Hamas says latest cease-fire talks have ended. Israel vows military operation in ‘very near future’
JERUSALEM — The latest round of Gaza cease-fire talks ended in Cairo after “in-depth and serious discussions,” the Hamas militant group said Sunday, reiterating key demands that Israel again rejected. After earlier signs of progress, the outlook appeared to dim as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to resist international pressure...
Panamanians vote in election dominated by former president who was barred from running
PANAMA CITY — Panamanians began voting Sunday in an election that has been consumed by unfolding drama surrounding the country’s former president, even though he is not on the ballot. Before the sweltering sun set in, voters in the normally sleepy Central American nation lined up outside of polling stations,...
Israel orders Al Jazeera to close local operation as Qatar mediates Hamas cease-fire negotiations
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel ordered the local offices of Qatar’s Al Jazeera satellite news network to close Sunday, escalating a long-running feud between the broadcaster and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-line government as Doha-mediated cease-fire negotiations with Hamas hang in the balance. The extraordinary order, which includes confiscating broadcast...
Southern Brazil hit by worst floods in more than 80 years
SAO PAULO — Heavy rains in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul killed 39 people, with another 68 still missing, the state civil defense agency said Friday, as record-breaking floods devastated cities and forced thousands to leave their homes. It was the fourth such environmental disaster in...
There’s progress reported in Gaza truce talks, but Israel downplays chances of ending war with Hamas
TEL AVIV, Israel — A delegation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported “noticeable progress” in cease-fire talks with Israel, though an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for a full end to the war in Gaza. Pressure has mounted to reach...
Biden and Trump offer worlds-apart contrasts on issues in 2024’s rare contest between 2 presidents
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden and Donald Trump are two presidents with unfinished business and an itch to get it done. Their track records and plans on abortion, immigration, taxes, wars abroad — you name it — leave no doubt that the man voters choose in November will seek to shape...
Senate races are roiled by campus protests over the war in Gaza as campaign rhetoric sharpens
HARRISBURG — The student protest movement disrupting university campuses, classes and graduation ceremonies over the war in Gaza is also roiling Senate contests across the nation as Democrats tread cautiously over an internal divide and Republicans play up their rivals’ disagreements. The political impact of the protests on the White...
A group of Republicans has united to defend the legitimacy of U.S. elections and those who run them
ATLANTA — It was Election Day last November, and one of Georgia’s top election officials saw that reports of a voting machine problem in an eastern Pennsylvania county were gaining traction online. So Gabriel Sterling, a Republican who had defended the 2020 election in Georgia amid an onslaught of threats,...
As the U.S. moves to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, could more states legalize it?
As the U.S. government moves toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, there may be little immediate impact in the dozen states that have not already legalized cannabis for widespread medical or recreational use by adults. But advocates for marijuana legalization hope a federal regulatory shift could eventually change...
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
HOUSTON — The Houston area was under threat of worsening flood conditions Saturday, a day after heavy storms slammed the region and authorities warned those in low-lying areas to evacuate ahead of an expected “catastrophic” surge of water. A flood watch remained in effect through Sunday afternoon as forecasters predicted...
Greensburg officials mum on ex-police officer’s pension after guilty plea in drug case
Retired city police Officer Regina McAtee collected at least $46,280 in pension payments before admitting her role in a methamphetamine distribution operation with the disgraced former Greensburg police chief. Now that McAtee, 51, of New Kensington pleaded guilty in federal court this week to engaging in a drug conspiracy, it’s...
Striking deals to end campus protests, some colleges invite discussion of their investments
NEW YORK — Anti-war demonstrations ceased this week at a small number of U.S. universities after school leaders struck deals with pro-Palestinian protesters, fending off possible disruptions of final exams and graduation ceremonies. The agreements at schools including Brown, Northwestern and Rutgers stand out amidst the chaotic scenes and 2,400-plus...
