AP National News

By FATIMA HUSSEIN and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and its allies hit back at Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions on Friday, slapping sanctions on more than 1,000 people and companies including arms supply networks, as Moscow and the West escalated an already heated conflict fraught with potential nuclear

By The Associated Press Boeing is behind schedule in submitting documentation for new versions of its 737 Max jetliner, and it’s asking Congress for more time. Federal officials say Boeing has completed little of the work necessary to certify the new Max versions by a Dec. 31 deadline. If the company misses the deadline, it

By SARA BURNETT Associated Press Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has whipsawed his way through the national conversation this month, first by putting migrants on planes or buses to Democratic strongholds and then shifting to a more traditional role of crisis manager as one of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the U.S. barreled into his

By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — You’ll no longer be able to store your precious coins, jewelry and paperwork at JPMorgan Chase & Co., as the bank has stopped opening new safety deposit boxes for customers. A spokesman for the bank said Chase decided late last year to stop offering new

Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s intelligence ministry says it has arrested nine foreigners over recent anti-hijab protests sweeping the country. In a statement carried by the state-run news agency IRNA, the ministry said Friday that those arrested included citizens of Germany, Poland, Italy, France, the Netherlands and Sweden. The death in

By DAVE COLLINS Associated Press HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Gun rights groups and firearms owners have launched another attempt to overturn Connecticut’s ban on certain semiautomatic rifles that was enacted in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. A new lawsuit was filed Thursday in federal court, citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — When Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi recorded the bulk of his new album, the melodic rapper wanted to visually highlight the songs without depending on short music videos. The Grammy winner initially thought about turning his concept album into an anthology series, until he linked

By JON GAMBRELL and HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin signed treaties Friday to illegally annex more occupied Ukrainian territory in a sharp escalation of his war. Ukraine’s president countered with a surprise application to join the NATO military alliance. Putin’s land-grab and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s signing of what

By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the West of sabotaging the Russia-built gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea to Germany. Putin claimed that the West had turned from sanctions to “terror attacks,” sabotaging the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in what he described as

By ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press Surrounded by states with abortion bans that took effect after Roe v. Wade fell, Illinois is one of the few places where the procedure remains legal in the Midwest. Abortion-rights supporters are worried that might not last. Their concern is shared in at least a half-dozen states, and this year

By MAURICIO SAVARESE and VICTOR CAIVANO Associated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s presidential election will be decided by tens of millions of poor people, and they look set to eject incumbent Jair Bolsonaro from office. The far-right leader is reminding them of his pandemic welfare program that morphed into a monthly handout equal to

BRUSSELS (AP) — Emergency workers in hazmat suits have responded to the headquarters of the European Union’s executive commission after an envelope containing a suspicious white powder was found on the premises. A spokesperson for Brussels firefighters said only one person came into contact with the substance on Friday and they didn’t show any negative

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan has launched a special hotline for transgender people in an effort to protect their rights and save them from discrimination and harassment. Salman Sufi, an adviser to the prime minister, tweeted on Friday that the hotline was live and connected to top police officers and the Ministry of Human Rights. Trans

By JAKE BLEIBERG Associated Press GATESVILLE, Texas (AP) — As Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton seeks reelection to a third term, his agency has come unmoored by disarray behind the scenes. Seasoned lawyers are quitting over practices they say aim to slant legal work, reward loyalists and drum out dissent. An Associated Press investigation found

KUWAIT CITY (AP) — Voters in Kuwait have chosen to shake up their parliament and sent two women to the assembly in the Gulf Arab nation’s second election in less than two years. The results, which will bring 27 new members to the 50-member assembly, were seen as a vote for change amid a prolonged

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Friday sanctioned more than 1,000 people and firms connected to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including its Central Bank governor and families of Security Council members, after President Vladimir Putin signed treaties absorbing occupied regions of Ukraine into Russia, in defiance of international law. The

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Azerbaijan’s president says his country is a reliable partner and will stick to an agreement to double gas exports to the European Union by 2027. President Ilhan Aliyev was in Bulgaria’s capital for the official launch Saturday of a new pipeline that will supply natural gas from Azerbaijan. Bulgaria’s vital supply

By JON GAMBRELL and HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin signed treaties Friday for an illegal annexation of occupied Ukrainian territory in a sharp escalation of his seven-month invasion of Ukraine. Its leader immediately countered with a surprise application to join the NATO military alliance. Putin’s land-grab and President

GARY GERARD HAMILTON Associated Press New York (AP) — Kelsea Ballerini’s new album, “Subject to Change,” is a record traversing through love, heartbreak, infatuation, confusion and accountability. Despite recently announcing her five-year marriage to fellow country singer Morgan Evans was ending, the new project is far from a heartbreak album. “It’s the most upbeat record