Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has reshuffled his top officials in what observers see as part of maneuvering ahead of the 2025 presidential election. Lukashenko, who has ruled the country of 9.5 million with an iron hand for three decades and declared his intention to seek a seventh term
Continue ReadingAP Technology Writers LOS ANGELES (AP) — Another news organization is suing ChatGPT maker OpenAI and its business partner Microsoft for alleged copyright infringement. The Center for Investigative Reporting, which produces Mother Jones and Reveal, said it filed a lawsuit Thursday in a New York federal court where it joins copyright infringement cases brought by
Continue ReadingAP Business Writer A dozen social and racial justice groups said Thursday that the federal law requiring TikTok’s parent company to sell the platform, or face a ban, would disrupt a vehicle that many minority communities use to form connections online and advocate for causes. The legal brief was submitted to a federal court in
Continue ReadingAssociated Press The Supreme Court has rejected a settlement for OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and members of the Sackler family who own the company. Some advocates blame the marketing efforts behind the powerful prescription painkiller for opening the doors to an opioid epidemic that has only deepened in recent years. Sackler family members have stopped
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has stripped the Securities and Exchange Commission of a major tool in fighting securities fraud in a decision that also could have far-reaching effects on other regulatory agencies. The justices ruled Thursday in a 6-3 vote that people accused by the SEC of fraud have the right
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan lawmakers have passed an $83 billion budget for the next fiscal year. Lawmakers disagreed on education funding, stalling the budget passage until the early hours Thursday. School groups had warned that an original proposal would lead to layoffs. The final budget will provide free community college for all
Continue ReadingLONDON (AP) — One person has died in the United Kingdom from an E. coli outbreak that sickened at least 275 people during the past month. The U.K. Health Security Agency said Thursday that the outbreak that led to 122 people being hospitalized was linked to lettuce in pre-packaged sandwiches. The agency says two E.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press McALESTER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma executed a man Thursday who was convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing his 7-year-old former stepdaughter in 1984. Richard Rojem, 66, received a three-drug lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester and was declared dead at 10:16 a.m., prison officials said. Rojem, who had been in
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — An organization in Tennessee says air conditioning units are a hot commodity as multiple cities have been under heat advisories with high temperatures nearing 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures reached into the high 90s this week in Nashville and Memphis. Nashville’s Metropolitan Action Commission is offering free window AC units
Continue ReadingAssociated Press IVRY-SUR-SEINE, France (AP) — Antisemitism has surged as a hot-button issue in France’s high-stakes legislative election campaign. On the outskirts of Paris, a candidate who is Jewish is feeling the heat of hatred. Campaigning for the camp of President Emmanuel Macron, Shannon Seban is accompanied by bodyguards as she canvasses for votes, because
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MADRID (AP) — Spanish authorities say they have intercepted another submarine suspected of transporting drugs into Europe and arrested four Colombians who crewed the vessel. Police said occupants of the 20-meter submarine on Tuesday scuttled it before officers could seize it. In a statement, the Civil Guard said Wednesday that due to the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe police have used batons to break up a protest by opposition supporters outside a courthouse in the capital Harare. Dozens of opposition supporters were angered Thursday by a magistrate’s decision to deny bail to 78 activists arrested in mid-June for allegedly meeting without official clearance. The detained activists
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency won’t be able to enforce a key rule limiting air pollution in nearly a dozen states while separate legal challenges proceed around the country. That’s the result of a Supreme Court decision Thursday. The EPA’s “good neighbor” rule is intended to restrict smokestack emissions from power
Continue ReadingPARIS (AP) — Lanvin, the world’s longest continuously running couture house, has named veteran designer Peter Copping as its new artistic director. Founded in 1889 by Jeanne Lanvin and based in Paris, Lanvin will welcome Copping as the creative head of its women’s and men’s collections starting in fall. “Jeanne Lanvin was a visionary of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has cleared the way for Idaho hospitals to provide emergency abortions for now in a procedural ruling that leaves key questions unanswered. Thursday’s ruling could mean the issue ends up before the conservative-majority court again soon. The ruling came after an opinion was briefly posted on the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Thursday that an order barring an anti-abortion protester from coming close to a Planned Parenthood nurse violated his First Amendment free speech rights and must be overturned. The court is controlled 4-3 by liberals. It ruled unanimously in ordering that the injunction be dismissed.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — In 1993, Johnny Cash was between record contracts — and just about to embark on an iconic collaboration with producer Rick Rubin that would span the last 10 years of his life, starting with 1994’s “American Recordings.” During that crucial time in his career, Cash immersed himself in crafting
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Even in a busy year of elections, the next few days stand out. Voters go to the polls over the next week in fledgling democracies like Mauritania and Mongolia, in the Islamic Republic of Iran and in the stalwart democracies of Britain and France. U.S. President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump
Continue ReadingBELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian police have banned a festival that promotes cultural exchange with Kosovo in a sign of growing nationalism and government pressure on liberal voices in the Balkan country. A police statement cited security concerns as the reason to ban the Mirdita, dobar dan event that was due to start later on
Continue ReadingAP Health Writer Walgreens is finalizing a plan to fix its U.S. business that could result in closing hundreds of additional stores over the next three years. CEO Tim Wentworth told analysts Thursday morning that “changes are imminent” for about 25% of the company’s stores, which he said were underperforming. The drugstore chain currently runs
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