US & World News

Pelosi Won’t Seek Leadership Role, Plans To Stay In Congress

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she will not seek a leadership position in the new Congress, a pivotal realignment making way for a new generation of leaders after Democrats lost control of the House to Republicans in the midterm elections. Pelosi announced in a spirited speech on the House floor that she will step aside after leading Democrats…

Republicans Win Back Control Of House With Narrow Majority

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans won control of the U.S. House on Wednesday, returning the party to power in Washington and giving conservatives leverage to blunt President Joe Biden’s agenda and spur a flurry of investigations. But a threadbare majority will pose immediate challenges for GOP leaders and complicate the party’s ability to govern. More than a week after Election Day, Republicans secured…

Starbucks Red Cup Day 2022: How To Get A Free Reusable Cup

Taken from Fox 9’s website. Credit: Starbucks SEATTLE (FOX 9) – Starbucks is ringing in the holiday season with its annual Red Cup Day. On Thursday, Nov. 17, the coffee giant is giving away free, limited-edition reusable red cups to customers who order a handcrafted holiday or fall beverage at participating U.S. stores. Earlier this month, Starbucks’ seasonal red cups and holiday beverages returned to…

Trump Criminal Probes Will Proceed — Even As He’s Candidate

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s early announcement of his third White House bid won’t shield the former president from the criminal investigations already confronting him as an ordinary citizen, leaving him legally and politically exposed as he seeks the 2024 Republican nomination. The Justice Department is pushing ahead with its probes. And with the midterm elections now mostly complete and the 2024 presidential campaign…

US Retail Sales Rose 1.3% Last Month, A Sign Of Resilience

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans stepped up their spending at retailers, restaurants, and auto dealers last month, a sign of consumer resilience as the holiday shopping season begins amid painfully high inflation and rising interest rates. The government said Wednesday that retail sales rose 1.3% in October from September, up from a flat reading in September from August. The increase was led by car…

Same-Sex Marriage Faces Senate Test With GOP Votes Uncertain

WASHINGTON (AP) — Staring down the prospect of divided government in the next Congress, Senate Democrats are moving forward with legislation this week to protect same sex and interracial marriages. It’s a vote that’s “as personal as it gets,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. Schumer is holding a test vote on the bill Wednesday, betting that at least 10 Republicans will…

NASA’s Mightiest Moon Rocket Lifts Off 50 Years After Apollo

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s new moon rocket blasted off on its debut flight with three test dummies aboard Wednesday, bringing the U.S. a big step closer to putting astronauts back on the lunar surface for the first time since the end of the Apollo program 50 years ago. If all goes well during the three-week, make-or-break shakedown flight,…

Life Sentence Sought For Teen In Michigan School Shooting

DETROIT (AP) — Prosecutors said they’ll seek a life sentence with no chance for parole for a 16-year-old boy who killed four fellow students at a Michigan school and pleaded guilty to murder and terrorism. They disclosed their plans in a court filing Monday, three weeks after Ethan Crumbley, 16, withdrew a possible insanity defense and acknowledged the shooting at Oxford High School in…

Biden Asks For More Than $37 Billion In Ukraine Aid

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is asking Congress to provide more than $37 billion in emergency aid to Ukraine, a massive infusion of cash that could help support the nation as Russian forces suffer battlefield losses in their nine-month-old invasion. The administration’s funding request, which comes as lawmakers begin their post-election session, also seeks $9.25 billion in COVID-19 funding to…

GOP On Cusp Of Retaking House Control With Slim Majority

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans were on the cusp of retaking control of the House late Monday, just one victory shy of the 218 seats the party needs to secure a majority, narrowing the path for Democrats to keep the chamber and raising the prospect of a divided government in Washington. Democrats have already won control of the Senate, securing 50 seats…

Walmart Offers To Pay $3.1 Billion To Settle Opioid Lawsuits

(AP) — Walmart proposed a $3.1 billion legal settlement on Tuesday over the toll of powerful prescription opioids sold at its pharmacies, becoming the latest major drug industry player to promise major support to state, local and tribal governments still grappling with a crisis in overdose deaths. The retail giant’s announcement follows similar proposals on Nov. 2 from the two…

