AP National News

By ADEL OMRAN Associated Press TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Libya’s interim prime minister says he’ll run for president if that’s what the people want. The announcement comes a day after the son of the country’s late dictator Moammar Gadhafi emerged after years of hiding and announced his own candidacy for the country’s top office. The

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is signing his $1 trillion infrastructure deal into law on the White House lawn, with a smattering of Republican lawmakers on hand for what could be one of the last shows of bipartisanship ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. The president hopes to use

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Las Vegas business executive whose voter fraud claim was featured by state Republicans in November 2020 as proof of tainted votes has agreed to plead guilty to voting more than once in the same election. According to a plea agreement filed Monday, Donald “Kirk” Hartle

COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia district attorney has  pleaded guilty to several charges against him and agreed to resign from office. Mark Jones’ plea came as jurors were deliberating Monday after hearing evidence in the state’s case against him last week. Jones took office in January, overseeing the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit serving several counties

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer As the biggest cryptocurrencies flirt with record highs in value, they are increasingly becoming bigger sources of revenue for charities. However, the number of charities accepting the virtual currencies, known for their volatility, remains limited. According to CoinGecko pricing, the world of crypto recently pushed past $3 trillion in

By DYLAN LOVAN Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Federal prosecutors in Kentucky have ended their case against four former coal company executives. A former safety director testified Monday about how he attempted to cheat underground safety rules. The former Armstrong Coal officials are accused of ordering workers to skirt dust sampling regulations. Ron Ivy,

By TODD RICHMOND Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — On the surface, it looked like prosecutors would convict Kyle Rittenhouse on at least one charge in his murder trial — being a minor in possession of a firearm. Rittenhouse was 17 when he shot three people during a protest against police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin,

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida lawmakers have begun debating a package of bills to combat coronavirus vaccine mandates, continuing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ fight against virus rules. The weeklong special legislative session in the GOP-controlled statehouse includes proposals to let workers opt out of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and allow parents

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina judge has set a trial date next summer for a political operative accused of ballot fraud involving a 2018 congressional election whose results ultimately got thrown out. Leslie McCrae Dowless appeared in Wake County court with his lawyer on Monday to address

Associated Press JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida-based company that owns the Firehouse Subs chain is in contract to be purchased by a Canadian company that owns Burger King, Popeye’s and Tim Horton’s fast-food restaurants. Restaurant Brands International said Monday that it had reached an agreement to acquire Jacksonville-based Firehouse Restaurant Group Inc. in a

By KIM CHANDLER Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) —  An Alabama judge accused of violating judicial rules with her criticism of the death penalty is going before a disciplinary court on ethics charges. A complaint before the Alabama Court of the Judiciary on Monday says Jefferson County Circuit Judge Tracie Todd wrongly became embroiled in

By SCOTT BAUER, MICHAEL TARM and AMY FORLITI Associated Press KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Prosecutors say Kyle Rittenhouse provoked bloodshed on the streets of Kenosha by bringing a semi-automatic rifle to a protest and menacing others. But Rittenhouse’s attorney said his client was ambushed by the first man he shot and killed during a night

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A powerful Philadelphia labor leader and a city council member were found guilty of conspiracy charges Monday in a corruption trial. The conviction Monday followed a lengthy FBI investigation. Prosecutors said John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty kept a union electrician-turned-Philadelphia City Council member Bobby Henon on the payroll to help his union keep

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon has appeared before a judge to face federal contempt charges for defying a subpoena from a House committee investigating January’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Bannon appeared briefly before a federal magistrate judge in Washington on Monday, hours

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are back this month with a new album of covers, 14 years after their surprise hit with critics and fans, “Raising Sand.” The new album, “Raise the Roof” out Friday from Rounder Records, follows the blueprint of the first, including

By LISA BAUMANN Associated Press BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — Heavy rainfall in Washington is causing flooding that forced school closures and evacuation warnings and stranded some in their cars as storms continued in the Pacific Northwest. About 77,0000 customers were without power in western Washington at one point Monday. A state of emergency for the

By STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Federal safety regulators reach an agreement with Smithfield Foods to settle a contested citation of the company’s coronavirus safety measures during a massive outbreak last year at the South Dakota pork processing plant. The company will develop a plan to prevent infectious diseases at meatpacking

By DENISE LAVOIE Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia officials have certified the results of the Nov. 2 election, with Republicans ahead by two seats in the House of Delegates. But two races where Republicans are leading by razor-thin margins are eligible for recounts. Monday’s certified results show Republicans with 52 seats to 48

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Several thousand people have rallied in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, demanding that authorities in the ex-Soviet nation transfer the jailed ex-president to a civilian hospital amid reports that his health is deteriorating after weeks of being on a hunger strike. Mikheil Saakashvili, 53, announced a hunger strike shortly after his

By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer Health care costs rise every year, but the nation’s biggest employers still see insurance coverage as an important benefit to provide. They just struggle getting the health care system to deliver what their workers need, according to Elizabeth Mitchell, CEO of the Purchaser Business Group on Health. Mitchell’s nonprofit