AP National News

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan is set to lift all coronavirus emergency measures when they expire later this week as infections slow and the nation tries to reactivate its economy. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to announce a lifting of the emergency later Tuesday. Government officials are preparing other plans

Philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs will invest $3.5 billion within the next 10 years to address the climate crisis. A spokesperson for Emerson Collective, Jobs’ organizations, said Monday that Jobs will give the money to Waverley Street Foundation, an organization she set up in 2016. The spokesperson says the foundation will focus its work on “initiatives

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s eviction moratorium ends Friday. But tenants with unpaid rent can still stay in their homes beyond that date if they apply for assistance from the state. California is using billions of federal dollars to pay off up to 18 months of most people’s rent dating

By The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Homicides in the U.S. in 2020 increased nearly 30% over the previous year, the largest one-year jump since the FBI began keeping records. That’s according to figures released Monday by the agency. Homicides and non-negligent manslaughters climbed an estimated 29.4% to 21,570, an increase of 4,901 over 2019,

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved what he terms a nation-leading law requiring the garment industry to pay workers by the hour instead of for each piece of clothing they produce. Supporters said piece-rate compensation can be used to pay workers below the minimum wage. The

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hosted a lunch  for the leaders of divided Cyprus in hopes of spurring a return to negotiations to reunite the Mediterranean island nation. Talks have been stalled since 2017. The United Nations didn’t comment immediately on the discussion but Cypriot President Nicos

By JOE McDONALD and ZEN SOO AP Business Writers BEIJING (AP) — Global shoppers face possible shortages of smartphones and other goods ahead of Christmas after power cuts to meet government targets forced Chinese factories to shut down and left some households in the dark. In the northeastern city of Liaoyang, 23 people were hospitalized

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has accused the United States of hostility and demanded the Biden administration permanently end joint military exercises with South Korea. It also continued its recent streak of weapons tests that are apparently intended to pressure Washington and Seoul over slow nuclear diplomacy. North

By KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A federal appeals court says it will wait until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a separate Mississippi abortion case before weighing in on a restrictive Georgia abortion law that a lower court blocked. A federal judge ruled last year that the law cannot take effect because

By AMY BETH HANSON, MARTHA BELLISLE and DAVID KOENIG Associated Press JOPLIN, Mont. (AP) — An Amtrak train that derailed in rural Montana over the weekend was going just under the speed limit at about 75 mph when it went off the track along a gradual curve. U.S. investigators also said Monday that the accident

By JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s new prime minister has appealed to the international community to stand together against Iran. In his maiden speech to the U.N. General Assembly, Naftali Bennett accused the Iran of marching forward toward the development of a nuclear weapon and threatened to to act alone if the

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has accused the United States of hostility and demanded the Biden administration to permanently end joint military exercises with South Korea as it continued its recent streak of weapons tests apparently aimed at pressuring Washington and Seoul over slow nuclear diplomacy.  North Korean

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — In a rare moment of ethical controversy for the Federal Reserve, two top officials resigned Monday in the wake of revelations about their financial trading that exposed potential shortcomings in the Fed’s rules on investments. Eric Rosengren, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston,

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The South Korean and Japanese militaries say North Korea has fired a suspected ballistic missile into the sea, the first such launch in about two months and a signal that Pyongyang isn’t interested in rejoining denuclearization talks anytime soon and would rather focus on boosting

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will mail all registered voters ballots in future elections under legislation signed Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. His signature makes permanent a change adopted during the pandemic for the 2020 election and the recent recall. California will join other Western states including Oregon, Washington, Utah

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a 17-year-old who became unresponsive while being restrained at a Kansas juvenile facility died two days later at a hospital. He was taken into custody by Wichita police on suspicion of three counts of battery on a law enforcement officer. Police took him Friday to the Sedgwick County juvenile

By JACQUES BILLEAUD and BOB CHRISTIE Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — A judge has struck down Republican-passed Arizona laws that block schools from requiring masks and restrict the power of local governments to impose COVID-19 requirements. The ruling Monday could clear the way for cities and counties to enact mask requirements if it withstands a

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD AP Political Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles’ diversity is on display in the emerging race to replace two-term Mayor Eric Garcetti. Democratic U.S. Rep. Karen Bass formally entered the contest Monday and could become the city’s first female and second Black mayor. She joins a growing field that includes

By TOM KRISHER and BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press GLENDALE, Ky. (AP) — Ford and a partner company say they plan to build three major electric-vehicle battery factories and an auto assembly plant by 2025.  It’s a dramatic investment in the future of EV technology that will create an estimated 10,800 jobs and shift the automaker’s

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Attorneys for families sickened and forced from their Los Angeles homes after the nation’s largest-known natural gas leak say they’ve reached a settlement of up to $1.8 billion with a utility. The settlement announced Monday with Southern California Gas Co. and its parent company will compensate