News

By SARAH EL DEEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese militant Hezbollah group and its allies are calling for the removal of the judge leading the investigation into the massive explosion at Beirut’s port last year. The development could derail the new Lebanese government even before it begins tackling the country’s unprecedented economic meltdown

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press Dylann Roof’s chances for a new appellate hearing continue to dwindle. Roof is challenging his death sentence and conviction in the 2015 racist slayings of nine members of a Black South Carolina congregation. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday refused to reconsider recusing itself from his appeal.

By MATTHEW PERRONE and LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration is wrestling with how to decide on booster doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Other manufacturers want to offer boosters six months after primary vaccination. But J&J proposed a range of times, from two months to

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s high-speed rail project is again facing an uncertain future as lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom debate whether to give it $4.2 billion in bond money. Rail officials say they need that money to continue construction beyond next year. But some Democrats in the Assembly don’t

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Wontons stuffed with collard greens and a cake colored to look like camouflage are features of country star Trisha Yearwood’s fourth cookbook, “Trisha’s Kitchen: Easy Comfort Food for Friends and Family.” It has 125 recipes that blend her knowledge of soulful Southern cooking with influences

By DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer Stocks edged mostly lower on Wall Street in midday trading Wednesday after giving up an early gain. The S&P 500 was off 0.2%, and could be headed for its fourth straight decline. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 0.2%. Delta Air Lines

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — The Catholic Church’s foremost research institute studying sexual abuse of minors is expanding its mandate to also include the sexual and spiritual abuse of adults. The Rev. Hans Zollner, one of Pope Francis’ top advisers on abuse, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the institute’s broader

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Two of Florida’s largest cities have ended water emergencies now that COVID-19 hospitalizations have declined in the state. Back in August, the city-owned Orlando Utilities Commission asked residents to stop watering their lawns or washing their cars because liquid oxygen that is used for treating the

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Moccasin maker Minnetonka is publicly apologizing for making money off of Native culture and promised to do more to support Indigenous communities in the future after 75 years in business. In a statement posted Monday on its company website, Minnetonka CEO David Miller said the

By KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A judge has dismissed a lawsuit that alleged fraud in Georgia’s most populous county during the 2020 election. A longtime critic of Georgia’s election systems and a group of voters sought a review of some 147,000 absentee ballots to determine whether there are illegitimate ballots among them.

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Families of COVID-19 patients are asking hospitals to rethink visitor policies a year and a half into the pandemic that has killed 700,000 people in the U.S. The relatives say they’re being denied the right to be with loved ones at a crucial time. Doctors also