AP National News

By JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona police officer was charged with aggravated assault for his actions during an encounter four years ago in which he is accused of shooting a handcuffed man in the testicles with a stun gun. Glendale Officer Matthew Schneider, who has since retired, faces three felony assault

By GERARDO CARRILLO and MARCO UGARTE Associated Press TULA, Mexico (AP) — Two days after flooding claimed at least 14 lives north of Mexico’s capital, the streets of Tula remain submerged as full reservoirs upstream continued releasing more water. Mexican authorities say heavy rains in recent days in central Mexico filled the area’s reservoirs to

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California public schools and colleges would have to stock their restrooms with free menstrual products under legislation sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia’s bill that passed Thursday builds on her 2017 law requiring low-income schools in disadvantaged areas to provide students with free

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kentucky have voted in a special session to scrap a statewide mask mandate in schools. The GOP-dominated legislature passed the pandemic measure Thursday during the third day of a special session. The bill approved Thursday sets education policies in response to disruptions caused

By MICHAEL BIESECKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Louisiana wildlife officials say they have documented more than 100 oil-soaked birds after crude oil spilled from a refinery flooded during Hurricane Ida. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said Thursday that a growing number of oiled birds had been observed within heavy pockets of oil

By BEN FOX Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Transportation Security Administration is increasing the penalty for people who violate the mandate to wear masks on planes, trains and other forms of transportation to help stop the spread of COVID-19. President Joe Biden warns that violators should “be prepared to pay.” First-time offenders would face

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A former city commissioner who once ran the Florida Democratic Party will serve prison time for taking money from Uber and undercover FBI agents in exchange for his influence. A federal judge sentenced former Tallahassee Commissioner Scott Maddox to five years in prison on corruption charges.

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court has ruled that not guilty verdicts in criminal cases must be unanimous, marking a significant change in how jury trials are conducted in the U.S. territory. For nearly seven decades, Puerto Rico’s constitution has allowed a minimum of nine jurors

By SEAN MURPHY The Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s Supreme Court has agreed to hear a prosecutor’s request that two members of the state’s Pardon and Parole Board should not be allowed to vote on a high-profile death row inmate’s commutation hearing. Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater wants the high court to

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled Northern California county officials can’t stop trucks from delivering water to Hmong farmers who are illegally growing marijuana. The judge says the practice raises “serious questions” about racial discrimination and leaves the growers without a source of water for drinking, bathing and growing food. The judge

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California would bar police from using certain face-down holds that have led to multiple unintended deaths under a measure headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom. The bill expands on the state’s ban on chokeholds in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis policeman. The Assembly

By MARK PRATT Associated Press Beards aren’t just cool and trendy — they might also be an evolutionary development to help protect a man’s delicate facial bones from a punch to the face. That’s the conclusion of a trio of scientists from the University of Utah who are among the winners of this year’s spoof

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted former Kansas state Rep. Michael Capps on 19 counts alleging that he tried to defraud federal, state and county government organizations out of more than $450,000 in coronavirus relief funding. The U.S. Attorney’s office in Kansas said in a news release Thursday that the Wichita

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A new study finds that about a third of the female service members in the Air Force and Space Force say they’ve experienced sexual harassment and many can describe accounts of sexism and a stigma associated with pregnancy and maternity leave. The review, done by the

CAIRO, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia sheriff says jury selection in a death penalty trial has been delayed while an attorney gets tested for the coronavirus. Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said proceedings that began last week in the murder trial of Donnie Russell Rowe were halted Thursday while a prosecutor awaits results of a

By MARÍA VERZA Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Susana Dueñas could hardly believe the news: Mexico’s Supreme Court had decided that abortion could not be considered a crime. The ruling came too late for the 38-year-old woman who had spent six and a half years in prison on that charge after what she says

By STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota lawmakers are being asked to call a special session to consider impeaching the attorney general for his conduct in a car crash that killed a pedestrian last year. In a joint statement released Thursday, the House Speaker, House Republican leader and House Democratic

By ALEXANDRA JAFFE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 shattered Americans’ sense of security and ushered in an era of nebulous threats, hidden enemies and a seemingly never-ending war on terror. And for then-Sen. Joe Biden they marked a new phase of his public life. The chairman of the Senate

By DON BABWIN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Government and airline officials are celebrating the conclusion of a 16-year, $6 billion project to untangle the jumble of runways at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. During a Thursday ceremony at the airport, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the O’Hare Modernization Project, which mostly involved extending existing runways

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer McDonald’s will begin selling a vegan burger in the United Kingdom and Ireland this month. The McPlant burger, which was developed with Beyond Meat, features a plant-based patty on a vegan sesame bun with vegan cheese and vegan sauce. Both the patty and the cheese are made with pea