AP-National

By JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Gaza has long been a powder keg, and it exploded after Hamas fighters stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7 and began killing and abducting people. More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed since the Hamas attack — mostly civilians slain during the incursion that also

By SEAN MURPHY Associated Press Oklahoma’s Republican attorney general has filed a lawsuit to stop what would be the nation’s first publicly funded religious school. Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed the lawsuit Friday with the state Supreme Court against the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board. The board voted 3-2 in June to approve the

WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC’s “This Week” — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin; South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican presidential candidate; Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas; Cindy McCain, executive director of the United Nations World Food Program. __ NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Secretary of State Antony Blinken; Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.; former Vice President Mike Pence,

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The teachers union in Portland, Oregon, has voted to go on strike. The Portland Association of Teachers announced the vote results Friday. The strike would begin Nov. 1, unless an agreement is reached with the school district before then. Large class sizes, low pay and a lack of resources were among

By DIDI TANG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, says the U.S. is welcomed in the Indo-Pacific and should do more to counter China’s influence there. Speaking at the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York on Friday, Emanuel described Japan as an essential player in U.S.-led alliances and

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece has won new certification of its financial health. Standard & Poor’s has become the first of the three major international ratings agencies to upgrade the formerly struggling country’s credit rating to investment grade. The one-notch upgrade, from BB+ to BBB-, is expected to significantly boost market confidence in the Greek

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s new health plan for low-income adults has enrolled only 1,343 people through the end of September about three months after launching. The Georgia Department of Community Health has projected up to 100,000 people could eventually benefit from Georgia Pathways to Coverage. But the nation’s

By JULIE CARR SMYTH and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The battle over how to teach reading has landed in court. With momentum shifting in favor of research-backed strategies known as the “science of reading,” states and some school districts have been ditching once popular programs amid concerns that they aren’t effective.

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — A pilot from France who disappeared while hiking California’s towering Mount Whitney was found dead after falling about 1,000 feet off a cliff. The National Park Service says the hiker was identified as Tom Gerbier of Fontenay-sous-Bois, France. Gerbier started out early Tuesday and was reported missing when he

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) — A Marine killed in a shooting at Camp Lejeune has been identified by officials as a 19-year-old lance corporal from North Carolina. Base officials say Austin B. Schwenk died Wednesday in an incident in a barracks room on the base. The base said Schwenk was from Onslow County, North Carolina.

By CLAIRE SAVAGE, MELISSA PEREZ WINDER and LISA BAUMANN Associated Press EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — The father of freed American teen hostage Natalie Raanan said Friday she’s doing well following two weeks in captivity after she and her mother were abducted in Israel by Hamas and held in Gaza. Uri Raanan of Illinois told The

By DENISE LAVOIE and BEN FINLEY Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Virginia NAACP has filed a lawsuit alleging Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration failed to turn over public records. The records involve the process for restoring the voting rights of convicted felons who have completed their sentences. Youngkin has come under scrutiny since his

By KATHY McCORMACK Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A man who was living in a tent in the woods has been convicted of murder in the fatal shooting of a retired New Hampshire couple who were out for a walk. After deliberating for a day and a half, the jury on Monday found 27-year-old

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — Deputies in central Florida investigating a woman who had jumped to her death later found her 5-year-old twins dead at her home. Authorities say motorists on Friday witnessed the 31-year-old woman jumping from the bridge into the lake below in suburban Orlando. The woman was pronounced dead after her body was

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The former Florida lawmaker who sponsored the controversial law critics call “Don’t Say Gay” will serve six-months in federal prison for defrauding a federal coronavirus loan program for small businesses. Former state Rep. Joe Harding, a 36-year-old Republican, was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to wire fraud, money laundering and making

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says it will indefinitely block a lower court order curbing Biden administration efforts to combat controversial social media posts on topics including COVID-19 and election security. The justices said Friday they would hear arguments in a lawsuit filed by Louisiana, Missouri and others accusing

By SARAH RANKIN Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Officials say an external investigation of the events surrounding the shooting that killed three University of Virginia student-athletes and wounded two others on campus last year has been completed. But the findings won’t be made public immediately. A UVA spokesperson says university officials have begun to

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press The federal judge overseeing Donald Trump’s election interference case in Washington has agreed on to temporarily lift her narrow gag order. The ruling Friday gives Trump’s lawyers time to prove why the former president’s comments should not be restricted as the case heads toward trial. U.S. District Judge Tanya

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer No. 2 Michigan has suspended a low-level football program employee a day after disclosing that it is under NCAA investigation for allegedly stealing the play-calling signals used by its opponents. Athletic director Warde Manuel issued a one-sentence statement saying that Connor Stalions had been suspended with pay

MOSCOW (AP) — State news agencies are reporting that Russia has named a full replacement for the former head of the country’s Aerospace Forces. The former chief was dismissed after this summer’s brief rebellion against the military establishment. The Tass and RIA-Novosti agencies both cited a source as saying Col. Gen. Viktor Afzalov — who