U.S. to limit asylum at Mexico border, open 100 migration hubs
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s administration on Thursday will begin denying asylum to migrants who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through , according to a new rule released Wednesday. It’s part of new measures meant to crack...
Senate panel OKs rail-safety bill; railroad vows to help homeowners affected by Ohio derailment
A Senate committee on Wednesday approved a rail-safety bill introduced after the derailment of a freight train in East Palestine, Ohio, but its fate remains uncertain due to significant Republican opposition. The bill would increase inspections of trains carrying hazardous materials, require the use of technology to detect track defects,...
Rep. George Santos pleads not guilty to charges alleging fraud, theft at heart of campaignVideo
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — U.S. Rep. George Santos, the New York Republican infamous for fabricating his life story, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he duped donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress about being a millionaire, all while cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn’t deserve. Afterward,...
Trump forum a big test for CNN, moderator Kaitlan Collins
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s town hall forum on CNN on Wednesday is the first major television event of the 2024 presidential campaign — and a gigantic test for the chosen moderator, Kaitlan Collins. Both sides of the political divide expressed suspicion when the CNN forum at New Hampshire’s St....
Trump digs in on election lies, insults accuser during CNN town hall event
During a contentious CNN town hall Wednesday night, former President Donald Trump dug in on his lies about the 2020 election, downplayed the violence on Jan. 6, 2021, and repeatedly insulted the woman whom a civil jury this week found him liable of sexually abusing and defaming. Trump, returning to...
Long popular in Asia, floating solar catches on in U.S.
When Joe Seaman, the city planner for the working class town of Cohoes, N.Y., Googled the term “floating solar,” he didn’t even know it was a thing. What he did know is that his tiny town needed an affordable way to get electricity and had no extra land. But looking...
Florida detective accused of falsifying sex crimes cases
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A detective who has been with a South Florida sheriff’s agency for nearly 21 years is accused of falsifying information in multiple cases and of threatening one victim with deportation. Detective Demetrious Campbell, 48, was arrested Tuesday on nine counts of official misconduct and one count...
Britain: 1st babies born in country using DNA from 3 people
LONDON — Britain’s fertility regulator on Wednesday confirmed the births of the U.K.’s first babies created using an experimental technique combining DNA from three people, an effort to prevent the children from inheriting rare genetic diseases. Britain’s Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority said fewer than five babies have been born...
Mass event will let hackers test limits of AI technology
No sooner did ChatGPT get unleashed than hackers started “jailbreaking” the artificial intelligence chatbot — trying to override its safeguards so it could blurt out something unhinged or obscene. But now its maker, OpenAI, and other major AI providers such as Google and Microsoft, are coordinating with the Biden administration...
Lawyer: Abuse victims set to sue Baltimore ArchdioceseVideo
BALTIMORE — After Maryland lawmakers recently eliminated the statute of limitations for child sex abuse lawsuits amid heightened scrutiny of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced plans Tuesday to bring a series of civil claims on behalf of victims. The threat of litigation comes as the...
Harlan Crow rebuffs Senate demand to list all gifts to Justice Clarence Thomas
WASHINGTON — Harlan Crow, the Dallas real estate mogul in the middle of a Supreme Court ethics controversy, has declined a Senate request for a full accounting of gifts, payments and vacations he’s provided to Justice Clarence Thomas and his family. In a letter to the Senate Finance Committee obtained...
Fox News will not change ‘programming strategy’ despite financial losses and plunging ratings
NEW YORK — The Fox News Channel has no plans to change its “successful” approach to programming despite a record defamation settlement and the unceremonious departure of its most prominent star. “There’s no change to our programming strategy at Fox News,” Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch reportedly told analysts Tuesday....
U.S. Rep. George Santos facing federal charges
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. George Santos, who faced outrage and mockery over a litany of fabrications about his heritage, education and professional pedigree, has been charged with federal criminal offenses, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The charges against Santos, filed in the Eastern District of...
Sen. Dianne Feinstein returning to Washington after extended absence
Sen. Dianne Feinstein is flying back to Washington, her spokesman said Tuesday, after her extended absence because of the shingles virus threatened to derail Senate Democrats’ agenda. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Feinstein, who had been convalescing in the Bay Area since mid-February, boarded a charter private plane on...
Man guilty in Texas protest killing posted ‘I am a racist’
AUSTIN, Texas — Prosecutors sought Tuesday to portray as racist a U.S. Army sergeant who fatally shot an armed man during a Black Lives Matter protest in Texas, saying he was hostile toward social justice causes and looking for trouble before the encounter. Daniel Perry’s two day-sentencing hearing began with...
U.S. busts Russian cyber operation in dozens of countries
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department said Tuesday that it had disrupted a long-running Russian cyberespionage campaign that stole sensitive information from computer networks in dozens of countries, including the U.S. and other NATO members. Prosecutors linked the spying operation to a unit of Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, and...
Veteran ‘enamored’ with Hitler gets 4 years for Capitol riot
A military veteran who told an undercover FBI agent about his admiration for Adolf Hitler and discussed a plan to “wipe out” the nation’s Jewish population was sentenced to four years in prison for storming the U.S. Capitol. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden ordered Virginia resident Hatchet Speed to serve...
First 550 U.S. active duty troops arriving at southern border
WASHINGTON — About 550 U.S. active duty troops have begun arriving along the U.S.-Mexico border in the first group of military support ahead of an expected increase of migrants, U.S. defense officials said Tuesday. The forces will mainly be used to help monitor and watch the border as pandemic-era restrictions...
Robert De Niro, at 79, becomes a father for the 7th time
Robert De Niro has welcomed another child. The 79-year-old is now the father of seven. A representative for De Niro confirmed the birth to The Associated Press on Tuesday but said no other details or statement were expected. The Oscar winner is also a parent to Drena, 51, and Raphael,...
Start mammograms at 40, not 50, a U.S. health panel recommends
Women should start getting every-other-year mammograms at age 40 instead of waiting until 50, according to a draft recommendation from a federal task force. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has long said women can choose to start breast cancer screening as young as 40, with a stronger recommendation that...
Jury finds Trump liable for sexual abuse, awards accuser $5MVideo
NEW YORK — A jury found Donald Trump liable Tuesday for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her $5 million in a judgment that could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House. The verdict was split: Jurors rejected Carroll’s claim that...
Perimeter guards absent as 2 men escaped Philadelphia prison
PHILADELPHIA — There were no corrections officers assigned specifically to watch the housing unit of a Philadelphia prison when two inmates escaped Sunday night, and no armed perimeter guards were on duty as the men broke through the prison’s fence, a correctional officers union official told The Associated Press on...
Far-right faction pushes to oust ‘traitors’ from Georgia GOP
ATLANTA — A far-right faction that has gained clout in the Georgia GOP wants to give the state party new powers to block candidates from qualifying to run as Republicans if they’re deemed to be insufficiently conservative or a “traitor” to the party. The rule change is being championed by...
U.S. to provide Ukraine $1.2 billion in long-term security aid
WASHINGTON — The U.S. will provide $1.2 billion more in long-term military aid to Ukraine to further bolster its air defenses as Russia continues to pound Ukraine with drones, rockets and surface-to-air missiles, the Pentagon said Tuesday. The aid package will be provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. Unlike...
Reports: Pittsburgh man dies when car drops on him hours after his graduation
A Pittsburgh man who’d attended the University of Dayton in Ohio was killed hours after graduating. KDKA reports that Ian Brunner, 22, was working on his car on Sunday night when the jack apparently slipped, pinning him beneath the vehicle. WPXI reports that emergency responders arrived to the student housing...
