News

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Gavin Newsom says in no uncertain terms that he thinks shoplifters should be prosecuted under existing California laws. He’s calling out local officials whom he said have been reluctant to do so. He was responding to a recent run of large-scale thefts in California and

By MARK THIESSEN Associated Press ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska State Troopers say DNA and genome sequencing have identified a body found decades ago on Fire Island just west of Anchorage. Troopers say the victim was Michael Allison Beavers, who owned an excavation business in suburban Chugiak. He was last seen in November 1979, when

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer The head of the women’s professional tennis tour tells The Associated Press that the suspension of all WTA tournaments in China could extend beyond 2022. The WTA on Wednesday said it would not play in China next year because of concerns about the safety of Grand Slam doubles champion

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. chief had a piece of good news in the midst of Ethiopia’s year-long war against forces from the Tigray region: 157 trucks with food and humanitarian aid arrived in Tigray’s capital for the first time in more than six weeks and another aid

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Carlos Santana has successfully undergone a heart procedure and is canceling several Las Vegas shows planned for December. The 74-year-old guitarist released a video message Wednesday saying he asked his wife to take him to the hospital on Saturday because of an issue with his chest. Universal Tone Management’s president said

By JILL COLVIN Associated Press A book by Donald Trump’s ex-chief of staff says Trump tested positive for COVID-19 three days before his first debate in September 2020 with Joe Biden. Mark Meadows writes that the then-president received a negative test shortly after the positive test and resumed his usual activities, including attending the debate.

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The South Korean and U.S. defense chiefs are meeting for their annual talks, as Washington pushes to reinforce alliances with its partners to curb mounting challenges from China and increasing North Korean nuclear threats. Thursday’s meeting between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his South

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses held a “family” celebration of Hanukkah at the White House Wednesday, with the first Jewish spouse of a vice president, Doug Emhoff, joining in lighting the menorah. The gathering included more than 150 guests, including Jewish community leaders, Cabinet members, lawmakers and

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Police were looking for a man dubbed the “snake burglar” who wriggled his way through a Southern California business and fled with several thousands dollars. KNBC-TV says surveillance video shows the man slithering on his belly at the Rustic Roots salon in Riverside last Friday, possibly to avoid a motion sensor.

By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — The state of Hawaii says a laboratory has detected petroleum product in a water sample from an elementary school near Pearl Harbor. The news comes amid heightened concerns that fuel from a massive Navy storage facility may contaminate Oahu’s water supply. The department says the test result

By JOE McDONALD, SAM McNEIL and ELAINE KURTENBACH Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — Laos, an isolated, mountainous nation of 7 million people wedged between China, Vietnam and Thailand, is opening a $5.9 billion railway its leaders hope will energize its economy, but it may pile on dangerously high debt. The 1,035-kilometer (642-mile) line to China’s