AP-National

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken is returning to the Middle East on his eighth diplomatic mission to the region since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began in October. Blinken is currently in France accompanying President Joe Biden on a state visit. The State Department says Blinken

By ALMA SOLÍS Associated Press PANAMA CITY, Panama (AP) — Two unidentified gunmen have opened fire on a group of students on a rural campus of the University of Panama, killing one and wounding another before escaping. University Rector Eduardo Flores Castro said via the social platform X that the agricultural sciences students were doing

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG and STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A jury has convicted five Minnesota residents and acquitted two others in a scheme to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic to steal more than $40 million from a program meant to feed children. The verdict comes as the FBI investigates an attempt to bribe a

By BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI Associated Press The fiance of an Ohio art student who went missing nearly 13 years ago has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. John Carter had been charged with two counts of murder when he was arrested in March 2023. He now faces up to three years in prison when he’s sentenced July

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has gathered the Israeli and Palestinian ambassadors to the Vatican Gardens to pray for an end to the war in Gaza. The event on Friday marked the 10th anniversary of a similar encounter with the Israeli and Palestinian presidents in the gardens. Francis said too many children had been killed

By MATTHEW BARAKAT AP Business Writer ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A judge rather than a jury will decide whether Google violated federal antitrust laws by building a monopoly on the technology that powers online advertising. The decision Friday by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema was a defeat for the Justice Department, which sought a jury

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer PARIS (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz started poorly and fell behind early in his French Open semifinal against Jannik Sinner. Later, as both dealt with cramps under Friday’s afternoon sun, Alcaraz trailed by two sets to one. By the end of the latest installment in this burgeoning rivalry between two

By KAITLYN HUAMANI Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — After 41 years and over 8,000 episodes, Pat Sajak’s made his final turn as the renowned host of “Wheel of Fortune” on Friday. In a farewell message, Sajak thanked the viewers of the beloved game show for granting him what he called the “incredible privilege to

By JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina judge has thrown out murder charges against a father and a stepmother, saying there was no new evidence they killed their 5-year-old child in 1989. Instead Circuit Judge Roger Young ruled the original detective in the case changed his interpretations of the evidence

By TERRY SPENCER Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Former Miami Dolphins star cornerback Xavien Howard has been accused of sending a male teenager a sexually explicit photo of the young man’s mother because she refused to get an abortion. The allegation was made Thursday in a lawsuit filed last year by a woman

By MARK SHERMAN and LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Clarence Thomas on Friday belatedly acknowledged more travel paid by Republican megadonor Harlan Crow, while several colleagues reported six-figure payments as part of book deals. Thomas, who has faced criticism for failing to report luxury trips paid for by Crow and others over

By MIKE CATALINI Associated Press TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A state judge has ruled that some 1,900 mail ballots in a New Jersey county whose envelopes were prematurely opened should be accepted and counted. Superior Court Judge Michael J. Blee ruled Friday in the case involving 1,909 mail ballots in southern New Jersey’s Atlantic County.

By MARK STEVENSON Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s outgoing president has pledged to press ahead with judicial reforms despite nervousness among investors, and suggestions from his own handpicked successor that he should wait. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he would pursue 20 constitutional changes after his Morena party won a two-thirds majority

MOSCOW (AP) — A court in Moscow has ordered that a French citizen accused of collecting information on military issues in Russia be held in pre-trial custody. Laurent Vinatier was arrested in the Russian capital on Thursday. Tensions have flared between Moscow and Paris following French President Emmanuel Macron’s statements about the possibility of deploying

By ASHRAF KHALIL Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — For one shining moment this week, the country’s ongoing political crises were swept away by the comedic power of one wildly exuberant 6-year-old. Rep. John Rose of Tennessee was giving an impassioned defense of former President Donald Trump when his young son Guy went into action. As

BY NOEL SICHALWE Associated Press LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — A Zambian court has sentenced 22 Chinese nationals to long prison terms for cybercrimes that included internet fraud and online scams targeting Zambians and people from Singapore, Peru and the United Arab Emirates. They were sentenced to terms of seven to 11 years Friday after pleading

By MAYA SWEEDLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Nevadans will vote in primaries for Congress and the state legislature on Tuesday. Nevada held both presidential primaries and a presidential caucus in February. The state’s congressional delegation is currently composed of five Democrats and one Republican. Tuesday’s marquee races include the Republican primaries for Senate and

By ROBERT YOON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — South Carolina lawmakers will go before voters next week in state primary elections. Voters on Tuesday will decide nearly 90 contested primaries for the U.S. House and both chambers of the state legislature. Republicans’ grip on those offices is likely not at risk this fall, but one

By MELINA WALLING Associated Press A YouTuber is facing federal charges after authorities say he directed a video in which a helicopter blasted fireworks at a speeding Lamborghini from above. The Department of Justice announced Thursday that 24-year-old Alex Choi is charged with causing the placement of an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft.

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Recreational pot sales are nearing reality in Ohio. The state Division of Cannabis Control posted applications Friday for new dual licenses that will allow existing medical marijuana dispensaries to also sell nonmedical cannabis. Friday was the deadline that a voter-approved 2023 initiated statute set for