Author: The Associated Press

Florida Man Sentenced In Death Threat To Minnesota Rep. Omar

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge sentenced a former Trump supporter to three years of probation and a $7,000 fine for sending an email threatening to kill Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and three other congresswomen. David George Hannon, 67, also must undergo mental and substance abuse treatment and have no contact with Omar or Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of…

Chauvin Faces Future In Federal Prison For Floyd’s Death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is about to swap solitary confinement at Minnesota’s only maximum security prison for an unknown future at a federal prison where, despite his national notoriety for killing George Floyd, he’ll probably be safer. Chauvin will be sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in St. Paul after pleading guilty in December to federal civil rights charges. He’s already serving…

Trump White House Counsel Cipollone To Testify To 1/6 Panel

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pat Cipollone, Donald Trump’s former White House counsel, is scheduled to testify Friday before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a person briefed on the matter. Cipollone, whose reported resistance to Trump’s schemes to overturn his 2020 election defeat has made him a long-sought and potentially revelatory witness, was subpoenaed by…

US To Diversify Infant Formula Industry To Avoid Shortages

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is looking to help foreign makers of baby formula stay on the U.S. market for the long term, in an effort to diversify the industry after the closure of the largest domestic plant sparked a nationwide shortage. The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday was set to announce plans to help overseas producers that have sent…

Wisconsin Court: Sex Trafficking Can Be Defense For Homicide

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A woman accused of killing a man can argue at trial that she was justified because he was sexually trafficking her, Wisconsin’s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in a decision that could help define the limits of legal immunity for trafficking victims nationwide. The justices ruled 4-3 that a 2008 state law that absolves trafficking victims of…

Police: Parade Shooting Suspect Contemplated 2nd Shooting

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (AP) — The man charged with killing seven people at an Independence Day parade confessed to police that he unleashed a hail of bullets from a rooftop in suburban Chicago and then fled to the Madison, Wisconsin, area, where he contemplated shooting up an event there, authorities said Wednesday. The gunman turned back to Illinois, where he…

Judge Throws Out Trump-Era Rollbacks On Endangered Species

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a host of actions by the Trump administration to roll back protections for endangered or threatened species, a year after the Biden administration said it was moving to strengthen species protections weakened under former President Donald Trump. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in Northern California eliminated the Trump-era rules even…

Giuliani, Graham Testimony Sought In Trump Election Probe

ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia prosecutor investigating the conduct of former President Donald Trump and his allies after the 2020 election is trying to compel U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and other members of Trump’s campaign legal team to testify before a special grand jury. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Tuesday filed petitions with the judge overseeing…

Ukrainian Governor Urges Evacuation Of 350,000 Residents

KRAMATORSK, Ukraine (AP) — A day after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared victory in seizing an eastern Ukraine province essential to his wartime aims, his troops escalated their offensive in the neighboring province Tuesday, prompting the governor to urge a mass evacuation of residents. Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said that getting the 350,000 people remaining in Donetsk province out is necessary to save…

Biden Awards Medal Of Honor To 4 For Vietnam Heroism

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday bestowed the nation’s highest military honor to four Army soldiers for their heroism above and beyond the call of duty during the Vietnam War. Biden presented the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Edward N. Kaneshiro, Specialist Five Dwight W. Birdwell, Specialist Five Dennis M. Fujii, and retired Major John J. Duffy….

Chauvin Faces Sentencing On Federal Charges In Floyd Killing

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge will this week sentence former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for federal civil rights violations in the killing of George Floyd. U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson on Tuesday set Chauvin’s sentencing hearing for 2 p.m. Thursday in St. Paul. Chauvin’s plea agreement calls for a sentence of 20 to 25 years in prison. Federal prosecutors…

Police Find Man Suspected In Shooting At Chicago-Area Parade

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (AP) — A 22-year-old man identified as a person of interest in a shooting during an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago that killed at least six people, wounded at least 30 and sent hundreds of people fleeing was taken into custody Monday evening following an hours-long manhunt, police said. Highland Park Police Chief Lou Jogmen said…

Biden Discusses Abortion Access Options With Dem Governors

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden told Democratic governors Friday that he is “looking at all the alternatives” for protecting abortion access following the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. One day after returning from international summits in Europe, Biden described the ruling as “tragic” and warned that Republicans could try to enact a nationwide ban on abortion if they retake control…

