AP-National

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas acknowledged Thursday that he took three trips last year aboard a private plane owned by Republican megadonor Harlan Crow even as he rejected criticism over his failure to report trips in previous years. It’s the first time in years that Thomas has

By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox promoted Chris Getz to general manager, staying inside the organization for the position almost two decades after the franchise last won a playoff series. Getz is replacing Rick Hahn, who was fired by owner Jerry Reinsdorf along with president of baseball operations

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says Congress should pass a short-term funding measure to ensure the government keeps operating after the current budget year ends Sept. 30. An official with the Office of Management and Budget says lawmakers would very likely need to pass a temporary spending measure in

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities say more than 450 migrants have reached Greece’s Aegean Sea islands in boats from Turkey in less than two days. That includes 51 people who came ashore on the high-end resort of Mykonos. The new arrivals come amid a steady rise in migration to the European Union country, which

MOSCOW (AP) — The man who is believed to have given Russian mercenary group Wagner its name has been buried at a military cemetery in Moscow. Dmitry Utkin died in an Aug. 23 plane crash that killed all 10 people on board, including Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his other top lieutenants. The crash between

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer Filmmaker Antoine Fuqua has been dreaming about taking the Equalizer abroad for years. The action franchise (very loosely based on a 1980s television series) starring Denzel Washington as the reluctant assassin Robert McCall had rooted itself in humble domestic beginnings, in Boston. But after two films and $382.7 million

LEVANT, Maine (AP) — Police in Maine arrested a 23-year-old on charges of attempting to break into the home of Dana White, the president of Ultimate Fighting Championship. Police said they responded to the property in the early morning hours of Monday and the suspect had already fled in a vehicle. They said the property

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban say they have signed mining contracts worth billions of dollars in Afghanistan. They’ve  been courting foreign investment since their takeover two years ago to revitalize the economy, pinning their hopes on the country’s vast and untapped mineral resources. On Thursday, an official from the Taliban-led government said seven contracts

DETROIT (AP) — Kia is recalling about 320,000 cars in the U.S. to fix a problem that could prevent the trunk from being opened from the inside. The recall covers the Optima midsize car from 2016 through 2018, Optima hybrids and plug-ins from 2017 and 2018, and the Rio small car from 2016 and 2017.

BERLIN (AP) — A German court has convicted a Russian man of plotting the murder of an exiled Chechen dissident on orders from a cousin of Chechnya’s strongman leader, Ramzan Kadyrov. The court in Munich sentenced the defendant to 10 years in prison. He was convicted of agreeing to commit murder, preparing a serious act

NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. (AP) — No injuries or hazardous spills have been reported in a train derailment in a southeastern South Dakota town that also saw a rail bridge partially collapse. The derailment happened shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday in North Sioux City, the Union County Emergency Management office said in social media posts.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway is closing its embassy in Mali by the end of the year, citing the security situation in the West African country. Norway’s foreign minister says the withdrawal of a U.N. peacekeeping force there “will have consequences for the security of Norwegian and other diplomatic missions and international organizations.” In June,

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A Maine woman has pleaded guilty to manslaughter after her year-old son’s fatal overdose. It led to the discovery of $700,000 worth of fentanyl and other drugs. Investigators went to Ashley Malloy’s home after her son Karson died in a hospital. They discovered white powder on a blanket and sheet in

NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is coming to movie theaters. Swift announced Thursday that the concert film “Taylor Swift – The Eras Tour” will open in North American theaters Oct. 13. The theater chain AMC, anticipating high demand from Swift fans, said the film will play at least four times a day

HELSINKI (AP) — Prosecutors in Finland have filed charges against four Finnish men, who are part of a radicalized domestic group, for plotting attacks against migrants, critical infrastructure and their perceived political opponents, authorities said. Police said Thursday the men are also suspected of manufacturing weapons by 3D printing in preparation for a racially-motivated armed

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — An Iraqi criminal court has convicted five men and sentenced them to life in prison in the killing of a U.S. citizen in Baghdad last year. Stephen Edward Troell, a native of Tennessee, was fatally shot in his car in November by a group of assailants as

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country has developed a weapon that hit a target 700 kilometers (400 miles) away. His comment Thursday appeared to be a reference to the previous day’s strike on an airport in western Russia. Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel the weapon was produced by Ukraine’s

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell slightly last week as businesses continue to retain employees in an economy that has largely withstood rapidly rising interest rates for more than a year. The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits  last fell week by 4,000, to 228,000 the week ending

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — A U.N.-backed team of human rights experts focusing on racial discrimination has urged Italy to do more to fight acts of violence, hate speech, stigmatization and harassment against Africans and people of African descent. It expressed concern that no legal cases have been brought to punish fans

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — An inflation gauge closely tracked by the Federal Reserve remained low last month, adding to signs of cooling price increases and raising the likelihood that the Fed will leave interest rates unchanged when it next meets in late September. Thursday’s report from the Commerce Department showed