AP National News

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on Germans to stand up to hatred, at a military ceremony bidding her farewell after 16 years in office. Merkel was honored with a traditional military musical performance and march in front of almost all the country’s political elite. The far-right Alternative for Germany wasn’t invited. In

By DON BABWIN and SARA BURNETT Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — A second man has testified that Jussie Smollett plotted a racist and anti-gay attack on himself and paid him and his brother to carry it out. Olabingo Osundairo testified Thursday that the former “Empire” actor gave them lines to shout and pointed out a

By KEVIN FREKING and LISA MASCARO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders reached agreement on a spending bill that would keep the government running through mid-February. But a temporary federal shutdown is still possible this weekend because some Republican senators are objecting to the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The House is expected to

By STEVE PEOPLES AP National Politics Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Vulnerable Democrats from Nevada to New Hampshire are promising to make abortion a centerpiece of their political strategy heading into the midterm elections. They’re betting that focusing on the divisive issue can beat back a red wave and preserve their delicate majorities in Congress.

By COREY WILLIAMS and ED WHITE Associated Press OXFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A prosecutor considering criminal charges against the parents of a boy accused of killing four students at a Michigan school says their actions went “far beyond negligence”. Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald says a gun “seems to have been just freely available”

By STEVE KARNOWSKI and AMY FORLITI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A 10th juror has been seated in the trial of the suburban Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright during a traffic stop in April. Former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter is charged with manslaughter in the death of Wright, a 20-year-old

By JESSICA MUNDIE Religion News Service Marlon Weekusk, a member of the Onion Lake Cree Nation, is known by his icon: a howling white wolf that has held significance for him throughout his spiritual journey as a Cree. As well known as Weekusk’s identity is to his fans in the small world of Indigenous gaming,

CAIRO (AP) — A Libyan court has ruled that a son of the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi can compete in next month’s presidential elections. With Thursday’s ruling, the court overturned a decision by the country’s top electoral body to disqualify Seif al-Islam as a candidate. The electoral committee had said last week that he

By JOHN FLESHER AP Environmental Writer Oil giant BP has agreed to pay a $512,450 penalty and reduce soot emissions from its Whiting refinery in Indiana. The company reached a consent agreement Thursday with regulators and activists who accused the company of violating an earlier deal. The sprawling facility is on the southwestern shore of

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg has announced he is stepping down just two months after taking over from predecessor Sebastian Kurz. In a written statement Schallenberg, a former foreign minister, said he would leave as soon as the conservative Austrian People’s Party names a new leader. Kurz was

By ALEX DANIELS of The Chronicle of Philanthropy Chronicle of Philanthropy Grantmakers are increasing spending on education, hoping to turn the pandemic into an opportunity to fine tune the use of educational technology, develop better lesson plans, and build connections with families and after-school programs that could help reduce students’ mental-health challenges due to COVID.

By STEVE KARNOWSKI and AMY FORLITI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A 10th juror has been seated in the trial of the suburban Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright during a traffic stop in April. Former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter is charged with manslaughter in the death of Wright, a 20-year-old

NEW YORK (AP) — The United Nations headquarters in New York City has been locked down for several hours, after a man was seen pacing outside one of its main gates with what police said appeared to be a shotgun. Police negotiators were speaking with the man, who appeared to be in his 60s. Police

By KELLI KENNEDY Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — The official Art Basel show is back in Miami with all its eccentric glory, a dizzying list of celebrity attendees and dozens of spin-off shows already generating buzz, including a 10-year-old child painter and a $4 million Banksy sale. Fashion continues to play a prominent role with

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press Prosecutors are recommending a three-month prison sentence for a North Carolina woman accused of bringing her 14-year-old child into the U.S. Capitol when she and her husband stormed the building on Jan. 6. In a court filing Thursday, prosecutors say Virginia Marie “Jenny” Spencer and her husband, Christopher, had the

By BEN FINLEY and SARAH RANKIN Associated Press VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — Election officials in Virginia are painstakenly recounting votes in one of two unresolved races that will settle whether Virginia Republicans have reclaimed the majority in the House of Delegates. Elections officials and representatives from both parties in Virginia Beach took part Thursday

By TERRY SPENCER Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida police say a homeless man fatally stabbed a 14-year-old boy riding his bike during a random encounter and without apparent motive. Palm Beach Gardens police charged 39-year-old Semmie Lee Williams with first-degree murder for the Nov. 15 slaying of Ryan Rogers. The boy had

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The International Olympic Committee says it held a second video call with Peng Shuai. But again it didn’t release any video or transcript nor did the group make any reference to the tennis player’s sexual assault allegation against a former Chinese government official. The Grand Slam doubles champion and three-time Olympian