Judge Won’t Dismiss Parent Lawsuit In Gabby Petito Slaying

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit in which the parents of Gabby Petito claim that Brian Laundrie told his parents he had killed her before he returned home alone from their western trip. The decision Thursday by Sarasota County Circuit Judge Hunter Carroll means the lawsuit can proceed against Christopher and Robert Laundrie. Petito’s parents,…

Prosecutors Seek Prison For 3 Ex-Cops In Floyd Killing

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal prosecutors asked a judge Wednesday to sentence one of the four former Minneapolis police officers convicted of civil rights violations in George Floyd’s killing to as many as 6 1/2 years in prison but to impose significantly stiffer yet unspecified sentences on two others. They urged U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson to follow the nonbinding federal sentencing guidelines…

Jackson Sworn In, Becomes 1st Black Woman On Supreme Court

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in to the Supreme Court on Thursday, shattering a glass ceiling as the first Black woman on the nation’s highest court. The 51-year-old Jackson is the court’s 116th justice, and she took the place of the justice she once worked for. Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement was effective at noon. Moments later, joined by her family, Jackson recited the two oaths…

Supreme Court: Biden Properly Ended Trump-Era Asylum Policy

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the Biden administration properly ended a Trump-era policy forcing some U.S. asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico. The justices’ 5-4 decision for the administration came in a case about the “Remain in Mexico” policy under President Donald Trump. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the decision and was joined by fellow conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh as…

Supreme Court Limits EPA In Curbing Power Plant Emissions

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a blow to the fight against climate change, the Supreme Court on Thursday limited how the nation’s main anti-air pollution law can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. By a 6-3 vote, with conservatives in the majority, the court said that the Clean Air Act does not give the Environmental Protection Agency broad authority…

Biden Backs Filibuster Exception To Protect Abortion Access

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that he would support an exception to the Senate filibuster to protect access to abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. “If the filibuster gets in the way, it’s like voting rights,” Biden said during a press conference in Madrid, where he was attending a NATO summit. The Democratic president said there should…

US Boosting Military Presence In Europe Amid Russia Threat

MADRID (AP) — President Joe Biden said Wednesday the U.S. will significantly expand its military presence in Europe, the latest example of how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has reshaped plans for the continent’s security and prompted a reinvestment in NATO. Among the changes will be a permanent U.S. garrison in Poland, for the first time creating an enduring American foothold on the…

Walz Vows To Defend Abortion Rights Against GOP Challenger

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tim Walz painted Republican challenger Scott Jensen as an extremist Tuesday as he vowed to protect abortion rights in Minnesota, one of the few Midwestern states where abortion is expected to remain legal. Friday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade has changed the dynamics of the election campaign in Minnesota, Walz said at a news conference. He…

Macron Says Russia Can’t Win In Ukraine After Strike On Mall

KREMENCHUK, Ukraine (AP) — France’s president said Tuesday that Russia “cannot and should not win” in Ukraine, voicing the West’s continued support for Kyiv following Moscow’s horrific missile attack on a shopping mall that underscored the war’s terrible toll on civilians. Ukrainian leaders denounced the strike, which killed 18 in the central city of Kremenchuk, as a war crime and a…

50 Migrants Found Dead In Abandoned Trailer In San Antonio

UPDATE: Fifty people died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer in the sweltering Texas heat, one of the worst tragedies to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico to the U.S. More than a dozen people had been taken to hospitals, including four children. SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Forty-six people were found dead after being abandoned…

Jan. 6 Panel Calls Surprise Hearing To Present New Evidence

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 panel is calling a surprise hearing this week to present evidence it says it recently obtained, raising expectations of new bombshells in the sweeping investigation into the Capitol insurrection. The hearing scheduled for 1 p.m. on Tuesday comes after Congress left Washington for a two-week recess. Lawmakers on the panel investigating the Jan. 6,…

Supreme Court’s Abortion Ruling Sets Off New Court Fights

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The fall of Roe v. Wade shifted the battleground over abortion to courthouses around the country Monday, as one side sought quickly to enact statewide bans and the other tried to block or at least delay such measures. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Friday to end constitutional protection for abortion opened the gates for a wave of litigation…

Juul Seeks To Block FDA Ban On E-Cigarette Sales In US

(AP) — Juul on Friday asked a federal court to block a government order to stop selling its electronic cigarettes. The e-cigarette maker asked the court to pause what it calls an “extraordinary and unlawful action” by the Food and Drug Administration that would require it to immediately halt its business. The company filed an emergency motion with the U.S….

