AP National News

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks rallied to a higher close on Wall Street as new jobless benefits data showed that the labor market remains strong. The S&P 500 rose 1.8% Thursday and the Nasdaq and Dow also closed higher. The major indexes are headed for monthly losses to cap

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The first legal dispensary for recreational marijuana in New York rung up its first sales on Thursday, opening up what is expected to be one of the country’s most lucrative markets for cannabis — underscored by the dozens of unauthorized shops that have operated in

By The Associated Press Pele has been praised over the decades by everyone from world leaders to artists. Here are superlatives from over the years about Pele, who died Thursday in Brazil at age 82: ___ “To watch him play was to watch the delight of a child combined with the extraordinary grace of a

By CAROLYN THOMPSON and JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Roads reopened Thursday in storm-besieged Buffalo as authorities continued searching for people who may have died or are stuck and suffering after last week’s blizzard. The driving ban in New York’s second-most-populous city was lifted just after midnight Thursday, Mayor Byron Brown announced.

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The first legal dispensary for recreational marijuana in New York is ringing up its first sales, opening up what is expected to be one of the country’s biggest and most lucrative markets for cannabis. The widely anticipated opening of the first state-sanctioned dispensary is operated

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines said it expects to return to normal operations Friday after slashing about two-thirds of its schedule in recent days, including canceling another 2,350 flights Thursday. Southwest is struggling to recover after being overwhelmed by a winter storm that left hundreds of pilots and flight

By TALES AZZONI and MAURICIO SAVARESE Associated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — Pelé, the Brazilian king of soccer who won a record three World Cups and became one of the most commanding sports figures of the last century, died Thursday. He was 82. The standard-bearer of “the beautiful game” had undergone treatment for colon cancer

By ISABEL DEBRE and JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday returned to power for an unprecedented sixth term as Israel’s prime minister, taking the helm of the most right-wing and religiously conservative government in the country’s 74-year history. The swearing-in ceremony capped a remarkable comeback for Netanyahu, who was ousted

By RENATA BRITO and HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian missiles hit Ukraine Thursday in the biggest wave of strikes in weeks, damaging power stations and other critical infrastructure during freezing winter weather. Russia fired 69 missiles at energy facilities and Ukrainian forces shot down 54, Ukrainian military chief Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi

By The Associated Press The world population is projected to be 7.9 billion people on New Year’s Day 2023, with 73.7 million people added since New Year’s Day 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau said Thursday. That marks a 0.9% increase in the world population over the past year. During January 2023, 4.3 births and two

By LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press Amiah Manlove used most of her savings to buy a $711 airline ticket to go home for the holidays. Then the Army private got stuck midway through the over 4,000-mile journey from Hawaii to Indianapolis and had to sleep on an airport floor. Manlove, 20, an active-duty soldier stationed in

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines said it expects to return to normal operations Friday after slashing about two-thirds of its schedule in recent days, including canceling another 2,350 flights Thursday. Southwest is struggling to recover after being overwhelmed by a winter storm that left hundreds of pilots and flight

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Since California adopted the nation’s first ban on single-use plastic shopping bags tin 2014, most grocery stores have turned to thicker, reusable plastic bags that are supposed to be recyclable. But Attorney General Rob Bonta is now investigating whether the bags are truly recyclable as required

By JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — A recount of votes has confirmed Democrat Kris Mayes narrowly defeated Republican Abraham Hamadeh in the Arizona attorney general’s race, one of the closest elections in state history. The highly anticipated results announced Thursday in Maricopa County Superior Court are among the last in the country to

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has appointed a new head of its central bank after the country’s currency crashed to its lowest level ever against the dollar amid mass protests and ongoing Western sanctions. The rial was trading at around 430,000 to the dollar on Thursday, down from 370,000 earlier this month. Already

By RADUL RADOVANOVIC Associated Press MITROVICA, Kosovo (AP) — Serbia has revoked combat readiness of its troops on the border with Kosovo as Serbs started removing more than a dozen of roadblocks in the north of the state. It’s a sign of easing of tensions that have sparked fears of a new conflict in the

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus is seeking to strengthen ties with India through agreements aimed at tighter military cooperation, expanding the use of solar energy and stemming illegal migration. Cyprus Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said after a meeting with his visiting Indian counterpart Thursday that an initial agreement would act as a springboard for talks

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press PORT REPUBLIC, N.J. (AP) — Like many kids at the Jersey Shore, Stewart Farrell loved going to the beach, playing on the sand and swimming in the ocean in and around Asbury Park. But unlike other kids, who were content to ride the waves on surfboards, Farrell scrutinized the way

By MARY CLARE JALONICK and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee has dropped its subpoena against former President Donald Trump as it wraps up work and prepares to dissolve next week. The committee’s Democratic chairman wrote in a letter to Trump lawyer David Warrington on Wednesday that he is