Author: The Associated Press

Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin Launches Run For 3rd Term

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who spearheaded legislation to protect same-sex and interracial marriages last year, announced on Wednesday that she is seeking a third term in battleground Wisconsin. Baldwin, 60, said in a statement that she intends to continue fighting for the working class and families struggling with inflation, as well as opposing Wisconsin’s abortion ban. No…

Report: U Of Minnesota ‘Committed Genocide’ Of Native People

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The University of Minnesota should hire more Native American faculty, offer students additional financial support and give back land to atone for its historic mistreatment of the state’s tribes, a report conducted through a collaboration with the school concluded Tuesday. The report said that the university’s founding board of regents “committed genocide and ethnic cleansing of Indigenous…

Louisville Bank Employee Livestreamed Attack That Killed 5

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Louisville bank employee armed with a rifle opened fire at his workplace Monday morning, killing five people — including a close friend of Kentucky’s governor — while livestreaming the attack on Instagram, authorities said. Police arrived as shots were still being fired inside Old National Bank and killed the shooter in an exchange of gunfire, Louisville Metro…

Biden Ends COVID National Emergency After Congress Acts

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. national emergency to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic ended Monday as President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan congressional resolution to bring it to a close after three years — weeks before it was set to expire alongside a separate public health emergency. The national emergency allowed the government to take sweeping steps to respond to the virus…

Police: 4 Killed In Shooting At Downtown Louisville Building

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A shooting Monday at a bank in downtown Louisville killed at least four people and wounded at least eight others, police said. The suspected lone shooter was also dead. Louisville Metro Police Department Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey told reporters officers who arrived on the scene “encountered active gunshots still being fired inside the location at that…

Trump’s Response To Criminal Charges Revives Election Lies

NEW YORK (AP) — Legally, the most important words former President Donald Trump said after he was charged with 34 felonies by the Manhattan District Attorney last week were “not guilty.” But, politically, the most significant may be “election interference.” Trump’s repetition of those words, which have been taken up by other top Republicans, show how he is trying to turn his…

Gov. Evers On 2 Officers Shot, Killed: ‘Our Hearts Are Heavy’

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said Sunday “our hearts are heavy” a day after two police officers were shot to death during a traffic stop. “”Our hearts are heavy for the Chetek and Cameron police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty yesterday. Kathy and I are praying for the officers’ families, colleagues, and…

US Would Bar Full Ban On Trans Athletes But Allow Exceptions

WASHINGTON (AP) — Schools and colleges across the U.S. would be forbidden from enacting outright bans on transgender athletes under a proposal released Thursday from the Biden administration, but teams could create some limits in certain cases — for example, to ensure fairness. The proposed rule sends a political counterpunch toward a wave of Republican-led states that have sought to…

GOP Lawmakers To Vote On Expelling Democrats In Gun Protest

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Thousands flocked to the Tennessee Capitol on Thursday to support the three Democratic lawmakers facing possible expulsion for their role in a gun control demonstration, cheering and chanting outside the House chamber so loud that it drowned out proceedings. The GOP-dominated House is set to vote on whether to oust Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin…

Democrats’ Choice Wins Key Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Democratic-backed Milwaukee judge won the high stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race Tuesday, ensuring liberals will take over majority control of the court for the first time in 15 years with the fate of the state’s abortion ban on the line. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz, 60, defeated former Justice Dan Kelly, who previously worked for…

Reports: Donald Trump Pleads Not Guilty To 34 Felony Charges

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, according to several news reports. He entered the plea Tuesday during a brief arraignment in a lower Manhattan courtroom as prosecutors unsealed a grand jury indictment. The charges stem from a hush money payment to a porn actor during Trump’s…

Finland Joins NATO In Major Blow To Russia Over Ukraine War

BRUSSELS (AP) — Finland joined the NATO military alliance Tuesday, dealing a major blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a historic realignment of Europe’s post-Cold War security landscape triggered by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The Nordic country’s membership doubles Russia’s border with the world’s biggest security alliance. Finland had adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviets in World War II, but…

Trump Arrives At New York Courthouse Ahead Of Arraignment

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump arrived Tuesday at a Manhattan courthouse ahead of his arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush money payment to a porn actor during his 2016 campaign. Trump pumped his fist as he exited Trump Tower minutes earlier, then traveled in an eight-car motorcade down a highway along the East River to the downtown courthouse, where’s…

Officials: US Providing Ukraine $2.6 Billion In Military Aid

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will send Ukraine about $500 million in ammunition and equipment and will spend more than $2 billion to buy an array of munitions, radar and other weapons in the future, U.S. officials said, as the Ukrainian troops prepare for a spring offensive against Russian forces. The ammunition rounds, along with grenade launchers and vehicles, will be…

Minnesota Gun Ruling Is Latest Citing Supreme Court Decision

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A federal court ruling that a Minnesota law prohibiting 18-to-20-year-olds from obtaining permits to carry handguns in public is unconstitutional remained on hold Monday while the state pursues a potential appeal. A reluctant U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez struck down the state law on Friday, citing a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision on gun rights last year….