South Dakota Gov. Noem admits error of describing meeting North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in new book
WASHINGTON — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is releasing a new book called “No Going Back,” but on Friday her office said she would actually be going back to correct some errors — including a false claim that she once met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The Republican...
Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife are indicted over ties to Azerbaijan
WASHINGTON — Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife were indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges and taken into custody Friday in connection with a U.S. Department of Justice probe into the couple’s ties to the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan. From 2014 to 2021, Cuellar, 68,...
Biden awards the Medal of Freedom to Nancy Pelosi, Medgar Evers, Michelle Yeoh and 15 others
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on 19 people, including civil rights icons such as the late Medgar Evers, prominent political leaders such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. James Clyburn, and actor Michelle Yeoh. Biden said the recipients of the...
Zebra remains on the loose in Washington state as officials close trailheads to keep people away
SEATTLE — A zebra that escaped from a trailer east of Seattle last weekend remained on the lam Friday, as authorities closed off trailheads at a nature area in hopes of keeping people away and easing her capture. The zebra was one of four that escaped as they were being...
United Methodist delegates repeal their church’s ban on its clergy celebrating same-sex marriages
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — United Methodist delegates on Friday repealed their church’s longstanding ban on the celebrations of same-sex marriages or unions by its clergy and in its churches. The action marked the final major reversal of a collection of LGBTQ bans and disapprovals that have been embedded throughout the laws...
Nippon Steel delays closing of acquisition of U.S. Steel until late this year after U.S. DOJ request
TOKYO — Nippon Steel said Friday it has postponed the expected closing of its $14.1 billion takeover of U.S. Steel by three months after the U.S. Department of Justice requested more documentation related to the deal. Tokyo-based Nippon Steel Corp. said the deal, already approved by U.S. Steel’s shareholders, is...
Hope Hicks, ex-Trump adviser, recounts fear in 2016 campaign over impact of ‘Access Hollywood’ tape
AP-US—Trump-Hush Money, 14th Ld-Writethru14th Ld-Writethru NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign was seized with worry about the potential political damage from a tape that showed Trump bragging about grabbing women sexually without their permission, longtime Trump adviser Hope Hicks testified Friday at his hush money trial. Hicks, a former...
Biden administration says 100,000 new migrants are expected to enroll in ACA’s health care next year
WASHINGTON — Roughly 100,000 immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children are expected to enroll in the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance next year under a directive the Biden administration released Friday. The move took longer than promised to finalize and fell short of Democratic President Joe Biden’s...
U.S. loosens some electric vehicle battery rules, potentially making more EVs eligible for tax credits
DETROIT — The U.S. government has loosened some rules governing electric vehicle tax credits a bit, potentially making more EVs eligible for credits of up to $7,500. The Treasury Department announced final regulations for the credits under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act on Friday, giving automakers more time to comply...
People can’t be detained just for trying to avoid police, California Supreme Court says
LOS ANGELES — Police officers cannot detain someone on the street just because that person tries to avoid contact with them, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The decision has immediate implications for police officers working all across the state, restricting the grounds under which they can stop and hold...
China sends a probe to get samples from the less-explored far side of the moon
TAIPEI, Taiwan — China on Friday launched a lunar probe to land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side. It is the latest advance in China’s increasingly sophisticated space exploration program,...
Kenya president postpones reopening of schools as flood-related deaths pass 200
NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan President William Ruto has postponed next week’s planned reopening of schools until further notice, as heavy rains and floods that have killed more than 200 people continue. The president in his state of the nation address on Friday said that “meteorological reports paint a dire picture,”...
Police move in to clear NYU encampment as U.S. campus arrests grow to 2,200 in pro-Palestinian protests
LOS ANGELES — Police moved in to clear an encampment at New York University on Friday at the request of school officials, the latest development in weeks of pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses nationwide that have resulted in nearly 2,200 arrests with police sometimes using riot gear, tactical vehicles and...
