AP-National

By MARK SHERMAN and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Friday it will not immediately take up a plea by special counsel Jack Smith to rule on whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted for his actions to overturn the 2020 election results. The ruling is a scheduling win

By MARCO DiMARCO Associated Press GRINDAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Residents of the small fishing town in Iceland where a volcano erupted this week have been told they can return home. Authorities said Friday that residents of Grindavik could return and stay overnight beginning Saturday. The town was evacuated in November as a precaution after a

By VALERIE GONZALEZ Associated Press The federal government on Friday reopened railroad crossings in two Texas border towns, five days after the shuttering of rail operations there disrupted trade and caused outrage. Customs and Border Protection closed railroad operations in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, on Monday to reallocate their customs officers to help

GLENVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — A tractor-trailer loaded with what authorities believe were gas containers slammed into the bottom of an overhead railroad bridge in upstate New York and exploded Thursday night as a freight train was traveling on the tracks above. The crash seriously injured the truck driver and briefly knocked out power to local

By JIM SALTER Associated Press O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — A conservative-led Missouri school board has voted to drop elective courses on Black history and literature, five months after the same board rescinded an anti-discrimination policy adopted in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd. The Francis Howell School Board in suburban St. Louis voted

By PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A lawsuit by a Seattle hospital says Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked for records regarding gender-affirming treatment potentially given to children from Texas. The lawsuit was filed this month in Austin and appears to show the Republican going beyond state borders to investigate transgender

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A British sea trade monitoring agency says another boat has been hijacked near the coast of Somalia. That and the hijacking of a Maltese-flagged merchant vessel last week has raised fears that Somali pirates are active again after nearly a decade. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on

By BOB FERRANTE and RALPH D. RUSSO AP Sports Writers TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State sued the Atlantic Coast Conference on Friday, challenging an agreement that binds the school to the league for the next 12 years with more than half a billion dollars in fees for leaving and taking the first step in

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Look for flu and COVID-19 infections to ramp up in the coming weeks, U.S. health officials say, with increases fueled by holiday gatherings, too many unvaccinated people and a new version of the coronavirus that may be spreading more easily. High levels of flu-like illnesses

By LLAZAR SEMINI Associated Press TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s parliament has voted to lift the legal immunity of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who leads the opposition Democratic Party and is being probed for possible corruption. Opposition lawmakers inside the hall boycotted the vote and tried to disrupt the session by collecting chairs and

By GISELA SALOMON Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — A former Colombian soldier has pleaded guilty to conspiring in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, which plunged the Caribbean nation into violence and political turmoil. Mario Antonio Palacios Palacios pleaded guilty Friday to three charges, including conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping outside the

By PATRICK WHITTLE and HOLLY RAMER Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Police who declined to confront an Army reservist in the weeks before he killed 18 people in Maine’s deadliest mass shooting feared that doing so would “throw a stick of dynamite on a pool of gas,” according to video released Friday by law

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece is planning to offer exclusive guided tours of the ancient Acropolis, its most powerful tourist magnet, to handfuls of well-heeled visitors outside normal opening hours. The program is part of an overhaul of ticketing policy for Greece’s archaeological sites and museums.  A culture ministry official said Friday that the new

By KAREL JANICEK Associated Press PRAGUE (AP) — Officials say a 24-year-old student owned eight guns when he opened fire at a university building in Prague killing 14 people. The suspect had no criminal record so he didn’t attract the interest of law enforcement authorities. The Czech Republic has a liberal law on gun ownership

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — An influential policing think tank is pushing law enforcement agencies to change how they handle body camera footage after police shootings. The Police Executive Research Forum says officers should not be able to review video before making their first statements to investigators. The group changed its position

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Even at age 80, Michael Mann has lost little of his velocity. “Ferrari” is Mann’s first film since 2015’s “Blackhat.” He’s wanted to make it for three decades. While you will find plenty of speed and gorgeous, rosso corsa-colored cars in “Ferrari,” that’s not what

PARIS (AP) — French authorities have grounded a flight carrying 303 Indian passengers on suspicions it could be carrying victims of human trafficking. Special investigators are questioning all those aboard and two people are in custody pending further investigation, the Paris prosecutor’s said in a statement Friday. The flight was en route from the United

Associated Press The Department of Transportation is investigating possible deceptive practices in airline loyalty programs after federal lawmakers raised concerns about how airlines are calculating points and rewards. A DOT spokesperson said Friday in a statement that the agency is planning “to carefully review complaints regarding loyalty programs” and investigate airlines “for unfair and deceptive