Author: The Associated Press

1/6 Panel Postpones Hearing With Ex-Justice Dept. Officials

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol has postponed a hearing for later this week that was to feature dramatic testimony from former Justice Department officials who threatened to resign over then-President Donald Trump’s pursuit of false election fraud theories. The hearing had been set for Wednesday, but the committee on Tuesday morning…

Excessive Heat Rolls East, Bakes Much Of Central, Eastern US

(AP) — More than 100 million Americans are being warned to stay indoors if possible as high temperatures and humidity settle in over states stretching through parts of the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes and east to the Carolinas. The National Weather Service Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, said Monday 107.5 million people will be affected by combination…

US: Pfizer COVID-19 Shot Appears Effective For Kids Under 5

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials said Sunday that kid-sized doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines appear to be safe and effective for kids under 5, a key step toward a long-awaited decision to begin vaccinating the youngest American children. The Food and Drug Administration posted its analysis of the Pfizer shot ahead of a Wednesday meeting where outside experts will vote…

Jan. 6 Panel: Trump Ex-Campaign Manager Pulls Out Of Hearing

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Bill Stepien abruptly pulled out of Monday’s appearance before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, citing a family emergency, the panel said. The committee was told on Monday morning that Stepien’s wife was in labor, according to a person briefed on the matter, who spoke on the condition…

Senate Negotiators Announce A Deal On Guns, Breaking Logjam

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate bargainers announced a bipartisan framework Sunday responding to last month’s mass shootings, a noteworthy though limited breakthrough offering modest gun curbs and bolstered efforts to improve school safety and mental health programs. The proposal falls far short of tougher steps long sought by President Joe Biden and many Democrats. Even so, the accord was embraced by…

Capitol Riot Panel Blames Trump For 1/6 ‘Attempted Coup’

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has laid the blame firmly on Donald Trump, saying the assault was not spontaneous but an “attempted coup” and a direct result of the defeated president’s effort to overturn the 2020 election. With a never-before-seen 12-minute video of extremist groups leading the deadly siege and startling testimony from Trump’s…

US Inflation Hit A New 40-Year High Last Month Of 8.6%

WASHINGTON (AP) — The prices of gas, food and most other goods and services jumped in May, raising inflation to a new four-decade high and giving American households no respite from rising costs. Consumer prices surged 8.6% last month from 12 months earlier, faster than April’s year-over-year increase of 8.3%, the Labor Department said Friday. The new inflation figure, the…

US Lifts COVID-19 Test Requirement For International Travel

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is lifting its requirement that international air travelers to the U.S. take a COVID-19 test within a day before boarding their flights, easing one of the last remaining government mandates meant to contain the spread of the coronavirus. A senior administration official said the mandate expires Sunday at 12:01 a.m. EDT, saying the Centers for…

Minnesota Tribe To Get 28,000 Acres Back

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota tribe is set to get back 28,000 acres that the federal government sold off in the 19th century. Minnesota Public Radio reported Wednesday that the land is within the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa’s reservation but the tribe lost title to it after the federal government split it into parcels and sold it under the…

Authorities: 3 Dead, Trooper Wounded In Maryland Shooting

SMITHSBURG, Md. (AP) — A suspect opened fire at a business in western Maryland on Thursday, leaving three dead before the suspect and a state trooper were wounded in a shootout, authorities said. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that three victims were found dead at Columbia Machine Inc. in Smithsburg. The suspect then fled in…

More Americans Apply For Jobless Benefits Last Week

WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans applied for jobless aid last week, but the total number of Americans collecting unemployment remains at a five-decade low. Applications for unemployment benefits rose by 27,000 to 229,000 for the week ending June 4, the most since mid-January, the Labor Department reported Thursday. First-time applications generally track the number of layoffs. The four-week average for…

Officials: Millions Of COVID-19 Shots Ordered For Youngest

NEW YORK (AP) — Millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses have been ordered for small children in anticipation of possible federal authorization next week, White House officials say. The government allowed pharmacies and states to start placing orders last week, with 5 million doses initially available — half of them shots made by Pfizer and the other half the vaccine produced by Moderna, senior…

