News

By SEAN MURPHY Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The head of Oklahoma public schools will switch parties and run as a Democrat to challenge Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt for governor next year. Oklahoma State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister made the announcement Thursday, accusing Stitt of “running our state into the ground.” Hofmeister is a former

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida is proposing to lift its three-decade ban on catching and killing goliath groupers after wildlife officials argued their numbers have rebounded. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved a draft proposal on Wednesday to allow the recreational harvest of 200 goliaths per year. Agency spokeswoman Amanda Nalley says the

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin says Russia has the potential to boost natural gas supplies to Europe as surging gas prices put pressure on consumers. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says existing gas transit routes allow for bolstering supplies before the new Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany begins operating. Europe’s

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week, another sign that the U.S. job market and economy continue their steady recovery from last year’s coronavirus recession. The Labor Department said Thursday that unemployment claims were down by 38,000 to 326,000, the first drop

By FRANK BAJAK AP Technology Writer BOSTON (AP) — Microsoft says Russia once again accounted for most state-sponsored hacking, with a 58% share of intrusion attempts it detected in the past year. The targets were mostly government agencies and think tanks — in the United States, followed by Ukraine, Britain and European NATO members. The

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s state TV is reporting that speedboats belonging to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard have intercepted a U.S. vessel in the Persian Gulf. Thursday’s report aired footage that the TV said was filmed from one of the Guard speedboats. It shows a vessel with the U.S. flag and several personnel on board

By MICHAEL BIESECKER, STEFANIE DAZIO and MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard has boarded a massive cargo ship as it investigates the rupture of an offshore oil pipeline that sent crude washing up on Souther California beaches. Investigators want to know whether a ship anchor snagged and bent

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Poland’s president is urging the European Union to take “specific actions” to stop Belarus “pushing” migrants across its border into Polish territory. President Andrzej Duda didn’t outline exactly what those actions might be, but said he’s hoping for assistance beyond what the 27-member bloc’s border agency FRONTEX is already providing on