AP National News

By SUSIE BLANN Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia is mustering its military might in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, officials said Wednesday, in what Kyiv suspects is preparation for an offensive as the first anniversary of Moscow’s invasion approaches. Also Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government continued its crackdown on alleged corruption with the

By AARON MORRISON and ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Tyre Nichols ’ family and friends remembered him with songs of faith and heartfelt tributes Wednesday, blending a celebration of his life with outraged calls for police reform after the brutal beating he endured at the hands of Memphis police. Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn

By AARON MORRISON and ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Speaking at Tyre Nichols’ funeral, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Harris got a stand ovation as she was introduced Wednesday at the service for Nichols, who died after a brutal

By MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — New campaign finance reports show that former President Donald Trump’s political operation started this year with about $25 million socked away for his recently launched presidential campaign. That sum is substantially less than the $105 million he had on hand just one year ago when

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Pro Football Writer Nobody drove Tom Brady harder than the record-setting quarterback himself. That’s even if his 23rd and final season after a brief retirement didn’t end with him lifting yet another Lombardi Trophy. He leaves the NFL with more wins, yards passing and touchdowns than any other quarterback. He

By JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press A state agent testifying in Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial meticulously reconstructed activity from his iPhone and the cellphones of his son and wife the night they were killed to try to link the disgraced South Carolina attorney to the shooting deaths. The key evidence for prosecutors introduced Wednesday is

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve extended its fight against high inflation Wednesday by raising its key interest rate by a quarter-point, its eighth hike since March. And the Fed signaled that even though inflation is easing, it remains high enough to require further rate hikes. Though smaller than

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis says Florida will have enough money to withstand a national economic downturn while still being able to provide tax breaks. DeSantis released his proposed $115 billion budget Wednesday with promises of sales tax relief on items like pet food and, children’s books

LIDO BEACH, N.Y. (AP) — A humpback whale that washed ashore on a New York beach this week was likely killed by a vessel, federal authorities said Wednesday. A necropsy will determine the exact cause of death for the whale, a male named Luna that was more than 40 years old and had been tracked

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. and KRISTIN M. HALL AP Entertainment Writers The Beyhive is all abuzz over the possibility that Beyoncé will have a chance to make Grammy history this year, which should make for an exciting awards show as she’s up against heavy hitters Adele, Kendrick Lamar and Harry Styles. She’ll need just four

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBC series “The Blacklist” is closing down. NBC said Wednesday that the James Spader drama will end after its upcoming season, its 10th on the air. It will return for its final run of episodes on Feb. 26. Spader has played the character Raymond Reddington, an FBI informant on old

By RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed foreign minister has asked Pakistani authorities to look for the reasons behind militant violence in their country instead of blaming Afghanistan. The comments from Amir Khan Muttaqi came two days after Pakistani officials said the attackers who orchestrated Monday’s suicide bombing that killed 101 people

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli army says militants fired a rocket into the country, setting off sirens and raising already heightened tensions. The rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip and intercepted, the army said. Local residents reported hearing explosions. Israel typically responds to rocket fire with airstrikes, raising the possibility of further

By ERIC TUCKER, COLLEEN LONG and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI searched President Joe Biden’s vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Wednesday without finding any classified documents, the president’s attorney said. Agents did take some handwritten notes and other materials relating to Biden’s time as vice president for review. The

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A defense attorney says a former Minneapolis police officer who held back bystanders while his colleagues restrained a dying George Floyd is innocent of criminal wrongdoing and should be acquitted. But prosecutors argue Tou Thao “acted without courage and displayed no compassion” even though he could see

LONDON (AP) — Qatar Airways and Airbus have reached a settlement in a longstanding legal dispute over the A350 jetliner and billions of orders for other planes. The companies said in a statement Wednesday that the settlement was “amicable and mutually agreeable.’’ The statement says “a repair project is now underway and both parties look

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has traveled to Rabat along with 11 ministers before a meeting with Moroccan government officials. It’s part of the European country’s strategy to improve historically complex relations with its neighbor across the Strait of Gibraltar. The north African country is an

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The U.K. Supreme Court has ruled that a viewing platform at London’s Tate Modern art gallery breached the privacy of residents of luxury apartments next door. The court said the scrutiny made residents feel like animals in a zoo and impeded “the ordinary use and enjoyment” of

By MADDIE BURAKOFF AP Science Writer NEW YORK (AP) — For thousands of years, ancient Egyptians mummified their dead in the search for eternal life. Now, researchers have used chemistry and an unusual collection of jars to figure out how they did it. Their study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, is based on a