Jan. 6 Capitol Attack Committee Goes Prime Time With Probe

WASHINGTON (AP) — With never-seen video, new audio and a mass of evidence, the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol will attempt to show the “harrowing story” of the deadly violence that erupted that day and also a chilling backstory as the defeated president, Donald Trump, tried to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory. Thursday’s prime-time hearing will open with eyewitness testimony from the first police officer pummeled in the mob riot and…

House Passes Gun Control Bill After Buffalo, Uvalde Attacks

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed a wide-ranging gun control bill Wednesday in response to recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, that would raise the age limit for purchasing a semi-automatic rifle and prohibit the sale of ammunition magazines with a capacity of more than 15 rounds. The legislation passed by a mostly party-line vote of 223-204. It…

Justice Dept. Names 9 To Aid In Review Of Uvalde Shooting

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has named a team of nine people, including an FBI official and former police chiefs, to aid in a review of the law enforcement response to the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the team during a meeting in his office in Washington on…

Moderna Says Updated COVID Shot Boosts Omicron Protection

(AP) — Moderna’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine that combines its original shot with protection against the omicron variant appears to work, the company announced Wednesday. COVID-19 vaccine makers are studying updated boosters that might be offered in the fall to better protect people against future coronavirus surges. Moderna’s preliminary study results show people given the combination shot experienced a higher boost…

4th Grade Uvalde Survivor: ‘I Don’t Want It To Happen Again’

WASHINGTON (AP) — An 11-year-old girl who survived the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, recounted in video testimony to Congress on Wednesday how she covered herself with a dead classmate’s blood to avoid being shot and “just stayed quiet.” Miah Cerrillo, a fourth-grader at Robb Elementary School, told lawmakers in a pre-recorded video that she watched a teacher…

Simone Biles, Other Women Seek $1B-Plus From FBI Over Nassar

DETROIT (AP) — Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and dozens of other women who say they were sexually assaulted by Larry Nassar are seeking more than $1 billion from the FBI for failing to stop the sports doctor when the agency first received allegations against him, lawyers said Wednesday. There’s no dispute that FBI agents in 2015 knew that Nassar was accused…

Bonus Pay Coming For Minnesota’s Frontline COVID-19 Workers

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota residents who came into work during the height of the coronavirus pandemic will soon be collecting bonus pay. Workers who are eligible for so-called hero pay can begin applying online Wednesday morning and will have up to 45 days to sign up, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said. The money be divided evenly, following a period for appeals. The…

Figure Skating Minimum Age Rises To 17 Before 2026 Olympics

PHUKET, Thailand (AP) — No 15-year-old figure skaters will be allowed to compete at the 2026 Olympics following the controversy surrounding Russian national champion Kamila Valieva at this year’s Beijing Games. A new age limit for figure skaters at senior international events was passed Tuesday by the International Skating Union in a 110-16 vote that will raise the minimum age to 17…

Biden Orders Emergency Steps To Boost U.S. Solar Production

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden ordered emergency measures Monday to boost crucial supplies to U.S. solar manufacturers and declared a two-year tariff exemption on solar panels from Southeast Asia as he attempted to jumpstart progress toward his climate change-fighting goals. His invoking of the Defense Production Act and his other executive actions come amid complaints by industry groups that the solar…

Man Convicted Of Murder In Minnesota Clinic Attack

BUFFALO, Minn. (AP) — A jury found a man guilty of murder and other counts Thursday in a shooting at a Minnesota medical clinic last year that killed one staff member and wounded four others. Jurors began deliberating Thursday afternoon, following testimony by the defendant, Gregory Ulrich, and short closing arguments by each side, KARE-TV reported. Ulrich was the only witness for the…

Judge Delays Trial Of 2 Ex-Cops In Floyd Killing Until 2023

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The judge overseeing the remaining case of two former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd’s killing ordered Monday that the trial be delayed until January to improve prospects for a fair trial. Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng had been due to go on trial next Monday on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter…

Police: Tennessee Shooting Leads to 3 Dead, 14 Injured

Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly, who described himself as an “avid hunter” and gun owner, called on Congress to enact “common sense regulations” to address gun violence.

