AP-National

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. aid for Ukraine is teetering in Congress, and it’s up to House Speaker Mike Johnson to decide what happens next. The Republican’s leadership will determine whether the House will agree to approve more assistance for its ally or allow the U.S. commitment to wither. When

STERLING, Va. (AP) — One firefighter is dead after an explosion in a Washington, D.C., suburb leveled a home. Nine firefighters were injured where they were investigating a gas leak on Friday evening. Two other people were also injured in the blast. Officials say firefighters were called to the home in Sterling, Virginia, by a

CHICAGO (AP) — An autopsy shows the cause of death for a 5-year-old Venezuelan boy who died in December after becoming ill at a temporary shelter for migrants in Chicago was sepsis and a bacterial infection that causes strep throat. The autopsy released Friday by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office showed Jean Carlos Martinez

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s legal debts might now exceed a half-billion dollars. A New York judge ordered Trump and his companies Friday to pay $355 million in fines, plus interest, after ruling that he had manipulated his net worth in financial statements. The stiff penalty comes on top

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A Northern California judge is under investigation by a state agency for alleged ethical violations. The alleged allegations include making antisemitic remarks when addressing a deputy public defender, failing to recuse himself from cases involving attorneys and other people he socialized with, sexually harassing women

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — The driver of a stolen tow truck has led police on a chase through Maryland, using the vehicle to break through a barricade of law enforcement vehicles and ram private cars that got in its way. According to Maryland State Police, troopers from the College Park barrack responded to a

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities say they saw a huge increase in the number of migrants from Africa and Venezuela entering the country in 2023. Those migrants generally enter Mexico from Central America and cross the country in a bid to reach the U.S. border. Mexico’s Interior Department said year-end figures showed the nine

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s flagship H3 rocket reached orbit and released two small observation satellites in a key second test following a failed debut launch last year, buoying hope for the country in the global space race. The H3 rocket blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on time Saturday

COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say a Compton man who may have been breeding pit bulls has been mauled to death in a backyard. Investigators say the 35-year-old apparently died Thursday night while feeding the dogs in a kennel area. The Sheriff’s Department tells KTLA that the dogs may have begun fighting and then turned

By ED WHITE Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — A jury has awarded $10 million to a Detroit-area man who spent nearly six years in prison for the killing of a 15-year-old girl before his conviction was thrown out. Alexandre Ansari’s lawyers argued that Detroit police had crucial information about another suspect, but it was not

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice says a Ukrainian man has pleaded guilty to involvement in two separate malware schemes, including a cyberattack that temporarily shut down some vital services at a major hospital in Vermont. Vyacheslav Igorevich Penchukov pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Nebraska to conspiracy to commit racketeering

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada regulators have issued the first license to operate a lounge where cannabis can be consumed recreationally. The state Cannabis Compliance Board announced Thursday that the license was awarded to a business in Las Vegas following an inspection by agents earlier this week. There are currently 19 lounges that have been

Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Nicaragua’s government has shut down the country’s scouting organization and seven other nongovernmental organizations, state media La Gaceta reported Friday, capping a crackdown that has seen the government toss out religious orders, charities and civic groups. Since mass social protests erupted in 2018, Ortega’s government has shut down or

By JOSHUA GOODMAN Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — A Venezuelan businessman who helped hide almost $17 million in bribe payments by an ally of President Nicolas Maduro was sentenced to six months in prison Friday by a federal judge who expressed frustration that his cooperation with law enforcement was undone by President Joe Biden’s recent

By MARK LONG AP Sports Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Actor Frankie Muniz will try to make his Xfinity Series debut in the No. 35 Ford for Joey Gase Racing at Daytona International Speedway. Muniz finished fourth in the entry-level ARCA Series last year and gained enough confidence and respect to start climbing the

By JENNIFER PELTZ and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump suffered a big blow Friday as a New York judge ordered the former president and his companies to pay $355 million in penalties for what the judge described as a scheme to deceive banks and insurers by exaggerating his wealth

By RIO YAMAT Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada is suing the county that includes Las Vegas over its new ban on standing or stopping while crossing pedestrian bridges on the Strip. The lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court on behalf of a woman who uses a

WINSLOW TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — A southern New Jersey school district will pay $6 million to settle a lawsuit brought by two students who claim they were sexually assaulted for years by a former high school teacher. The male students had filed separate lawsuits weeks apart alleging they were assaulted by Nicholas Zaccaria, a social

WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC’s “This Week” — Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, a Republican presidential candidate; Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa. ___ NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio. ___ CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C.

NEW YORK (AP) — A naturalized U.S. citizen from Minnesota is charged with providing material support to a terrorist organization. Federal prosecutors in New York City say 41-year-old Harafa Hussein Abdi of Minneapolis trained with ISIS in his native Somalia and rapped about flying to “shoot New York up.” Abdi was arrested in East Africa