News

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A Fugees rapper accused in multimillion-dollar political conspiracies spanning two presidencies was convicted Wednesday after a trial that included testimony ranging from actor Leonardo DiCaprio to former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Prakazrel “Pras” Michel was accused of funneling money from a now-fugitive Malaysian financer through straw

By AAMER MADHANI, COLLEEN LONG and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and South Korea’s Yoon Suk Yeol have unveiled a new plan to counter North Korea’s persistent nuclear threat. The leaders announced the new agreement Wednesday. It includes plans to periodically dock U.S. nuclear-armed submarines in South Korea for the

By JESSICA GRESKO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is speaking with one voice in response to recent criticism of the justices’ ethical practices: No need to fix what isn’t broken. The justices’ response on Tuesday struck some critics and ethics experts as tone deaf at a time of heightened attention on the

By HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian government has launched an initiative to streamline and promote innovation in the development of drones and other technologies that have been critical during Russia’s war in Ukraine. The government hopes to bring state, military, and private sector developers working on defense issues together into

By COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press BRIGHTON, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado man who shot and killed a 13-year-old boy after a road rage confrontation and wounded the boy’s mother, brother and a witness was found guilty of first-degree murder. A jury issued the verdict on Wednesday after deliberating for less than three hours. Jeremy Webster

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota — a state where it is already easy to vote — is moving make it even easier, countering the national trend of states imposing further restrictions on balloting. The Minnesota Senate was set Wednesday to debate an elections bill that would allow 16- and

By ED WHITE Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Eleven people have been charged in Michigan in a scheme to evade air-pollution rules by tampering with software and hardware in heavy-duty diesel engines, federal authorities said Wednesday. Nine of the 11 have agreed to plead guilty, along with three companies, according to documents filed in federal

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The co-founder of a fundraising group linked to Steve Bannon that promised to help Donald Trump construct a wall along the southern U.S. border was sentenced to four years and three months in prison on Wednesday for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors. Brian

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ya Ya the giant panda has begun its trip to China from the Memphis Zoo, where it has spent the past 20 years as part of a loan agreement. The zoo said Ya Ya is being accompanied on its return to China by a veterinarian who will manage the panda’s medical

By NICOLAE DUMITRACHE Associated Press IZMAIL, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. and European officials have toured Ukraine’s southern port of Izmail, a facility that is important in bringing Ukrainian grain exports to the world. It could become critical if a deal with Russia to allow grain exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports expires without being renewed.

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE and TODD RICHMOND Associated Press Communities along the Upper Mississippi River scrambled Wednesday as the always-massive river swelled to near-record levels, forcing some to evacuate while others downstream stacked sandbag walls and closed off flood-prone areas. The river has grown so large because of a huge snowpack in northern Minnesota that began

PHOENIX (AP) — Authorities say an Arkansas woman has been arrested for allegedly assaulting three Transportation Security Administration agents at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport after a dispute over apple juice. TSA officials say 19-year-old Makiah Coleman allegedly attacked the officers as she was going through airport security just before 6 a.m. Tuesday. Court documents

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers have approved a sweeping bill that will dramatically curb migrants’ ability to seek asylum in the U.K. Members of the House of Commons voted by 289 to 230 Wednesday to back the Illegal Migration Bill, despite critics’ allegations that it breaks international law. The government

By DENISE LAVOIE AP Legal Affairs Writer RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A prosecutor has asked a judge to approve a request to put seven sheriff’s deputies and three hospital workers on trial together in the case of a 28-year-old man who died after he was pinned to the floor as he was being admitted to