AP-National

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of an inmate who is scheduled to be the first person executed with nitrogen gas.  Kenneth Eugene Smith is scheduled to be executed Jan. 25 by nitrogen hypoxia. Alabama attempted to put Smith to death by lethal injection in 2022. The lethal injection

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A Russian billionaire who accused Sotheby’s of teaming up with a Swiss art dealer to cheat him of tens of millions of dollars became tearful while testifying in court and calling for more transparency in the art market. The emotional moment came Friday as Dmitry Rybolovlev

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal from Starbucks in a dispute with the National Labor Relations Board over workers who were trying to unionize a store in Memphis, Tennessee. Starbucks fired seven employees in Memphis in February 2022, citing safety. But the labor board intervened and asked a federal

By SARA CLINE Associated Press BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — In what would be an overhaul to Louisiana’s unusual open “jungle primary” system, which has been used for most of the past 50 years, lawmakers during next week’s special session may consider shifting the state toward a closed primary. Opponents argue the change would result

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal prosecutors have urged a judge to reject former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin’s attempt to overturn his civil rights conviction in the murder of George Floyd. Chauvin filed his motion in November, saying new evidence shows that he didn’t cause Floyd’s death, and alleging ineffective counsel

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN and SIMINA MISTREANU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Ruling-party candidate Lai Ching-te has emerged victorious in Taiwan’s presidential election and his opponents have conceded. Beijing strongly opposes Lai and the result will determine the trajectory of relations with China over the next four years. While domestic issues such as the sluggish economy and

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles man accused of killing his wife and her parents and then stuffing their dismembered body parts into trash bags has pleaded not guilty to murder. Samuel Haskell entered pleas Friday in Los Angeles. Prosecutors say that last November, Haskell killed his wife, Mei Haskell, and her parents at

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — MyPillow chief executive and prominent election denier Mike Lindell said Friday that Fox News has stopped running his company’s commercials, disputing the network’s assertion that it is simply because he hasn’t paid his bills. Lindell went public by tweeting that Fox, which had been one of MyPillow’s

By DIDI TANG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stressed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait when meeting with a senior Chinese diplomat. The Biden administration is trying to mitigate tensions over Taiwan as the island holds its presidential election. Blinken sat down Friday with Liu

WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC’s “This Week” — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate; Governor J.B. Pritzker, D-Ill. ___ NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa; Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn. ___ CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; Gov. Chris Sununu, R-N.H.; former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican presidential

By STEFANIE DAZIO and MICHAEL R. BLOOD Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles police chief has announced he is retiring. Chief Michel Moore made the unexpected announcement Friday. His tenure will end in February. Moore has been chief since 2018. He had been reappointed last year for a second term as chief

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press UNION, N.J. (AP) — An investigation into the deaths of two Newark, New Jersey firefighters finds that an initial call for help to battle the deadly fire on a cargo ship in July was canceled. Testimony Friday into the fatal blaze aboard the Grande Costa D’Avorio shows a fire chief

By JONEL ALECCIA AP Health Writer Quaker Oats has expanded a December recall of more than 40 products that may be contaminated with salmonella. Two dozen additional types of granola bars, cereals and snack foods are now being recalled. The foods could be tainted with the bacteria that can cause fever, diarrhea, nausea and stomach

By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press A Connecticut truck driver will serve at least 12 months behind bars after pleading guilty to charges related to a highway crash that killed a New Hampshire state trooper. The crash killed Staff Sgt. Jesse Sherrill in fall 2021. Jay Medeiros of Ashford, Connecticut, pleaded guilty Friday to negligent homicide

CAMBRIDGE, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont state trooper plunged into a frigid pond and pulled out an 8-year-old girl who had fallen through the ice while playing with siblings. The child survived and fully recovered after a brief hospital stay. The girl and her younger sister fell through the thin ice on the pond on

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump was ordered Friday to pay nearly $400,000 in legal fees to The New York Times and three investigative reporters after he sued them unsuccessfully over a Pulitzer Prize-winning 2018 story about his family’s wealth and tax practices. The newspaper and reporters

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Ron DeSantis is taking his battle with Nikki Haley directly to her home state, planning to head straight to South Carolina — which holds the first GOP votes in the South — after Monday’s Iowa caucuses. His campaign said Friday that the Florida governor will

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a fourth person has died nearly two weeks after a driver crashed an SUV packed with gas cans near a crowd of New Year’s concertgoers in western New York. But authorities said Friday they may never know the driver’s motive for what they call an intentional attack. Rochester police

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press A jailed member of the Proud Boys extremist group has been sentenced to more than four years in prison for his role in a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol. Court records show that U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly sentenced Kansas native William Chrestman on Friday to four years and