AP National News

By MIKE CATALINI Associated Press TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey’s decidedly liberal shift under first-term Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy is facing a test as he seeks reelection against Republican Jack Ciattarelli. Under Murphy, the state has implemented paid sick leave, added taxpayer-funded community college and legalized recreational marijuana. Murphy has also received high marks

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (AP) — Police say Ecuadorian sprinter Alex Quiñónez was fatally shot in the port city of Guayaquil. He was 32. Quiñónez became a national hero in 2012 when he reached the 200 meter final at the London Games, finishing seventh in a race won by Usain Bolt. There were no immediate report of

By JACK JEFFERY Associated Press RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Activists have called on the international community to help reverse Israel’s unprecedented designation of six Palestinian human rights groups as terrorist organizations. The terror label enables Israel to raid the groups’ offices, seize assets and arrest employees. Israel alleges the groups are a front for

By LEANNE ITALIE AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Conjurers and cheats, hustlers and hoaxsters. Those were some of the things that interested the grizzled Ricky Jay. The widow of the sleight-of-hand artist, card shark, author and scholar turned over nearly 2,000 curiosities he collected to Sotheby’s for an unusual upcoming auction. Jay died

PALERMO, Italy (AP) — U.S. actor Richard Gere is officially on the witness list to testify at the trial against Italy’s right-wing former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini. Salvini went on trial Saturday on charges of kidnapping for refusing in 2019 to allow a Spanish migrant rescue ship to dock in Sicily, keeping the people onboard

By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Members of Maine’s farming community are divided over the possibility of a first-in-the-nation right-to-food amendment. Supporters say the constitutional amendment is about ensuring the right to grow vegetables and raise livestock in an era when corporatization threatens local ownership of the food supply. Opponents and skeptics

By SARAH RANKIN Associated Press RICHMOND, Va (AP) — Virginia Democrats are hoping the power of the presidency can help them retain the governor’s seat in the closely watched and tightly contested election less than two weeks away. Former President Barack Obama plans to campaign with Terry McAuliffe in Richmond on Saturday afternoon and President

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The new governor of a northwestern Iranian province has been slapped in the face by an angry man during his inauguration. The attack Saturday represented an unusual breach of security in the Islamic Republic during a ceremony attended by the country’s interior minister. A

By ADEL OMRAN Associated Press TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Libya’s chief diplomat says the transitional government is working to hold long-awaited elections later this year, but security and political and economic stability are necessary for a peaceful transition to a new government. Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush spoke with The Associated Press late Friday in the

By SAMYA KULLAB and TAMEEM AKHGAR Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Officials say a roadside bombing targeting a Taliban vehicle in eastern Afghanistan has killed at least two civilians, including a child. Four others were wounded. Two bombs detonated Saturday as a Taliban vehicle was passing by, killing one child. A district police chief

By MARC LEVY Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republicans in at least four states where Democrats control the governor’s office, the legislature or both are pursuing statewide ballot initiatives or veto-proof proposals to enact voter ID restrictions and other changes to election law. They are California, Massachusetts, Michigan and Pennsylvania. In conservative Nebraska, Republicans

By DAVID CRARY and HOLLY MEYER Associated Press There’s an intriguing subplot to President Joe Biden’s meeting with Pope Francis this coming Friday at the Vatican. The world’s two most prominent Roman Catholics will be celebrating a shared outlook on church teaching and vital social issues such as climate change and economic inequality. But at

By ANNIE MA Associated Press Complications wrought by the pandemic persist in schools and often fall hardest on those least able to weather them. Those include families without transportation, people with limited income or other financial hardship, people who don’t speak English, and children with special needs. Coronavirus outbreaks in schools and individual quarantine orders

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has accused the Biden administration of raising military tensions with Pyongyang’s closest ally China through its support of Taiwan. An official quoted by state media said the U.S. has engaged in “reckless” backing of Taiwan, a self-ruled island China claims as part of

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain says prison employees will do once-a-week rehearsals to prepare for the state’s first execution since 2012. Cain tells The Associated Press that rehearsals are usually done once a month at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. He says employees use

By MATTHEW BARAKAT Associated Press FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — As Election Day approaches in Virginia, one thing is certain: The state will elect its first woman and first woman of color to the lieutenant governor post. The two women seeking the job are fond of touting their unconventional political backgrounds. The Republican, Winsome Sears,

MILAN (AP) — Italy’s right-wing former interior minister, Matteo Salvini, has gone on trial charged with kidnapping for refusing in 2019 to allow a Spanish migrant rescue ship to dock in Sicily, keeping the people onboard at sea for days. It is the first trial to go ahead against Salvini for his actions preventing migrant

By JIM HEINTZ Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russia is reporting a record high number of coronavirus infections and COVID-19 deaths as the country approaches a week of nonworking days aimed at stemming the sharp surge in cases. The national coronavirus task force said Saturday that 1,075 people died from the virus in the past

By BABAR DOGAR Associated Press LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A party spokesman and witnesses say thousands of supporters of a banned radical Islamist party departed the eastern Pakistan city of Lahore, clashing for a second straight day with police who lobbed tear gas into the crowd. The group began its journey Friday with the goal