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THREE RIVERS, Calif. (AP) — The ancient massive trees of Sequoia National Park’s famed Giant Forest are unscathed even though a wildfire has been burning near them in California’s Sierra Nevada for nearly two weeks. Fire spokesman Mark Garrett says Tuesday that so far there has been no damage to any of the trees. The

By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Top national security officials say the possibility of a 9/11-type attack has diminished over the last 20 years despite the recent Taliban victory in Afghanistan, but the unrest in Kabul could embolden U.S.-based extremists at the same time that the FBI is confronting an uptick in threats

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — A former Massachusetts mayor who was once a rising Democratic star after being elected at age 23 has been sentenced to six years in prison in a corruption case. Former Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia was sentenced Tuesday by a federal judge in Boston after being

By AYA BATRAWY Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s new president slammed U.S. sanctions imposed on his nation as a mechanism of war. President Ebrahim Raisi addressed the United Nations leaders’ meeting remotely from Iran, and he packed a full slate of direct criticism of the United States into his first U.N.

NEW YORK (AP) — A lawyer for R. Kelly has told a judge that the R&B singer is unlikely to take the witness stand at his sex-trafficking trial. The remark Tuesday by attorney Deveraux Cannick came as the defense was winding down its case at the trial in federal court in New York City. Closing

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Medicare says families and patients have a new online tool to compare COVID-19 vaccination rates among nursing homes. The agency announced Tuesday the details are now being made available through the “Care Compare” feature at Medicare.gov. That is the online tool for basic research on quality and

By CHEVEL JOHNSON Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Smoke and flames shot up the side of the Superdome’s roof after a pressure washer being used to clean the roof of the New Orleans arena caught fire. The New Orleans Fire Department says it responded to the rooftop fire shortly after 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. A

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press While there has been a decline in births in the U.S. during the pandemic, a new report suggests the drop may have turned a corner last March as births started rebounding. The report released Tuesday by the Census Bureau says the decline in births was most noticeable at the end

By AYA BATRAWY Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The ruling emir of Qatar has urged world leaders gathered at the United Nations against turning their backs on Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers. Qatar has played a pivotal role in Afghanistan in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal. Qatar’s ruler told heads of state

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s defense minister has apologized and his ministry has suspended an official after a “significant” data breach involving the email addresses of dozens of Afghan interpreters hoping to settle in the U.K. A A Defense Ministry email to more than 250 Afghans who are eligible for relocation and still remain in Afghanistan

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Two Rutgers players have been suspended from the football team after they were charged in an incident in which three people were struck by paintballs fired from a passing vehicle. Coach Greg Schiano took the action after defensive backs Malachi “Max” Melton and Chris Long were each charged with three counts

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer Filmmaker James DeMonaco remembers the day “Rocky III” hit theaters as if it were yesterday. On Staten Island in 1982, it was an all-out event. He waited four hours in line to get tickets and saw it twice in a day. It’s this memory that inspired his latest film,