AP National News

By ZEINA KARAM and SARAH EL DEEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — At least six people have been killed and dozens wounded in armed clashes in Beirut. The clashes unfolded Thursday during protests organized by the militant Hezbollah group and its allies against the lead investigator into last year’s massive blast at the city’s port.

By SUMMER BALLENTINE and JIM SALTER Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Republican Gov. Mike Parson has condemned one of Missouri’s largest newspapers for exposing a flaw in a state database that allowed public access to thousands of teachers’ Social Security numbers. Parson’s criticism of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Thursday came even though

By PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas ban on most abortions is getting a show of support from 18 other states. It comes as clinics and the Biden administration on Thursday waited for a ruling to determine whether the most restrictive abortion law in the U.S. can remain in place.

ROME (AP) — It’s the end of business for Italy’s bankrupt national carrier Alitalia, and an end of an era for Italy. Alitalia is flying it final flight on Thursday, from Cagliari, Sardinia to Rome, before it formally folds. Alitalia operated in the red for more than a decade will be replaced by a new

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Gary Paulsen, the acclaimed and prolific children’s author who often drew upon his rural affinities and wide-ranging adventures for tales that included “Hatchet,” “Brian’s Winter” and “Dogsong,” has died at age 82. Random House Children’s Books says Paulsen died Wednesday. Literary agent Jennifer Flannery said

By SAM METZ AP / Report for America GARDNERVILLE, Nev. (AP) — Republican Adam Laxalt hopes to win the race for Nevada’s U.S. Senate seat by drawing stark contrast between his positions and the direction he says Democrats and their allies in Big Tech, Hollywood and the media are taking the country. He launched his

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A U.S. judge has set a two-week deadline for a Libyan military commander to answer questions in a lawsuit accusing him of war crimes. Khalifa Hifter, commander of the self-styled Libyan National Army, is a defendant in multiple federal lawsuits in Virginia accusing him of killings and torture in that country’s

By MARYCLAIRE DALE Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A prominent Bill Cosby accuser has filed suit Thursday against the actor over a 1990 hotel room encounter in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Lili Bernard’s lawsuit comes just before the state’s two-year window to file older sexual assault claims expires. Bernard tells The Associated Press she was

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Greece are expanding a defense cooperation deal that will grant American forces broader use of bases in that country. Thursday’s deal comes as Greece deals with tensions with its neighbor and fellow NATO member, Turkey. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed the

By EMILIO SANABRIA and DIANE JEANTET Associated Press HERNANDARIAS, Paraguay (AP) — The gigantic Itaipu hydroelectric dam straddling the Brazil-Paraguay border is feeling the heat of Brazil’s worst drought in nine decades. According to Itaipu’s website, 2020  was the was one of the driest years in the plant’s history, with power output at its lowest

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s military chief says that the leader of an Islamic State-linked group has been killed. The alleged death of Abu Musab al-Barnawi was not immediately confirmed by the group and there was no immediate way to corroborate the claim. Gen. Lucky Irabor, Nigeria’s chief of defense

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MATTHEW PERRONE Associated Press A panel of U.S. health advisers has endorsed booster shots for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. The advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted Thursday to recommend a lower-dose booster shot for seniors and other high-risk groups. Already millions who got their initial Pfizer shots at least six

By FRANKLIN BRICEÑO Associated Press LIMA, Peru (AP) — The leader of the Marxist party that carried Pedro Castillo to Peru’s presidency says it won’t support his newly named Cabinet. The Free Peru party chief Vladimir Cerrón said on his Twitter account that the party´s deputies won’t give a vote of confidence to the new

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal authorities are accusing a fugitive of selling forged paintings by contemporary artist Raymond Pettibon. They say Christian Rosa fled the United States last year and remains at large. An indictment filed in New York City alleges the fraud centered on a well-known series of paintings by Pettibon depicting huge ocean

GRAMBLING, La. (AP) — Investigators for Louisiana State Police are looking for a suspect in a shooting on the Grambling State University campus this week that killed one person. A university news release says the shooting happened shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday. The release said the gunfire involved two people who were not students. One

By ZEINA KARAM and SARAH EL DEEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — At least six people have been killed and dozens wounded in armed clashes in Beirut. The clashes unfolded Thursday during protests organized by the militant Hezbollah group and its allies against the lead investigator into last year’s massive blast at the city’s port.

By MARCY GORDON AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators say they are cracking down on what they’re calling an explosion of businesses’ use of fake reviews and other misleading messages to promote their products and services on social media. The Federal Trade Commission says it has warned hundreds of major corporations and smaller

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) — A former Marine battalion commander who was relieved of his duties after making comments criticizing the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has pleaded guilty in a special court-martial. An attorney representing Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller confirmed in a text message that his client pleaded guilty at Thursday’s court-martial at Camp Lejeune,

By AMY FORLITI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former suburban Minneapolis police officer who has said she meant to use a Taser instead of a handgun when she shot and killed Daunte Wright in April is laying out her potential defenses. Former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter’s trial is set to start Nov. 30.

By ED WHITE Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Michigan’s attorney general says new evidence and fresh eyes have led to involuntary manslaughter charges against four security guards in the 2014 death of a Black man. McKenzie Cochran stopped breathing during a struggle with the guards at a suburban Detroit mall. Jessica Cooper, the Oakland County