AP-National

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutor Damian Williams in New York says his office is busy with lots of crimes but he wants to find more. So he met with reporters Wednesday and issued what amounts to a casting call for whistleblowers willing to reveal crimes his office doesn’t already

PLATTSMOUTH, Neb. (AP) — Voters decided to remove a small-town Nebraska school board member from office after she tried to have dozens of books pulled from school libraries. More than 1,600 Plattsmouth voters supported recalling Terri Cunningham-Swanson from the board she joined a year ago. Cunningham-Swanson said voters shouldn’t have been surprised because she expressed

By MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Last year, opponents of a new Nebraska law that will allow taxpayer money to be used for private school scholarships gathered more than enough signatures to put the question of repealing the law to voters. Now, the Republican state lawmaker who introduced the measure is

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Police in Texas have arrested a third person in connection to the December killings of an 18-year-old pregnant woman and her boyfriend near San Antonio. Police say 47-year-old Myrta Romanos was taken into custody and charged with three felonies, including concealing a human corpse and tampering with evidence. The arrest comes

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A Montana fire chief who lost a previous job over a coronavirus vaccine mandate has been charged with spraying a chemical irritant on police officers during the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Prosecutors say in court documents unsealed Wednesday that Frank Dahlquist sprayed

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press Donald Trump is the last major Republican presidential candidate after former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s exit from the race. The former president dominated the early-state contests and romped through elections held on Super Tuesday. On the Democratic side, President Joe Biden has easily won his party’s opening contests.

By JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Republican-run Tennessee House has capped how long lawmakers can debate bills and is restricting members from speaking when deemed “out of order.” The new rules passed Wednesday were opposed by many Democrats, including three targeted with expulsion last April for their gun control protest on

By JACK DURA Associated Press A North Dakota Republican lawmaker has been removed from a legislative committee following a traffic stop in December. State Rep. Nico Rios, of Williston, was arrested on a drunken driving charge. Rios blasted police with vulgar, homophobic and anti-migrant language during the traffic stop. Calls have grown for him to

By SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON Associated Press/Report for America COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Republican-dominated Ohio House has voted to override GOP Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto of legislation banning gender-affirming care for minors. The legislation also restricts transgender women’s and girls’ participation on sports teams. As of Wednesday, the measure is one step closer to becoming law.

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit may move forward against a Florida Panhandle school district over its removal of books about race and LGBTQ+ identities from library shelves. The Pensacola-base judge ruled Wednesday that the writers’ group PEN America, publisher Penguin Random House, banned authors and parents have standing

By ASHRAF KHALIL Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Local lawmakers in the nation’s capital are introducing public safety legislation aiming to bring down spiraling violent crimes rates. The measure unveiled Wednesday largely repackages and consolidates previous proposals and temporary anti-crime legislation, including stiffer penalties for a host of gun-related offenses and wider leeway for judges

By JAMES POLLARD Associated Press/Report for America A woman on South Carolina’s Hilton Head Island who drew national attention from such stars as Tyler Perry and Snoop Dogg as she fought off developers in her final years has died at 94. A family publicist says Josephine Wright died Sunday at her Hilton Head home. Wright

By JACK DURA Associated Press PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — Two of nine tribal nations within South Dakota’s boundaries presented their flags on Wednesday to display in the state Capitol rotunda in Pierre. Gov. Kristi Noem and representatives from the Standing Rock and Rosebud Sioux tribes celebrated the flags as a sign of unity, the result

By the Associated Press German software giant SAP will pay more than $220 million in fines to resolve U.S. bribery allegations involving payments to foreign government officials. The Justice Department said Wednesday that SAP was charged with violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. According to court documents, SAP and unnamed co-conspirators delivered gifts to

By STEVE PEOPLES, JILL COLVIN and HOLLY RAMER Associated Press WINDHAM, N.H. (AP) — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday suspended his Republican presidential bid just days before Iowa’s leadoff caucuses, ceding to growing pressure to drop out of the race from those desperate to deny Donald Trump a glidepath to the nomination.

By SUMMER BALLENTINE Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A federal appeals panel says a Missouri lawsuit accusing China of hoarding masks and other protective gear during the COVID-19 pandemic can move forward. The three-judge panel of the U.S. Eighth District Court of Appeals panel, however, otherwise agreed Wednesday with a lower court’s 2022

By JUAN A. LOZANO Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — Court records show the owner of the Houston Texans is fighting efforts by one of her sons to have her declared incapacitated and have a guardian appointed for her. Robert Cary McNair Jr. filed his application for appointment of a guardian for Janice McNair in probate

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer Aaron Rodgers’ Tuesday appearances on “The Pat McAfee Show” are over for the rest of this NFL season. Or possibly longer. McAfee announced at the beginning of his Wednesday show on ESPN that his fourth season of doing a weekly segment with the New York Jets quarterback had concluded.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s small Citizen’s Movement party has nominated a youthful, little-known congressman to run for president in the June 2 elections _ a campaign that so far has been dominated by two women. The party has announced that its candidate will be Jorge Álvarez Máynez. He will face front-runner Claudia Sheinbaum of

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — State environment officials will be offering residents in eastern New Mexico and personnel at Cannon Air Force Base the opportunity to have their blood tested for PFAS chemicals. The compounds also known as “forever chemicals” have been detected at military bases in New Mexico and