News

Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — One of the nation’s largest meat processors has agreed to pay $2 million to resolve allegations of child labor violations at a plant in Minnesota. The state’s labor department said Thursday that its investigation found that Smithfield Packaged Meats employed at least 11 children at its plant in St. James

Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Supreme Court has decided the state should take a break from executions for the holidays. Justices issued an order on Thursday saying they would wait to sign the next death warrant until at least Jan. 3. Two inmates have been executed since South Carolina restarted its

A European regulatory committee now recommends approval of the Alzheimer’s treatment lecanemab a few months after rejecting the drug. Biogen said Thursday that the drug, known in the U.S. as Leqembi, received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use as a treatment for early Alzheimer’s disease. The

Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Ulrich Renz, a former head of The Associated Press German-language service who also covered the trials of leaders of the Auschwitz death camp in World War II, has died at the age of 90. Renz died Monday, according to Peter Gehrig, a close friend for 50 years and a former

Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republicans are going to court in Pennsylvania amid vote counting in the U.S. Senate election between Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick, with the contest headed toward a state-mandated recount. The Associated Press called the race for McCormick last week, concluding that not enough ballots remained to

Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — U.S. Justice Department officials said jail officials in Georgia’s most populous county violate the constitutional rights of people in their custody by failing to protect them from violence, using excessive force and holding them in filthy and unsafe conditions. In a report released Thursday, federal officials said vulnerable populations are

Associated Press ROME (AP) — A delegation of former hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and their relatives met Thursday with Pope Francis and expressed hope that the incoming and outgoing U.S. administrations would work together to bring the remaining hostages home. The freed hostages included Yelena Troufanov, who was released last November but whose

NEW YORK (AP) — A fire on the roof of a 44-story luxury apartment building sent plumes of dark smoke into the New York City skyline. Officials say the fire in the Hudson Yards mixed-use development on Manhattan’s west side was first reported at about 11:30 a.m. Thursday. It was declared under control about 40

Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Two of the three striking teacher unions in Massachusetts face fines for refusing to return to the classroom. Judges have imposed fines of $50,000 a day for the unions in Beverly and Gloucester if they don’t end their strikes by Wednesday. That amount will rise by $10,000 a day as

NEW YORK (AP) — About 222,000 adult bed assistance rails are under recall due to entrapment and asphyxia hazards, following one death in a residential care facility. According to a Thursday recall notice published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Medical King is recalling three models of its portable bed rails — because users

Associated Press Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul said Thursday that he will lead the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where he intends to immediately take up President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to reinstate a policy requiring asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court. Paul said he will be the committee’s