News

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Wildfires have destroyed nearly 50,000 homes in California alone in the last five years, and scientists say global warming is only making things worse. Much attention has focused on managing overgrown forests. But fire managers say it’s equally crucial to increase the fire resistance of homes

By BOB CHRISTIE Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Scammers pocketed nearly 30% of the $16 billion in unemployment insurance payments sent out by Arizona since the coronavirus pandemic began. The director of the state agency overseeing the program said Thursday that most of the fraud happened in the first several months of the pandemic. Federally

By TALI ARBEL AP Technology Writer The hedge-fund billionaire and Milwaukee Bucks co-owner who was named chairman of embattled media organization Ozy earlier this month has resigned from its board. Marc Lasry issued a statement Thursday that he cannot continue since Ozy now requires experience in areas like crisis management and investigations, where he does

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Girls from the Afghanistan national soccer team who were recently granted asylum in Portugal have had a surprise visit from the captain of the senior team. Farkhunda Muhtaj flew into the Portuguese capital Lisbon for an emotional reunion with the girls’ team late Wednesday. She is a professional player who from

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Biden administration has scheduled an offshore oil and gas lease sale for the Gulf of Mexico on Nov. 17, obeying a court order. The Democratic president’s moratorium on new oil and gas leasing on federal lands was blocked by a judge in June. The government said it would resume sales

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California is joining the vast majority of states in setting up a way to strip the badges of police officers who act criminally or with bias. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the law Thursday as one of several police reform efforts. The move comes 18 years after

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A convicted rapist who hid in Florida for more than 40 years after skipping out on his Connecticut prison sentence has pleaded guilty to assuming a stolen identity. Court records show 77-year-old Douglas Bennett pleaded guilty Thursday in Tampa federal court to passport fraud and aggravated identity theft. Bennett was arrested

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican prosecutors say four dead men have been found in a stolen car in the city of Iguala, in the southern Mexico state of Guerrero. The state prosecutors said late Wednesday that the victims were linked to a local criminal gang known as “The Flag.” One of the dead men was

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says it has test-fired a newly developed anti-aircraft missile in the fourth round of weapons launches this month. The Korean Central News Agency said Friday the test-launch performed Thursday is “of very practical significance in studying and developing various prospective anti-aircraft missile system.”

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Authorities in Austin, Texas, say a man wearing an American flag bandanna threw a Molotov cocktail into the headquarters of the county Democratic Party. Authorities say the incendiary device did not ignite when it was thrown into the Travis County Democratic Party headquarters at about 2 a.m. Wednesday. A small stack

By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has narrowly approved President Joe Biden’s pick to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, giving the bureau a director who is likely to embrace an aggressive “watchdog” role. Rohit Chopra’s nomination was approved 50-48, with Vice President Kamala Harris earlier having to cast a