Photo: Tierra Hayes/Chattanooga Times Free Press via AP CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — A shooting near a Tennessee nightclub early Sunday led to three deaths and 14 people suffering gunshot wounds and other injuries, police said. Fourteen people were hit by gunfire and three were hit by vehicles while trying to flee the scene, according to Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy….

Biden Evacuated after Plane Entered Airspace Near Beach Home

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) – The White House says a small private airplane entered restricted airspace near President Joe Biden’s Delaware vacation home on Saturday, and that led to the brief evacuation of the president and first lady. The White House says there was no threat to Biden or his family and that precautionary measures were taken. After the situation…

Stocks Sink As Wall Street Eyes Downside Of Solid Jobs Data

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks fell broadly Friday and pulled major indexes into the red for the week as Wall Street focused on the downside of the still-strong U.S. jobs market. A report showed employers hired more workers last month than economists expected. While that’s a good sign for the economy amid worries about a possible recession, many investors saw it keeping the…

Families Of Uvalde, Buffalo Victims To Testify In Congress

WASHINGTON (AP) — Parents of victims and survivors of the mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde will appear before a House committee next week in an effort to bring home the devastation of America’s gun violence epidemic. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., the chairwoman of the Oversight Committee, said Friday the hearing will examine the human impact of gun violence and the urgency for lawmakers…

US Added 390,000 Jobs In May As Hiring Remained Robust

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added 390,000 jobs in May, extending a streak of solid hiring that has bolstered an economy under pressure from high inflation and rising interest rates. Last month’s gain reflects a resilient job market that has so far shrugged off concerns that the economy will weaken in the coming months as the Federal Reserve steadily raises…

Student Loan Debt Wiped Clean For Former Corinthian Students

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of students who attended the for-profit Corinthian Colleges chain will automatically get their federal student loans canceled, the Biden administration says, aiming to bring closure to one of the most notorious cases of fraud in American higher education. Anyone who attended the now-defunct chain from its founding in 1995 to its collapse in 2015 will get…

Police: Tulsa Suspect Targeted Surgeon He Blamed For Pain

(AP) — A man who blamed his surgeon for ongoing pain after a recent back surgery bought an AR-style rifle hours before opening fire at a Tulsa medical office, killing the surgeon and three other people before fatally shooting himself, police said Thursday. Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin says the gunman had recently undergone back surgery and had called a…

House Panel Taking Up Gun Bill In Wake Of Mass Shootings

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is beginning to put its stamp on gun legislation in response to mass shootings in Texas and New York by 18-year-old assailants who used semi-automatic rifles to kill 31 people, including 19 children. The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing Thursday to advance legislation that would raise the age limit for purchasing certain semi-automatic…

3 Killed In Shooting At Tulsa Medical Building; Shooter Dead

TULSA, Oklahoma (AP) — Three people were killed Wednesday in a shooting at a Tulsa medical building on a hospital campus, a police captain said. Capt. Richard Meulenberg confirmed the number of dead. Meulenberg said the shooter also was dead. It was unclear how the shooter died or what prompted the deadly assault. “Officers are currently going through every room…

Jury Indicts Buffalo Shooting Suspect On Terrorism Charge

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A grand jury on Wednesday charged the white 18-year-old accused of fatally shooting 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket with domestic terrorism motivated by hate and 10 counts of first-degree murder. Payton Gendron, who has been in custody since the May 14 shooting, is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Erie County Court. The 25-count indictment also…

Minnesota Students Walk Out To Demand Gun Changes

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Hundreds of students walked out of class Tuesday and gathered in downtown Minneapolis to demand state legislators adopt tougher gun laws in the wake of last week’s mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The Star Tribune reported the students walked out around 12:30 p.m. and gathered in Gold Medal Park. They demanded officials create a statewide…

