Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin 15-year-old who shot and killed a teacher and a fellow student Monday was only in her first semester at the school but seemed to be settling in, a school official said Thursday as families of the victims remembered them as people of faith who had deep connections
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LONDON (AP) — Veteran U.K. Labour Party politician Peter Mandelson will be Britain’s next ambassador to Washington. Mandelson, who served in senior posts in the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, is expected to take up his job early next year. The announcement is due to come on Friday. The news was
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says the United States doubled the number of forces in Syria to fight the Islamic State group before the overthrow of President Bashar Assad’s government. The U.S. has said 900 troops were in Syria, but Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, announced on Thursday that 2,000
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has filed a legal notice that he intends to sue a woman who accused him of sexual harassment. The filing on Thursday accuses former aide Charlotte Bennett of defaming him in a Dec. 9 statement that said the former governor sexually harassed her.
Continue ReadingAP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government is phasing out off-brand copies of two blockbuster drugs used to treat obesity and diabetes. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that a two-year shortage of Eli Lilly’s Zepbound and Mounjaro has been resolved. That eliminates the need for knockoff versions sold by specialty pharmacies
Continue ReadingAssociated Press In the first major flex of his influence since Donald Trump was elected, Elon Musk brought to a sudden halt a bipartisan budget proposal by posting constantly on his X megaphone and threatening Republicans with primary challenges. The social media warnings from the world’s wealthiest man preceded Trump’s condemnation of a measure negotiated
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — American farmers, small business owners and wildfire survivors are among those who will suffer if Congress cannot agree on a new spending bill after President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan that included more than $100 billion in disaster aid. The money is urgently needed after Hurricanes Helene
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — American farmers are hoping that aid to agriculture will be revived as Congress struggles to pass a short-term spending bill that would keep the federal government funded and avert a looming partial government shutdown set to begin after midnight Friday night. A one-year extension of federal farm programs, around $30
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Northern Virginia’s largest high school has canceled the final two days of classes in 2024 after fights at the school resulted in injuries to students and staff. Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt said in a letter Wednesday to families that classes would be canceled Thursday and Friday
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Nearly 3 million people could receive a boost in Social Security payments under legislation that’s set for a final vote in the Senate. The Social Security Fairness Act would end longtime provisions that reduce the federal benefit for people who are also eligible for other pensions. The policies have heavily
Continue ReadingAP Sports Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser took a break from celebrating the start of an $800 million arena renovation project to correct misinformation circulating on social media about another major Washington sports project that is suddenly in jeopardy. Bowser took aim at incorrect statements being made on Elon Musk-owned
Continue ReadingAP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Who works harder than Questlove? The Academy Award winner has teamed up with Emmy winner Oz Rodriguez and NBC for a new film, “Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music,” celebrating 50 years of the program and spotlighting its memorable live music performances. The three-hour special will
Continue ReadingAP Health Writer Packaged foods in the U.S. must follow new rules in order to call themselves “healthy.” That’s according to changes finalized by the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday. It’s an update of the agency’s definition originally devised 30 years ago. The move is aimed at helping Americans navigate food labels at the
Continue ReadingCHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A former Virginia sheriff has been on bribery charges for deputizing individuals in exchange for cash payments. The federal jury in Charlottesville, Virginia, convicted former Culpeper Sheriff Scott Jenkins on all counts Wednesday night after several hours of deliberations. News outlets report that Jenkins took the stand in his own defense
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will travel to Italy next month to meet with Pope Francis and top Italian officials for what is expected to be the final international trip of his presidency. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says Biden will meet with the Pope, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and
Continue ReadingRussian state media says that an Uzbek citizen accused of acting on behalf of Ukraine has been charged by Russian authorities with this week’s assassination of a senior Russian general and his assistant. The bombing has been claimed by Ukraine’s security services. The Tass state news agency reported that Akhmadzhon Kurbonov was ordered detained until
Continue ReadingAP Sports Writer NBC Sports makes its first foray into doing an NFL alternate broadcast on Saturday when it puts the matchup between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs into the realm of the Madden video game universe. The Madden altcast will be streamed on Peacock with the main broadcast airing on NBC, beginning
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will shuffle his Cabinet on Friday. The prime minister’s office says Trudeau will participate in the swearing-in ceremony and chair a meeting with his new Cabinet later Friday. New Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc says Trudeau has “full support of his Cabinet” and that he respects
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Residents of a Syrian village near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights say Israeli forces have set up a position in an abandoned army base and are preventing local farmers from accessing their fields. Associated Press journalists who visited the area saw the Israeli troops from a distance. The village, on the western edge of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Authorities say two Union Pacific employees were killed and three people were injured when a freight train collided with a tractor-trailer and derailed in a small West Texas city. The train also damaged the local Chamber of Commerce building. Officials in Pecos said the train derailed around 5 p.m. Wednesday. Nebraska-based Union Pacific
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