AP-National

By GABRIELA MOLINA QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A diplomatic rift between Ecuador and Russia appeared to intensify over the weekend after the European nation decided to ban some imports of bananas from Ecuador. The two countries have been at loggerheads recently after Ecuador decided to transfer some of its old Russian military equipment to the

ATLANTA (AP) — A judge has denied bond for a man charged with murder after a Georgia state trooper died during a vehicular pursuit. Trooper Jimmy Cenescar died after his cruiser left Interstate 85 on Jan. 28 and struck an embankment in the north Atlanta suburb of Suwanee. The Georgia Department of Public Safety says

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Two off-duty police officers in Nebraska’s largest city shot and killed two men in an SUV, though authorities have provided few details about the confrontation. Police say the two Omaha officers were working at a local business at around 2 a.m. Saturday when they opened fire on the men in the

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Anthony Oropeza was trying to build a side business around his artwork when he started doing acrylic and mixed-media pieces centered on the Kansas City Chiefs. They sold like wildfire, and now his Chiefs-related work makes up the bulk of what he does to

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley poked fun at herself over a campaign misstep, but her primary target during a “Saturday Night Live” appearance was Donald Trump, joining in a skit that mocked a stand-in for the former president over his refusal to debate her and questioned his mental fitness. “Had a blast

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Apple has had its first box office flop. “Argylle,” the $200-million star-studded spy thriller from Apple Studios, debuted with $18 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. The film, directed by Matthew Vaughn, managed to lead the weekend box office, but still found

BERLIN (AP) — Police in southwestern Germany say five people were injured when a carnival float burst into flames in the city of Kehl. Around 3 p.m. local time on Sunday afternoon, part of a float in a local parade caught fire. Participants jumped off the float, and five people were injured, some seriously, either

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clive Davis held his annual star-studded pre-Grammys gala Saturday at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. There was a lot to be excited about, but it was a concluding performance by Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, and Stevie Wonder that really stole the show —

By JILL COLVIN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has issued a warning to the Republican National Committee’s chairwoman. In an interview aired Sunday, Trump was asked whether he supported Ronna McDaniel. He responded that she did a great job running the state party in Michigan and “did OK, initially” leading

By STEPHEN GROVES, MARY CLARE JALONICK and LISA MASCARO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators on Sunday released a highly anticipated $118 billion package that pairs border enforcement policy with wartime aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies, but it quickly ran into a wall of opposition from top House Republicans, including Speaker Mike

By PATRICIA LUNA and MANUEL RUEDA Associated Press SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Firefighters wrestled Sunday with massive forest fires that broke out in central Chile two days earlier, as officials extended curfews in cities most heavily affected by the blazes and said at least 112 people had been killed. The fires burned with the highest

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The European Union and the United States have expressed their deep concern after Kosovo banned the use of the Serbian currency and police raided the premises of organizations working with the Serb minority in the north of the country. In the past week, Kosovo police searched the premises of Serbia-administered institutions

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — The second of back-to-back atmospheric rivers battered California on Sunday, flooding roadways and knocking out power to nearly 850,000 people and prompting a rare warning for hurricane-force winds as the state braced for what could be days of heavy rains. The storm inundated streets and brought

By The Associated Press The Russian space agency says one of its cosmonauts has broken the world record for the most time spent in space. Oleg Kononenko, who’s 59, has now spent at least 878 days and 12 hours in space, surpassing the previous cumulative record set by a fellow Russian in 2015. Kononenko has

By BALINT SZLANKO Associated Press The United States and Britain have struck Iran-backed armed groups in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, while Israel presses ahead with its offensive against Hamas in Gaza. Here is what to know about what is happening in the region now, and why: US ATTACKS ON GROUPS BACKED BY IRAN On Friday,

By MELANIE LIDMAN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — A far-right minister in Israel’s government has criticized President Joe Biden and said that having Donald Trump in power would allow more freedom to fight Hamas. The comments sparked outrage among other Israeli officials on Sunday and highlighted the sensitivity of relations as U.S.

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer TORONTO (AP) — Justin Bieber not only served as a celebrity captain at NHL All-Star Weekend. He actually got on the ice for warmups prior to the All-Star 3-on-3 tournament Saturday. Bieber during the games wore a Super Mario Brothers-inspired mushroom coat. He was one of four celebrities involved

BERLIN (AP) — A college student in Berlin beat a Jewish classmate until he was hospitalized after the two got into an argument about the Israel-Hamas conflict Friday night, police said. One of the students was a a 23-year-old, who held strong pro-Palestinian views, the other a 30-year-old Jewish student, who had posted pro-Israel views

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE and GABE STERN Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Joe Biden on Sunday ticked through a list of reasons he says a second Donald Trump presidency would be a “nightmare” for the country as he urged Nevada Democrats to vote for him in the state’s presidential primary this week and for