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By CHALIDA EKVITTHAYAVECHNUKUL Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Lawmakers in Thailand have begun a no-confidence debate targeting Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and five members of his Cabinet. The opposition focused Tuesday on charges the government bungled its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The debate is scheduled to last four days, with voting by the lower

By TOM VERDIN Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Caldor Fire in Northern California can be measured in more than acres burned. While it has claimed hundreds of homes, it also is churning through and threatening places that have been cherished getaways for generations of Californians and others. An entire town, South Lake Tahoe,

By JAY REEVES and STACEY PLAISANCE Associated Press CROWN POINT, La. (AP) — New Orleans largely escaped catastrophic flooding during Hurricane Ida, but nearby communities were not so lucky. In LaPlace, Ida tore roofs off homes and flooded entire subdivisions. Residents retreated to their second floors or attics and took to social media to plead

By MARINA VILLENEUVE Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Resigning from office probably didn’t end former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s legal problems, and no matter what happens next, taxpayers are likely to wind up with a hefty bill. The state has already agreed to pay up to $9.5 million to lawyers representing and investigating Cuomo and

By SAM METZ and JANIE HAR Associated Press/Report for America SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters are bracing for strong winds a day after an explosive wildfire emptied a resort city at the southern tip of Lake Tahoe. The flames forced the evacuation of California communities on the south end of the alpine resort

By ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press CALIPATRIA, Calif. (AP) — Demand for electric vehicles has shifted investments into high gear to extract lithium from geothermal wastewater around California’s dying Salton Sea. The ultralight metal is critical to rechargeable batteries. Despite widespread availability in the United States, Nevada has the country’s only lithium plant, and U.S. production

By ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press CALIPATRIA, Calif. (AP) — Demand for electric vehicles has shifted investments into high gear to extract lithium from geothermal wastewater around California’s dying Salton Sea. The ultralight metal is critical to rechargeable batteries. Despite widespread availability in the United States, Nevada has the country’s only lithium plant, and U.S. production

By AAMER MADHANI and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden still faces daunting challenges born of the hasty end of the Afghanistan war. They include helping to extract as many as 200 Americans and thousands of vulnerable Afghans left behind, resettling tens of thousands of refugees who were able to flee

By KATHY GANNON, TAMEEM AKHGAR and JOSEPH KRAUSS Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban are reveling in their victory after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, while reiterating their pledge to bring peace and security to the country after decades of war. An anxious population is waiting to see what the new order looks

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — As the final five U.S. military transport aircraft lifted off out of Afghanistan on Monday, they left behind up to 200 Americans and thousands of desperate Afghans who couldn’t get out and now must rely on the Taliban to allow their departure. Secretary

By AAMER MADHANI and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is defending the way the U.S. ended its 20-year “forever war” in Afghanistan. He called the military airlift to extract some 120,000 Afghans, Americans and other allies an “extraordinary success.” More than 100 Americans and thousands of Afghans were left behind,

By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska residents don’t know how much money they might get from the state’s oil wealth this year, or even when they might get the unique payout just for living in the oil-dependent state. It’s left many upset. Frustrated residents have told lawmakers that they’re tired of

By SOPHIA EPPOLITO Associated Press/Report for America SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Members of the faith widely known as the Mormon church remain deeply divided on vaccines and mask-wearing despite consistent guidance from church leaders. Members who support the stance say they fear that some Latter-day Saints who refuse to get vaccinated are allowing their

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SITES, Calif. (AP) — It’s been seven years since California voters agreed to borrow billions of dollars to build more water storage projects. Yet none of the more than half-dozen projects scheduled to get the money have been built. A severe drought gripping the western United States has put those