AP National News

By The Associated Press A Maryland hospital is defending its decision to transplant a pig’s heart into a dying man following reports that the patient had a criminal record. David Bennett still is recovering from last week’s highly experimental transplant, a medical first and a step in the quest to one day ease shortages of

By ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says the government plans to double to 1 billion the rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests to be distributed free to Americans. Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Biden says his administration will also make “high-quality masks” available for no charge. He spoke at an

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas wants Planned Parenthood to return more than $10 million in payments for low-income patients. The lawsuit filed by Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday comes years after Republican leaders moved to cut off Medicaid dollars to the abortion provider. The money Texas is seeking to recoup from Planned Parenthood

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says he hopes Mexican investors buy the local subsidiary of Citigroup. The president made his remarks about Citibanamex in a video posted to his social media accounts Thursday, saying that “we would like this bank to be Mexicanized.”  The president contends foreign bankers often take

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan professor has been placed on leave after he told students in a profanity-laced video that he randomly assigns grades before the first day of class. Barry Mehler is a 74-year-old instructor at Ferris State University in Big Rapids. He told students in the video: “I don’t even want

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s governor has rejected releasing Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan from prison more than a half-century after the slaying shook the world in 1968. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday rejected a recommendation from a two-person panel of parole commissioners. Newsom said Sirhan, now 77, poses

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — A  man once dubbed “King Perry” will spend more than 17 years in prison for his role in masterminding a long-running Ponzi scheme that collected more than $115 million from 1,000 investors nationwide. Perry Santillo appeared Thursday in federal court in Rochester, New York. A judge ordered him to pay $103

By JOHN RABY Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice says his health is improving  two days after he was diagnosed with COVID-19. The 70-year-old Republican governor continues to experience mild symptoms. Justice was diagnosed with the coronavirus on Tuesday and says he’s feeling much better Thursday. Justice says he woke

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Paul Tash is retiring as CEO of the Tampa Bay Times, a media organization he joined 47 years ago as a summer intern. The Times announced the move Thursday. Tash, 67, became editor of what was then the St. Petersburg Times in 1992. During his tenure, the newspaper won nine

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — The ashes of Winter the dolphin have been returned to the sea, about two months after the beloved marine mammal of movie star fame died at a Florida aquarium. Clearwater Marine Aquarium staff members released a seal salt urn containing Winter’s ashes into the Gulf of Mexico from a U.S. Coast

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A communal funeral for victims of New York City’s deadliest fire in years has been planned for Sunday, a week after the the blaze in the Bronx high-rise. The service is to be held at the Islamic Cultural Center in the Bronx. Funerals began Wednesday

By MICHELLE LIU Associated Press/Report for America The family of a mentally ill Black man who died after South Carolina jail employees repeatedly stunned him and then kneeled on his back until he stopped breathing is still seeking criminal charges one year later. Relatives for Jamal Sutherland want South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson to

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Ahead of Michael Avenatti’s trial on charges he cheated porn star Stormy Daniels out of book deal proceeds, a judge has twice warned prospective jurors about potential perjury charges if they don’t fill out a written questionnaire honestly. U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman warned jurors

By DANICA KIRKA and SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Prince Andrew has been stripped of his honorary military roles as allegations of sexual abuse against him shine unwanted attention on the House of Windsor. Buckingham Palace said late Thursday that Queen Elizabeth II had approved the move, under which the 61-year-old Andrew will

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Technology stocks led another decline on Wall Street Thursday, leaving the Nasdaq composite down 2.5%. Microsoft, Nvidia and other big tech companies had some of the biggest losses. The S&P 500 fell 1.4% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gave back 0.5% Industrial stocks did

By DAVID BAUDER AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Elvis Costello’s new album sounds like a tight rock ‘n’ roll combo sweating together on a tiny stage, feeding off each other produce a joyful noise. But that’s an illusion. The coronavirus-era disc ‘The Boy Named If’ was made in solitary style — four musicians,

By FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The House committee investigating the Capitol insurrection has issued subpoenas to Twitter, Meta, Reddit and YouTube, demanding documents after lawmakers said the companies’ initial responses were inadequate. The committee chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, demanded records from the companies related to their role in allegedly spreading misinformation about

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s governor said Thursday she’s considering seeking help from the National Guard to address COVID-19 staffing shortages at public schools, a move that could mark a first in the nation. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Thursday the state has been in discussions with the Santa Fe school district, which was

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A St. Louis firefighter died and another was injured after a large house collapsed while the firefighters were searching to make sure no one was inside. Fire officials identified the firefighter who died as Benjamin Polson. He had been with the department since November 2019. Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson says the