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By PAUL J. WEBER and ACACIA CORONADO Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Some Democrats who left Texas to block a GOP voting bill have ended a 38-day holdout. Enough Democrats returned to the state Capitol on Thursday to allow the Texas House to resume work for the first time since mid-July. That’s when more

NEW YORK (AP) — A tech entrepreneur who invested in the film studio that made the “Twilight” movies has been sentenced to five years in prison for a fraud conviction. Omar Amanat was sentenced Thursday in Manhattan federal court by Judge Paul G. Gardephe. U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a release that Amanat defrauded

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say they are investigating Britney Spears over alleged misdemeanor battery after a staff member at her home said the singer struck her. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that deputies responded to Spears’ home after the staff member reported the Monday night dispute. No one was injured. Spears’

By BOB CHRISTIE Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Court of Appeals has rejected an effort by the Arizona Senate to keep secret records that are in the possession of the contractors conducting its review of the 2020 election. Thursday’s ruling says the Senate must hand over documents sought by the watchdog group American

HONOLULU (AP) — Organizers of the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii say this year’s contest will be postponed to February because of increasing COVID-19 cases in the state. A statement on the group’s website says COVID-19 in Hawaii is worse now than it has been at any point during the pandemic. The race had been

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Three senators say they have tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated. The lawmakers announced their breakthrough cases Thursday as the delta variant spreads rapidly across the United States. Sens. Angus King of Maine, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, and John Hickenlooper of Colorado all said they have

By SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Department of Justice says prosecutors have not filed criminal charges for about 30 sexual assault cases mishandled by the Wisconsin National Guard. The justice department on Thursday released findings and results of its 18-month investigation. It determined that while no criminal charges have been

BOSTON (AP) — It’s exactly 30 years since a hurricane last made a direct hit on New England — and now the region is bracing for the possibility of another. New Englanders were warily watching on Thursday as Tropical Storm Henri gathered strength in the Atlantic and headed for the northeastern U.S. Forecasters say Henri

BIGELOW, Ark. (AP) — Officials at an Arkansas high school physically tore out pages from the school’s published yearbook claiming “community backlash,” an action the Student Press Law Center condemned as censorship. The SPLC and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette both requested documentation regarding the community backlash. Hadar Harris, executive director of SPLC, said when asked for

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Investigators are considering whether toxic algae blooms or other hazards may have contributed to the deaths of a California couple, their baby and the family dog on a remote hiking trail. The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office had treated the area in the Sierra National Forest as a hazmat site after concerns