AP National News

By SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Classes in Chicago have been canceled for a third consecutive day amid an ongoing fight with the teachers union over remote learning and other COVID-19 safety protocols. Families in the nation’s third-largest district were notified of Friday’s cancelation on Thursday evening. The Chicago Puboic Schools statement noted

By CLAUDIA LAUER, MICHAEL RUBINKAM and MARYCLAIRE DALE Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Investigators are looking into whether a 5-year-old who was playing with a lighter set a Christmas tree on fire, sparking a conflagration that killed 12 family members in a Philadelphia rowhome. That’s according to a search warrant application revealed Thursday. City and

By LISA MASCARO, ZEKE MILLER and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is forcefully accusing Donald Trump and his supporters of holding a “dagger at the throat of democracy” with his election lies that sparked last year’s deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol. Biden used the anniversary of the attack

By CALEB JONES Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — The Monsanto company pleaded guilty Thursday to illegally using and storing agricultural chemicals in Hawaii, and will pay $12 million in fines. Monsanto was charged with 30 environmental crimes after allowing workers to go into corn fields on Oahu in 2020 after a product named Forfeit 280

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Media coverage of the first anniversary of the U.S. Capitol attack reflected and reinforced differing political realities. Solemn remembrances dominated some of the coverage, while on outlets that appeal to Republicans, the coverage was considerably lighter. A CNN analyst said President Joe Biden’s speech may

DALLAS (AP) — Court documents say two women charged with murder and evidence tampering in the October 2020 slaying in Texas of a Seattle woman have cut off their ankle monitors and fled while free on bond. The documents filed this week state that 50-year-old Nina Marano and her 58-year-old wife, Lisa Dykes, removed their

By SARAH RANKIN Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — With more bad weather looming, Virginia officials are seeking to reassure the public they are prepared as they reacted to harsh criticism of their response to a storm earlier this week that left hundreds of motorists stranded on Interstate 95. In contrast to his response to

By ALAN FRAM and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Dozens of lawmakers have gathered on the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. And a year after supporters of then-President Donald Trump tried to prevent Congress from certifying his reelection defeat, legislators who were there that violent day still had

WOBURN, Mass. (AP) — A letter sent from a U.S. soldier stationed in Germany to his mother in Massachusetts has been delivered 76 years after it was sent. WFXT-TV reports that 22-year-old Army Sgt. John Gonsalves wrote to his mother in Woburn in December 1945 after the official end of WWII. The letter would sit

By TALI ARBEL and JOE REEDY Associated Press The New York Times Co. is buying sports news site The Athletic for $550 million. It’s the Times’ latest move in its strategy to expand its audience of paying subscribers as the newspaper print ads business fades. The Times gained millions of subscribers during the Trump presidency

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Vice President Dick Cheney has made a surprise appearance in the House in a show of support for his daughter, Rep. Liz Cheney. They were the lone Republicans attending a pro forma session of the House on the anniversary of last year’s violence at the Capitol.

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior Army three-star general with extensive experience in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars has been nominated to become the top U.S. commander for the Middle East. Multiple U.S. officials say President Joe Biden has nominated Army Lt. Gen. Erik Kurilla to head U.S. Central Command

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A dramatic surge in coronavirus cases has sidelined more than 800 Los Angeles city police and firefighters and led to slightly longer ambulance and fire response times. That’s adding to concerns about shortages of critical staff including health care workers. Mayor Eric Garcetti said Thursday that

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers More declines in big technology stocks pulled major indexes lower on Wall Street, driving the market further into the red on the first week of the year. The S&P 500 wobbled between gains and losses for much of the day Thursday before closing down 0.1%.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican government has requested a dispute resolution panel under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement, because it claims the United States is improperly interpreting stricter regional content rules under the pact. The agreement, known as the USMCA, raised requirements for regional content to 75% of a vehicle’s value or components. Under

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Keechant Sewell spent her entire policing career in suburban Long Island before recently becoming New York City’s first police commissioner from outside the department in over two decades. The new mayor says he picked her in part because of her poise in handling a mock

By JIM HEINTZ Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Orthodox Christians in Russia, Serbia and other countries are holding Christmas observances amid restrictions aimed at dampening the spread of coronavirus. But few worshipers appeared concerned as they streamed into churches Thursday. The majority of Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7,  with midnight services especially popular.

BY DREW COSTLEY AP Science Writer The White House’s top official on environmental justice is stepping down a year after President Joe Biden took office with an ambitious plan to help disadvantaged communities and overhaul policies that have historically hurt them. The departure of Cecilia Martinez, senior director for environmental justice at the Council for

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Politicians and family members are remembering Georgia Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson’s ability to build consensus and win friends. Mourners including as many as 20 current and former U.S. senators gathered at Isakson’s memorial service on Thursday in Atlanta. Isakson died Dec. 19 at his home in Atlanta