US Wholesale Inflation Eases To 8%, 4th Straight Slowdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — Prices at the wholesale level rose 8% in October from a year ago, the fourth straight decline and the latest sign that inflation pressures in the United States are easing from painfully high levels. The annual figure is down from 8.4% in September. On a monthly basis, the government said Tuesday that its producer price index, which measures costs…

Trump Prepares To Launch 3rd Campaign For The White House

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is preparing to launch his third campaign for the White House on Tuesday, looking to move on from disappointing midterm defeats and defy history amid signs that his grip on the Republican Party is waning. Trump had hoped to use the GOP’s expected gains in last week’s elections as a springboard to vault himself to his party’s nomination by locking in…

40 States Settle Google Location-Tracking Charges For $392M

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Search giant Google has agreed to a $391.5 million settlement with 40 states to resolve an investigation into how the company tracked users’ locations, state attorneys general announced Monday. The states’ investigation was sparked by a 2018 Associated Press story, which found that Google continued to track people’s location data even after they opted out of such…

Suspect Caught In Fatal Shooting Of 3 U.Va. Football Players

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Police on Monday captured a University of Virginia student suspected of fatally shooting three members of the school’s football team as they returned to campus from a field trip. The violence that also wounded two students erupted near a parking garage and sent the campus into a lockdown that lasted overnight while police searched for the…

Biden: Still Not Enough Votes To Codify Abortion Rights

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — President Joe Biden said Monday that Democrats still lack the power to codify abortion rights into law despite his party’s stronger-than-expected performance in the midterm elections. “I don’t think there’s enough votes,” he said at a press conference during the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia. Biden’s blunt comments reflected how Democrats’ euphoria over their strength…

Biden Says Climate Efforts ‘More Urgent Than Ever’ At Summit

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt” (AP) — President Joe Biden, speaking Friday at an annual international summit on climate change, urged world leaders to “double down” on their resolve to fight global warming, saying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reinforces the need to phase out fossil fuels. “We can no longer plead ignorance to the consequences of our actions, or continue to repeat our…

Pelosi Faces Uncertain Future Weeks After Attack On Husband

WASHINGTON (AP) — The morning after the midterm election, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slipped on a sterling silver whistle given to her by her husband, who was attacked last month by an intruder at their San Francisco home. The whistle was similar to those worn by coaches or drill sergeants, and she wore it at her office after a long night of watching…

Biden To Climate Talks, 1st Leg Of Around-The-World Trip

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — President Joe Biden arrived Friday in Egypt for a global climate meeting with a giant domestic investment in tow — and he’s likely to face questions about how far the U.S. will go to pull other large greenhouse gas emitters along. His attendance at the U.N. climate conference, known as COP27, in the resort town of Sharm…

Alex Jones Ordered To Pay $473M More To Sandy Hook Families

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Infowars host Alex Jones and his company were ordered by a judge Thursday to pay an extra $473 million for promoting false conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook school massacre, bringing the total judgment against him in a lawsuit filed by the victims’ families to a staggering $1.44 billion. Connecticut Judge Barabara Bellis imposed the punitive…

GOP Nudges Closer To House Win; Senate Could Hinge On Runoff

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans inched closer to a narrow House majority Wednesday, while control of the Senate hinged on a few tight races in a midterm election that defied expectations of sweeping conservative victories driven by frustration over inflation and President Joe Biden’s leadership. Either party could secure a Senate majority with wins in both Nevada and Arizona — where the races…

US Consumer Inflation Eased To 7.7% Over Past 12 Months

WASHINGTON (AP) — Price increases moderated in the United States last month in the latest sign that the inflation pressures that have gripped the nation might be easing as the economy slows and Americans grow more cautious. Consumer inflation reached 7.7% in October from a year earlier and 0.4% from September, the government said Thursday. The year-over-year increase, down from…

