AP National News

By The Associated Press China was one of the biggest stories of 2021. Top stories included its plans to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in the face of criticism about its human rights records in the Xinjiang region, Tibet and Hong Kong. Then there were the questions about how it would wield its economic power

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced a series of measures to encourage lira-denominated savings, easing pressure on the beleaguered Turkish currency. The announcement came Monday after the lira tumbled to an all-time low of 18.36 against the dollar after Erdogan over the weekend stood firm on his policy to lower

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Prosecutors have tried to prove that a white suburban Minneapolis police officer, Kim Potter, committed manslaughter when she fatally shot Daunte Wright, a Black man, during an attempted arrest in April. Potter, who resigned two days after the shooting, says she meant to use her Taser but

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s governor-elect announced his first Cabinet secretary pick, the state’s next education secretary. Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin is a Republican who made education a centerpiece of his campaign. He announced Monday that he’s picked education data consultant Aimee Rogstad Guidera, saying she’d help “recharge a system that has settled for too long.”

By AMY FORLITI and SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The jury has begun deliberating in the manslaughter trial of the suburban Minneapolis police officer who killed Black motorist Daunte Wright after she says she mistook her gun for her Taser. Kim Potter’s case went to the mostly white jury on Monday following closing

By PAT GRAHAM AP Sports Writer DENVER (AP) — U.S. moguls skier Kai Owens was abandoned at a town square in a province of China as an infant. Taken to an orphanage, she was adopted at around 16 months old by a couple from Colorado. Now 17, Owens is in the mix to earn a

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Authorities say a 58-foot-long (18-meter) pedestrian bridge stolen from an Ohio city last month has been found and a man is facing charges. Akron police say investigators acting on tips and other information Friday afternoon found the missing span partially disassembled on property in Sharon Township in neighboring Medina County. Police

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department is advising American citizens not to travel to Ukraine, citing “increased threats” from Russia amid its military buildup along the country’s border. The travel advisory says Americans should be “aware of reports that Russia is planning for significant military action against Ukraine” and that security could deteriorate. The State

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Three conservation groups have filed formal notice of their intent to sue the Environmental Protection Agency if it doesn’t take steps to protect manatees from water pollution in Florida. Pollution-fueled algae blooms are cited as the cause of half of 1,000 manatee deaths in Florida this year. Monday’s news release

By YURAS KARMANAU The Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian authorities have notified the country’s former president that he is being suspected of high treason and “aiding terrorist organizations” in Ukraine’s pro-Russia separatist territories. A statement by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) of Ukraine said former President Petro Poroshenko is suspected of facilitating

By JILL COLVIN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has revealed he received a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, drawing boos from a crowd in Dallas. Trump made the disclosure Sunday night during the final stop of “The History Tour,” a live interview show he has been doing with former

By LAETITIA BEZAIN Associated Press ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — A cargo ship illegally carrying 130 passengers sank off Madagascar’s northeastern coast, killing at least 17 people and leaving 68 missing. The Maritime and River Port Agency said in a report Monday that at least 45 people have been rescued from the waters of the Indian

The Associated Press The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center says tornadoes and thunderstorms that struck the Great Plains and upper Midwest on Dec. 15 were the result of a rare event called a derecho. A derecho is often described as an inland hurricane. The storm has no eye and its powerful winds come across

By SARA BURNETT Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — A judge says a report detailing missteps and false statements made by prosecutors in the initial investigation of former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett should be made public. Smollett was convicted this month of lying to police in January 2019 about what he said was a racist, homophobic

By JIM SALTER Associated Press O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — A line of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes that swept across the north-central U.S. last week has been classified by the National Weather Service as a serial derecho — the first on record December. At least 45 tornadoes have been preliminarily confirmed in the Dec. 15 storms

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Warning that extremism in the ranks is increasing, Pentagon officials are issuing detailed new rules prohibiting service members from actively engaging in extremist activities. The new guidelines come nearly a year after a number of current and former service members took part in the riot at

By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — The federal judge presiding over the upcoming hate crimes trial of the three white men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery says she plans to summon roughly 1,000 potential jurors from 43 Georgia counties. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood said at a hearing Monday she

By AMY FORLITI and SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A prosecutor is telling jurors that the suburban Minneapolis police officer who says she meant to use her Taser instead of her gun when she shot and killed Black motorist Daunte Wright made a “blunder of epic proportions.” Kim Potter’s attorney Earl Gray, though,

KINGSLAND, Ga. (AP) — A federal agency on Monday granted a license for a launchpad that would fly commercial rockets from coastal Georgia. The Federal Aviation Administration’s approval of a launch site operator license for Spaceport Camden marks a milestone for the Georgia space project, though more reviews are needed. A local county leader said