AP National News

By THOMAS PEIPERT Associated Press LAKEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The creators of the irreverent animated television series “South Park” are buying Casa Bonita, a quirky restaurant in suburban Denver that was featured on the show. Matt Stone and Trey Parker said Friday they had come to an agreement with the current owners of the restaurant,

By HOLLY RAMER Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Troy Price, who resigned as chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party after a disastrous leadoff caucus in 2020, is taking a new job in the fellow first-in-the-nation state New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Democratic Party says Price will start work as its executive director on Monday

SAN DIEGO (AP) — No toxicology sample was taken from the San Diego deputy who the sheriff claimed had overdosed from fentanyl exposure. San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore has faced sharp criticism from public health experts following his claim that Deputy David Faiivae had a near-death experience after his face came within inches of

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Residents of yet another township in western Mexico have begun fleeing, after they were caught in the crossfire of turf battles between rival drug cartels. The parish priest of the town of Coalcoman said in a letter that roads had been cut and townspeople had trouble getting supplies. Local media posted

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer U.S. weather officials say Earth in July was the hottest month ever recorded. Friday’s announcement by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the global average temperature of nearly 62.1 degrees in July edged records set in 2016 and tied in 2019 and 2020. Records go back 142 years.

DETROIT (AP) — Stellantis is recalling more than 266,000 pickup trucks mainly in North America because the side air bags can explode without warning and hurl shrapnel.  Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler, says the recall covers certain Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups from 2015 through 2020. Also included are some previous generation Ram 1500 pickups known

BEIRUT (AP) — Severe fuel shortages and wide power cuts around Lebanon have paralyzed the tiny country, with some businesses temporarily closing down. Top security officials held a meeting on Friday to discuss how to act amid nationwide protests. Lebanon has for decades suffered electricity cuts, partly because of widespread corruption and mismanagement. The Mediterranean

By JIM SALTER Associated Press St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts says two deputies who worked secondary jobs providing security for U.S. Rep. Cori Bush were fired for failing to get approval for their moonlighting, and not because of who they worked for. Deputies Tylance Jackson and Maurice Thompson were fired last month. Their firings were

By MARINA VILLENEUVE Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s top Democrat in the Assembly said Friday that his chamber will suspend its impeachment investigation into Gov. Andrew Cuomo once he steps down. Cuomo announced his upcoming resignation on Tuesday, days after he faced increasing pressure to resign or face ouster by the Democratic-controlled

By KRISTIN M. HALL AP Entertainment Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nanci Griffith, the Grammy-winning folk singer-songwriter from Texas whose literary songs like “Love at the Five and Dime” celebrated the South, has died. She was 68.  Her management company says Griffith died Friday. Gold Mountain Entertainment did not provide a cause of death. Griffith,

By ZEINA KARAM and AHMAD SEIR Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban’s lightning advance across Afghanistan has stirred fears they will reimpose their fundamentalist interpretation of Islam and all but eliminate women’s rights. Before they were ousted by the U.S. invasion in 2001, the Taliban forbade girls an education and women the right

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A major steelmaker is calling off plans for a $120 million expansion of its steel complex in the Louisiana community of Convent. The Times-Picayune|The New Orleans Advocate reports that Nucor Corp. recently informed state environmental officials of its decision. Nucor said market conditions are the reason why it’s shelving plans for

By SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democrats filed a lawsuit Friday asking a federal court to throw out Wisconsin’s current congressional and legislative district boundaries, arguing the 10-year-old maps are unconstitutional and shouldn’t be used as the starting point for new districts set to be drawn in the coming months. The lawsuit

By PETER SMITH Associated Press A federal judge has issued a permanent injunction on behalf of religious health care providers who feared the Biden administration would interpret the Affordable Care Act as requiring them to perform abortions or gender-transition treatment against their conscience. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services had argued that it

By STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fontana police have released body-worn camera footage of a fatal shooting in February that left an unarmed man dead. Police were searching for a burglary suspect when an officer found the man sitting in a portable toilet. The officer fired once, fatally shooting Daverion Deauntre Kinard

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writers Americans at high risk from COVID-19 because of severely weakened immune systems are now allowed to get a third vaccination in hopes of better protection. The Food and Drug Administration has ruled that transplant recipients and other similarly immune-compromised patients can get a third dose of

By KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — The aftermath of the 2020 election put an intense spotlight on voting machines as supporters of former President Donald Trump claimed victory was stolen from him. While the theories were unproven, election security experts say real concerns exist that need to be addressed. In Georgia, for example,

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Public Schools says it will require all its employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they qualify for a medical or religious exemption. The district announced Friday that employees must be vaccinated by Oct. 15, unless they have the approved exemptions. In the meantime, employees who have not reported that

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and ASHRAF KHALIL Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A military base in the nation’s capital was locked down for about an hour and a half Friday, after an armed man ran onto the grounds following a report of gunfire on local streets surrounding the base. Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling posted a note on

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE AND MICHAEL R. BLOOD Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Republicans have long viewed Kevin Faulconer as someone moderate enough to win back the governor’s office in the heavily Democratic state. The former San Diego mayor is now testing that theory in the recall election against Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, but