AP-National

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The New York state Legislature’s bill drafting office has been hit with an apparent cyberattack. The scope of the attack early Wednesday morning was not immediately clear but officials said the bill drafting system was down. The office is responsible for printing legislation for lawmakers at

By JOSHUA GOODMAN and REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — The Biden administration has reimposed crushing oil sanctions on Venezuela in a rebuke to President Nicolas Maduro’s attempts to consolidate his rule just six months after the U.S. eased restrictions in a bid to support now fading hopes for a democratic opening in

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Former Florida Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham is being remembered as a politician who genuinely loved people and encouraged them to get involved in civic affairs. Graham died Tuesday at 87. He was known for his workdays, when he would spend a day in someone

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A law that will enable Britain to send some asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda has suffered a setback after Parliament’s upper chamber pressed its attempt to amend the contentious legislation. The House of Lords on Wednesday inserted amendments into the Safety of Rwanda Bill. That sends it

By JOSH CORNFIELD Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Phish has been performing to thousands of dedicated fans for decades and prides itself on never playing the same show twice. Those fans will get another new experience this week when Phish takes the stage at the $2.3 billion Sphere in Las Vegas this week as

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — O.J. Simpson’s lawyer in Las Vegas says the former football star and celebrity criminal defendant has been cremated. Attorney Malcolm LaVergne told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Simpson’s remains will be given to his four surviving adult children and no public memorial is scheduled. Simpson

By MAYSOON KHAN Associated Press/Report for America BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. (AP) — A man was sentenced Wednesday to 47 years to life in prison for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl who went missing from a state park in upstate New York last year. Craig N. Ross Jr. pleaded guilty in February to first-degree

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine and Israel both desperately need the military weapons that are being held up by Congress’ failure to pass a funding package for the two countries at war, Pentagon leaders told House appropriators Wednesday, calling the situation in Ukraine dire. “Whether it’s munitions, whether it’s vehicles,

By LINDSEY BAHR and HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Associated Press PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — The Sundance Film Festival may not always call Park City, Utah, home. The Sundance Institute has started to explore the possibility of other U.S. locations to host the independent film festival starting in 2027, the organization said Wednesday. The 2025 and 2026

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Charges have been dismissed against a suspect in the 2016 cold case slaying of a 25-year-old Tulane University graduate who was visiting New Orleans to plan his wedding. The Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office said issues arose with a critical witness’s availability, resulting in the charges being dropped against Ernest Weatherspoon.

By VALERIE GONZALEZ and ALI SWENSON Associated Press McALLEN, Texas (AP) — A humanitarian organization in northeastern Mexico is saying it did not create flyers urging border-bound migrants to vote for President Joe Biden. The flyers were filmed at the group’s shelter in a recent viral video. Accusations that Resource Center Matamoros was encouraging noncitizens

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The family of a Minnesota man who was killed by a state trooper during a traffic stop has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, alleging that the fatal shooting was unjustified and unlawful. The lawsuit names Troopers Ryan Londregan, who shot Ricky Cobb II, and Brett Seide,

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press Pennsylvania utility regulators must turn over inspection records to the National Transportation Safety Board as part of the federal investigation into a fatal explosion at a chocolate factory. A federal judge on Tuesday sided with the safety board in its dispute with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. The state agency

By MAKIYA SEMINERA Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Diversity, equity and inclusion staff members’ jobs in North Carolina’s public university system could be at risk. The University of North Carolina Board of Governors committee quickly voted to repeal a DEI policy adopted in 2019. The policy will now be sent to the full board

By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press The ride-hailing company Uber says it’s banned an account that sent a driver to the Ohio home where an 81-year-old man allegedly shot the woman to death. Uber says Wednesday the March 25 shooting death of driver Loletha Hall is “a horrific tragedy” and the company has provided information to

NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of young dancers in white tutus and tightly coiffed hair gathered in New York’s Plaza Hotel on Wednesday to break the world record for dancing on pointe in one place. The spectacle was organized by Youth America Grand Prix, a ballet scholarship program that is celebrating its 25th anniversary with

By YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The Belarusian parliament has voted to suspend the country’s participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty that once was a key security doctrine for the continent. The treaty was already abandoned last year by Russia. Wednesday’s move could pave the way for Belarus — Russia’s

Associated Press SAN SALVADOR (AP) — El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has released the father of a Salvadoran soccer player from prison after the athlete published a plea for his release on social media. Authorities confirmed Wednesday that the father of Marcelo “El Chiky” Díaz, who plays for El Salvador’s national team, was released. In

By EDNA TARIGAN Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities issued a tsunami alert Wednesday after eruptions at Ruang mountain sent ash thousands of feet high. Officials ordered more than 11,000 people to leave the area. The volcano on the northern side of Sulawesi island had at least five large eruptions in the past

By JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Progress is being made in getting more women into leadership positions in South Carolina. The election of a sixth woman to the 46-member Senate in January pulled South Carolina up from last place in the U.S. in the percentage of women in its upper chamber. South