Congress Sends Landmark Gun Violence Compromise To Biden

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House sent President Joe Biden the most wide-ranging gun violence bill Congress has passed in decades on Friday, a measured compromise that at once illustrates progress on the long-intractable issue and the deep-seated partisan divide that persists. The Democratic-led chamber approved the election-year legislation on a mostly party-line 234-193 vote, capping a spurt of action prompted by voters’…

Supreme Court Overturns Roe V. Wade; States Can Ban Abortion

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade. Friday’s outcome is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. The decision, unthinkable just a few years ago, was the culmination of decades of efforts by abortion…

Officials: US To Send Rocket Systems, Other Aid To Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States will send another $450 million in military aid to Ukraine, including some additional medium-range rocket systems, U.S. officials said Thursday. The latest package will include four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, and is expected to be announced later Thursday. The first four HIMARS that the U.S. previously sent have already gone into…

LGBTQ Students Would Get New Protections Under Biden Plan

(AP) — The rights of LGBTQ students would become enshrined in federal law and victims of campus sexual assault would gain new protections under new rules proposed by the Biden administration on Thursday. The proposal, announced on the 50th anniversary of the Title IX women’s rights law, is intended to replace a set of controversial rules issued during the Trump administration by Education…

Feds Want 25 Years For Chauvin For Violating Floyd’s Rights

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal prosecutors asked a judge on Wednesday to sentence a former Minneapolis officer to 25 years for violating the rights of George Floyd, saying Derek Chauvin’s actions were cold-blooded and needless as he knelt on the Black man’s neck while Floyd repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe. Chauvin pleaded guilty in December to violating Floyd’s rights, admitting for the first time…

Supreme Court Expands Gun Rights, Striking New York Limits

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a major expansion of gun rights, the Supreme Court said Thursday that Americans have a right to carry firearms in public. The justices’ 6-3 decision follows a series of recent mass shootings and is expected to ultimately allow more people to legally carry guns on the streets of the nation’s largest cities — including New York, Los Angeles…

FDA Bans Juul E-Cigarettes Tied To Teen Vaping Surge

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials on Thursday ordered Juul to pull its electronic cigarettes from the U.S. market, the latest blow to the embattled company widely blamed for sparking a national surge in teen vaping. The action is part of a sweeping effort by the Food and Drug Administration to bring scientific scrutiny to the multibillion-dollar vaping industry after…

Powell: Fed Aims To Avoid Recession But Says It’s Possible

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell sought Wednesday to reassure the public that the Fed will raise interest rates high and fast enough to quell inflation, without tightening credit so much as to throttle the economy and cause a recession. Testifying to the Senate Banking Committee, Powell faced skeptical questions from members of both parties about the Fed’s ability…

US Importing Baby Formula From Mexico To Ease Shortage

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is providing logistical support to import the equivalent of about 16 million 8-ounce baby formula bottles from Mexico starting this weekend, as part of its efforts to ease nationwide supply shortages caused by the closure of the largest U.S. manufacturing plant. The Department of Health and Human Services is expediting the…

Biden To Call For 3-Month Suspension Of Gas And Diesel Taxes

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday will call on Congress to suspend federal gasoline and diesel taxes for three months — an election year move meant to ease financial pressures at the pump as the public is increasingly concerned about high gas prices and inflation. The Democratic president will also call on states to suspend their own gas taxes or provide similar…

Texas Top Cop: Uvalde Police Response An ‘Abject Failure’

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Law enforcement authorities had enough officers on the scene of the Uvalde school massacre to have stopped the gunman three minutes after he entered the building, and they never checked a classroom door to see if it was locked, the Texas public safety chief testified Tuesday, pronouncing the police response an “abject failure.” Police officers with…

No COVID-19 ‘Hero Pay’ Upsets Minnesota Child Care Providers

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Child care providers across Minnesota are upset that they’re not eligible for the state’s COVID-19 “hero pay” program. Gov. Tim Walz signed the program into law in April. It enables people who were employed for at least 120 hours in at least one front-line sector job outside their homes between March 15, 2020, and June 30, 2021…