AP National News

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The former school resource officer accused of hiding during a South Florida school shooting that left 17 people dead says he never would have sat idle if he had known people were being killed. The Sun Sentinel reports that former Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson appeared in court Wednesday, and

The Associated Press Scarlett Johansson is a mom to two now. The “Black Widow” star recently gave birth to a son, Cosmo, with husband Colin Jost, the “Saturday Night Live” star wrote on Instagram Wednesday. This is the first child for the couple, who were married last October. People Magazine first reported the birth of

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Rudy Giuliani wants to limit what federal prosecutors can see on his electronic devices. That’s according to a one-page order Wednesday by a former federal judge who is overseeing disputes over what criminal investigators are allowed to look at after raids on his office and home.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A judge has ruled that a statue of Christopher Columbus can remain in south Philadelphia, reversing a decision by city officials to have it removed. The explorer became a focus of protesters after the May 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. Common Pleas Court Judge Paula Patrick said last year’s

By DARIA LITVINOVA Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities have added a prominent independent election monitoring group to its registry of “foreign agents,” the latest in a relentless government crackdown on activists ahead of the September parliamentary election. The group was first labeled as “foreign agent” in 2013 and liquidated as a non-governmental organization

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A major Southern California water agency has declared a water supply alert for the first time in seven years and is asking residents to voluntarily conserve. The Los Angeles Times reports that the board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California took the step Tuesday hoping to lessen the need

By JUAN A. LOZANO Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — An attorney for 22 women who have filed lawsuits accusing Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and harassment says he and some of his clients have spoken to the FBI about the case. Tony Buzbee told The Associated Press that the FBI “reached out

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and JIM SALTER Associated Press MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Many overwhelmed hospitals, with no beds to offer, are putting critically ill COVID-19 patients on planes, helicopters and ambulances and sending them hundreds of miles to far-flung states for treatment.The delta variant of the virus, combined with low vaccination rates in many states,

By LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The White House says Israel’s new prime minister is coming to Washington next week, with Iran and Israel’s relationship with the Palestinians on the agenda. Presidential spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement Wednesday that Biden would welcome Naftali Bennett on August 26. In Jerusalem,

By ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will require that nursing home staff are vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition for those facilities to continue receiving federal Medicare and Medicaid funding. President Joe Biden announced the move Wednesday afternoon in a White House address as the administration continues to look for

By The Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has received a new soccer-themed toy: his very own foosball table. Francis played a round on the table that was presented to him Wednesday at the end of his general audience by representatives of a Tuscany-based table football association. The mayor of Altopascio, Sara D’Ambrosio, wrote on Facebook that

By PATTY NIEBERG Associated Press/Report for America DENVER (AP) — The FBI has joined a criminal investigation into an alleged security breach of a rural Colorado county’s voting equipment. The federal probe comes after Colorado’s Secretary of State Jena Griswold alerted federal cyber security officials of the suspected breach. Griswold accused Mesa County Clerk and

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials last month discussed the timing for beginning to dial back their extraordinary support for the U.S. economy, which has been steadily recovering from the pandemic recession. They made no firm decision on a timetable but appear to be moving toward starting a pullback

By KAT STAFFORD Associated Press The federal government deliberately targeted Black Lives Matter protesters via heavy-handed criminal prosecutions in an attempt to disrupt and discourage the global movement that swept the nation last summer in the wake of the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. That’s according to a new report released Wednesday by The

By CARLA K. JOHNSON AP Medical Writer U.S. health officials plan to offer COVID-19 booster shots to vaccinated Americans to shore up their protection amid the surging delta variant and evidence that the vaccines’ effectiveness is declining. The effort could start Sept. 20, pending an evaluation by the Food and Drug Administration and advisers to

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Yogananda Pittman, who was the top Capitol Police intelligence official when thousands of pro-Trump rioters descended in January and who served as the agency’s acting chief, is back in charge of intelligence. Officials are preparing for what’s expected to be a massive rally at

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A 13-year-old New Mexico boy accused of shooting and killing a classmate will remain in custody pending trial. A Children’s Court judge agreed with prosecutors Tuesday and ordered the boy to remain at the Bernalillo County Youth Services Center. He’s charged with an open count of murder and unlawful carrying of

By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press Former Purdue Pharma president and chair Richard Sackler says he, his family and the company do not have any responsibility for the opioid crisis in the United States. Sackler is a member of the family that owns the company. He testified Wednesday in a hearing to determine whether the company’s

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is urging Ethiopian leaders to find a peaceful resolution to the Tigray conflict in Ethiopia that has displaced tens of thousands and left millions hungry. He also said his country was willing to mediate between Ethiopia and Sudan to resolve a separate border dispute. Erdogan spoke