AP National News

By DON BABWIN and SARA BURNETT Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — A man who worked with Jussie Smollett says the former “Empire” actor recruited him and his brother to fake a homophobic and racist attack. Abimbola Osundairo is testifying Wednesday at Smollett’s trial. Osundairo was friends with Smollett and worked with him on the TV

By FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is holding a massive rally in Mexico City to mark the mid-way point in his six-year term, amid polls showing about two-thirds of Mexicans approve of his administration. López Obrador’s masterful use of televised news briefings, his folksy style and

By JILL COLVIN Associated Press A book by Donald Trump’s ex-chief of staff says Trump tested positive for COVID-19 three days before his first debate in September 2020 with Joe Biden and days earlier than that diagnosis was previously disclosed. Mark Meadows writes that the then-president received a negative test shortly after the positive test

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer A new study finds that climate change isn’t causing the devastating drought and famine in Madagascar. World Weather Attribution looks at weather extremes and uses established techniques to see if climate change is a factor. In the case of Madagascar, the international scientists could not find a significant impact

By KANTELE FRANKO Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A judge is weighing arguments about whether to dismiss the 25-count murder case against a central Ohio doctor accused of ordering excessive painkillers for hospital patients. William Husel’s lawyers say he was providing comfort care to the dying, not trying to kill them. Defense attorneys argued

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canada has officially narrowed its decade-long hunt for a new fighter jet to two choices as the federal government confirmed U.S. aerospace giant Boeing’s Super Hornet is out of the running to replace the military’s aging CF-18s. The announcement on Wednesday from Public Services and Procurement Canada came nearly a week

By JILL COLVIN Associated Press A book by Donald Trump’s ex-chief of staff says Trump tested positive for COVID-19 three days before his first debate in September 2020 with Joe Biden and days earlier than that diagnosis was previously disclosed. Mark Meadows writes that the-president received a negative test shortly after the positive test and

By SEAN MURPHY Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma board has rejected clemency for a man convicted and sentenced to die for his role in a quadruple slaying in 2005. The Pardon and Parole Board voted 4-1 on Wednesday against a clemency recommendation for 35-year-old Gilbert Postelle. The decision paves the way for

COLUMBUS, Ind. (AP) — The father of a 2-year-old girl whose body was found in a debris field in the East Fork of the White River has been charged with felony neglect of a dependent resulting in death. Bartholomew County Sheriff Matthew Myers said Wednesday that 39-year-old Jeremy Sweet of Columbus is also charged with

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — TV stations in Philadelphia, New York City and Cleveland are taking down the “Dr. Oz Show,” now that the show’s host, Mehmet Oz, has formally become a candidate for U.S. Senate. The stations were compelled by the Federal Communications Commission’s “equal time” rules that give rival candidates the ability to request

By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government could be heading for a temporary shutdown. Republicans in Congress are poised to stall a must-pass funding bill as they force a debate on rolling back the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates for some workers. Conservative Republicans in the House and

By BEN FINLEY Associated Press VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — Leaders in the Black community of Virginia Beach are calling for a federal investigation into the fatal police shooting of a Black man earlier this year. They said Wednesday that Donovon Lynch’s right to carry a gun for protection was ignored during a night of

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico announced a joint plan with the United States to send development and agricultural aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, to stem the wave of migration from those Central American countries. Mexico had long sought a U.S. commitment to fund President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s tree-planting program, known as ‘Sembrando

By RONALD BLUM and STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Baseball Writers IRVING, Texas (AP) — The clock ticked down toward the expiration of Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement at 11:59 p.m. EST and a likely management lockout ending the sport’s labor peace at 9,740 days over 26 1/2 years. Players and owners have appeared headed for

By DAVID EGGERT Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Democrats are vowing to push new gun-control legislation and to revive stalled bills in Michigan’s Republican-led Legislature following a mass shooting that left four high school students dead and others with serious injuries. But GOP leaders, who have opposed such measures, aren’t committing to policy changes.

By CHRISTINA LARSON AP Science Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Prehistoric footprints that have puzzled scientists since the 1970s are getting a second look. Were they left by an extinct species of bear or ape, or by early human ancestors? When famed paleontologist Mary Leakey first uncovered the footprints in Tanzania 40 years ago, the evidence

By TOM HAYS Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The defense at the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell is trying to cast doubt on a key accuser’s allegation that the British socialite helped financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually the woman for years, starting when she was 14. A lawyer confronted the witness on Wednesday with FBI documents

By COREY WILLIAMS and ED WHITE Associated Press OXFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A judge has ordered a Michigan boy charged in the shooting at Oxford High School to be moved from a juvenile facility to a county jail. Ethan Crumbley will be held without bond on charges of murder, attempted murder, terrorism causing death

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Even at a time football typically dominates television ratings, Thanksgiving week was notable. CBS’ turkey day telecast of the Dallas Cowboys against the Las Vegas Raiders reached 37.8 million people, the most-watched NFL regular-season game since Thanksgiving 1993. Saturday afternoon’s resumption of the Michigan-Ohio State

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Water agencies in drought-stricken California that serve 27 million residents won’t get any of the supplies they’ve requested from the state heading into 2022 other than what’s needed for health and safety. The Wednesday announcement marked the first time the Department of Water Resources has issued