AP National News

By COLLEEN LONG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is extending a student loan moratorium that has allowed tens of millions of Americans to put off debt payments during the pandemic. Under the action Wednesday, payments on federal student loans will remain paused through May 1. Interest rates will remain at 0% during

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — If you test positive for COVID-19, you should isolate at home, stay away from others and tell the people you’ve been in close contact with. And if you have trouble breathing or develop other serious symptoms, see a doctor immediately. That’s the advice of U.S.

Associated Press CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Florida authorities say they found cocaine and methamphetamine wrapped around a man’s penis during a traffic stop, but the man denied the drugs were his. Pinellas County sheriff’s deputies stopped a vehicle driving without its lights on at 4 a.m. last Saturday. WFLA-TV reports the driver was arrested on

By JOSH BOAK The Treasury Department says it is issuing special licenses to ensure that some international aid can flow to Afghanistan. The country faces a crisis as its economy collapsed following the Taliban takeover in August. The licenses will enable the U.S. government, international organizations such as the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations to

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — The parents of actor and singer Alicia Witt have been found dead inside their Massachusetts home by police after she asked a cousin to check on them. Police say that 87-year-old Robert Witt and 75-year-old Diane Witt were found dead inside their Worcester home on Monday night and that the deaths

BERLIN (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization is warning that blanket booster programs in rich countries risk prolonging the world’s battle with COVID-19. He says that “no country can boost its way out of the pandemic.” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the priority must be to reduce deaths and help all

By JAY REEVES Associated Press BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Researchers studying the wreckage of the last U.S. slave ship on the Alabama coast have made a surprising discovery. A recently released report shows that most of the wooden schooner remains intact, including the pen that was used to imprison African captives during the journey across

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities have ramped up a major sea-and-air search and rescue operation in the Aegean Sea after a migrant smuggling vessel sank leaving at least three people dead and dozens reported missing. The coast guard said 12 people, all believed to be from Iraq, were rescued Wednesday from an inflatable dinghy

By ANGELA CHARLTON and BARBARA SURK Associated Press SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France (AP) — France’s health minister says omicron infections are rapidly spreading and the variant will become the dominant infection in the last days of 2021. Olivier Veran ruled out additional restrictions on public life and said the government’s main effort to stop the spread of

By JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal labor board is reviewing a decision by one of its regional officials to deny a union from trying to organize fewer than 100 employees at the Nissan assembly plant in Tennessee. A 3-2 decision Tuesday by the National Labor Relations Board ordered a review

McLEAN, Va. (AP) — A fire has destroyed the northern Virginia home of former U.S. Sen. Chuck Robb and his wife, Lynda, who’s the daughter of former President Lyndon Johnson. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue officials say two people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. But there was no information on their identities.

By AMER COHADZIC Associated Press SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Bosnian officials and religious leaders have denounced suggestions voiced by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his spokesman that the integration of Bosnia into the European Union will be challenging because of its large Muslim population. Orban spokesman Zoltan Kovacs has tweeted that the challenge with

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press A trademark tiff between America’s oldest beer maker and its best-selling beer brand appears to be over before it really began. Last week, D.G. Yuengling & Son demanded its much larger rival, Anheuser-Busch, stop using a tagline for its forthcoming Bud Light Next zero-carb beer. Bud Light had been calling

By ALESSANDRA TARANTINO and NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has met with an Afghan family he met during a visit this month to a refugee camp in Greece and helped resettle to Italy because the youngest child needs medical care. Francis greeted the family at the end of his general

By AMANDA LEE MYERS AP Entertainment Writer Los Angeles (AP) — As the “Insecure” chapter of Natasha Rothwell’s life comes to a close, she’s writing many more. In “The White Lotus,” Rothwell stood out among an ensemble cast who all put in stellar performances. Rothwell wrote a romantic comedy with herself in mind to play

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic’s central bank has again increased its key interest rate in a continuing effort to tame soaring inflation. The 1 percentage point hike Wednesday to 3.75% is the fifth straight increase since June and is higher than expected by analysts. The bank considers high consumer prices a major threat and

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer The NHL has announced that players won’t be able to participate in the Beijing Olympics. The move that seemed inevitable in recent days means the league will spend the previously scheduled Olympic break making up games that have and will be postponed because of COVID-19 protocols. International officials and

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities have ramped up a major sea-and-air search and rescue operation in the Aegean Sea after a migrant smuggling vessel sank leaving at least one person dead and dozens reported missing. The coast guard said 12 people, all believed to be from Iraq, were rescued Wednesday from an inflatable dinghy

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose for the third straight month in November, reflecting strong demand, low mortgage rates and intense competition for a relatively low number of properties on the market. The National Association of Realtors said Wednesday that existing homes sales rose 1.9% last month from

By SEAN MURPHY Associated Press The jury deliberating at Kim Potter’s manslaughter trial in the shooting death of Daunte Wright asked a judge whether the officer’s handgun could be freed from an evidence box so they could hold it. Their question Tuesday went to the heart of the former police officer’s claim that she made