AP National News

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Attorneys for Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz have asked for the judge in his murder case to remove herself two days after she scolded them when they abruptly rested their case. The Broward Public Defender’s Office said in a motion Friday that Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer held a longstanding animosity

By REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó has offered a broad accounting of millions of dollars under his control and took credit for social programs benefiting people across the troubled South American country. Guaidó said the parallel government he established three years ago has spent at least

YUCAIPA, Calif. (AP) — A woman who disappeared when a downpour in a recently burned area unleashed mudslides that tore through her Southern California mountain community was found dead under mud, rocks and other debris. Thunderstorms late Monday triggered the mudslides that unleashed rocks, trees and earth that washed away cars, buried homes and impacted

By SEUNG MIN KIM and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden met Friday with family members of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American detained in Russia, Paul Whelan, the first face-to-face encounter that the president has had with the relatives. In a statement after the meetings, which were held separately,

By SCOTT SONNER Associated Press RENO, Nev. (AP) — A Nevada judge has ordered a former deputy state attorney general accused of killing a 19-year-old woman in Hawaii 50 years ago to remain jailed without bail until he is arraigned next week on a fugitive charge. 77-year-old Tudor Chirila Jr. made a brief appearance Friday

YUCAIPA, Calif. (AP) — A woman who disappeared when a downpour in a recently burned area unleashed mudslides that tore through her Southern California mountain community was found dead under mud, rocks and other debris. Thunderstorms late Monday triggered the mudslides that unleashed rocks, trees and earth that washed away cars, buried homes and impacted

MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Fiona passed near Guadeloupe on Friday evening, hitting some of the Caribbean’s easternmost islands with strong rain and wind as forecasters warned the storm could later threaten Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic with dangerous rains. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Fiona was then likely to become

By JESSE BEDAYN Associated Press/Report for America DENVER (AP) — Cities from Anchorage to New Orleans are shuttering their pandemic-era hotels that were used to house the homeless as funding dwindles and leases run out. In Denver, one of the last hotel shelters closed its doors Friday, pushing 138 residents out of the rooms. The

By ED WHITE Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — A judge has approved a fund for more than 1,000 people who said they were sexually assaulted by a University of Michigan doctor. The order allows victims to start collecting a portion of a $490 million settlement negotiated with the school. Robert Anderson died in 2008 after

LAFAYETTE, Colo. (AP) — Hundreds of people including police officers from across Colorado have paid tribute to a Denver area officer fatally shot while responding to a family disturbance. A procession and funeral service were held Friday for officer Dillon Vakoff. The 27-year-old police officer from the suburban city of Arvada was fatally shot on

By ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press A Texas judge has expanded her order blocking the state from investigating families of transgender youth who have received gender- affirming medical care. Judge Amy Clark Meachum issued a temporary injunction Friday preventing the state from investigating members of the LGBTQ advocacy group PFLAG Inc. over the care. The group

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is praising South Africa as a vital voice on the global stage. Biden hosted President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday at the White House for talks that touched on the two nations’ differences on Russia’s war in Ukraine and more. Ramaphosa is

By PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of a Texas law targeting major social media companies like Facebook and Twitter. The ruling Friday by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is a victory for Republicans who accuse the platforms of

By BECKY BOHRER, MARK THIESSEN and JOHN ANTCZAK Associated Press JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Residents on Alaska’s vast and sparsely populated western coast braced Friday for a powerful storm that forecasters said could be one of the worst in recent history, threatening hurricane-force winds and high surf that could knock out power and cause flooding.

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Police in Virginia are searching for a man found guilty earlier this week of conspiring to kill a college student who was a nephew of the late U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland. Norfolk police say a jury found Rashad Dooley guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, attempted robbery and

MOSCOW (AP) — Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have traded blame for fighting on the border that killed at least 24 people, wounded dozens and prompted a mass evacuation. Kyrgyzstan’s Health Ministry said early Saturday that 24 bodies have been delivered to hospitals in the Batken region that borders Tajikistan. An additional 87 people have been wounded.

By JAMES POLLARD Associated Press/Report for America COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A lawsuit alleging the rampant sexual abuse of underage athletes at a competitive cheerleading gym in South Carolina has been amended to name six more coaches as defendants and three more accusers. The accusers — now seven female and two male — say in

By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Sensitive voting system passwords posted online. Copies of confidential voting software available for download. Ballot-counting machines inspected by people not supposed to have access. The list of suspected security breaches at local election offices since the 2020 election keeps growing, with investigations underway in at least

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia’s setbacks and stretched resources in Ukraine show its forces are incapable of achieving President Vladimir Putin’s initial aims in invading the country as things stand now, the Pentagon’s intelligence chief said Friday. “We’re coming to a point right now where I think Putin is going to

By FRANK BAJAK AP Technology Writer The ride-hailing service Uber says all its services are operational following what security professionals are calling a major data breach. It says there is no evidence the hacker got access to sensitive user data. But the breach, apparently by a lone hacker, put the spotlight on an increasingly effective