Biden To Push Clean Energy, Economic Agenda In Minneapolis

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to tour a clean energy technology manufacturer in suburban Minneapolis on Monday as part of his effort to highlight his investment agenda ahead of an expected reelection campaign. Biden plans to highlight job growth and investments nationwide while pushing clean energy and manufacturing in the U.S. during his visit to engine maker Cummins…

Trump To Be Arraigned Tuesday To Face Hush Money Indictment

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump will be arraigned Tuesday after his indictment in Manhattan, his formal surrender and arrest presenting the historic, shocking scene of a former U.S. commander in chief forced to stand before a judge. Court officials confirmed the timing on Friday. When Trump turns himself in, he’ll be booked mostly like anyone else facing charges, mugshot…

Minneapolis Leaders Approve Agreement To Revamp Policing

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minneapolis City Council on Friday approved an agreement with the state to revamp policing, nearly three years after a city officer killed George Floyd. The state Department of Human Rights issued a blistering report last year that said the police department had engaged in a pattern of race discrimination for at least a decade. City leaders subsequently…

Lawyer: Trump Indicted; 1st Ex-President Charged With Crime

(AP) — A lawyer for Donald Trump said Thursday he’s been told that the former president has been indicted in New York on charges involving payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter. It becomes the first ever criminal case against a former U.S. president and a jolt to Trump’s bid to retake…

9 Killed In Army Black Hawk Helicopter Crash In Kentucky

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — Nine people were killed in a crash involving two Army Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters conducting a nighttime training exercise in Kentucky, Army officials said Thursday. Nondice Thurman, a spokesperson for Fort Campbell, said the deaths happened Wednesday night in southwestern Kentucky during a routine training mission. A statement from Fort Campbell said the two…

Biden Won’t Veto Republican-Led Bill Ending COVID Emergency

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden won’t veto a Republican-led measure to end the national COVID emergency, despite having expressed strong objections against it earlier this year, ensuring the bill is on an easy path to becoming law. It marks the second time in the new Congress that the Biden administration has signaled opposition to a Republican measure, rallying most Democrats in Congress…

Congress Approves Measure To Toss Biden’s Water Protections

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress on Wednesday approved a resolution to overturn the Biden administration’s protections for the nation’s waterways that Republicans have criticized as a burden on business, advancing a measure that President Joe Biden has promised to veto. Republicans have targeted the Biden administration’s protections for thousands of small streams, wetlands and other waterways, labeling it an environmental overreach that harms…

FDA Approves Over-The-Counter Narcan. Here’s What It Means

(AP) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved selling the leading version of naloxone without a prescription, setting the overdose-reversing drug on course to become the first opioid treatment drug to be sold over the counter. It’s a move that some advocates have long sought as a way to improve access to a life-saving drug, though the exact…

Police: Nashville Shooter Bought 7 Guns Before School Attack

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The person who killed three children and three adults at a Christian school in Nashville legally bought seven firearms in recent years and hid the guns from their parents before the attack, police said Tuesday. The violence Monday at The Covenant School is the latest school shooting to roil the nation. Three 9-year-old students were killed, as well…

Police ID Kids, All Age 9, And Adults In Nashville Shooting

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A woman wielding two “assault-style” rifles and a pistol killed three 9-year-old students and three adults at a private Christian school in Nashville on Monday in the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country growing increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools. The suspect, who was killed by police, is believed to be a former…

US To Adopt New Restrictions On Using Commercial Spyware

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government will restrict its use of commercial spyware tools that have been used to surveil human rights activists, journalists and dissidents around the world, under an executive order issued Monday by President Joe Biden. The order responds to growing U.S. and global concerns about programs that can capture text messages and other cellphone data. Some programs —…

3 Adults, 3 Children Fatally Shot At Nashville Grade School

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Two adults and three children were killed in a shooting at a private Christian grade school in Nashville on Monday, hospital officials said. While police said the suspect is dead after a confrontation with officers, it was not immediately clear whether the shooter was among the five people pronounced dead at the hospital. The violence occurred…

US-Canada Migration Deal Aims To End Walk-Around Crossings

ST. JOHNSBURY, Vermont (AP) — The immigration deal announced Friday by U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau aims to shut down a process that has enabled tens of thousands of immigrants from across the world to move between the two countries along a back road between New York state and Quebec. Since early 2017, so many migrants entered…

House GOP Passes Parents’ Rights Bill In Clash Over Schools

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Friday narrowly passed legislation to press a midterm campaign promise to give parents greater say in what’s taught in public schools even as critics complained the “parents’ rights” bill would fuel a far-right movement that’s resulted in book bans, restrictions aimed at transgender students and raucous school board meetings across the country. Speaker Kevin…

