Associated Press OME, Japan (AP) — Deep in a dark warehouse the sake sleeps, stored in rows of giant tanks, each holding more than 10,000 liters (2,640 gallons) of the Japanese rice wine that is the product of brewing techniques dating back more than 1,000 years. Junichiro Ozawa, the 18th-generation head of Ozawa Brewery, founded
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Donald Trump’s return to the White House has made many countries anxious and recalculating where they stand with the U.S., but India appears to be welcoming the change that may embolden nationalist leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Experts say a second Trump presidency is likely to play out
Continue ReadingAssociated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankans have voted in a parliamentary election that’s key for their new, Marxist-leaning president to consolidate his party’s power and follow through on promises of economic recovery. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake won the September presidential election in a rejection of the traditional political parties that have governed
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Former “Dances with Wolves” actor Nathan Chasing Horse is scheduled to stand trial on Jan. 13 in Las Vegas. It’s a major development in his sweeping sexual abuse case after more than a year of stalled court proceedings while he challenged it. Chasing Horse has pleaded not guilty to
Continue ReadingDemocrat Dave Min won election to a U.S. House seat representing California on Wednesday, holding a competitive district for House Democrats. Democratic Rep. Katie Porter left this Orange County seat open to run for U.S. Senate, backing Min to take her place. Min, a state senator, defeated Republican Scott Baugh, who came up short in
Continue ReadingAP Business Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The flurry of contract agreements announced early this fall — including two more Wednesday — offer evidence that major railroads and their unions are working to avoid the standoffs that led them to a brink of a national strike two years ago. Both sides are also now keenly
Continue ReadingLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A federal judge has denied an effort to temporarily block enforcement of a constitutional amendment Arkansas voters approved that revokes the state’s license for a planned casino. Judge D. Price Marshall Jr. on Tuesday denied Cherokee Nation Entertainment’s request to block the measure voters approved last week that blocks its
Continue ReadingAssociated Press/Report for America RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democratic lawmakers who wield control of the Virginia Legislature are hoping to make good on promises made on the campaign trail, including becoming the first Southern state to expand constitutional protections for abortion access. Members of the House Privileges and Elections Committee met on Wednesday to debate
Continue ReadingAssociated Press/Report for America House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul says he was briefly detained by police at an airport near Washington, D.C. earlier this month. The Republican congressman said he became “disorientated” after he took Ambien and drank alcohol before a flight to Texas. McCaul was reelected this month to an 11th term
Continue ReadingTAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a California teenager pleaded guilty Wednesday in a case involving the swatting of a Florida mosque, among other institutions and individuals. Swatting is the practice of making a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police
Continue ReadingAssociated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — A man who failed in an attempt to break into Brazil’s Supreme Court killed himself in explosions outside the building Wednesday that forced justices and staff to evacuate, authorities said. The two strong blasts were heard about 7:30 p.m. after the day’s session finished and all the justices and
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Lawyers for the state of Louisiana are asking a federal appeals court in New Orleans to immediately block a judge’s ruling ordering education officials to tell all local districts that a law requiring schools to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms is unconstitutional. A judge found the law unconstitutional
Continue ReadingAssociated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday that he will continue pushing lawmakers to phase out the state income tax, even with the possibility of federal spending cuts that could affect states after Donald Trump begins his second term as president. Mississippi is one of the poorest states in
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal investigation into Chinese government efforts to hack into U.S. telecommunications networks has revealed a “broad and significant” cyberespionage campaign aimed at stealing information from Americans who work in government and politics, the FBI said Wednesday. Hackers affiliated with Beijing have compromised the networks of “multiple” telecommunications companies to
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar lashed out Wednesday at Mexico’s failure to accept aid in the fight against drug cartels, claiming the country “closed the doors” on security cooperation. In a press conference, Salazar launched his harshest criticism yet of rampant violence, police corruption and the Mexican government’s mistaken attitude
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, was once embroiled in a sex trafficking investigation by the Justice Department he’s been tapped to lead, and has been under scrutiny by the House Ethics Committee over allegations including sexual misconduct. That probe effectively ended Wednesday, though,
Continue ReadingAssociated Press In picking Rep. Matt Gaetz as his nominee for attorney general, President-elect Donald Trump is looking to install a fierce loyalist — who has been seen as divisive even within his own party — over some of the more established attorneys whose names had been mentioned for the nation’s top federal prosecutor post.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BRICK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey’s governor declared a drought warning. Black Hawk helicopters scooped water from a lake to dump on a forest fire burning in New York state. And across the country, firefighters were making good progress Wednesday battling a major wildfire in a county northwest of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, New
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith has asked a court to pause prosecutors’ appeal seeking to revive the classified documents case against President-elect Donald Trump in light of the Republican’s presidential victory. Smith’s team has been evaluating how to wind down the classified documents and the federal 2020 election interference case in
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — Several U.S. Catholic bishops on Wednesday encouraged the church to boldly share Vatican teachings on a range of hot-button issues, including the condemnation of abortion, euthanasia, surrogacy and gender-affirming surgery. The prelates acknowledged theirs is often a countercultural view. “We have been too apologetic for too long,” said Bishop Robert
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