AP National News

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese mayor has apologized for biting the Olympic gold medal of a softball player who had paid a courtesy visit after Japan beat the United States in the final. Nagoya mayor Takashi Kawamura had praised pitcher Miu Goto during the Aug. 4 visit, but his eyes

By MATT SEDENSKY AP National Writer Sexual harassment allegations cost New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo his job. Now, many want to see him answer for a scandal that cut to the heart of his reputation as a pandemic hero and may have had life-and-death consequences — his administration’s handling of outbreaks in nursing homes. Families

TOKYO (AP) — A cargo ship has broken into two pieces after running aground in a northern Japanese port and is spilling oil into the sea. The ship’s Japanese operator says all 21 Chinese and Filipino crew members were safely rescued by the coast guard. Japan’s coast guard says the wood-chip carrier Crimson Polaris went

NEW YORK (AP) — Rachel Maddow is contributing a foreword to “Pegasus,” a book by two Paris-based investigative reporters on the phone malware allegedly used by governments to monitor and sometimes attack journalists, human rights activists and lawyers among others. Authors Laurent Richard and Sandrine Rigaud run Forbidden Stories, a nonprofit journalism organization which last

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algeria’s president says five firefighting planes sent by European countries are expected by Saturday to help the country battle wildfires that already have killed at least 69 people through the mountainous Berber region. Algeria is facing a heat wave like the ones fueling fires in Southern Europe. Two French water-dropping airplanes

SANDSUKY, Ohio (AP) — A NASA research facility in Ohio has been renamed after astronaut Neil Armstrong. The state’s U.S. senators led the efforts to change the name of the NASA Plum Brook Station in Sandusky to the Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility. Armstrong was born and grew up in Ohio and and returned shortly

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal Department of Health and Human Services is requiring employees who provide care for patients to get their COVID-19 shots. Thursday’s order from HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra will affect more than 25,000 clinicians, researchers, contractors, trainees and volunteers with the National Institutes of Health, the Indian

NEW ROADS, La. (AP) — A Louisiana sheriff says he’s investigating after three children riding on tubes on a waterway were struck and injured by a pontoon boat. Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff Rene Thibodeaux tells WBRZ-TV the occupants of the boat all fled after the Aug. 8 crash. Two of the children required hospital treatment.

By JANET McCONNAUGHEY and JIM MUSTIAN Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal narcotics agent known as the “white devil” has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for several corruption counts. Chad Scott was found guilty of stealing money from suspects, falsifying government records and committing perjury during a federal trial. His sentencing

NEWLAND, N.C. (AP) — Court documents say a woman whose body was found buried in concrete in the basement of her western North Carolina home had fired her caretaker in June, but neighbors said the former caretaker was still living in the woman’s home until late July. WSOC-TV reports that search warrants state Elizabeth Carserino

By TERRY TANG Associated Press A new report has found the frequency of anti-Asian incidents — from taunts to assaults — reported in the U.S. so far this year seems poised to surpass last year, despite months of political and social activism. Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition, has become the authority on gathering data

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s political crisis has taken a new twist after an anti-establishment party that narrowly won last month’s elections gave back its mandate to form a government. The country now appears headed for yet another election. The move by the There is Such a People party of popular TV entertainer Slavi Trifonov

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell for a third straight time last week, the latest sign that employers are laying off fewer people as they struggle to fill a record number of open jobs and meet a surge in consumer demand. Thursday’s report from

MIAMI (AP) — A private bidder is willing to offering up to $120 million to purchase the Miami-area oceanfront property where the collapsed Champlain Towers South building once stood. The offer was revealed Wednesday during a hearing before Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman. He’s overseeing the dozens of lawsuits that have been filed since the condominium

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Thousands are expected to attend the opening Thursday of the 10-day multi-national LGBT+ festival that will include a global pride event in southern Sweden and a 22-sports tournament in nearby Copenhagen. The two-in-one event — Copenhagen 2021 — combines World Pride and EuroGames where some 2,000 athletes from more than 50

By KAREN MATTHEWS Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul says she plans to run for governor in her own right after serving out the rest of Andrew Cuomo’s term. Hochul told NBC’s “Today” show on Thursday that she fully expects to run for governor because she is “the most prepared person”

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation at the wholesale level jumped a higher-than-expected 1% in July, disappointing hopes for a slowdown in price increases. The Labor Department reported Thursday that the July gain in its producer price index, which measures price pressures before they reach consumers, matched the June increase with

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — Facebook’s ownership of Giphy will hurt competition for animated images, U.K. regulators said Thursday following an investigation. The Competition and Markets Authority said in provisional findings that the acquisition would hurt competition among social media platforms because there’s only one other big provider of GIFs, Google’s

By The Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Stevie Wonder and Common will perform together for the seventh Stand Up To Cancer telethon. Matthew McConaughey, Chandra Wilson and Jennifer Garner are among the celebrities helping to raise money for research. Brittany Howard also will perform on the hourlong special on Saturday, Aug. 21. Anthony Anderson,

By FRANCES D’EMILIO Associated Press ROME (AP) — Stifling heat is gripping much of Southern Europe, and forecasters say worse is expected to come. Throughout the Mediterranean region, days of hot weather already have driven people indoors at midday, spoiled crops and complicated the challenge of firefighters battling wildfires. Barcelona officials opened museums, and libraries