AP National News

By JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s lead investigative agency is seeking $2 million in contracts with outside labs to process 1,000 rape kits it says need to be tested before the end of June. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued the request for proposals for up to three contractors, as the

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A former guest on Fox News is facing charges that she stole more than $200,000 from her mother and forced the woman into a nursing home against her will. Miami prosecutors say Cathy Areu falsified documents to take control of her mother’s home, stole from her savings and reverse mortgage

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Tennessee man who authorities say came to Washington ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot ready for violence in a car full of weapons and assaulted officers who were trying to defend the Capitol has been sentenced to more than five years behind bars. Ronald Sandlin, of Millington, Tennessee, pleaded guilty

By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for Donald Trump were in court Friday for sealed arguments as part of the ongoing investigation into the presence of classified information at the former president’s Florida estate. The proceedings were taking place before U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, the chief judge of the federal court

By REGINA GARCIA CANO and FRANKLIN BRICEÑO Associated Press LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru’s first female president appeared in a military ceremony on national television on Friday in her first official event as head of state, an attempt to cement her hold on power and buck the national trend of early presidential departures. In an

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that Moscow might think about adopting what he described as a U.S. concept of a preemptive military strike, noting that it has the weapons to do the job. Putin’s blunt statement comes amid soaring Russia-NATO tensions over Ukraine. He said Russia is “thinking about it,” adding

Associated Press (AP) — Delicate negotiations between the United States and Russia led to basketball star Brittney Griner’s return in exchange for notorious arms dealer once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death.” It is the latest of a number of high-profile prisoner swaps involving Americans detained abroad. Perhaps the most famous came in 1962 when U-2

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Guyana has opened bidding on 14 new offshore oil and gas blocks, hoping to capitalize on interest in lucrative fields that are expected to make the South American nation a major oil producer. Guyana is home to one of the largest oil discoveries in the last decade. In 2019, two years

By JAKE COYLE and LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writers The Associated Press’ Film Writers Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr’s picks for the best movies of 2022: JAKE COYLE: 1. “Aftersun”: Rarely does such a delicately crafted tale pack such a wallop. Charlotte Wells’ breathtaking feature debut, starring newcomer Frankie Corio and Paul Mescal as an

By STAN CHOE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks are edging lower on Wall Street Friday and bond yields are rising after a report showed inflation is slowing, though not by as much as hoped. The S&P 500 was 0.1% lower in afternoon trading after earlier shifting between small gains and losses. The Dow

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Three people are dead after a house fire in the southeastern Wisconsin city of Watertown early Friday morning. Police and firefighters responded to a fire shortly after 12:30 a.m. and were told that residents were still trapped inside. The fire department says smoke and flames engulfing the home pushed back firefighters

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer More than half of WNBA players are competing abroad this winter to supplement their incomes. But due to the 10-month saga that All-Star Brittney Griner endured in Russia, her colleagues avoided that country and are fanned out in Australia, Turkey, Italy and other places. Griner returned to the United

By ED WHITE Associated Press FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A judge has dismissed criminal charges against former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder over the Flint water crisis. The Republican was charged with misdemeanor willful neglect of duty for allegedly failing to supervise the officials who allowed Flint’s water to become tainted with lead. The dismissal follows

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — U.S. safety regulators are urging drivers once again to make sure their vehicles haven’t been recalled after another person was killed by an exploding Takata air bag. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the person was killed in a crash involving a 2002 Honda Accord

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin says more U.S.-Russian prisoner exchanges are possible. Putin spoke Friday, a day after Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was swapped for WNBA star and two-time Olympian Brittney Griner. Asked whether other prisoners could be swapped, Putin replied that “everything is possible.” He noted that “compromises have been found”

ROME (AP) — Italy has given permission for a second humanitarian aid group’s ship to disembark its passengers rescued in the Mediterranean at an Italian port. seemingly backing down from its hard line against European-flagged vessels that rescue migrants at sea. Italian authorities told the crew of the Geo Berents, chartered by French group Doctors

By AAMER MADHANI and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is accusing Russia of moving to provide advanced military assistance to Iran, including air defense systems, helicopters and fighter jets. It’s part of deepening cooperation as Tehran provides drones to support Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. White House National Security Council

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The World Trade Organization has rejected the 2018 import taxes that then-President Donald Trump imposed on foreign steel and aluminum, saying they violated global trade rules. Trump’s tariffs of 25% on foreign steel and 10% on aluminum outraged America’s long-standing allies, including the European Union and

By BRIAN WITTE Associated Press ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — An attorney has filed a court brief seeking a new hearing in a court proceeding that led to the release of Adnan Syed, whose murder conviction chronicled in the hit podcast “Serial” already has been overturned. Steve Kelly, an attorney for the family of Hae Min