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By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials were divided earlier this month on whether to pause their interest rate hikes at their upcoming meeting in June, according to the minutes of their May 2-3 meeting. “Several [policymakers] noted if the economy evolved along the lines of their current outlooks, then

By The Associated Press The head of the Russian private military contractor Wagner returned to a familiar theme this week — bashing the country’s military leadership for failures in the war in Ukraine. That ‘s something only a select few can do publicly without drawing retribution from the Kremlin. The comments by Yevgeny Prigozhin underscored

McLEAN, Va. (AP) — A Florida man who police say had an AK-47 rifle in his car was arrested outside a northern Virginia preschool after he told officers he was headed to CIA headquarters, police said Wednesday. Fairfax County Police said the man was charged with possessing a firearm at a school, a felony, after

By DEEPTI HAJELA Associated Press CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — As friends and family looked on, rapper Fetty Wap on Wednesday apologized for his actions and said he was “exactly where I’m supposed to be,” before a judge sentenced him to six years in federal prison for his role in a New York-based drug-trafficking scheme.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Authorities say a student was arrested in the shooting death of another student just outside a Pittsburgh school. Police say the shooting happened by the steps of Oliver Citywide Academy shortly before classes were due to start Wednesday morning. Officers found the victim with gunshot wounds in front of the school and

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Vinícius Júnior is not on the field but his Real Madrid teammates have all come out wearing his No. 20 jersey in support of the Brazil forward ahead of the game against Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish league. Vinícius came out briefly to salute the fans

By YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The wife of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski says he’s been transferred to a notoriously brutal prison in Belarus and hasn’t been heard from in a month. Natalia Pinchuk told The Associated Press that Bialiatski has been kept in an information blackout since his transfer

By TERRY TANG Associated Press Greeted with a standing ovation at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, James Hong could easily have just basked in the applause and moved on. But for the 94-year-old, the mostly Asian cast of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” winning best cast seemed like an opportunity for a stark reminder that

By PAUL J. WEBER and JAKE BLEIBERG Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Republican-led investigation on Wednesday accused Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of committing multiple crimes in office — including felonies — during an extraordinary public airing of scandal and alleged lawbreaking that plunged one of the GOP’s conservative stars into new political

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Germany has announced a pledge of about $226 million for the Horn of Africa nations while the United Kingdom pledges $119 million. The United States announced at a U.N. pledging conference Wednesday $524 million for Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. The U.S. aid aims to spotlight

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Authorities say a student was arrested in the shooting death of another student just outside a Pittsburgh school. Police say the shooting happened by the steps of Oliver Citywide Academy shortly before classes were due to start Wednesday morning. Officers found the victim with gunshot wounds in front of the school and

MIAMI (AP) — A poem written for President Joe Biden’s inauguration has been placed on a restricted list at a South Florida elementary school after one parent’s complaint. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, poet Amanda Gorman vowed to fight back. Her poem, “The Hill We Climb” was challenged by the parent of two students

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech government has approved a Defense Ministry plan to acquire 246 CV90 armoured combat vehicles as part of a massive modernisation of the military amid the Russian war in Ukraine. Defense Minister Jana Cernochova says the deal to get the infantry fighting vehicles made by Sweden’s BAE Systems Hägglunds AB is

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Target is removing some items from its stores and making other changes to its LGBTQ+ merchandise nationwide ahead of Pride month after intense backlash from some customers who confronted workers and tipped over displays. “Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team

By GABE STERN Associated Press/Report for America CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo announced Wednesday a preliminary agreement between his office, legislative leaders in the state and the Oakland Athletics for a stadium funding plan after weeks of negotiations over how much public assistance the state will contribute to a $1.5