AP National News

By WILL WEISSERT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Republicans are battling school districts in their own states’ urban, heavily Democratic areas over whether students should be required to mask up as they head back to school. That is reigniting ideological divides over face coverings even as the latest coronavirus surge ravages the reddest, most

By FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (AP) — The Colorado River has been a go-to source of water for cities, tribes and farmers in the U.S. West for decades. But climate change, drought and increased demand are taking a toll. Next week, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is expected to declare the first-ever

By DAVID A. LIEB and ACACIA CORONADO Associated Press The once-a-decade battle over redistricting is set to be a showdown over the suburbs, as new census data showed rapid growth around some of the nation’s largest cities and shrinking population in many rural counties. From Texas to Florida, some of the biggest gains reported Thursday

By FABIOLA SANCHEZ Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — The government of Venezuela and its opposition are scheduled to begin a new dialogue this week, marking the third effort in four years. Mexico will host the round of discussions starting Friday. The discussions this time are surrounded by very low expectations from analysts and even

By TAMEEM AKHGAR, RAHIM FAIEZ and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban have captured two major Afghan cities, the country’s second- and third-largest after Kabul, and a strategic provincial capital. The developments on Thursday further squeeze the embattled government just weeks before the end of the American military mission. The seizure

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer Asian shares are mixed as caution set in among investors following another wobbly day of trading on Wall Street. Japan’s benchmark rose, but shares fell in China, and were little changed in South Korea and Australia. Worries remain in the region about the regulatory crackdown in China, as well

By JOE McDONALD and NG HAN GUAN Associated Press DANDONG, China (AP) — A Chinese court has sentenced a Canadian entrepreneur to 11 years in prison in a spying case that has been linked to Beijing’s pressure campaign against Canada’s government. The sentencing of Michael Spavor Wednesday prompted an unusual joint show of support for

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand plans to begin a cautious reopening of its borders to international travelers early next year. Government officials also said Thursday they would delay second shots of the Pfizer vaccine in order to speed up first shots and protect more people as the threat

By GARY FIELDS and MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has cleared the way for a defamation case by Dominion Voting Systems to proceed against Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani and Mike Lindell, allies of former President Donald Trump who had all falsely accused the company of rigging the 2020 presidential election.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An Army veteran who plotted to bomb a white supremacist rally in Southern California has been convicted of federal charges that could send him to prison for life. The U.S. attorney’s office says 28-year-old Mark Domingo of Los Angeles was convicted of providing material support to terrorism and attempting to use

By TODD RICHMOND Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wildlife officials in Wisconsin have set a 300-animal limit for this fall’s wolf hunt. The Department of Natural Resources board voted 5-2 Wednesday to set aside the department’s recommendation to cap kills at 130. The move is contentious after hunters killed 218 wolves in a court-mandated

CHICAGO (AP) — An Indiana man charged with supplying the semiautomatic handgun used to shoot two Chicago police officers — one fatally — has been released from jail on bond. Police Chief David Brown says he’s outraged that U.S Magistrate Jeffery Gilbert set Jamel Danzy’s bond at $4,500 Wednesday. Officer Ella French was killed and

By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats who have spent years investigating Donald Trump are entitled to some of the former president’s financial records. That’s according to a ruling Wednesday from a federal judge in Washington. The ruling empowering Congress to have records from 2017 and 2018 is the latest development in

By MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The NAACP is urging the Justice Department to investigate whether a federal crime was being committed when Texas Republicans threatened to have their Democratic colleagues arrested. The threats stemmed from their refusal to attend a legislative session in an effort to try and block a sweeping elections

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — When the Tokyo Olympics began during a rising number of coronavirus cases, the majority of the host nation were in opposition. Japanese Emperor Naruhito dropped the word “celebrating” from his opening declaration of welcome. But once the Games began and local media switched to covering Japanese athletes’

ASHBURN, Va, (AP) — A northern Virginia school board has voted to expand access for transgender students to school facilities and groups. The Washington Post reports that the Loudoun County School Board voted 7-2 for the guidelines on Wednesday, a day after hundreds of people for and against the changes converged for a public hearing.

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Fred has weakened to a tropical depression while sweeping over the Dominican Republic and dumping heavy rains that forecasters warn could cause dangerous flooding and mudslides there and in neighboring Haiti. Some 300,000 customers in the Dominican Republic are without power Wednesday

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Real estate heir Robert Durst testified at his murder trial that he has changed his mind many times, but has concluded that he didn’t actually see his wife step onto a commuter train the night she disappeared in 1982. Durst also testified that he lied

GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP) — California’s largest single wildfire in recorded history continued to grow after destroying more than 1,000 buildings, nearly half of them homes, while authorities in Montana ordered evacuations as a wind-driven blaze roared toward several remote communities. The east end of Northern California’s Dixie Fire flared up as winds increased. In southeastern

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities say a California surfing school owner has been charged with killing his two young children with a spear gun in Mexico because he thought they would become monsters. The U.S. attorney’s office says Matthew Coleman of Santa Barbara was charged Wednesday with the foreign murder of U.S. nationals. Prosecutors say