AP-National

By MICHAEL TACKETT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history who maintained his power in the face of dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party for almost two decades, will step down from that position in November. McConnell, who turned 82 last week, announced his decision Wednesday in the well

By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press A nuclear weapons facility was forced to evacuate most of its staff due to threats from a fast-moving wildfire blazing across the Texas Panhandle. The Pantex plant, northeast of Amarillo, removed nonessential staff Tuesday night as the fire grew into the second-largest in state history. Pantex is one of six

PRAGUE (AP) — The lower house of Parliament in the Czech Republic has rejected same-sex marriage while affirming existing unions called partnerships for gay couples. The new legislation also doesn’t allow same-sex couples to adopt children aside from those of their partner. The legislation still needs approval from the Senate and President Petr Pavel, who

By CHRISTINA LARSON AP Science Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Our very ancient animal ancestors had tails. Why don’t we? Somewhere around 20 million or 25 million years ago, when apes diverged from monkeys, our branch of the tree of life shed its tail. From Darwin’s time, scientists have wondered why — and how — this

By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders have announced a tentative agreement to prevent a government shutdown, for now. Wednesday’s deal comes days before an end-of-the-week deadline that risked shuttering some federal operations. Under the plan, Congress would temporarily extend funding for one set of federal agencies through March

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Gangs, violence and sexual assaults are a problem in three Mississippi prisons because the facilities are short-staffed and inmates are sometimes left unsupervised, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a report Wednesday. The department said the state failed to protect inmates’ safety, control contraband

By THALIA BEATY Associated Press Laurene Powell Jobs’ philanthropy Emerson Collective announced Wednesday its fifth cohort of Emerson fellows. They include an oral historian in Montana, a civic designer in Los Angeles and a campaigner for political unity from Utah. The collective’s cohort of fellows this year are all local leaders who are pursuing projects

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A New York appellate judge on Wednesday refused to halt collection of Donald Trump’s $454 million civil fraud penalty while he appeals, leaving the former president less than a month to pay the staggering sum or secure a bond covering the full

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON Associated Press OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — On a recent evening outside Washington, the president of Argentina had the eyes and ears of a conservative crowd that had gathered to listen to Donald Trump. In a raspy voice, Javier Milei called out, “Hola a todos,” or “Hello, everyone,” before introducing himself

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Pilots lined up on a runway in Dubai on Wednesday and fired up their seven jet engines with an ear-splitting roar. But they weren’t preparing to fly an airplane — they were the aircraft. This city-state in the United Arab Emirates, known for being

By HILARY FOX Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Kate Winslet is running things — on and off the set of her new TV show, “The Regime.” In the HBO show premiering Sunday, she plays Elena Vernham — also known as The Chancellor, the ruler of a fictional country in Europe, possibly near Poland. Winslet is

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Judges at the International Criminal Court have awarded reparations of more than 52 million euros ($56 million) to thousands of victims of a convicted commander in the shadowy Ugandan rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army. The nearly 50,000 victims covered by the order include former

By STEPHEN McGRATH and AUREL OBREJA Associated Press CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Officials in Moldova’s Russia-backed breakaway region of Transnistria have appealed to Moscow for protection as tensions escalate with the pro-Western government. Moldova is a candidate to join the European Union. The government imposed new customs duties at the start of the year on

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Noel Fielding trades pastry for pistols in the new mouthful of a series “The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin,” a swashbuckling romp that’s miles from the genteel tent of “The Great British Bake Off.” The English writer, comedian and TV host is a highway

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer The Federal Aviation Administration is giving Boeing 90 days to come up with a plan to fix quality problems and meet safety standards for building new planes. The agency said Wednesday that the directive follows meetings with top Boeing officials, including the company’s CEO at FAA headquarters in Washington.

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York man has pleaded guilty to charges he illegally trafficked birdwing butterflies and other rare insects. Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that Charles Limmer’s plea deal calls for a $30,000 penalty, and he had to turn over a collection of 1,000 butterflies, moths and other insects. Some of the dried

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A local paper says traces of a toxic, colorless gas were found at the headquarters of Sweden’s security agency where a suspected gas leak last week forced authorities to evacuate some 500 people from the facility. The daily Svenska Dagbladet newspaper said Wednesday that authorities had found traces of phosgene. The gas

SPARTANSBURG, Pa. (AP) — Investigators says they have no suspects in the killing of a pregnant 23-year-old Amish woman inside her home in rural northwestern Pennsylvania. A state police spokeswoman said Wednesday that Rebekah A. Byler had been killed inside her home near Spartansburg. They say a relative and a family friend discovered her body

Wendy’s says that it has no plans to increase prices during the busiest times at its restaurants. The burger chain clarified its stance on how it will approach pricing after media picked up on comments by CEO Kirk Tanner that the company would test features like dynamic pricing at restaurants. Companies like Uber have used