AP-National

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer It was Lainey Wilson ’s night, in many ways. She took home female artist of the year and the top prize of entertainer of the year at the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards. “I’ve been in Nashville for 13 years doing this,” Wilson started her speech. “Everybody in

By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Biden administration has proposed an end to new coal leasing from federal reserves in the most productive coal mining region of the U.S. The move announced Thursday would limit future climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions from burning the fuel. It drew instant pushback from Republicans in

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A transgender girl from Mississippi’s Gulf Coast who wanted to wear a dress to a regional band event was discriminated against when her school insisted she follow a dress code based on her sex assigned at birth, according to a new civil rights complaint. The American Civil Liberties Union and the

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Prosecutors say an Oregon man who met two 15-year-old girls on Snapchat, sexually abused them while traveling through three states and finally abandoned them at a park has been sentenced to over a decade in prison. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon said Thursday in a news release

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A federal judge is rejecting a lawsuit by a former Democratic congressman running for Georgia state Supreme Court who claims a state agency is unconstitutionally trying to block him from talking about abortion. U.S. District Judge Michael Brown ruled Thursday that John Barrow doesn’t have standing to

By MICHAEL PHILLIS Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency watchdog says the agency distributed about $3 billion to states last year to replace harmful lead pipes based on unverified data. That’s according to an agency inspector general’s memo. It likely means some states got too much money and others got too

By COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press DENVER (AP) — A man has been convicted of killing four people at his ex-girlfriend’s home in suburban Denver in 2022 a week after she was granted a court order to keep him away from her. Joseph Mario Castorena was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder after deliberation for

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Pentagon officials are cautiously optimistic that an overall decline in reported sexual assaults among active-duty service members and the military academies suggests that leaders are finally getting a handle on what has been a persistent problem. But they say there is more work to be done,

By ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The Arkansas Supreme Court has upheld four voting restrictions passed by Republican lawmakers in 2021 that were struck down by a state judge as unconstitutional. Justices on Thursday unanimously reversed and remanded the decision against the four laws. The court had earlier stayed the judge’s

By MIKE CATALINI and LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Sen. Bob Menendez says his wife has breast cancer and will require a mastectomy, a revelation made just as the presentation of evidence began at his New York bribery trial. The New Jersey Democrat said in a statement Thursday there was concern about

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer A key Boeing supplier that makes the fuselages for its popular 737 Max airplanes is laying off about 450 workers. That’s because production has slowed down ever since a panel flew off one of those airplanes operated by Alaska Airlines in midair in January. A spokesman for Spirit AeroSystems

UNION CITY, Ga. (AP) — An Atlanta police officer who authorities say shot and killed a Lyft driver who was driving him home was arrested and charged with murder. Fulton County Jail records show 34-year-old Koby Minor was being held without bond after his arrest early Wednesday in Union City. Court records didn’t list an

By LEKAN OYEKANMI and VALERIE GONZALEZ Associated Press GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — Early estimates indicate up to 2,000 gallons of oil may have spilled into surrounding waters when a barge carrying fuel broke free from a tugboat and slammed into a bridge near Galveston, Texas, the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday. The barge crashed into

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Six men face charges in connection with the theft of more than 400 vehicles worth about $8 million in Michigan. The state attorney general’s office said Thursday that the men were part of a criminal organization. They say the vehicles were stolen from dealerships, storage and parking lots, and homes. The

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — An Indiana judge has cleared the way for the opening of a new restaurant after finding that “tacos and burritos are Mexican-style sandwiches.” Martin Quintana says he is relieved the legal fight is over and he plans to open his second The Famous Taco location in Fort Wayne in months.

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peruvian lawmakers have begun yet another effort to remove President Dina Boluarte from office as authorities continue various investigations against her and her inner circle. The small legislative opposition on Thursday cited “moral incapacity” as the reason for the removal request they submitted to Parliament. Boluarte has already survived four attempts

By SUDHIN THANAWALA Associated Press Five Americans are facing prison sentences of up to 12 years in the Turks and Caicos Islands on charges they illegally carried ammunition while in the popular, upscale tourist destination about 600 miles southeast of Miami. Three of the arrests have prompted pleas for mercy from the governors of Oklahoma,

By GERALD IMRAY Associated Press CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Prosecutors say former South African President Jacob Zuma will go on trial for corruption next April. It’ll be four years after he was officially charged with taking bribes in connection with a multi-billion-dollar arms deal and 20 years after he was first implicated. Zuma

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The sports streaming platform planned by ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery finally has a name. The joint venture will be called Venu Sports. The companies announced plans in February for the platform, which some consider to be the equivalent of Hulu for sports. Further details, including pricing and launch timing,

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent Leaving Washington behind, prominent far-right House Republicans who have repeatedly thrown this Congress into chaos showed up Thursday at Donald Trump’s hush money trial to do what they do best. They stood outside Trump Tower filming their support for the indicted former president. They filed into the Manhattan courthouse