Associated Press stories, Page 1395
Judge: No FBI entrapment for 3 in Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kidnap plot
JACKSON, Mich. — A judge ruled Tuesday that three men charged in a plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer before the 2020 election were not entrapped by the FBI. The case against Joseph Morrison, Pete Musico and Paul Bellar will move forward to a tentatively scheduled pretrial examination...
Russian attack damages Kyiv Holocaust memorial
JERUSALEM — Holocaust remembrance organizations in Israel are condemning a Russian attack that inflicted damage to the Babi Yar Holocaust memorial. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid issued a statement denouncing the incident, and said Israel would help repair any damage. “We are calling for the preservation and respect for this...
Justices seem to favor doctors convicted in pain pill schemes
WASHINGTON — In a case stemming from the opioid addiction crisis, the Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared ready to side with two imprisoned doctors who wrote thousands of prescriptions for pain medication in short periods. The justices signaled they would rule that the doctors’ trials were unfair because they were...
Bill to require Holocaust lessons in Nebraska schools advances
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska public schools would have to teach lessons about the Holocaust and other episodes of genocide under a bill advanced by lawmakers on Tuesday. Lawmakers gave the measure initial approval on a 44-0 vote, despite some questions about which specific moments in history could be defined as...
A target of Trump’s ire, Raffensperger fights for reelection in Georgia
ATLANTA — As former President Donald Trump sought to lay blame for his 2020 election loss, Georgia’s secretary of state emerged as one of his main targets. Now, with a Trump-endorsed challenger in the Republican primary, Brad Raffensperger is fighting to keep his job. The secretary of state emerged from...
Activism grows nationwide in response to school book bans
Until a year ago, Stephana Ferrell’s political activism was limited to the occasional letter to elected officials. Then came her local school board meeting in Orange County, Florida and an objection raised to Maia Kobabe’s graphic novel “Gender Queer: A Memoir.” And the county’s decision last fall to remove it...
Russian forces step up attacks on Ukraine’s civilian areas
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces stepped up their attacks on crowded urban areas Tuesday, bombarding the central square in Ukraine’s second-biggest city and Kyiv’s main TV tower in what Ukraine’s president called a blatant campaign of terror. “Nobody will forgive. Nobody will forget,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed after the bloodshed...
Sun Belt releases schedule with departing Conference USA schools
NEW ORLEANS — The Sun Belt Conference on Tuesday released a football schedule for the coming season that includes new members Marshall, Southern Mississippi and Old Dominion, two weeks after Conference USA put out its 2022 schedule with those schools included. The dispute over where Marshall, Southern Miss and ODU...
Chicago Blackhawks drop interim tag for GM Kyle Davidson
CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks hired Kyle Davidson as general manager on Tuesday, dropping his interim tag instead of going outside the floundering franchise for new leadership. Davidson has been with the Blackhawks since he joined the organization as a hockey operations intern in 2010. The 33-year-old from Sudbury, Ontario,...
Nations agree to release 60 million barrels of oil amid war
FRANKFURT, Germany — All 31 countries that are members of the International Energy Agency have agreed to release 60 million barrels of oil from their strategic reserves “to send a strong message to oil markets” that there will be “no shortfall in supplies” as a result of Russia’s invasion of...
New Orleans hosts its 1st full-dress Mardi Gras since 2020
NEW ORLEANS — Revelers decked out in traditional purple, green and gold came out to party on Fat Tuesday in New Orleans’ first full-dress Mardi Gras since 2020. The fun includes back-to-back parades across the city and marches through the French Quarter and beyond, with masks against covid-19 required only...
Photo gallery: Ukraine continues to endure, fight Russian attacks
KYIV, Ukraine — Day 6 of the biggest ground war in Europe since World War II saw Russian forces bombard the central square in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, and other civilian sites Tuesday. “Nobody will forgive. Nobody will forget,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said condemning Russia’s attacks as a blatant campaign...
