AP National News

By REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has been using a public health rule intended to limit the spread of disease to expel migrants seeking asylum since the pandemic began. It’s called Title 42. And it’s been used more than 2.5 million times to expel migrants since going into effect in March

Associated Press BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A 57-year-old homeless man, who died from cold weather exposure Christmas day, was trying to travel from Louisiana to Tennessee to get to family members, officials said. Charles Wilson Ligon Jr. was found dead by hunters in southern Mississippi Monday. Ligon was dressed in a light jacket and

By REBECCA SANTANA and ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is keeping pandemic-era limits on immigration in place indefinitely, dashing hopes of immigration advocates who had been anticipating their end this week. In a ruling Tuesday, the Supreme Court extended a temporary stay that Chief Justice John Roberts issued last week.

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has signed into law a bill requiring the federal Bureau of Prisons to overhaul outdated security systems and fix broken surveillance cameras. This comes after rampant episodes of staff sexual abuse, inmate escapes and high-profile deaths. The bipartisan Prison Camera Reform Act, which

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem got a hot Christmas gift from her staff — literally. Noem’s staff gave her a Pulsefire LRT flamethrower with an engraved plate of the state motto “Under God, the people rule,” the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported Tuesday. A video posted to Twitter on Sunday shows

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer Stocks are closing lower Tuesday afternoon after the long holiday weekend, adding to the market’s recent losses as Wall Street counts down its final days of a painful year for investors. A slide in technology companies, automakers and airlines weighed on the market, offsetting gains in energy stocks and

BERLIN (AP) — The U.N. Security Council and the U.N. human rights chief have decried increasing restrictions on women’s rights in Afghanistan, urging the country’s Taliban rulers to reverse them immediately. The rights chief pointed Tuesday to “terrible consequences” of a decision to bar women from working for non-governmental organizations. Last week, Taliban authorities stopped

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG Associated Press/Report for America JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A cold snap blanketing the Deep South has upended water systems as local officials struggle to repair widespread leaks and broken pipes, forcing some people to take drastic measures to get by without reliable access to running water. Breakdowns in infrastructure arose in rapid

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday traveled to a place very familiar to him — the U.S. Virgin Islands — to enjoy some downtime and warmer weather and to ring in a new year with family. The president and his wife, first lady Jill Biden, flew from Washington

By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The fading North Atlantic right whale will remain protected under the Endangered Species Act, and the species requires a series of protective steps to stave off extinction, federal authorities said Tuesday. The whales number only about 340 and they have declined in population in recent years.

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG Associated Press/Report for America JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A cold snap blanketing the Deep South has upended water systems as local officials struggle to repair widespread leaks and broken pipes, forcing some people to take drastic measures to get by without reliable access to running water. Breakdowns in infrastructure arose in rapid

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — Gov. Kristi Noem got a hot Christmas gift from her staff — literally. Noem’s staff gave her a Pulsefire LRT flamethrower with an engraved plate of the state motto “Under God, the people rule,” the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported Tuesday. A video posted to Twitter on Sunday shows Noem, decked

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer Stocks were mostly lower Tuesday afternoon after the long holiday weekend, adding to the market’s recent losses as Wall Street counts down its final days of trading in 2022 after a painful year for investors. The S&P 500 was down 0.5% as of 2:31 p.m. Eastern, while the Nasdaq

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s interior minister says authorities have arrested five people suspected of involvement in last week’s suicide car bombing that killed a police officer in the capital of Islamabad. Rana Sanaullah Khan made the announcement on Twitter, saying the detainees included the suicide bomber’s handler. He said the attacker arrived in the garrison

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — A top aide to President Mahmoud Abbas is heard in newly released recordings cursing the Palestinian leader and insulting other members of the Palestinian leadership. The purported remarks by Hussein al-Sheikh give a glimpse of the bitter infighting inside the Palestinian leadership as several hopefuls try to position themselves for

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — A judge has postponed a court hearing for a former Georgia prosecutor charged with meddling in the police investigation of the 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery. Superior Court Judge John R. Turner ordered that former District Attorney Jackie Johnson’s court appearance for Thursday will be held later. No new date was

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Navy’s next amphibious assault ship will be named after the city of Fallujah, which saw some of the bloodiest battles in the Iraq war. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro says the USS Fallujah will commemorate what have become known as the “First and Second Battles

By DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — States across the U.S. built big budget surpluses as inflation helped drive up their revenues from income and sales taxes. Now the Federal Reserve’s efforts to fight inflation are helping states earn even more. Many states are earning millions of dollars off their surpluses