AP National News

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Mega Millions jackpot increased to $685 million ahead of Friday night’s drawing, giving lottery players a chance to ring in the New Year with an even larger bonus in their bank account. There have been 21 straight drawings without a jackpot winner thanks to stiff odds of one in

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Three people have been charged in federal court in connection with the fatal shooting of U.S. Postal Service employee Aundre Cross in Milwaukee earlier this month. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports federal prosecutors announced the charges against Kevin McCaa, Charles Ducksworth Jr., and Shanelle McCoy on Thursday. Prosecutors have accused McCaa and

By KIM CHANDLER Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama on Jan. 1 will become the latest state to allow people to carry a concealed handgun without a state permit that requires a background check. The new state law ends the requirement for a person to get a permit to legally carry a concealed handgun

By ALANIS THAMES AP Sports Writer Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has officially been ruled out for Sunday’s game at New England after suffering a concussion in Miami’s Christmas Day loss to Green Bay. Miami coach Mike McDaniel said Friday that Tagovailoa is still in the NFL’s concussion protocol and is day to day as he

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE and COLLEEN LONG Associated Press KINGSHILL, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) — President Joe Biden has pardoned six people who have served out sentences after convictions on a murder charge and drug- and alcohol-related crimes, including an 80-year-old woman convicted of killing her abusive husband about a half-century ago and a man who

By RONALD BLUM Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Sonya Yoncheva, a soprano at the top of her profession, worries about classical music. “My son, if I ask him, he always says, ‘I want to be like Ronaldo.’ And later, if I ask my girl, she will say, ‘I want to be Lady Gaga and

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri judge has ruled that a pardon from the governor doesn’t mean the St. Louis lawyer and his wife who gained national attention for waving guns at racial injustice protesters in 2020 should get back the weapons they surrendered and fines they paid after guilty pleas last year. Mark McCloskey

By MARC LEVY, REBECCA BOONE and MIKE BALSAMO Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Authorities in Pennsylvania arrested a suspect in the killings of four University of Idaho students who were found stabbed to death in their beds more than a month ago, local Police Chief James Fry said Friday. The killings initially mystified law

By DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell in afternoon trading on Wall Street Friday as major indexes close out a dismal year with lingering concerns about stubbornly hot inflation and a potential recession. The S&P 500 fell 0.7% as of 12:01 p.m. Eastern. The index, which is considered a

By MIKE FITZPATRICK AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge has always stood out. With the imposing size and muscular frame of an NFL tight end or NBA power forward, the 6-foot-7, 282-pound New York Yankees slugger towers over teammates and opponents on the diamond. Never more so than in 2022. After hitting

By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Clive Toye started his pursuit of Pelé with a trip to Jamaica and a cold call in 1971. Pelé signed with the New York Cosmos four years later. It put U.S. soccer on a path to hosting the World Cup in 1994 and launching Major

By JIM SALTER and MICHAEL PHILLIS Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday finalized regulations that protect hundreds of thousands of small streams, wetlands and other waterways, repealing a Trump-era rule that federal courts had thrown out and that environmentalists said left waterways vulnerable to pollution. The rule defines which

By SHARON JOHNSON Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Pulse was more than a safe space for Brandon Wolf and his friends. The nightclub was a haven for members of Orlando, Florida’s LGBTQ community — a place to be themselves without fear. “It’s probably the first place I ever held hands with somebody I had a

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Arguments over who was the greatest player in the history of men’s soccer can often see cheap hits aimed at Pelé. The claim is that he wasn’t tested on the European stage against some of the best clubs in the world unlike other top players. But

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and JILL COLVIN Associated Press Democrats in Congress released thousands of pages of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns on Friday, providing the most detailed picture to date of his finances over a six-year period, including his time in the White House, when he fought to keep the information private in

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Stocks are headed lower at the open on Wall Street Friday, leaving the S&P 500 on track to end 2022 with its worst loss since the financial crisis 14 years ago. The Nasdaq and Dow Jones Industrial Average are also on course to end the year

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish media say seven people have been killed in an explosion at a restaurant in western Turkey. One official said Friday’s blast may have been caused by a gas canister. The governor of Aydin province told Turkish broadcaster CNN Turk that five others were injured with one of them in critical condition.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Lottery players will have a chance to ring in the New Year with a $640 million bonus in their bank account as a drawing is held Friday night in the Mega Million game. There have been 21 straight drawings without a jackpot winner thanks to stiff odds of one in

Associated Press Volkswagen is recalling nearly 42,000 Beetles in the U.S. and Canada because they have potentially dangerous Takata air bag inflators. The recall covers Beetles from the 2015 and 2016 model years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted Friday that the inflators can explode with too much force and hurl

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Atlantic City’s casinos are betting they can finally put the COVID pandemic behind them in 2023. Some casino executives are optimistic about the new year, while others note that economic challenges are likely to remain in the New Jersey resort town. Issues that could be