AP National News

By LISA MASCARO, STEPHEN GROVES and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have a pivotal meeting coming up on the impasse over the government’s debt ceiling. Washington is racing to strike a budget compromise and raise the nation’s borrowing limit in time to avert a potentially

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — The U.S. Department of Education says a Georgia school district’s decision to remove some books may have created a hostile environment that violated federal laws against race and sex discrimination. The legal intervention by the department’s Office of Civil Rights could curb efforts to ban books in

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Charges have been dismissed against a former official in Flint, Michigan, in connection with the city’s lead-in-water scandal. Howard Croft on Monday became the last of nine people to benefit from a Michigan Supreme Court decision striking down indictments arising from the scandal. Croft was public works director when state-appointed managers

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The International Space Station rolled out the welcome mat Monday for two Saudi visitors, including the kingdom’s first female astronaut. SpaceX’s chartered flight arrived at the orbiting lab less than 16 hours after blasting off from Florida. The four guests will spend just over

By SUMAN NAISHADHAM and KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Arizona, California and Nevada on Monday proposed a plan to significantly reduce their water use from the drought-stricken Colorado River over the next three years, a potential breakthrough in a year-long stalemate that pitted Western states against one another. The plan would conserve

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer Ray Stevenson, the Irish actor who played the villainous British governor in “RRR,” an Asgardian warrior in the “Thor” films, and a member of the 13th Legion in HBO’s “Rome,” has died. He was 58. Representatives for Stevenson told The Associated Press that he died Sunday but had no

By JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Authorities say a 37-year-old mother drowned one of her daughters in their South Carolina home and was trying to kill another child when the oldest daughter was awakened by screams and managed to save her sister. Investigators say Jamie Bradley Brun is charged with murder and

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has opened Africa’s biggest oil refinery, with hopes it will help the country achieve self-sufficiency and become a net exporter of refined petroleum products. Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, who built the $19 billion project, said Monday that the new oil refinery

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Marathon fixture Rick Hoyt has died at the age of 61. Hoyt and his father, Dick, were a well-known at the race. Rick Hoyt was in a wheelchair because of cerebral palsy. Dick Hoyt pushed his son in a wheelchair through the course 32 times. His family says Rick Hoyt died

By STEVE LeBLANC Associated Press NEWTON, Mass. (AP) — Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova welcomed pledges of F-16 fighter jets to her country Monday while urging patience for the launching of a spring counteroffensive against Russia’s full-scale invasion. She said for Ukrainians the effort to repel Russia has been one long counterattack. Markarova spoke after delivering

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer CANNES, France (AP) — Very few are capable of capturing people’s attention at the Cannes Film Festival like Liv Ullmann. At 84, Ullmann is unabashed cinema royalty, and directors have flocked to greet her at this year’s festival. Pedro Almodovar sought her out at a luncheon. Todd Haynes endeavored

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A group of Chinese citizens living and working in Florida is suing the state over a new law that bans Chinese nationals from purchasing property in large swaths of the state. The suit filed Monday by the American Civil Liberties union in a federal court claims the law unfairly targets foreign

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are moving tentatively Monday, as Wall Street waits to see whether a pivotal meeting in the afternoon will help the U.S. government avoid a potentially disastrous default on its debt. The S&P 500 was 0.1% higher after coming off its best week since March.

By SUSIE BLANN Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian officials claimed that Ukrainian military saboteurs launched an attack across the border Monday, wounding eight people in a small town. Kyiv officials denied any link with the group and blamed the fighting on a revolt by disgruntled Russians against the Kremlin. Neither version of events

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s president has appointed a new official to take over the post of the secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, replacing the longtime powerful Ali Shamkhani. The decree on Monday by President Ebrahim Raisi will see Shamkhani replaced after he had been

BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Chinese petroleum giant Sinopec signed an agreement with Sri Lanka on Monday to enter into it’s retail fuel market as the crisis-stricken Indian ocean island nation struggles to resolve a worsening energy crisis amid an unprecedented economic upheaval. The contract agreement would enable Sinopec to import,

By AIJAZ HUSSAIN Associated Press SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Delegates from the Group of 20 leading rich and developing nations have begun a meeting on tourism in Indian-controlled Kashmir that was condemned by China and Pakistan, as authorities reduced the visibility of security in the disputed region’s main city. The meeting is the first significant

By MEG KINNARD and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott has launched his presidential campaign. At an event in his hometown of North Charleston on Monday, Scott offered an optimistic message he hopes can contrast the two figures who have used political combativeness to dominate the early

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — When Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes get together, they can instantly tell if something’s wrong: If insults don’t immediately fly, there’s a problem. Fans of the trio’s banter will get much more this week after a documentary film team captured them on tour

By REBECCA BOONE Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A judge entered not guilty pleas Monday for a man charged in the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students, setting the stage for a trial in which he could potentially face the death penalty. The Nov. 13, 2022, killings stunned the rural community of