AP-National

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who defeated Donald Trump-backed rivals twice in Republican-leaning Kentucky, announced the formation of a federal political action committee on Monday to support candidates across the country as he seeks to broaden his influence beyond the Bluegrass State. Beshear launched a PAC called

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — White House infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu is leaving his post after two years and is expected to help push publicly for President Joe Biden’s reelection. The Democratic president tasked the former New Orleans mayor with setting up a system to spend more than $1 trillion over the

By MARK LEWIS Associated Press STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik has launched his second attempt at suing the state by accusing the Justice Department of breaching his human rights. Breivik murdered 77 people in a far-right terror attack in 2011. He claims that prison isolation since he was jailed in 2012

By JACQUES BILLEAUD and ANITA SNOW Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has vowed to bring accountability to a school voucher program that’s expected to top $900 million this year. She also said in her second annual state of the state address on Monday that she will seek to update laws that

By ALI ZERDIN Associated Press LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s rescuers have successfully extracted five people who had been trapped in a cave for more than two days because of high water levels. A doctor says no one needed medical help and all have taken the ordeal well. A family of three adults and their

By SUDHIN THANAWALA Associated Press LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — The slaying of a South Korean woman during an initiation process for a group that called itself Soldiers of Christ has shocked the large Korean American community in metro Atlanta. Community leaders say Korean Americans need to be more vigilant to protect against religious cults and

BERLIN (AP) — The number of people applying for asylum in Germany rose to 351,915 in 2023, an increase of 51.1% compared with the year before. Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees said Monday that the largest number of asylum-seekers came from Syria, with 104,561 applications, followed by 62,624 Turkish citizens and 53,582 Afghans.

By LIZ WESTON of NerdWallet Making decisions when you’re grieving isn’t ideal, but some money tasks are time-sensitive. Your income and expenses are likely to change, so drawing up a budget will be helpful. Consider talking to a tax professional since your filing status may change. Deal with the credit cards issued in your spouse’s

By COLLEEN LONG, ZEKE MILLER and DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — At a Black church, President Joe Biden says white supremacy is a “poison” and has no place in America. In a campaign speech Monday, he underscored what he wants Americans to know he believes is at stake in the November presidential

By SOPHENG CHEANG Associated Press PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — An outspoken critic of Cambodia’s government who was badly hurt by assailants four months ago has been arrested on a defamation complaint brought by a Cabinet member for comments he posted on Facebook. The complaint filed by Minister of Labor and Vocational Training Heng Sour

By HYUNG-JIN KIM and JIWON SONG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un turned 40 on Monday with no announced public celebrations at home, after he entered the new year with artillery barrages into the sea and vows to expand his nuclear arsenal. Since taking power in late 2011,

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The president of Cyprus has moved ahead with a considerable shake-up of his Cabinet. President Nikos Christodoulides replaced his ministers of defense, health, justice and environment as well as the deputy ministers of digital policy and European affairs in one fell swoop after just 10 months in power. Monday’s move comes

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer AL ULA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says four key Arab nations and Turkey have agreed to begin planning for the reconstruction and governance of Gaza once Israel’s war against Hamas ends. Blinken spoke Monday after meeting with the Saudi crown prince. He is

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — Pope Francis called Monday for a universal ban on what he called the “despicable” practice of surrogate motherhood, as he included the “commercialization” of pregnancy in an annual speech listing threats to global peace and human dignity. In a foreign policy address to ambassadors accredited to the

BEIJING (AP) — China says it has detained an individual accused of collecting state secrets on behalf of Britain’s foreign intelligence agency MI6. The Ministry of State Security posted on social media Monday that Britain had been cooperating since 2015 with the person, who it said was a citizen of a third nation and had

By ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnamese automaker VinFast plans to spend up to $2 billion to build an electric vehicle factory in India, the world’s third-largest auto market by sales. The factory in southern India’s Tamil Nadu state will be the company’s first foray into India. It said it is committing

By BASSEM MROUE, WAFAA SHURAFA and JACK JEFFERY Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — An Israeli airstrike killed an elite Hezbollah commander Monday in southern Lebanon, the latest in an escalating exchange of strikes across the border that have raised fears of another Mideast war even as the fighting in Gaza exacts a mounting toll on

By JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer They may not have had lukewarm chardonnay on the tables, as nominee Jennifer Lawrence had predicted. But the 81st Golden Globes had a bit of everything else: Some silliness, some seriousness, a bit of history, a few good jokes and many bad ones, loads of stars — and one

By ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Officials say Russia has launched its latest barrage of hypersonic and cruise missiles against Ukrainian targets, striking near the front lines of fighting in the east as well as in central and western parts of the country. They said Monday that at least four civilians were