AP National News

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — One of the nation’s largest health insurance companies and its branches in Nevada have been found liable for $60 million in punitive damages for underpaying out-of-network emergency medical providers. A state court jury says three plaintiffs headed by urgent care staffing service TeamHealth should each receive

TOKYO (AP) — Japan has downgraded its growth estimate for the last quarter, saying weaker consumer spending and trade resulted in a 3.6% contraction. The government’s revised estimate Tuesday compared with an earlier estimate of minus 3.0% growth. The world’s third-largest economy has been mired in recession and struggling to recover from the impact of

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer A spokesperson for the company that runs the philanthropy of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, said the company is investing up to $3.4 billion to advance human health over 10 to 15 years. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, or CZI, announced Tuesday its new effort is aiming

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Bob Dole will be honored Friday in a private memorial service with President Joe Biden in attendance and a public service at the World War II Memorial in Washington. Those events will come before the casket of the former presidential candidate and decorated soldier travels to Kansas for events in his

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) — A former Montana police chief has pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography via social media. Federal prosecutors say William Harrington pleaded guilty Tuesday and will be sentenced in April. He spent about 12 years with the East Helena police department and was promoted to chief in April 2019. The criminal

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday that Australia will join the U.S. in a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Games over human rights concerns. Morrison said it should come as no surprise that Australian officials would boycott the event after the nation’s relationship

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — Federal investigators say a dredge operator’s inadequate communication, planning, and risk management likely led to a propane pipeline blast at a Texas port that killed five people last year. The National Transportation Safety Board reported its findings Tuesday on the August 2020 explosion in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. The

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — The defense has rested in the Arkansas federal trial of former reality TV star Josh Duggar after a prosecutor sharply questioned a computer expert during cross-examination. Duggar is charged with receiving and possessing child pornography and faces up to 20 years in prison on each count if convicted. During cross-examination Tuesday,

By EVA VERGARA Associated Press SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Both houses of Chile’s congress have voted to approve a marriage equality bill that also includes authorization for adoptions by same-sex couples. The initiative was approved Tuesday first by the Senate on a 21-8 vote, with three abstentions, and shortly afterward by the Chamber of Deputies

By EILEEN NG Associated Press PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s Appeal Court has upheld the conviction and 12-year jail sentence of ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak linked to the massive looting of the 1MDB state investment fund that brought down his government in 2018. Najib was found guilty by a high court in July 2020 of abuse

By DAVID EGGERT and COREY WILLIAMS Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s attorney general says her office will review events that occurred before the mass shooting that left four students dead at Oxford High School, despite the district’s rejection of her offer to be a third-party investigator. Dana Nessel said Tuesday that “what we

By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press St. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Normally giving food to wild animals is considered off limits. But now a dire situation in Florida with more than 1,000 manatees dying from starvation is leading officials to consider an unprecedented test feeding plan. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state environmental officials

By JANIE HAR Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Oakland City Council has approved a proposal by Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf to add two new police academies and unfreeze positions within the department to add 60 new officers. It’s a reversal for the mayor and a city council at the forefront of a national

By SYLVIE CORBET and NICOLAS VAUX-MONTAGNY Associated Press PARIS (AP) — A suspect in the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been arrested in France. A French judicial official said the suspect was being held Tuesday on the basis of a Turkish arrest warrant. He requested not being named in accordance with the

By SEAN MURPHY Associated Press At former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter’s manslaughter trial for fatally shooting Daunte Wright, a Black motorist, the core of her defense is clear: She says she meant to use her Taser but grabbed her handgun instead. Experts say such cases are rare, but they do happen. The prosecution’s use-of-force

By BRIAN SLODYSKO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has rejected a bid to stop a U.S. arms sale to Saudi Arabia. Lawmakers from both parties sought to prevent President Joe Biden’s administration from selling more than $650 million worth of weapons to the country. But the procedural motion from Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by actress Rose McGowan alleging that Harvey Weinstein engaged in racketeering to silence her before she accused him of rape. Judge Otis Wright dismissed the suit Monday because McGowan, who fired her lawyers last month, failed to

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — New coronavirus infections in South Korea exceeded 7,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic as hours-long lines snaked around testing stations in the capital Seoul amid a worsening virus crisis. More than 5,600 of the new 7,175 cases were reported in