AP National News

By DON BABWIN and SARA BURNETT Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Jussie Smollett has repeatedly denied he staged a racist, anti-gay attack on himself for publicity, telling a prosecutor that “there was no hoax on my part” and that two brothers who testified against him are “liars.” Lawyers for the former “Empire” actor rested their

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — University of Florida professors say fear of upsetting state politicians pervades the campus to the point that race-related references have been edited out of course materials. They also complain that faculty members have been restricted from participating in outside activities that challenge the priorities of the

By AAMER MADHANI and DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Face to face for over two hours, President Joe Biden and Russia’s Vladimir Putin have squared off in a secure video call focused on Ukraine. In the highly anticipated call on Tuesday, the U.S. president put Moscow on notice that a Russian invasion of

By KEVIN FREKING and LISA MASCARO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders have reached a deal to lift the nation’s debt limit. The agreement announced Tuesday will allow Democrats to increase the nation’s borrowing authority without any votes from Republicans, and likely averts another last-minute rush to avoid a federal default. The House passed

By ROB GILLIES Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — A meeting at the Vatican between Pope Francis and Indigenous Canadians who were abused at church-run boarding schools has been postponed because new coronavirus variant. The Assembly of First Nations said Tuesday that the delegation had planned to travel to Rome next week and meet with the

By RANDALL CHASE Associated Press DOVER, Del. (AP) — The judge presiding over the Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy issued a ruling Tuesday removing a former Delaware bankruptcy judge as a mediator. The judge said she was compelled to remove Kevin Carey after the Boy Scouts named him as the initial “special reviewer” who would

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 feeding plan. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state environmental officials intend

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Authorities in Mexico city say an illegal fireworks workshop blew up east of Mexico City, killing two children and four adults and injuring an undetermined number of people. Photographs of the scene distributed by the country’s National Guard on Tuesday show burned-out vehicles and brick and concrete homes with their walls

By JESSICA GRESKO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Merrick Garland finally made his Supreme Court debut on Tuesday. Not in a justice’s black robe, but wearing the striped pants and jacket with tails reserved for government lawyers appearing before the court. The onetime high court nominee was there to take part in tradition that dates

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. refugee chief is warning that the growing inability of the international community to restore peace in countries like Yemen, Libya and Ethiopia is forcing humanitarian and refugee organizations to work increasingly during conflicts which they can’t solve despite the expectations of many people

By CALEB JONES Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Flash flood warnings have been canceled for Hawaii, but the threat of heavy rain is persisting as a slow-moving storm system lingers over parts of the state. Rain was tapering off on Oahu on Tuesday, but bands of precipitation were still possible. And the threat of heavy

By DAMIAN TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks rose broadly on Wall Street Tuesday, adding to the market’s solid gains from a day earlier as investors wager that the new variant of the COVID-19 virus won’t pose a big threat to the economy. The S&P 500 rose 2.1% for its biggest gain since

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana’s Supreme Court has decided to hear arguments in a pastor’s fight against criminal charges he faces for violations of 2020 pandemic gathering limits. Tony Spell got national attention when he began to flout the state’s public health order in March 2020 at a time when much of the country was

By MATTHEW DALY and DAVID PITT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has lowered annual production requirements for ethanol and other biofuels to account for reduced demand as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, the administration is moving to reject requests by small oil refineries to be exempted from

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

A state disciplinary panel ruled an Alabama judge violated judicial rules with her criticism of how death penalty cases are handled. The Alabama Court of the Judiciary ruled Friday that Jefferson County Circuit Judge Tracie Todd had violated the canons of judicial ethics with her comments and actions in death penalty cases. Todd made national

MILAN (AP) — While many European theaters remain closed due to the pandemic, the famed Teatro alla Scala has opened its new season with the gala premiere of Verdi’s “Macbeth” to a fully seated house. Despite the glittery evening wear and a guest list that included Giorgio Armani and Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella, the mood

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department is proposing a new disclosure rule as part of efforts to combat corruption and terrorism. The proposal requires companies to identify who owns or controls their operations. As of now, many companies only need to disclose who formed the enterprise. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the proposal will

By GRANT PECK and ELAINE KURTENBACH Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — In sentencing Myanmar’s iconic democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to prison, the country’s generals have effectively exiled her from electoral politics. But that doesn’t mean the Southeast Asian nation is back to square one in its stop-start efforts to move toward democracy. In

By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — Pearl Harbor attack survivors gathered at the site of the bombing to remember more than 2,300 U.S. troops killed 80 years ago. About 30 survivors and 100 other veterans of the war participated in a ceremony at a pier overlooking the USS Arizona Memorial. They