US & World News

Biden Rallies Workers In Wisconsin After Big Speech

DeFOREST, Wis. (AP) — Fresh from his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden rallied supporters in Wisconsin on Wednesday, preparing for an expected reelection announcement this spring and trying to shore up the backing of working-class voters who have edged away from Democrats in recent years. “Fighting for the sake of fighting gets us nowhere,” Biden said at a…

Biden In State Of Union Exhorts Congress: ‘Finish The Job’

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden exhorted Congress Tuesday night to work with him to “finish the job” of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he delivered a State of the Union address aimed at reassuring a country beset by pessimism and fraught political divisions. In his 73-minute speech, Biden sought to portray a nation dramatically improved from the one…

Biden Aims To Deliver Reassurance In State Of Union Address

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is ready to offer a reassuring assessment of the nation’s condition rather than roll out flashy policy proposals as he delivers his second State of the Union address on Tuesday night, seeking to overcome pessimism in the country and concerns about his own leadership. His speech before a politically divided Congress comes as the nation struggles to make sense…

Powerful Quake Rocks Turkey And Syria, Kills More Than 2,800

ADANA, Turkey (AP) — A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked wide swaths of Turkey and neighboring Syria on Monday, killing more than 2,800 people and injuring thousands more as it toppled thousands of buildings and trapped residents under mounds of rubble. Authorities feared the death toll would keep climbing as rescuers searched through tangles of metal and concrete for survivors in a…

Chinese Balloon Now Over Central US As Blinken Cancels Visit

WASHINGTON (AP) — A huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon sailed across the U.S. on Friday, drawing severe Pentagon accusations of spying and sending excited or alarmed Americans outside with binoculars. Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled a high-stakes Beijing trip aimed at easing U..S.-China tensions. The cancelation came despite China’s claim that the balloon was a weather research “airship” that…

New Rules Would Limit Sugar In School Meals For First Time

(AP) — U.S. agriculture officials on Friday proposed new nutrition standards for school meals, including the first limits on added sugars, with a focus on sweetened foods such as cereals, yogurt, flavored milk and breakfast pastries. The plan announced by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also seeks to significantly decrease sodium in the meals served to the nation’s schoolkids by 2029,…

A Surprising Burst Of US Hiring In January: 517,000 Jobs

WASHINGTON (AP) — For nearly a year, the Federal Reserve has been on a mission to cool down the job market to help curb the nation’s worst inflation bout in four decades. The job market hasn’t been cooperating. Consider what happened in January: The government said Friday that employers added a sizzling 517,000 jobs last month and that the unemployment rate dipped…

House GOP Votes To Oust Democrat Omar From Major Committee

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led House voted after raucous debate Thursday to oust Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the chamber’s Foreign Affairs Committee, citing her anti-Israel comments, in a dramatic response after Democrats last session booted far-right GOP lawmakers over incendiary remarks. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was able to solidify Republican support against the Somali-born Muslim woman in the new Congress although some…

Groundhog Day 2023: Punxsutawney Phil Sees Shadow, Predicts 6 More Weeks Of Winter

(Fox 9) — Punxsutawney Phil, Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog, awoke Thursday morning and saw his shadow — which, according to folklore, means there will be six more weeks of winter. Each year on Feb. 2, thousands descend on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to watch the giant rodent make his annual weather prediction at dawn with the help of his “inner…

‘We Love You, Tyre’: Mourners Gather For Nichols’ Funeral

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Tyre Nichols ’ family and friends gathered Wednesday for a funeral intended to celebrate his life three weeks after he died following a brutal beating by Memphis police that has sparked a new round of calls for police reform. As the service began, a group of singers and drummers beating African instruments proceeded to the front of the church where…

Tom Brady Retires At 45, Insisting This Time It’s ‘For Good’

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tom Brady, who won a record seven Super Bowls for New England and Tampa, has announced his retirement. Brady — the most successful quarterback in NFL history, and one of the greatest athletes in team sports — posted the announcement on social media Wednesday morning, a brief video lasting just under one minute. “Good morning guys….

Biden, McCarthy, Once Breakfast Mates, Wrangle Over US Debt

WASHINGTON (AP) — Not so long ago, Joe Biden and Republican leader Kevin McCarthy used to talk things over at breakfast in Biden’s vice presidential home at the Naval Observatory. Biden was intent in those days on “keeping up relations with the opposition party,” as he writes in his memoir, and the new House majority leader often arrived with fellow GOP lawmakers in tow….

