Associated Press BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has chosen North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to lead the Interior Department. The two-term Republican governor of the sparsely populated state has taken a business-oriented approach to his tenure. He’s pushed income tax cuts, technology upgrades, reduced regulations and changes to higher education governance and
Continue ReadingAP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s economy eked out an annual rate of 0.9% growth in the July-September quarter as consumer spending held up. Government data showed Friday that the world’s fourth-largest economy grew 0.2% in the fiscal second quarter, marking the second straight quarter of expansion. Seasonally adjusted gross domestic product, or GDP,
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LIMA, Peru (AP) — The high-profile Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima has thrust one of the world’s least popular presidents into the limelight. It’s not just that Peruvian President Dina Boluarte has never before rolled out the red carpet for powerful leaders like U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump met Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago club with Argentine President Javier Milei, the first foreign leader to meet with the president-elect since his victory in last week’s election. The meeting was confirmed by a person who insisted on anonymity to discuss an event that hadn’t yet been
Continue ReadingAssociated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says it has tested exploding drones designed to hit targets and leader Kim Jong Un called for accelerating their mass production. The demonstration came as the United States, South Korea and Japan held combined military exercises in nearby waters. North Korea’s state media published photos Friday
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian government’s plan to ban children from social media to protect them from harm has won almost universal political support. But keeping them off social media looks far more difficult in practical terms. Experts in technology and child welfare called the 16-year age limit “too blunt” to work
Continue ReadingNEW YORK (AP) — Shel Talmy, a Chicago-born music producer and arranger who worked on such British punk classics as The Who’s “My Generation” and The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” helped oversee hits by Manfred Mann and the duo Chad & Jeremy and was an early backer of David Bowie, has died. He was
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ATLANTA (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has picked former Georgia congressman Doug Collins to lead the Veterans Affairs Department in his new administration. The 58-year-old Collins is a Baptist minister who later became a lawyer. He has served as a chaplain in both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Collins
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump spent much of his first term feeling stung and betrayed by those he’d placed in power. This time, he’s not taking chances. As he works to fill his administration a second time, Trump has turned to a head-spinning mix of candidates. Many of those he’s chosen are personal
Continue ReadingAssociated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A tech consultant charged with murder in Cash App founder Bob Lee’s stabbing death has sparred with the lead prosecutor at trial. Nima Momeni repeatedly interrupted questions asked of him with questions of his own Thursday. The judge told him several times to stay on track and provide responsive
Continue ReadingCHICAGO (AP) — University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Chancellor Robert Jones plans to resign at the end of the academic year. The Chicago Tribune reports that university officials made the announcement on Wednesday. Jones has served as chancellor at the state’s flagship university since 2016. He is the school’s first Black chancellor and led the university
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine navy has transported food and other supplies to a territorial ship outpost in a shoal in the South China Sea without any confrontation with Chinese forces guarding the area. The Philippine delivery of supplies and military personnel to the Second Thomas Shoal was the third such trip
Continue ReadingAssociated Press HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas man charged with trying to provide material support to the Islamic State group and planning violent attacks in Houston has appeared in federal court. According to court records, Anas Said is accused of offering his home as a safe sanctuary for members of ISIS and talking about wanting
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — The incoming district attorney for Los Angeles County, Nathan Hochman, says in an interview with The Associated Press that his first task in office is to eliminate the “pro-criminal blanket policies” of one of California’s most high-profile progressive prosecutors, George Gascón. That means bringing back gang-related sentencing enhancements and
Continue ReadingAssociated Press HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A state judge in Montana has heard arguments over policies that block transgender people from changing the sex designation on their birth certificates and driver’s licenses. District Court Judge Mike Menahan did not immediately rule after Thursday’s hearing on a request for a preliminary injunction to block the rules
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) — Defense attorney allege that the man accused of killing seven people at a 2022 Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago was denied his constitutional right to legal representation while being interrogated by police hours after the shooting. Authorities have said Robert Crimo III confessed to the shooting that also
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Todd Blanche, an attorney who led the legal team that defended the Republican at his hush money criminal trial, to serve as the second-highest ranking Justice Department official. Trump made the announcement Thursday. A former federal prosecutor, Blanche has been a key figure on Trump’s
Continue ReadingNEW YORK (AP) — Two attorneys representing Rudy Giuliani in a lawsuit related to a $148 million defamation judgment against him have asked a judge to remove them from the case over disagreements with the former New York City mayor. The request in federal court comes a week after a judge ordered Giuliani to quickly
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was building up a following with his anti-vaccine nonprofit group, Children’s Health Defense, and became one of the world’s most influential spreaders of fear and distrust around vaccines. Kennedy has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. He has also pushed other
Continue ReadingAP Sports Writer PHOENIX (AP) — A former Phoenix Suns employee is suing the team, alleging racial discrimination and unlawful retaliation that led to her termination. Andrea Trischan says in the lawsuit filed Wednesday that “potential financial misconduct” and sexual misconduct also took place by team employees. Trischan was the franchise’s manager of diversity, equity
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