New Minnesota Budget Targets Include $3 Billion For Tax Cuts

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Democratic legislative leaders and Gov. Tim Walz agreed Tuesday on broad budget targets that add up to nearly $17.9 billion in new spending, including $3 billion for tax cuts, but the details of where the money will go remain to be negotiated. Agreeing on the targets was a necessary step so that legislators can begin work in earnest on setting a…

Evers Pushes To Repeal Abortion Ban Ahead Of Court Election

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and his fellow Democrats worked Tuesday to keep the spotlight on abortion ahead of next month’s state Supreme Court election, resurrecting a bill that would repeal the state’s 1849 ban on the practice. Democrats introduced the bill in June days before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973…

Trump Waits Out Grand Jury As New York Braces For Protests

NEW YORK (AP) — Facing the possibility of criminal charges, Donald Trump waited it out in Florida on Tuesday as New York braced for disruptions that could follow an indictment. Republican contenders in the 2024 race sized up the impact a prosecution could have on a campaign in which the former president is a leading contender. Trump over the weekend claimed without evidence that…

Minnesota Moving To Fortify State Status As Abortion Refuge

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota is moving to fortify its status as a refuge for patients from restrictive states who travel to the state to seek abortions — and to protect providers who serve them. The state House on Monday passed a bill by a 68-62 vote to prohibit enforcement in Minnesota of laws, subpoenas, judgements or extradition requests from other states…

Biden Issues First Veto, Taking On New Republican Congress

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden issued the first veto of his presidency Monday in an early sign of shifting White House relations with the new Congress since Republicans took control in January. He’s seeking to kill a Republican measure that bans the government from considering environmental impacts or potential lawsuits when making investment decisions for Americans’ retirement plans. It’s just the…

Trump’s Call For Protests Gets Muted Reaction By Supporters

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap. The ambivalence raises questions about whether Trump, though a leading Republican contender in the 2024 presidential race who…

Officer Who Killed George Floyd Pleads Guilty In Tax Case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The former Minneapolis police officer serving time for the 2020 murder of George Floyd pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of tax evasion. Derek Chauvin pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting, failing to file tax returns to the state of Minnesota for the years 2016 and 2017. in a Minnesota court before Washington County Judge Sheridan Hawley. Chauvin appeared via…

400,000 Gallons Of Radioactive Water Leaked From A Nuclear Plant In Minnesota

ST.. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota regulators said Thursday they’re monitoring the cleanup of a leak of 400,000 gallons of radioactive water from Xcel Energy’s Monticello nuclear power plant, and the company said there’s no danger to the public. “Xcel Energy took swift action to contain the leak to the plant site, which poses no health and safety risk to the local…

Poland To Be 1st NATO Member To Give Ukraine Fighter Jets

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s president said Thursday that his country plans to give Ukraine around a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets, which would make it the first NATO member to fulfill the Ukrainian government’s increasingly urgent requests for warplanes. President Andrzej Duda said Poland would hand over four of the Soviet-made warplanes “within the next few days” and that the rest needed…

Minnesota Courts Expand Camera Access To Criminal Trials

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota courts will allow greater audiovisual coverage of criminal proceedings starting next year under an order filed Wednesday by the Minnesota Supreme Court, but the rules will nonetheless remain more restrictive than those in many other states. Worldwide broadcasts and livestreams of the 2021 trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and his conviction for murdering…

Biden Says He’s Focused ‘Intensely’ On Lowering Drug Costs

LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday said his administration was focused “intensely” on lowering health care costs and took aim at “MAGA” Republicans who he said are intent on dialing back Medicare coverage for millions of Americans. Biden used a speech in Las Vegas where he was wrapping a three-day Western swing to make the case there…

Minnesota Bill To Legalize Marijuana Gets Major Rewrite

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Legislation to legalize recreational marijuana for adults in Minnesota underwent a major rewrite Tuesday with the addition of new language to regulate and protect the state’s burgeoning industry in low-potency edibles and drinkables. Low-potency products containing THC derived from industrial hemp instead of full-strength cannabis have been legal in Minnesota since last year. But the law that…

Ryan Redington Wins Alaska Sled Dog Race

Associated Press ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Ryan Redington, a two-time Beargrease Champion, has won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, which his grandfather helped co-found. Redington’s dog team pulled him down Nome’s main street shortly after noon on Tuesday, sliding him under the iconic burled arch finish line. The 40-year-old Redington will pocket about $50,000 for the win. Redington’s grandfather,…

House Votes To Declassify Info About Origins Of COVID-19

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted unanimously on Friday to declassify U.S. intelligence information about the origins of COVID-19, a sweeping show of bipartisan support near the third anniversary of the start of the deadly pandemic. The 419-0 vote was final approval of the bill, sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law. Debate was brief and to…