Durenberger, Former US Senator From Minnesota, Dies At 88

(AP) — Former U.S. Senator David Durenberger, a Minnesota Republican who espoused a progressive brand of politics and criticized the GOP after his political career, died Tuesday at age 88. Durenberger’s health had declined in recent months, his longtime spokesperson Tom Horner said. Horner told The Associated Press that Durenberger died Tuesday morning of natural causes. He was at his…

Video Shows Struggle For Hammer During Pelosi Attack

(AP) — Video released publicly Friday shows the husband of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi fighting with his assailant for control of a hammer moments before he was struck in the head during a brutal attack in the couple’s San Francisco home last year. The body-camera footage shows suspect David DePape wrest the tool from Paul Pelosi, 82, and…

Stauber Talks About U.S. Connection To Congo Child Labor For Mining After Order To Protect BWCAW

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republican Representative Pete Stauber (MN-08) said on Thursday that the Biden administration’s decision to section off 350-square miles of the Superior National Forest from mining projects for 20 years means that the U.S. could rely on child labor overseas. The decision was made due to environmental concerns of potential mining near the Rainy River Watershed close to…

Faculty Calls On Embattled Minnesota College Head To Resign

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Faculty leaders at a Minnesota college that dismissed an art history instructor who showed depictions of the Prophet Muhammad in a course have overwhelmingly called for the university president to resign. Faculty leaders at Hamline University said 71 of 92 members who attended a meeting Tuesday voted to call on President Fayneese Miller to resign immediately. They…

Classified Documents At Pence’s Home, Too, His Lawyer Says

NEW YORK (AP) — Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence’s Indiana home last week, his lawyer told the National Archives in a letter — the latest in a string of discoveries of confidential information in private residences. The records “appear to be a small number of documents bearing classified markings that were inadvertently boxed…

Police: 2 Students Dead, Teacher Hurt In Des Moines Shooting

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two students were killed Monday and a teacher was injured in what police said was a targeted shooting at a Des Moines school that is dedicated to helping at-risk youth, and three suspects were arrested afterward. The shooting was at an educational program called Starts Right Here that is affiliated with the Des Moines school…

Four Oath Keepers Convicted Of Jan. 6 Seditious Conspiracy

WASHINGTON (AP) — Four members of the Oath Keepers were convicted Monday of seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack in the second major trial of far-right extremists accused of plotting to forcibly keep President Donald Trump in power. The verdict against Joseph Hackett of Sarasota, Florida; Roberto Minuta of Prosper, Texas; David Moerschel of Punta Gorda, Florida; and Edward…

US Proposes Once-A-Year COVID Shots For Most Americans

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials want to make COVID-19 vaccinations more like the annual flu shot. The Food and Drug Administration on Monday proposed a simplified approach for future vaccination efforts, allowing most adults and children to get a once-a-year shot to protect against the mutating virus. This means Americans would no longer have to keep track of how…

FBI Searched Biden Home, Found Items Marked Classified

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI searched President Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, on Friday and located additional documents with classified markings and also took possession of some of his handwritten notes, the president’s lawyer said Saturday. The president voluntarily allowed the FBI into his home, but the lack of a search warrant did not dim the extraordinary nature of…

March For Life Eyes Congress For Post-Roe Abortion Limits

WASHINGTON (AP) — A half century after Roe v. Wade, March for Life supporters on Friday celebrated the Supreme Court’s dismantling of that constitutional right to abortion and heralded the political struggle set loose by the court’s decision. President Joe Biden pledged to do all in his limited power to restore core abortion rights. The first March for Life since…

Supreme Court Says It Hasn’t Found Abortion Opinion Leaker

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Thursday it has not determined who leaked a draft of the court’s opinion overturning abortion rights, but that the investigation continues. Eight months after Politico published its explosive leak detailing the draft of Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade, the court said its investigative team “has to date been unable to identify a person responsible…

Alec Baldwin To Be Charged With Manslaughter In Set Shooting

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Actor Alec Baldwin and a weapons specialist will be charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer who was killed on a New Mexico movie set, prosecutors announced Thursday. Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies issued a statement announcing the charges against Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who supervised weapons on the…

White House Defends Its Delayed, Limited Document Disclosure

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House brushed aside criticism Tuesday of its fragmented disclosures about the discovery of classified documents and official records at President Joe Biden’s home and former office, saying it may withhold information to protect the Justice Department’s investigation. Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House counsel’s office, told reporters that the White House was releasing information as…

US, Ukraine Top Military Chiefs Meet In Person For 1st Time

A MILITARY BASE IN SOUTHEASTERN POLAND (AP) — The top U.S. military officer, Army Gen. Mark Milley, traveled to a site near the Ukraine-Poland border on Tuesday and talked with his Ukrainian counterpart face to face for the first time — a meeting underscoring the growing ties between the two militaries and coming at a critical time as Russia’s war with…

Biden To Host Netherlands PM For Talks On Tech, Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to host Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for talks as the U.S. administration looks to persuade the Netherlands to further limit China’s access to advanced semiconductors with export restrictions. Tuesday’s wide-ranging talks are also expected to cover the countries’ efforts to thwart Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and an upcoming democracy summit, according to the White…

On King’s Holiday, Daughter Calls For Bold Action Over Words

ATLANTA (AP) — America has honored Martin Luther King Jr. with a federal holiday for nearly four decades yet still hasn’t fully embraced and acted on the lessons from the slain civil rights leader, his youngest daughter said Monday. The Rev. Bernice King, who leads The King Center in Atlanta, said leaders — especially politicians — too often cheapen her…

