AP-National

By COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press VENICE, Italy (AP) — Under the gaze of the world’s media, the fragile lagoon city of Venice launched a pilot program Thursday to charge day-trippers a 5-euro (around $5.35) entry fee that authorities hope will discourage visitors from arriving on peak days and make the city more livable for its

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. births fell last year, resuming a long national slide. A little under 3.6 million babies were born in 2023, according to provisional statistics released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s about 76,000 fewer than the year before and the lowest

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seems highly skeptical of former President Donald Trump’s claim of absolute immunity from prosecution. But it’s possible Trump could still benefit from a lengthy trial delay, possibly beyond November’s election. Chief Justice John Roberts was among at least five members of the court Thursday

By JOANNA KOZLOWSKA Associated Press A trial of a former government official charged with killing his wife has riveted Kazakhstan with lurid video of the attack, sparking a national conversation about domestic violence and leading to the government enacting a tougher law on spousal abuse. Many in the Central Asian country of over 19 million

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s economy slowed sharply last quarter to a 1.6% annual pace in the face of high interest rates, but consumers — the main driver of economic growth — kept spending at a solid pace. The gross domestic product — the economy’s total output of goods

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A newly minted law forcing TikTok’s parent company to sell the video-sharing platform or face a ban in the U.S. could be in for an uphill battle in court. The app’s China-based owner, ByteDance, filed a lawsuit Tuesday, calling the measure unconstitutional. Critics of the

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — More than 100 long-finned pilot whales that beached on the western Australian coast Thursday have returned to sea, while 29 died on the shore, officials said. Ships and a spotter plane were monitoring the rescued whales in case they returned to shore, the Parks and Wildlife

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer SHANGHAI (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised what the U.S. describes as unfair Chinese trade practices during his first full day of meetings in China on Thursday with local government officials in the financial hub of Shanghai. Blinken met with the city’s top official, Communist Party

By JOHN COON Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah hockey fans welcomed the former Arizona Coyotes to their new home Wednesday. Players and coaches were greeted at the airport in morning by a crowd of approximately 100 players from local youth hockey programs. The kids chanted “Go, Utah! Go, Utah!” The team attended

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nearly all inmates have been transferred out of a troubled women’s prison set to be shut down in California. And U.S. senators on Wednesday were demanding an accounting of the rapid closure plan for the facility where sexual abuse by guards was rampant. Prison officials say

NEW YORK (AP) — The former Instagram influencer known as “Jay Mazini” has been sentenced to seven years in prison after admitting he stole millions of dollars in various investment scams. Prosecutors say the fraudster stole $8 million from online followers and a network of Muslim New Yorkers he targeted during the pandemic. Jebara Igbara’s

By SUSAN HAIGH Associated Press HARTFORD (AP) — The Connecticut Senate has passed one of the first major legislative proposals in the U.S. to rein in bias in artificial intelligence decision-making and protect people from harm. But despite Wednesday’s 24-12 vote, it’s unclear whether the legislation will ultimately become law. There remains concern among Republicans

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Reggie Bush has his Heisman back. The Heisman Trust reinstated the former Southern California tailback as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner on Wednesday, citing fundamental changes in the structure of college athletics during the 14 years since Bush forfeited the trophy and the honor. Bush

LIMA, Peru (AP) — A Peruvian judge has ordered 18 months of preventative detention for an Iranian and two Peruvian men while they are investigated for allegedly trying to kill two Israelis living in the South American country. The ruling by Magistrate Miguel Quevedo was handed down Tuesday but released Wednesday. The judge said the

By MAURICIO SAVARESE Associated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — An Indigenous group in Brazil says its members detained 12 people for allegedly mining illegally in the Amazon and handed them over to police. The non-profit Urihi Associação Yanomami says the incident took place Tuesday in the northern state of Roraima, which borders Venezuela. The organization

By TARA COPP Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — A top U.S. military official says there’s been no final decision on whether or not all U.S. troops will leave Niger and Chad. Niger’s ruling junta ended an agreement last month that allows U.S. troops to operate in the West African country. Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Adm.

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican legislative leaders in Ohio are negotiating with Democrats to assure President Joe Biden appears on the state’s November ballot. The exact shape of the solution remains murky. GOP Senate President Matt Huffman said Wednesday that he’s discussed with both parties and both chambers how

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A self-exiled Chinese businessman is set to face an anonymous jury at his May fraud trial. Guo Wengui goes on trial May 22 in Manhattan federal court. Judge Analisa Torres has issued an order Wednesday, noting that Guo’s lawyers do not object to a partially sequestered

By JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press DALLAS (AP) — Several relatives of patients who died while waiting for a new liver said Wednesday they want to know if their loved ones were wrongfully denied a transplant by a Houston doctor accused of manipulating the waitlist to make some patients ineligible to receive a new organ. Officials

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI and JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s Republican-dominant House has spiked legislation that would have banned local governments from paying to study or dispense money for reparations for slavery. The move marked a rare defeat on a GOP-backed proposal initially introduced nearly one year ago. But as scrutiny over