AP-National

By MARTHA BELLISLE Associated Press TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Lawyers for three Washington state officers charged in the death of a Black man say Manuel Ellis died from drugs, not excessive force. Wayne Fricke is a lawyer representing Tacoma police Officer Christopher Burbank. In his closing arguments Tuesday, he alleged that Ellis was addicted to

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Spanish fashion brand Zara has pulled advertising images that to some appeared to reference Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The images for a line of jackets included what the company called “unfinished sculptures in a sculptor’s studio.” But some online critics said one image of a model holding a

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Current and former inmates of the Alabama prison system have filed a lawsuit challenging the prison labor program. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court says prisoners are forced to work for little and sometimes even no pay in jobs that benefit government entities or private companies. They called it a

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — The people who sued to overturn Georgia’s congressional and legislative districts are attacking plans that Republican state lawmakers claim cure illegal dilution of Black votes while preserving GOP power. The three sets of plaintiffs on Tuesday asked the federal judge overseeing the case to reject Georgia’s proposed

By ANNIE MA AP Education Writer WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — Over five hours at a congressional hearing, lawmakers pressed the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT on the topic of antisemitism. In some instances, they were unable to say whether calls for the genocide of Jews would violate their schools’ conduct policies.

By SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago man who spent 35 years behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit has been freed after a judge vacated his conviction. Brian Beals told The Associated Press after his release Tuesday that he feels relief and happiness and is ready to begin life again.

MYSTIC, Conn. (AP) — A 9-year-old beluga whale at Mystic Aquarium named Kharabali has died. It marks the third death among five whales that were transported from Canada in 2021 to the Connecticut aquarium. The aquarium announced Tuesday that Kharabali began swimming abnormally in November, and “her strange behavior continued to progress.” She was eventually

By TODD RICHMOND Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Universities of Wisconsin regents are set to vote again on a deal with Republican lawmakers that calls for reducing diversity positions in exchange for employee raises and money for construction projects. The regents rejected the deal on a 9-8 vote Saturday. They met in a closed

By ALI SWENSON Associated Press A phone-banking tool powered entirely by artificial intelligence is getting its first real-world test in a Pennsylvania Democrat’s congressional campaign. The breakthrough technology is an example of how AI tools are getting more use in politics ahead of the 2024 elections. The chatbot named Ashley from the startup company Civox

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s lawyers have rested his defense and have sought again to immediately end the New York civil fraud trial that threatens the former president’s real estate empire. The judge said “there’s no way I’m going to grant that.” Trump’s lawyers —

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A special House committee focused on China is calling for altering the way the U.S. treats Chinese-made goods, possibly subjecting them to higher tariffs and risking increased economic tensions between the two economic superpowers. The bipartisan recommendation shows many lawmakers’ willingness to build on the tariffs enacted

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal complaint filed by the FBI says a Russian man who flew on a plane from Denmark to Los Angeles without a passport or ticket told authorities he didn’t remember how he got through security. Sergey Vladimirovich Ochigava arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Nov. 4 via Scandinavian Airlines

PEYTON, Colo. (AP) — Colorado authorities have released the identities of four people, including three family members, who were found dead inside a home in rural Colorado following a reported shooting last week. The manner and causes of death were not released pending final autopsy results from the El Paso County coroner. Only three of

By MEG KINNARD and HOLLY RAMER Associated Press MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu has endorsed Nikki Haley for president. Sununu appeared with the Republican presidential candidate at a town hall in Manchester on Tuesday, six weeks before the state’s pivotal first-in-the-nation primary. The endorsement comes as Haley angles to whittle away

By DÉBORA REY Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina on Tuesday announced a sharp devaluation of its currency and cuts to energy and transportation subsidies as part of shock measures new President Javier Milei says are needed to deal with an economic emergency. Economy Minister Luis Caputo said in a televised message the

The Arizona Supreme Court is grilling lawyers over whether a pre-statehood ban on nearly all abortions is limited or has been made moot by other statutes enacted over the past 50 years. The court is reviewing a lower-court decision that said doctors couldn’t be charged for performing the procedure in the first 15 weeks of

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A Mexican gray wolf that traveled far beyond the boundaries set in the Southwestern U.S. for managing the endangered species is back in captivity after being captured Saturday in northern New Mexico. And now U.S. wildlife managers are playing match maker. They’re hoping the female

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia and Alabama are proposing a deal to settle their water war over the Chattahoochee River. If approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the deal would provide for minimum water flows at two points along the river. However, the proposal doesn’t address objections from groups

By PAUL J. WEBER and JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Kate Cox, whose fetus had a fatal condition, did not qualify for an abortion in Texas: not after four emergency room visits, elevated vital signs, risks of a uterine rupture and with her ability to have more children in jeopardy. The Texas

By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA Associated Press TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — A prominent opposition figure on trial in Tunisia on charges of undermining state security is warning that efforts to prosecute her are sowing fear about civil rights and liberties. Chaima Issa is a leader in the coalition of parties opposed to President Kais Saied. She