie Hunt, CNN (CNN) — An ancient landscape hidden under the East Antarctic ice sheet for at least 14 million years has been revealed with the help of satellite data and planes equipped with ice-penetrating radar. Scientists used the remote sensing techniques to map 32,000 square kilometers (12,300 square miles) of land — an
Continue ReadingST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) — It ain’t the Olympics, but a group of Floridians plan to host competitions themed according to the collective antics of the beer-loving, gator-possessing, rap-sheet heavy, mullet-wearing social media phenomenon known as “Florida Man.” Organizers of the “Florida Man Games” describe the competition as “the most insane athletic showdown on Earth.”
Continue ReadingBy LISA MASCARO, STEPHEN GROVES, FARNOUSH AMIRI and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Anxious Republicans began voting once more Wednesday, hopeful of electing Rep. Mike Johnson as the House speaker to unite their fractious majority and end weeks of chaos by elevating a little-known conservative to one of the highest seats of U.S.
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