Man gets 41 years for killing, dismembering daughter
BALTIMORE — A 68-year-old man was sentenced Monday to 41 years for the murder of his daughter, whose dismembered remains were left at a dumpster. Malik Samartaney, previously known as Lawrence Banks, was convicted in October of second-degree murder and unauthorized disposal of a body in the May 2019 slaying...
Oil prices surge above $100 a barrel as war on Ukraine rages
NEW YORK — Oil prices soared Tuesday and investors shifted more money into ultra-safe U.S. government bonds as Russia stepped up its war on Ukraine. Stocks fell following a volatile day for major indexes as investors tried to measure how the conflict will impact the global economy. The S&P 500...
Pope gives fathers working at Vatican 3-day paternity leave
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has decided to grant a three-day paternity leave to new fathers who work at the Vatican. In a law published Tuesday, Francis amended the Vatican’s family leave policy, which sets out the benefits for Vatican employees who have children or must care for family members....
MLB cancels opening day after sides fail to end lockout
JUPITER, Fla. — Major League Baseball has canceled opening day, with Commissioner Rob Manfred announcing Tuesday the sport will scrap regular-season games over a labor dispute for the first time in 27 years after acrimonious lockout talks collapsed in the hours before management’s deadline. Manfred said he is canceling the...
Texas primary sets up Abbott-O’Rourke race as midterms begin
AUSTIN — Republican Gov. Greg Abbott will face Democrat Beto O’Rourke after voters in Texas opened what could be a lengthy, bruising primary season poised to reshape political power from state capitals to Washington. Both easily won their party’s nomination for governor on Tuesday. Abbott is now in a commanding...
Big tech grapples with Russian state media, propaganda
WASHINGTON — As Russia’s war in Ukraine plays out for the world on social media, big tech platforms are moving to restrict Russian state media from using their platforms to spread propaganda and misinformation. Google announced Tuesday that it’s blocking the YouTube channels of those outlets in Europe “effective immediately”...
‘Undisguised terror’: Russia’s Kharkiv strike chills Ukraine
KHARKIV, Ukraine — In the dust and debris — and the dead — in Kharkiv’s central Freedom Square, Ukrainians on Tuesday saw what might become of other cities if Russia’s invasion isn’t countered in time. Not long after sunrise, a Russian military strike hit the center of Ukraine’s second-largest city,...
Biden steps to State of the Union lectern at fraught moment
WASHINGTON — Facing disquiet at home and danger abroad, President Joe Biden will deliver his first State of the Union address at a precipitous moment for the nation, aiming to navigate the country out of a pandemic, reboot his stalled domestic agenda and confront Russia’s aggression. The speech Tuesday night...
Russia takes aim at urban areas; Biden vows Putin will ‘pay’
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces escalated their attacks on crowded urban areas Tuesday in what Ukraine’s leader called a blatant campaign of terror, while U.S. President Joe Biden vowed to make his Russian counterpart “pay a price” for the invasion. “Nobody will forgive. Nobody will forget,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy...
Thousands evacuate in worst Australian floods in a decade
Tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate their homes by Tuesday and hundreds of thousands more were told to prepare to flee as parts of Australia’s southeast coast were inundated by the worst flooding in more than a decade. At least 10 people have died. New South Wales...
Officials: Pfizer shots protect kids from severe covid even in omicron
Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine gave children 5 and older strong protection against hospitalization and death even during the omicron surge that hit youngsters especially hard, U.S. health officials reported Tuesday. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention come a day after a study of New York children suggested...
Biden denies Peter Navarro, Michael Flynn privilege claims in Jan. 6 probe
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday denied executive privilege claims made by former Trump administration officials Peter Navarro and Michael Flynn in connection to the congressional probe into the attack on the U.S. Capitol. In letters penned by White House deputy counsel Jonathan Su, the Biden administration rejected the...
Man kills 3 children, 1 other, himself at California church
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A man shot and killed his three children, one other person and himself Monday at a church in Sacramento, authorities said. Deputies responding to reports of gunfire around 5 p.m. found five people dead, including the shooter, at the church in the Arden-Arcade neighborhood, said Sgt. Rod...
