AP National News

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Former Portland Trail Blazers broadcaster Brian Wheeler, the radio voice of the team from 1998-2019, has died. He was 62. The Trail Blazers said Wheeler, affectionately called Wheels, passed away on Friday following a long illness. Wheeler had stints with the Sacramento Kings, the Seattle Sonics, and the Chicago Bulls, before

Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — First-term Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has won reelection in Washington state’s closely watched 3rd Congressional District. Her victory Saturday means she survived a rematch with Republican Joe Kent. Two years ago, she beat the Trump-endorsed Kent by fewer than 3,000 votes out of nearly 320,000 cast, making it one of

Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Washington state on Saturday, defeating Republican Joe Kent in a rematch of one of the closest races of 2022. Gluesenkamp Perez won the seat by just over 2,600 votes two years ago. Prior to her election, Gluesenkamp Perez ran an auto shop

Associated Press ST. JOHN’S, Antigua (AP) — Police in Antigua have charged a man with murder in the stabbing death this week of a controversial member of parliament in his seaside home. Police on the tiny Caribbean island charged 26-year-old Alexta Francis on Saturday, two days after the landscaper was arrested and questioned about the

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — As Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House, he will be accompanied by a crew of longtime friends and aides and newfound, splashy allies. The Republican president-elect has barely begun naming key figures in his administration, but he has kept a rotation of associates with him on and

Associated Press/Report for America PHOENIX (AP) — Voter rights groups have petitioned the Arizona Supreme Court to extend the deadline for voters to fix problems with their mail-in ballots. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Campaign Legal Center ask in an emergency petition Saturday that the original 5 p.m. Sunday deadline be extended by

AP Pro Football Writer SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — A person familiar with the matter says San Francisco 49ers star defensive end Nick Bosa has been fined by the NFL for wearing a hat with a pro-Donald Trump message during a postgame television interview. Bosa was fined $11,255 for violating the NFL uniform and equipment

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump announced on Saturday that his inaugural committee will be chaired by Florida real estate investor Steven Witkoff and former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler. Witkoff is the president-elect’s golf partner who was with Trump when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination at his golf

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has agreed to pay a fine for failing to report on time charitable donations that companies made on his behalf. The Los Angeles Times reported Friday that the Democratic governor agreed to pay $13,000 in a settlement with the Fair Political Practices Commission. State law requires elected

The leader of the Federal Emergency Management Agency says a worker has been fired after she directed workers helping hurricane survivors to avoid homes with yard signs supporting President-elect Donald Trump. In a statement Saturday, Deanne Criswell said it was a violation of FEMA’s values and called it “reprehensible.” The agency didn’t identify the worker

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California firefighters gained ground Saturday on a wildfire that has ravaged more than 100 structures as gusty winds subsided with favorable weather conditions expected through the weekend. Evacuation orders were downgraded to warnings for residents in several areas of Ventura County, where the Mountain Fire held at around 32 square

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico and the United States have reached an agreement they hope will address Mexico’s habit of falling behind in water-sharing payments in the Rio Bravo watershed, also known as the Rio Grande. The agreement announced Saturday “provides Mexico with tools and flexibility to deliver water earlier in the five-year cycle under

CHICAGO (AP) — Authorities say a Chicago man has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of two workers at the city’s popular Navy Pier tourist attraction. Chicago police said Saturday that 36-year-old Raylon East is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of felon in possession/use of a weapon in

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — One of 43 monkeys bred for medical research that escaped a compound in South Carolina has been recovered unharmed, officials said Saturday. Many of the others are still located a few yards from the property, jumping back and forth over the facility’s fence, police said in a statement. The Rhesus macaques

Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees have returned to their country since Israel launched a massive aerial bombardment on wide swathes of Lebanon in September. Many who fled to Lebanon after the war in Syria started in 2011 did not want to go back. But for officials in Lebanon, the

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Rafael has weakened to a tropical storm and was expected to dissolve over the Gulf of Mexico in the coming days after barreling across Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane. Rafael was located 2,490 miles (470 km) north-northwest of Progreso, Mexico on Saturday. It had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph

Associated Press QUITO (AP) — Ecuador’s Vice President Veronica Abad has been suspended for 150 days accused of “unjustified abandonment” of her duties. It comes during a public rift between Abad and President Daniel Noboa that could have implications for Ecuador’s February elections. Abad’s suspension without pay came at midnight, her lawyer Dominique Dávila told

Associated Press Actor Tony Todd, known for his haunting portrayal of a killer in the horror film “Candyman” and roles in many other films and television shows, has died, his longtime manager confirmed. He was 69. Todd died Wednesday at his home in the Los Angeles area, his manager Jeffrey Goldberg said in a statement