AP-National

By DENISE LAVOIE Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A bill that would have let people serving with prison terms in Virginia petition a court to consider reducing their sentences after serving a minimum of 15 years has been defeated in the state’s General Assembly. This is the third consecutive year that a so-called second

By TERRY CHEA Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Crowds lined up in San Francisco on Wednesday to see — and smell — the blooming of an endangered tropical flower that releases a pungent odor when it opens once every several years. An Amorphophallus titanum, also known as a corpse flower, began blooming Tuesday afternoon

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The lyrics to “Hotel California” and other classic Eagles songs should never have ended up at auction, Don Henley told a court Wednesday. “I always knew those lyrics were my property. I never gifted them or gave them to anybody to keep or sell,” the Eagles

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO and DAVID HAMILTON AP Business Writers NEW YORK (AP) — A social media backlash to media reports that said fast-food chain Wendy’s had plans to increase menu prices during its busiest hours shows a limit to where, when and for what U.S. consumers will trade more cash for convenience. While customers may

By The Associated Press Fellow comedians, famous fans, co-stars and friends are paying tribute to Richard Lewis after his death at age 76. Lewis’ “Curb Your Enthusiasm” co-star Larry David says he and Lewis were born three days apart and were like brothers for most of their lives. David says Lewis “had that rare combination

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — A newly released report on last year’s fatal crash involving a pickup truck and a group of bicyclists near Phoenix has cast doubts about the driver’s claim that the vehicle’s steering locked up. The National Transportation Safety Board released a report Wednesday on the Feb. 25, 2023, crash on a Goodyear

By SARA CLINE Associated Press BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A bill allowing Louisiana residents, 18 and older, to carry a concealed handgun without a permit received final approval from lawmakers Wednesday. After years of GOP-led efforts for permitless concealed carry, the bill is poised to become law with Gov. Jeff Landry signaling that he

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities say an offshore oil spill that led Trinidad and Tobago to declare a national emergency earlier this month has reached the shores of the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire hundreds of miles away. It’s the first sign of how far the leaked oil

DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit couple is charged with having a dangerous animal causing death after authorities say their three dogs fatally mauled a 35-year-old man. Prosecutors say 40-year-old Roy Goodman was arraigned Wednesday and his wife is expected to be arraigned at a later date. The dogs are alleged to have attacked Harold Phillips

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG Associated Press/Report For America JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s Republican-led House passed a bill Wednesday that would expand Medicaid benefits to hundreds of thousands more residents in one of the poorest states in the U.S. — a landmark shift after state leaders refused to consider the policy for years. The bill’s passage

BERKELEY Leaders of the University of California, Berkeley, have denounced a protest against an event organized by Jewish students that forced police to evacuate attendees and a speaker from Israel. Chancellor Carol Christ and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Benjamin Hermalin say the incident Monday night violated fundamental values. A crowd of about 200 protesters

McKINNEY, Texas (AP) — A man was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty in the attacks of four women who were sexually assaulted in their homes throughout the Dallas area, including three women who were alumnae of the same national Black sorority. Jeffery Lemor Wheat, who is 52, entered the pleas Tuesday in

By JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Supporters who want to make South Carolina the next-to-last U.S. state to pass a hate crimes law that increases penalties for some crimes fueled by race, gender or sexual orientation are running out of time. The hate crimes bill has sat undebated on the state Senate

By MARY CLARE JALONICK and STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans have blocked legislation that would protect access to in vitro fertilization, objecting to a vote on the issue Wednesday even after widespread backlash to a recent ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that threatens the practice. The objection was to a

By LEANNE ITALIE AP Lifestyles Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Leap year. It’s a delight for the calendar and math nerds among us. So how did it all begin and why? Ancient civilizations had calendars that made periodic corrections to realign with lunar and solar cycles. But it was Julius Caesar who put into practice

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press LANSING, Michigan (AP) — The “uncommitted” campaign protesting President Joe Biden in Michigan has enough primary election votes to win two delegates. That’s according to Associated Press tabulations of Tuesday’s Democratic vote. While Biden won the state with more than 618,000 votes, more than 100,000 Michigan Democratic

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to decide whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted on charges he interfered with the 2020 election, calling into question whether his case could go to trial before the November election. While the court set a course for a quick

By HALLIE GOLDEN Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — The Washington state House has overwhelmingly approved legislation that would ban police from hog-tying suspects, a restraint technique that has long drawn concern because of the risk of suffocation. The vote on Wednesday came nearly four years after Manuel Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man, died in Tacoma,

By The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Lt. Frank Drebin is back on the case. Paramount Pictures is moving ahead with a long-gestating remake of “Naked Gun,” the studio announced Wednesday. Liam Neeson will star as the bumbling police detective Debin in the role made famous by Leslie Nielsen. Akiva Schaffer will direct the

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer The five hockey players charged with sexual assault in Canada have asked for and been granted a trial by jury. One of the lawyers representing former NHL player Alex Formenton confirmed the request for a jury trial in an email to The Associated Press. Formenton and current NHL players