Yellen Tells Congress US Expected To Hit Debt Limit Thursday

WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen notified Congress on Friday that the U.S. is projected to reach its debt limit on Thursday and will then resort to “extraordinary measures” to avoid default. In a letter to House and Senate leaders, Yellen said her actions will buy time until Congress can pass legislation that will either raise the nation’s $31.4 trillion borrowing…

Garland Appoints Special Counsel To Investigate Biden Docs

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday appointed a special counsel to investigate the presence of documents with classified markings found at President Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, and at an office in Washington. The announcement followed Biden’s acknowledgement Thursday morning that a document with classified markings from his time as vice president was found in his personal library,…

Biden Says Classified Document Found In ‘Personal Library’

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden acknowledged on Thursday that a document with classified markings from his time as vice president was found in his “personal library” at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, along with other documents found in his garage, days after it was disclosed that sensitive documents were also found at the office of his former institute in Washington. Biden…

Air Travel Across US Thrown Into Chaos After Computer Outage

NEW YORK (AP) — The world’s largest aircraft fleet was grounded for hours by a cascading outage in a government system that delayed or cancelled thousands of flights across the U.S. on Wednesday. The White House initially said that there was no evidence of a cyberattack behind the outage that ruined travel plans for millions of passengers. President Joe Biden…

Gas Stove Ban ‘On The Table’ For Federal Agency: Reports

(Fox 9) — The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is considering a ban on gas stoves as concerns surrounding indoor air pollutants from the appliances continue to rise, according to reports. Bloomberg reported that the agency plans to act on the appliances because the pollutants can cause respiratory and health issues. “This is a hidden hazard,” agency commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. told…

Mega Millions: Drawing Nears For $1.1 Billion Jackpot, 3rd Largest In Game History

(Fox 9) — The Mega Millions jackpot has soared to an estimated $1.1 billion — now the third-largest jackpot in the game’s history — ahead of Tuesday night’s drawing. The grand prize also comes with a $568.7 million cash option after no ticket matched all six numbers that were drawn on Friday night. The next drawing is Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 11 p.m….

Feds Propose ‘Student Loan Safety Net’ Alongside Forgiveness

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is moving forward with a proposal that would lower student debt payments for millions of Americans now and in the future, offering a new route to repay federal loans under far more generous terms. President Joe Biden announced the repayment plan in August, but it was overshadowed by his sweeping plan to slash or eliminate…

Chief: 6-Year-Old Boy Shot Virginia Teacher During Class

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — A Virginia police chief says a 6-year-old student fired the handgun that wounded a first-grade teacher while she was teaching class. Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew on Monday offered the first description of how the shooting happened. He had previously said that the shooting was not accidental and declined to elaborate. He said the…

Bills Safety Hamlin Back In Buffalo To Resume Recovery

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Doctors who treated Damar Hamlin said the Bills safety was back in Buffalo on Monday, an uplifting sign of the remarkable progress he has made a week after going into cardiac arrest and having to be resuscitated on the field during a game in Cincinnati. Hamlin was discharged from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in the…

McCarthy’s Next Big Task: Win GOP Support For House Rules

WASHINGTON (AP) — After an epic 15-ballot election to become House speaker, Republican Kevin McCarthy faces his next big test in governing a fractious, slim majority: passing a rules package to govern the House. The drafting and approval of a set of rules is normally a fairly routine legislative affair, but in these times, it’s the next showdown for the embattled McCarthy. To become speaker…

US Approves Alzheimer’s Drug That Modestly Slows Disease

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials on Friday approved a closely watched Alzheimer’s drug that modestly slows the brain-robbing disease, albeit with potential safety risks that patients and their doctors will have to carefully weigh. The drug, Leqembi, is the first that’s been convincingly shown to slow the decline in memory and thinking that defines Alzheimer’s by targeting the disease’s…

2 Years After Jan. 6, Speaker Scrap Paralyzes Congress Again

WASHINGTON (AP) — Such are the fractures in the country, between the political parties and inside the Republican Party itself, that one time-honored specialty of Washington — memorializing and coming together over national trauma — isn’t what it used to be. Friday’s moment of silence at the Capitol to contemplate the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on it was expected to draw mostly…

McCarthy Fails For 3rd Long Day In GOP House Speaker Fight

WASHINGTON (AP) — For a long and frustrating third day, divided Republicans left the speaker’s chair of the U.S. House sitting empty Thursday, as party leader Kevin McCarthy failed and failed again in an excruciating string of ballots to win enough GOP votes to seize the chamber’s gavel. Pressure was building as McCarthy lost a seventh, eighth and historic ninth round of…

Bills: Safety Damar Hamlin Showing ‘Remarkable Improvement’

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has shown what physicians treating him are calling “remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours,” the team announced Thursday, three days after the player went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field. “While still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact,”…