AP National News

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT Associated Press The U.S. Secret Service says nearly $100 billion has been stolen from COVID-19 relief programs set up to help businesses and people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic. The staggering sum represents but a small percentage, less than 3%, of pandemic benefits program funds. The estimate is based

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD AP Political Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — California Democrats appear to have come away with the advantage in a recasting of the state’s congressional districts. New district boundaries could strengthen their hold on the delegation and play into the fight for U.S. House control next year. The revised lines were endorsed

By SARA BURNETT Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says the nation’s third-largest city will require proof of coronavirus vaccination at restaurants, bars, gyms and other indoor venues. Lightfoot said Tuesday that the requirement will take effect Jan. 3. It comes as the rapidly spreading omicron variant has led to a spike

By AMY FORLITI and SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jurors weighing the case of the suburban Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Black motorist Daunte Wright asked the judge after a full day of deliberations what they should do if they can’t reach a verdict. Judge Regina Chu told them late Tuesday

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A billionaire who is believed to be the wealthiest person originally from Utah has formally resigned his membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and rebuked the faith over social issues and LGBTQ rights. The Salt Lake Tribune reports Jeff T. Green has pledged to donate 90%

By DAVID PITT Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man charged earlier for his participation in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was arraigned on a new federal indictment that includes a felony count that could carry up to 20 years in prison. Leo Christopher Kelly has been free on

FULSHEAR, Texas (AP) — Officials say two people were killed after a small plane collided with a paraglider near Houston. The Federal Aviation Administration says the single-engine Cessna 208 took off on Tuesday from Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston then collided midair with the paraglider around 9:40 a.m. about 50 miles to the southwest near

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A former Virginia Commonwealth University student has pleaded guilty to hazing and serving alcohol to a minor in connection with a 19-year-old freshman’s death from alcohol poisoning after a fraternity party. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that 23-year-old Andrew White of Dulles pleaded guilty to the misdemeanors Tuesday. He is one of

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has reversed its own legal opinion and will now allow federal inmates released on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic to not return to prison. Attorney General Merrick Garland’s announcement comes Tuesday after months of pressure on the Biden administration from criminal justice groups, lawmakers and other advocates who

By TOM HAYS Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A jury has finished its first full day of deliberations without reaching a verdict in the sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell. The jury asked Tuesday to review the testimony of three of four women who said Maxwell aided Jeffrey Epstein in their abuse between 1994

By AMY FORLITI and SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jurors weighing the case of the suburban Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Black motorist Daunte Wright asked the judge after a full day of deliberations what they should do if they can’t reach a verdict. Judge Regina Chu told them late Tuesday

By ANNA LIZ NICHOLS Associated Press / Report for America LANSING, Mich. (AP) — An appeals court has overturned the conviction of a former Michigan State University gymnastics coach who was sentenced to jail for lying to investigators about her knowledge of sexual abuse complaints against Larry Nassar in the 1990s. The Michigan Court of

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Congregations affiliated with the United Methodist Church have agreed to contribute $30 million to a fund for victims who say they were molested as youngsters in the Boy Scouts of America. A committee representing United Methodist churches that sponsored Scouting activities also agreed to help raise another $100 million for the

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — High wind will keep NASA’s newest space telescope on the ground for at least another day. Liftoff of the James Webb Space Telescope is now targeted for Saturday _ Christmas Day _ at the earliest. The observatory will soar from French Guiana on South

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Television viewers were in the mood for competition last week. NFL football games were the traditional venue, with four prime-time contests hitting the Nielsen’s company of the 20 most popular shows last week. As is typical, NBC’s Sunday night game did the best. Season finales

By JOHN WAWROW and STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writers The NHL is not sending players to the Beijing Olympics after all. A person with direct knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press the league is going to withdraw from the Beijing Olympics after its regular-season schedule was disrupted by coronavirus outbreaks. More than 40

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Pedro Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers” stars Penelope Cruz and Milena Smit as young mothers who meet at the hospital and whose babies are accidentally switched at birth. This secret plays out in unpredictable ways while the film also investigates another hidden past: Spain’s mass graves from

HART, Mich. (AP) — The father of four Christian missionaries from Michigan who escaped from kidnappers in Haiti is expressing gratitude and says they’re in good shape. Two more family members were also kidnapped but were released a few weeks ago. They’re associated with Hart Dunkard Brethren Church in Hart, about 190 miles northwest of

By DAVID FISCHER Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Authorities say two travelers are facing charges following a brawl with police at Miami International Airport. Miami-Dade police say 30-year-old Mayfrer Serranopaca and 32-year-old Alberto Yanez Suarez were arrested in Concourse H following Monday evening’s fight. The were each charged with battery on a law enforcement officer

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Fox News defended Jesse Watters after he used the phrase “kill shot” in a speech urging young conservatives to conduct a hostile ambush interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci. Fox said Watters’ word had been twisted out of context, after some people on social media wrongly