Abortion Supporters Win In Conservative, Liberal States

WASHINGTON (AP) — Abortion rights supporters won in the four states where access was on the ballot Tuesday, as voters enshrined it into the state constitution in battleground Michigan as well as blue California and Vermont and dealt a defeat to an anti-abortion measure in deep-red Kentucky. In all, it was a dramatic illustration of how the U.S. Supreme Court’s…

Dems Beating Back GOP Surge, But Control Of Congress Unclear

WASHINGTON (AP) — Razor-thin margins around the country left control of Congress still undetermined Wednesday, but Democrats showed surprising strength in the midterm election, topping Republicans in a series of competitive races and defying expectations that high inflation and President Joe Biden’s low approval ratings would drag his party to key defeats. In the most heartening news for Democrats, John Fetterman flipped Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Senate…

Powerball Ticket Sold In California Snags Record $2.04B Win

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Someone who bought a Powerball ticket in Southern California has won a record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot after more than three months without anyone hitting the top prize. The winning numbers drawn Tuesday morning at the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee were: white balls 10, 33, 41, 47 and 56, and the red Powerball…

Putin-Linked Businessman Admits To US Election Meddling

(AP) — Kremlin-connected entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin admitted Monday that he had interfered in U.S. elections and would continue to do so — confirming for the first time the accusations that he has rejected for years. “Gentlemen, we have interfered, are interfering and will interfere. Carefully, precisely, surgically and in our own way, as we know how to do,” Prigozhin boasted…

Biden, Trump To Make Final Appeals Ahead Of Crucial Midterms

WASHINGTON (AP) — An election year that unfolded against the backdrop of economic turmoil, the elimination of federal abortion rights and broad concerns about the future of democracy is concluding with a final full day of campaigning in which leaders of both parties will issue urgent appeals to their supporters. President Joe Biden is holding a Monday evening rally in Maryland, where Democrats have…

US Employers Are Hiring Briskly Even In Face Of Rate Hikes

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers kept hiring vigorously in October, adding 261,000 positions, a sign that as Election Day nears, the economy remains a picture of solid job growth and painful inflation. Friday’s report from the government showed that hiring was brisk across industries last month, though the overall gain declined from 315,000 in September. The unemployment rate rose from a five-decade…

CVS, Walgreens Announce Opioid Settlements Totaling $10B

(AP) — The two largest U.S. pharmacy chains, CVS Health and Walgreen Co., announced agreements in principle Wednesday to pay about $5 billion each to settle lawsuits nationwide over the toll of opioids, and a lawyer said Walmart, a third pharmacy behemoth, is in discussions for a deal. The prospective settlements are part of a shift in the legal landscape…

Families Unleash Grief And Anger On Parkland School Shooter

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Families of the 17 children and staff members Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz murdered cursed him to hell, wished him a painful death and called him a coward Tuesday as they got their one chance to address him directly before he is sentenced to life in prison. For hours, parents, wives, siblings, children and some of the 17 Cruz…

House GOP’s Possible Newcomers Include Outsiders, Extremists

WASHINGTON (AP) — At least three Republicans running for the U.S. House attended the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, 2021, and made their way toward the U.S. Capitol during the insurrection to stop Joe Biden’s election. Countless other House Republican candidates are skeptics and deniers of the 2020 election lost by Donald Trump. There are veterans of the Iraq and…

Powerball Jackpot Jumps To $1.2 Billion After No Winner On Halloween

(Fox 9) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Powerball jackpot has soared to an estimated $1.20 billion after no ticket matched all six numbers on Halloween night. The winner, who must match numbers on five white balls (1-69) and the red Powerball (1-26), also has the option to claim a one-time lump sum payment of an estimated $596.7 million before taxes. Lottery officials said the current jackpot ranks…

Police: Pelosi Suspect Wanted To Hold House Speaker Hostage

WASHINGTON (AP) — The man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, told police he wanted to hold the speaker hostage and “break her kneecaps,” authorities said Monday. David DePape, 42, confronted a sleeping Paul Pelosi in the couple’s San Francisco bedroom early Friday morning, according to a federal affidavit filed in court Monday. Federal…

Public Service Loan Forgiveness: Monday Is Last Day To Apply For Limited Waiver

WASHINGTON (Fox 9) – Teachers, first responders, government workers, and others in public service roles have until Monday to file applications for a special waiver related to student loan forgiveness. Last year, temporary changes were made to U.S. Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), a troubled student loan forgiveness program designed for borrowers working in public service jobs — but long criticized for its complex requirements….

