AP National News

DALLAS (AP) — Marcus Lamb, CEO and founder of the conservative Christian Daystar Television Network who was outspoken against COVID-19 vaccines, has died at age 64 after contracting the virus. Daystar confirmed his death Tuesday. Lamb’s relatives have spoken over the past month about his battle with the virus. His wife, Joni, said he had

By LORNE COOK and DAVID KEYTON Associated Press RIGA, Latvia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is warning that President Vladimir Putin could quickly order an invasion of Ukraine if he has a pretext for doing so. But Blinken says NATO allies stand ready to inflict heavy sanctions on Russia’s economy if such

By LORNE COOK and DAVID KEYTON Associated Press RIGA, Latvia (AP) — NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says the military organization was a victim of mission creep in Afghanistan as the international community went from fighting extremists to trying to rebuild the conflict-torn country. Stoltenberg addressed NATO’s role on Wednesday after foreign ministers debated a

By MARCY GORDON AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Ex-Facebook employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen implored lawmakers to avoid falling into the usual congressional stalemate as they weigh proposals to curb abuses in social media platforms by limiting the companies’ free-speech protections against legal liability.  “Facebook wants you to get caught up in a long,

By DON BABWIN and SARA BURNETT Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago police detective says Jussie Smollett seemed upset when he learned a surveillance camera didn’t record what he described as a homophobic and racist attack. The ex-“Empire” actor is accused of lying to police when he reported he was the victim of the

By BRADY McCOMBS Associated Press DRAPER, Utah (AP) — The mother of a 10-year-old Utah girl who died by suicide is speaking out about the bullying and racial harassment that her daughter endured. Izzy Tichenor was autistic and the only Black student in her class in the town of Draper, near Salt Lake City. She

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska is asking a judge to toss out statements he made to federal authorities who were investigating illegal campaign contributions. The nine-term Republican alleges that a prosecutor made assurances that Fortenberry wasn’t their target. A motion filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in central California alleges

By CURT ANDERSON AP Legal Affairs Writer A Miami judge says a summer trial is likely for lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in damages from the collapse of a Florida beachfront condominium that killed 98 people. Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman said at a hearing Wednesday the time frame for a trial to begin would be

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of the Supreme Court’s conservative majority are suggesting they may make sweeping changes to limit abortion rights in the United States. The high court is hearing arguments Wednesday in which the justices are being asked to overturn the court’s historic 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — A Swedish company that provides customer care call centers and other services to businesses is building its North American headquarters in South Carolina. Transcom Worldwide AB says it will hire about 450 workers for its new location in Greenville over the next five years. The 26-year-old company has 69 customer service

By PARKER PURIFOY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a crowded scene outside the Supreme Court, where hundreds of abortion debate partisans are trading chants while justices hear highly anticipated arguments inside. “Whose choice?” “My choice!” was a frequent call-and-response Wednesday, countered by, “Hey hey, ho ho, Roe v. Wade has got to go.” Inside

The four teenagers killed by a fellow student at Oxford High School in Michigan are being remembered for their commitment to athletics, art and family. Madisyn Baldwin’s grandmother told WDIV-TV that the 17-year-old was a talented artist who loved to draw, read and write. The school’s football team said 16-year-old Tate Myre was a talented

By EMILIO MORENATTI Associated Press LOS LLANOS DE ARIDANE, Canary Islands (AP) — A fresh river of lava from the volcano on Spain’s La Palma island is threatening to engulf a parish church that has so far survived the eruption. The volcanic eruption on one of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean is showing

By DIANE JEANTET Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian health officials have confirmed a third known case of the omicron coronavirus variant. Officials are examining possible new measures to contain the spread of the new variant, such as requiring vaccine certificates from arriving passengers — or even possibly scrapping Carnival celebrations if conditions

By STEVE KARNOWSKI and AMY FORLITI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Prosecutors and attorneys for the suburban Minneapolis police officer charged in Daunte Wright’s shooting death have seated two more jurors for her trial, including a woman who said she owns a handgun and a stun gun. Kim Potter, who is white, is charged with

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Abortion rights are on the line at the Supreme Court in historic arguments over the landmark ruling nearly 50 years ago that declared a nationwide right to end a pregnancy. The court’s three liberal justices suggested in arguments Wednesday that it would severely damage the court’s legitimacy

By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The warming of the planet is taking a deadly toll on seabirds, which are in decline because of heatwaves, extreme weather, failure to reproduce and inadequate fish to eat. They include birds such as albatrosses off the Hawaiian islands and puffins off the Maine coast. The

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer Scientists in Chile have found the fossils of a strange new dinosaur species. This dog-sized dino had a tail weapon unlike the kind seen on any other animal. It slashed instead of clubbed or stabbed. Revealed in a study Wednesday, the dinosaur at first fooled researchers: They thought it

By RAF CASESRT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The chief of the European Union’s executive arm says EU nations should consider making COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory because too many people still refuse to get shots voluntarily. The EU-wide vaccination rate stands at 66%, and unexpectedly high case surges in much of the 27-nation bloc has led

By MATT OTT AP Business Reporter SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — U.S. manufacturing activity grew at a faster pace in November as companies continue to struggle to keep up with demand amid ongoing supply shortages and delays. The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, said Wednesday that its index of manufacturing