AP-National

By TERRY SPENCER Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The attorney for a former Florida sheriff’s deputy is arguing that his client had no legal duty to confront the gunman who murdered 17 people and wounded 17 others at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School nearly six years ago. The attorney asked a judge

By MATTHEW DALY and MICHAEL PHILLIS Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency conducted more on-site inspections of polluting industrial sites this year than any time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said Monday as it seeks to reinvigorate its enforcement program after more than a decade of budget cuts.

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The founder of Nikola Corp. has been sentenced to four years in prison for his conviction for exaggerating claims about his company’s production of zero-emission 18-wheel trucks. Trevor Milton was sentenced Monday in a Manhattan federal court, where the judge also ordered him to pay a

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Authorities say a boarding school building partially collapsed in central Romania, leaving one person dead and three injured. They did not say what caused the collapse on Monday in the town of Odorheiu Secuiesc in Harghita county. Photos from the scene shared by emergency teams show a collapsed portion of an

By JONEL ALECCIA AP Health Writer A deadly outbreak of salmonella poisoning linked to contaminated whole and pre-cut cantaloupe continues to grow. Health officials in the U.S. and Canada have confirmed at least 10 deaths, dozens of hospitalizations and hundreds of illnesses since the outbreak began in mid-October. More than 36,000 boxes or cases of

By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — France’s foreign minister urged Lebanese leaders on Monday to work on reducing tensions along the border with Israel, warning that the Israel-Hamas war could still spread to other parts of the region. Catherine Colonna’s visit to Lebanon came a day after she visited Israel, where she called

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Court of Appeals has affirmed a decision by state regulators to grant a major permit for the proposed NewRange copper-nickel mine. Monday’s ruling says the state adequately considered the possibility that developers might expand the project when they issued its air emissions permit. It was

By CLAUDIA LAUER and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press The U.S. Justice Department has created a database to track records of misconduct by federal law enforcement officers. The database works to prevent agencies from unknowingly hiring problem officers. Announced on Monday, the federal move is a step toward accountability amid growing calls to close loopholes

By CLAIRE SAVAGE Associated Press/Report for America A 5-year-old boy who had been living at a temporary shelter for migrants in Chicago has died. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office said Monday that the boy had a medical emergency over the weekend. The child died after being transported to a local hospital. The shelter houses about

By JACK DURA Associated Press BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal judge has scheduled a trial in North Dakota’s lawsuit for the federal government to cover the costs of responding to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests in 2016 and 2017. The trial is set to begin Feb. 15 in Bismarck. The state filed the lawsuit

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s antiterrorism squad is investigating after the headquarters of the national riot police was targeted with a bomb that was defused before it could explode. Hours after Monday’s incident, the police union protested increasing violence against members of the force. Authorities had been alerted after an anonymous caller warned a newspaper

By MATTHEW BARAKAT Associated Press FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order barring removal of a memorial to Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. A group called Defend Arlington, affiliated with a group called Save Southern Heritage Florida, filed a lawsuit Sunday in federal court in Alexandria seeking

By DAVID CRARY Associated Press The Catholic Church, in its doctrine, still rejects same-sex marriage and condemns any sexual relations between gay or lesbian partners as “intrinsically disordered.” Yet Pope Francis, during his nearly 11-year papacy, has done far more than any previous pope to make the church a more welcoming place for LGBTQ+ people.

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council delayed until Tuesday morning a vote on an Arab-sponsored resolution calling for a halt to hostilities in Gaza to allow for urgently needed aid deliveries to a massive number of civilians as members intensified negotiations to try to avoid another veto

By KATIE WORKMAN Associated Press If you’re looking to make pretty Christmas cookies without any fuss or fancy decorating, drop cookies are a simple and delicious way to go. AP food writer Katie Workman says her Big Chewy Brownie Cookies check those boxes, and are easy to ship as well. Nuggets of red dried cherries

By TODD RICHMOND Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The University of Wisconsin-Madison is launching a new program to cover Indigenous students’ full costs, including tuition, fees and housing. Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin announced Monday that the Wisconsin Tribal Educational Promise program will begin covering Indigenous students’ costs in the fall 2024 semester at the state

LONDON (AP) — British media report that comedian Russell Brand has been questioned for a second time by police investigating allegations of sexual offenses. Brand, 48, was interviewed under caution last week over six “non-recent” allegations, the Press Association agency reported. Brand was questioned by police in November over three other claims. The Metropolitan Police

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president has called for the resignation of the state prosecutor in Guanajuato in light of the state’s high levels of violence. Monday’s call at a news conference by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador came a day after gunmen killed 12 people at a holiday party in Guanajuato. The state prosecutor’s

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Authorities have arrested a player on the Sacramento Kings’ G League affiliate and his girlfriend in the killing of a woman whose remains were found outside of Las Vegas earlier this month. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police announced Sunday that Chance Comanche, a 27-year-old power forward and center on the Stockton

By AMY BETH HANSON Associated Press A Utah mother of six who gave parenting advice on YouTube pleaded guilty Monday to child abuse charges and will go to prison for trying to convince her two youngest children they were evil, possessed and needed to be punished to repent. Ruby Franke stood shackled in gray and