Suspension Bridge Collapse Kills At Least 133 In India

MORBI, India (AP) — Military teams were searching Monday for people missing after a 143-year-old suspension bridge collapsed into a river Sunday in the western Indian state of Gujarat, sending hundreds plunging into the water and killing at least 133 in one of the country’s worst accidents in years. As families mourned the dead, attention was turning to why the…

States Struggle With Pushback After Wave Of Policing Reforms

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The national reckoning on race and policing that followed the death of George Floyd — with a Minneapolis police officer’s knee on his windpipe — spurred a torrent of state laws aimed at fixing the police. More than two years later, that torrent has slowed. Some of the initial reforms have been tweaked or even rolled…

Barack Obama Gets A Midterm Do-Over To Help Boost Democrats

ATLANTA (AP) — Barack Obama is trying to do something he couldn’t during two terms as president: help Democrats succeed in national midterm elections when they already hold the White House. Of course, Obama is more popular than he was back then, and now it’s President Joe Biden, his former vice president, who faces the prospects of a November rebuke. Obama begins a…

AP sources: Pelosi’s Home Targeted In Attack On Husband

WASHINGTON (AP) — Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was attacked and severely beaten by an assailant with a hammer who broke into their San Francisco home early Friday, according to people familiar with the investigation. Pelosi, 82, suffered blunt force injuries to his head and body, according to two people who spoke to The Associated Press on condition…

More Kids To Ride In ‘Clean’ School Buses, Mostly Electric

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 400 school districts spanning all 50 states and Washington, D.C., along with several tribes and U.S. territories, are receiving roughly $1 billion in grants to purchase about 2,500 “clean” school buses under a new federal program. The Biden administration is making the grants available as part of a wider effort to accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles and…

US Economy Returned To Growth Last Quarter, Expanding 2.6%

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at a 2.6% annual rate from July through September, snapping two straight quarters of contraction and overcoming high inflation and interest rates just as voting begins in midterm elections in which the economy’s health has emerged as a paramount issue. Thursday’s better-than-expected estimate from the Commerce Department showed that the nation’s gross domestic product —…

Biden To Get Updated COVID-19 Booster Shot, Promote Vaccine

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden was scheduled to get his updated COVID-19 booster shot on Tuesday and urge the public to get theirs to ensure a healthy holiday season. Biden was to appear at the White House with the doctors who are leading administration efforts against the spread of the coronavirus. They were set to be joined by executives from…

Test Scores Show Historic COVID Setbacks For Kids Across US

WASHINGTON (AP) — The COVID-19 pandemic spared no state or region as it caused historic learning setbacks for America’s children, erasing decades of academic progress and widening racial disparities, according to results of a national test that provide the sharpest look yet at the scale of the crisis. Across the country, math scores saw their largest decreases ever. Reading scores…

Biden’s Midterm ‘Closing Argument’: Look At The Alternative

WASHINGTON (AP) — With Republicans increasingly confident about victory in this year’s midterm elections, President Joe Biden dismissed the polls in a speech at Democratic Party headquarters Monday, saying there’s still time for “one more shift” that will help his party. “If we get people out to vote, we win,” Biden said to scores of Democratic organizers who cheered and…

Pentagon To Provide Funds, Help For Troops Seeking Abortions

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon will provide travel funds and support for troops and their dependents who seek abortions but are based in states where they are now illegal, according to a new department policy released Thursday. The military will also increase privacy protections for those seeking care. The order issued by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin outlines the rights and protections service members and…