Severe Storms, Tornadoes Rip Through Western Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Thousands of people in Minnesota and South Dakota are without electrical power as the region recovered from storms and tornadoes that left damaged buildings, trees and roadways. The National Weather Service says in a preliminary report there were four tornadoes on Monday in western Minnesota, along with wind gusts and large hail. More than 37,000 people were…

Failed Search For UMD Chancellor Cost $166,000

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The failed search for a new University of Minnesota-Duluth chancellor cost $166,000. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Thursday that University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel announced on Monday that none of the three finalists invited for interviews got the job. The university began a national search for a new Duluth chancellor in November after Lendley Black announced…

Agency: 1 Dead, 7 Injured in Oklahoma Festival Shooting

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation reports that witnesses said an argument preceded the gunfire just after midnight.

TAFT, Okla. (AP) – Authorities say one person was killed and seven were injured in a shooting early Sunday at an outdoor festival in eastern Oklahoma. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said in a statement that two juveniles were among those shot at the Memorial Day event near Taft, about 10 miles southeast of Tulsa. The agency reports that…

Police Inaction Moves to Center of Uvalde Shooting Probe

The delay in confronting the shooter - who was inside the school for more than an hour - could lead to discipline, lawsuits and even criminal charges against police.

FILE – Law enforcement personnel stand outside Robb Elementary School following a shooting, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. When the gunman arrived at the school, he hopped its fence and easily entered through an unlocked back door, police said. He holed himself up in a fourth-grade classroom where he killed the children and teachers. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, File) STEFANIE…

Air Travelers Face Cancellations over Memorial Day Weekend

According to the website FlightAware, more than 1,200 flights were canceled as of 2 p.m EDT on Saturday. That followed more than 2,300 cancellations on Friday.

NEW YORK (AP) – Airline travelers are not only facing sticker shock this Memorial Day weekend.  They’re also dealing with a pileup of flight cancellations. According to the website FlightAware, more than 1,200 flights were canceled as of 2 p.m EDT on Saturday. That followed more than 2,300 cancellations on Friday. Delta Air Lines suffered the most, with more than…

Minneapolis Agrees to Pay $1.2M to People Injured by Police

The city has agreed to pay a total of $5.4 million to people injured by police in May 2020.

MINNEAPOLIS – The Minneapolis City Council has approved $1.2 million in legal settlements with two people injured by police during protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of officers in 2020. Minnesota Public Radio reports that settlements with St. Paul resident Virgil Lee Jackson Jr. and Nashville freelance photographer Linda Tirado mean the city has agreed to…

Gunman’s Final 90 Minutes Fuel Questions About Police Delays

A family pays their respects next to crosses bearing the names of Tuesday’s shooting victims at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Thursday, May 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) UVALDE, Texas (AP) — It was 11:28 a.m. when the Ford pickup slammed into a ditch behind the low-slung Texas school and the driver jumped out carrying an AR-15-style rifle….

Evers Issues Order Prohibiting Baby Formula Price Gouging

(AP Photo) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has issued an executive order barring price gouging on baby formula. The governor issued the order Thursday. The order declares that a period of “abnormal economic disruption” exists in Wisconsin and prohibits wholesalers and retailers in the state from charging “unreasonably excessive prices,” defined in administrative code as prices more…

Wisconsin GOP Leader Open To Arming Teachers In Schools

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin’s top legislative Republican says he is open to the idea of arming teachers following the latest school shooting in Texas, while he dismissed as “disingenuous” an offer from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to find common ground. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told The Associated Press on Thursday that finding ways to better protect schools, including with…

Planned Parenthood Workers In 5 Midwest States Seek Union

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – About 400 workers at Planned Parenthood offices in five Midwestern states plan to unionize. The move comes as their employer deals with the potential loss of business in states where abortions may become illegal if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. Ashley Schmidt is a training and development specialist for Nebraska and western…