AP National News

NEW YORK (AP) — The United Nations headquarters in New York City was locked down for several hours after a man was seen pacing outside with what police said appeared to be a shotgun. The man was taken into custody at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. During the standoff, the man held an object pointed at his

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities in Los Angeles announced more than a dozen arrests in recent smash-and-grab thefts at stores where nearly $340,000 worth of merchandise was stolen. The robberies are part of a rash of organized retail crime in California. Police Chief Michel Moore said Thursday that 14 people

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alec Baldwin says someone is responsible for the shooting on a New Mexico film set that killed a cinematographer, but it’s not him. In an ABC interview with George Stephanopoulos that aired Thursday night, Baldwin said he would do anything to undo what happened, but

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press United Nations (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly is urging all nations to observe a truce during the Beijing Winter Olympics starting in February, saying a halt to conflicts during one of the world’s premiere sporting events can be “a tool to promote peace, dialogue and reconciliation.” A resolution

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s Republican governor and the state attorney general are suing in federal court to exempt the state’s National Guard from a Biden administration COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Gov. Kevin Stitt argued in a statement Thursday that the Biden administration’s Defense Department overstepped its constitutional authority by subjecting the National Guard to the

By MICHELLE L. PRICE and BOBBY CAINA CALVAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The omicron variant of COVID-19 has been discovered in at least five states, showing yet again how mutations of the virus can circumnavigate the globe with speed and ease. Just a day after the first known U.S. case was found in

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Chinese ride-hailing service Didi Global Inc. says it will pull out of the New York Stock Exchange and shift its listing to Hong Kong as the ruling Communist Party tightens control over tech industries. Didi gave no explanation, but the company’s U.S. market debut in June

By KEVIN FREKING and LISA MASCARO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed a stopgap spending bill that avoids a short-term shutdown and funds the federal government through Feb. 18 after leaders defused a partisan standoff over federal vaccine mandates. The measure now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

By DAVID FISCHER Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Authorities say a South Florida teen tried to get $5,000 from a state senator after threatening to release sexually explicit photos of her. The Broward Sheriff’s Office says 19-year-old Jeremy Kamperveen was arrested last month and charged with extortion and cyberstalking. The arrest report didn’t name the

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California official says the state’s landmark law mandating women be placed on corporate boards is toothless and there are no plans to fine companies for not complying. A chief in the Secretary of State’s Office said Thursday that the law requiring publicly held corporations based

NEW YORK (AP) — Alec Baldwin said the only issue that matters in the shooting that killed a cinematographer on a New Mexico movie set is how the bullet ended up in the gun. In an ABC interview with George Stephanopoulos that aired Thursday night, Baldwin said “the only question to be resolved is where

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated Press SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Jake Dickert has been introduced as the new head football coach at Washington State University and vows to “bring the Pac-12 championship back here to Pullman, Washington.” The 38-year old was elevated last week from interim coach after the Cougars pounded rival Washington 40-13 in

By SAM METZ AP / Report for America CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — State workers enrolled in public employee healthcare plans in Nevada will be charged up to $55 per month if they aren’t vaccinated. The Nevada Public Employees’ Benefit Program Board voted on Thursday to impose a surcharge on unvaccinated workers to offset medical

By MARINA VILLENEUVE Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York officials have disclosed that the U.S. Department of Justice began a civil inquiry in August into sexual harassment claims made against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The exact nature of the inquiry made public Thursday and its current status was unclear. The office of Gov.

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is drawing on her native South Carolina’s struggles with racist violence during her time as governor, arguing Thursday that the Republican Party is best positioned to lead the country alongside a continued diversification of its ranks. Haley

By DON BABWIN and SARA BURNETT Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — The state has rested its case to jurors at Jussie Smollett’s trial after key testimony from two brothers who said the actor plotted a racist and anti-gay attack on himself and paid them to carry it out. After a three-day presentation of evidence, special

By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the House committee investigating the Capitol insurrection says the committee has interviewed about 250 people so far. That shows the swift pace of the investigation as lawmakers aim to compile the most comprehensive account yet of the violent attack and hold a series

By KEVIN FREKING and LISA MASCARO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The risk of a government shutdown appears to be easing. The House has passed a bill that funds the government through Feb. 18, avoiding a short-term shutdown after midnight Friday. The Senate is expected to soon follow suit and send the measure to President

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is drawing on her native South Carolina’s struggles with racist violence during her time as governor, arguing Thursday that the Republican Party is best positioned to lead the country alongside a continued diversification of its ranks. Haley

By ALEXANDRA JAFFE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has helped light the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse near the White House. Biden on Thursday remembered those lost to the COVID-19 pandemic and credited the American people for the optimism he says he feels about the country. Biden also paid tribute to