AP National News

By MARCOS ALEMÁN and CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN Associated Press BERLIN, El Salvador (AP) — At a geothermal power plant near El Salvador’s Tecapa volcano, 300 computers whir inside a trailer as they make complex mathematical calculations day and night verifying transactions for the cryptocurrency bitcoin. The pilot project has inspired a rash of volcano emojis from

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials are setting the stage for a national COVID-19 vaccination campaign for younger children, inviting state officials to pre-order doses starting next week. In meetings scheduled in the next three weeks, federal officials plan to discuss making shots made by one manufacturer, Pfizer,

By WILL WEISSERT Associated Press EDISON, N.J. (AP) — First lady Jill Biden is campaigning for Democrats in Virginia’s and New Jersey’s governors’ races. Biden is appearing at events with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Terry McAuliffe, the former Virginia governor running to regain the post. The first lady has regularly traveled the country

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — More than a thousand people outraged over ongoing power outages in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico are marching to decry how the lack of electricity has affected their health, work and children’s schooling. Many of them demanded the ouster of Luma, a private

By MATTHEW DALY and PADMANANDA RAMA Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Indigenous groups and other environmental activists marched to the Capitol Friday as they continued a weeklong protest demanding that Congress and the Biden administration stop new fossil fuel projects and act with greater urgency on climate change. Nearly 80 people were arrested on the

By DÉBORA ÁLVARES Associated Press BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil’s Vice-President Hamilton Mourão has said that a deployment of soldiers to the Amazon rainforest will end, just weeks before the global climate conference where the administration aims to show commitment to curbing illegal deforestation. Nearly 3,000 soldiers have been in the Amazon for just over

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s prime minister announced a series of steps on Friday for his country’s transition to democracy less than a month after a coup attempt rocked the country’s leadership. In a speech Friday Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok called the coup attempt  an ‘alarm bell’ that should awaken people to causes of the country’s

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — A central California county executive is pledging immediate changes after a news report revealed that vulnerable children removed from their families were living in deplorable conditions inside a child welfare office building. The Fresno Bee reported this week that children were sleeping on conference tables, eating fast food and urinating into

By MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The Democrat who will likely become New York City’s next mayor says he does not intend to get rid of the city’s program for gifted and talented students. Comments by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams to CNN on Friday would mean nipping plans that outgoing

Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California has added the Pacific leatherback sea turtle to its endangered species list. The California Fish and Game Commission voted Thursday to add the turtles under the state’s Endangered Species Act. Leatherback sea turtles are the world’s largest turtle species and have been on the federal endangered species list

By STAN CHOE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks ended higher again on Wall Street Friday, giving the S&P 500 its best week since July. The benchmark index added 0.7% and ended the week up 1.8%. Encouraging reports on the economy and corporate profits helped the market steady itself following a shaky few weeks.

By JESSICA GRESKO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is looking to the U.S. Supreme Court in an attempt to halt a restrictive Texas law that has banned most abortions since September. This follows a federal appeals court decision Thursday that said the Texas law should stay in force while a Department of

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials are setting the stage for a national COVID-19 vaccination campaign for younger children, inviting state officials to pre-order doses starting next week. In meetings scheduled in the next three weeks, federal officials plan to discuss making shots made by one manufacturer, Pfizer,

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and its closest partners are stepping up pressure on Iran to return to stalled nuclear negotiations, warning that it will face greater international isolation, new economic penalties and possibly military action if does not. In a series of high-level meetings this week, U.S.,

By SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Charise Castro Smith, the first Latino woman to co-direct a Walt Disney Animation Studios movie, admits that she has felt terrified at times. But when the chance to work on “Encanto” came around she had no doubts. Castro Smith says the movie is a chance for

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — Far from the White House, Donald Trump continues to circle the Republican Party. And still circling Trump is Rep. Adam Schiff. The Intelligence Committee chairman who led the first Trump impeachment and probed the former president’s ties to Russian election interference is now turning his attention

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida task force is recommending several changes in the state’s condominium laws to ensure the safety of aging structures in the wake of a building collapse that killed 98 people. The task force formed by the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the

CHICAGO (AP) — A judge in Chicago has denied a last-ditch effort to dismiss a criminal case against actor Jussie Smollett. Smollett is accused of lying to police when he reported that two masked men attacked him in downtown Chicago in January 2019. Smollett’s lawyer argued that his rights were being violated since he had

By STEFANIE DAZIO and LOU KESTEN Associated Press ORANGE, Calif. (AP) — Bill Clinton will remain hospitalized overnight as he recovers from a urological infection in a Southern California hospital. A spokesman says Clinton’s in excellent spirits and his health indicators are “trending in the right direction,” but he will remain overnight in order to

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities have added two publishers to their list of foreign agents, in what critics say is an ongoing effort to sideline reporting critical of the government. Putting a media organization on the list requires it to identify its stories as produced by a foreign agent, a term that carries strong pejorative