AP National News

By KAT STAFFORD Associated Press The federal government deliberately targeted Black Lives Matter protesters via heavy-handed criminal prosecutions in an attempt to disrupt and discourage the global movement that swept the nation last summer in the wake of the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. That’s according to a new report released Wednesday by The

By CARLA K. JOHNSON AP Medical Writer U.S. health officials plan to offer COVID-19 booster shots to vaccinated Americans to shore up their protection amid the surging delta variant and evidence that the vaccines’ effectiveness is declining. The effort could start Sept. 20, pending an evaluation by the Food and Drug Administration and advisers to

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Yogananda Pittman, who was the top Capitol Police intelligence official when thousands of pro-Trump rioters descended in January and who served as the agency’s acting chief, is back in charge of intelligence. Officials are preparing for what’s expected to be a massive rally at

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A 13-year-old New Mexico boy accused of shooting and killing a classmate will remain in custody pending trial. A Children’s Court judge agreed with prosecutors Tuesday and ordered the boy to remain at the Bernalillo County Youth Services Center. He’s charged with an open count of murder and unlawful carrying of

By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press Former Purdue Pharma president and chair Richard Sackler says he, his family and the company do not have any responsibility for the opioid crisis in the United States. Sackler is a member of the family that owns the company. He testified Wednesday in a hearing to determine whether the company’s

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is urging Ethiopian leaders to find a peaceful resolution to the Tigray conflict in Ethiopia that has displaced tens of thousands and left millions hungry. He also said his country was willing to mediate between Ethiopia and Sudan to resolve a separate border dispute. Erdogan spoke

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Country star Garth Brooks is canceling his remaining stadium tour dates in five cities due to rising COVID-19 cases. Brooks had said weeks ago that he would be reassessing the tour in light of the surge in cases. Tickets will be refunded for shows scheduled in Cincinnati; Charlotte, North Carolina; Baltimore;

By JANET McCONNAUGHEY Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Local prosecutors have reached a $2 million settlement with a New Orleans man who spent 23 years in prison before being cleared on charges including rape and manslaughter. Robert Jones says that after so many years he welcomes what he calls “this measure of justice.” He

By YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Belarusian authorities have blocked the website of the country’s leading independent news agency and targeted some journalists with raids and detentions. Wednesday’s actions were the latest move in the Belarus government’s sweeping crackdown on independent media. Police searched the office of the BelaPAN news agency and

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The fall book season will be packed with new works by such high-profile authors as Jonathan Franzen, Sally Rooney and Colson Whitehead. It will also include novels and stories that refer to or center on the coronavirus. The pandemic has now lasted into a second

Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Walt Disney World is tweaking its face mask policy. Starting Thursday, the theme park resort in Florida will allow visitors to chose whether or not to wear face coverings in outdoor lines, outdoor theatres and outdoor attractions. Face coverings had been required previously. Face coverings will remain optional in

By FREIDA FRISARO and ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Students in Florida’s Broward County went back to school under a mask mandate Wednesday, even as their school board faces threats of penalties for defying Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, which says parents should decide whether their children wear masks. School officials

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press A federal civil rights lawsuit claims a Black woman who pulled off a road to change drivers during a trip with family members was attacked and knocked unconscious by two Northern California sheriff’s deputies. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, alleges the deputies then lied about the encounter to paramedics and on

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Country singer Sam Hunt has pleaded guilty to drinking and driving in Tennessee. The Tennessean reports Hunt entered the plea Wednesday in Davidson County Circuit Court to misdemeanor DUI charges. He was arrested in 2019 and charged with driving under the influence and violating open container law. An arrest warrant says

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson is urging European Union countries to help people displaced by conflict in Afghanistan to stay close to their homes or within the region. Johansson says the EU must act quickly.  She says Europe “should not wait until people stand at our

By DAVID BILLER and NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A Brazilian bishop has resigned less than a week after a video came to light that featured someone, purported to be him, masturbating. Pope Francis accepted Dom Tomé Ferreira da Silva’s resignation, according to statements from the Vatican, the National Conference of

By The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — What do you need to know about the R. Kelly sex trafficking trial? As the New York federal trial unfolds over the next month or so, expect to hear from multiple accusers who say the R&B superstar physically, sexually and psychologically dominated them. They say he was

By CURT ANDERSON AP Legal Affairs Writer An oceanfront park is emerging as the leading site for a memorial to the victims of the deadly condominium building collapse in Florida. The city of Miami Beach recently offered a portion of the park as the potential location to remember the June 24 collapse of the Champlain

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a group of people arrested after an armed standoff along a Massachusetts highway that challenged state courts’ jurisdiction over their case. The Rhode Island-based judge dismissed the complaint brought by the Rise of the Moors group, saying in his decision Tuesday that

BEIRUT (AP) — Turkey-backed Syrian forces and Syrian Kurdish fighters shelled one another’s positions in northern Syria, leaving at least five people dead and more than a dozen wounded. The U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said Turkish troops and Syrian fighters backed by Ankara shelled on Wednesday the area of Abu Rassine, killing a woman