AP-National

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to Japan has stressed the importance of increased deterrence and his country’s commitment to its key ally as he visited two southwestern Japanese islands at the forefront of Tokyo’s tension with Beijing. Rahm Emanuel on Friday visited Yonaguni, Japan’s westernmost island just east of

By FRANKLIN BRICEÑO Associated Press LIMA, Peru (AP) — Sexual diversity activists have protested in Peru’s capital in front of the health ministry to demand that the government repeal a decree that characterizes seven gender identities, including transgenderism, as “mental illnesses.” Protesters also gathered Friday outside the Peruvian Embassy in Ecuador’s capital, Quito. The demonstrations

By GENE JOHNSON and CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A man who has been under investigation in the deaths of four women whose bodies were found scattered across northwest Oregon last year has been indicted in two of those killings — as well as in the death of a woman whose body

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Police in Japan who were busy tracking thousands of yakuza members just a few years ago have set their eyes on a new threat: unorganized and loosely connected groups they believe are behind a series of crimes once dominated by yakuza. Police call them “tokuryu,” anonymous gangsters

HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu’s former top prosecutor has been found not guilty in a bribery case that alleged employees of an engineering and architectural firm bribed him with campaign donations in exchange for his prosecution of a former company employee. A U.S. grand jury indicted former Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro and five others in

By ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Even before kicking off a three-day visit to Madrid, Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei has stirred controversy, accusing the socialist government of bringing “poverty and death” to Spain and weighing in on corruption allegations against the prime minister’s wife. In such circumstances, a typical visiting

By ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Commuters in Buenos Aires are being hit by an abrupt 360% increase in subway fares. It’s one of the most dramatic price hikes in libertarian President Javier Milei’s harsh budget austerity campaign in Argentina. A judge on Thursday lifted an order that had temporarily blocked

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities say a man shot his 6-month-old baby multiple times at a home northwest of Phoenix after taking the infant and its mother captive. Police in the city of Surprise said Friday night the mother escaped with minor injuries and the child suffered serious injuries but was expected to survive. The

By SUMMER BALLENTINE Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge has ruled that a longshot gubernatorial candidate with ties to the Ku Klux Klan can stay on the Republican ticket. Cole County Circuit Court Judge Cotton Walker on Friday ruled against a request by the Missouri GOP to kick Darrell McClanahan off

By SARAH EL DEEB Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Teams of 35 international doctors, including 22 Americans, were trapped in Gaza after Israel seized the main crossing into Egypt and sealed off their way out. Meant to be on a two-week mission, the volunteer doctors have described a situation far worse than they had imagined

By DYLAN LOVAN Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler’s arrest and prompt release from a Louisville jail Friday that let him play in a high-profile tournament after being booked on charges including felony assault has sparked questions over whether he was given preferential treatment because of his fame. Some

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press Texas officials say power outages could last weeks in parts of Houston after thunderstorms with hurricane-force winds tore through the city and killed at least four people. The outages come as residents face 90-degree temperatures. To avoid overheating without fans or air conditioning, it’s key to stay hydrated, avoid the

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. experts say South Sudan is close to securing a $13 billion loan from a company in the United Arab Emirates, despite the oil-rich country’s difficulties in managing debts backed by its oil reserves. The panel of experts says in a report to the U.N.

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in “9 to 5” and the nasty TV director in “Tootsie,” has died. He was 92. Coleman died Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, his daughter, Quincy Coleman, said

By HOLLY RAMER Associated Press A federal agent has testified that he exchanged flirtatious texts with Karen Read days before authorities said she struck her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV and left him to die in a snowbank. John O’Keefe died on Jan. 29, 2022. Prosecutors say Read dropped him off at a

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chileans are bundling up for their coldest autumn in more than 70 years mere days after sunning in T-shirts — a dramatic change of wardrobe brought on this week by a sudden cold front gripping portions of South America unaccustomed to bitter wind chills this time of year. Temperatures broke records

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s largest teachers union is turning up the pressure on Gov. Gavin Newsom. The California Teachers Association on Friday said it will work to block one of Newsom’s proposals for balancing the budget. CTA President David Goldberg said it would wreak havoc on school funding. Newsom

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department has renewed a global security warning for Americans overseas and added to it that LGBTQ people and events in particular face an “increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence.” The alert issued Friday is a standard renewal of travel advice telling Americans to exercise increased caution against possible attacks

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and GARY FIELDS Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — When an upside-down U.S. flag flew over the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in January 2021, it was largely seen in connection with the false claim by then-President Donald Trump’s supporters that the 2020 election had been marred by fraud. The revelation

WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC’s “This Week” — Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.; Victoria Nuland, a former top State Department official in the Biden administration; Marc Lotter, chief communications officer for the America First Policy Institute. ___ NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.; Gov. Wes Moore, D-Md. ___ CBS’ “Face the Nation” —