Police: 6 who died in Wisconsin apartment fire had been shot
HARTLAND, Wis. — The six people found dead after an apartment fire in a southern Wisconsin village last week had been shot in an apparent case of murder-suicide, according to police. The bodies of a couple and their four children were found early Friday after firefighters were called to their...
American consumer confidence takes a hit in October
WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer confidence waned this month as concerns about inflation took hold after receding somewhat in recent months. The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell to 102.5 in October, from 107.8 in September. Consumers had grown more confident in the two previous months as...
Russian court rejects appeal of jailed U.S. basketball star Griner
MOSCOW — A Russian court on Tuesday rejected an appeal by U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner of her nine-year prison sentence for drug possession, a step that could move her closer to a possible high-stakes prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington. The eight-time all-star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury...
Biden to get updated covid booster shot, promote vaccine
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden was scheduled to get his updated covid-19 booster shot on Tuesday and urge the public to get theirs to ensure a healthy holiday season. Biden was to appear at the White House with the doctors who are leading administration efforts against the spread of the...
Ukraine nuclear agency thickens plot over alleged dirty bomb
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s nuclear energy operator said Tuesday that Russian forces were performing secret work at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, activity that could shed light on Russia’s claims that Kyiv’s forces are preparing a “provocation” involving a radioactive device. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made an unsubstantiated allegation...
Adidas ends partnership with Ye over antisemitic remarks
LONDON — Adidas ended a partnership that helped make the artist formerly known as Kanye West a billionaire and lent the German sportswear an edgy appeal, but ultimately couldn’t survive a mounting outcry over the rapper’s offensive and antisemitic remarks. The split will leave Adidas searching for another transcendent celebrity...
No Powerball winner — jackpot climbs to $700M
With no one matching all six numbers in Monday night’s Powerball drawing, the jackpot has climbed to $700 million. That would make it the fifth largest Powerball pot of all time and the eighth-largest lottery jackpot ever. Before Monday’s drawing, the jackpot had grown to $625 million, but no one...
Egypt: 10 killed in truck-minibus collision in Nile Delta
CAIRO — A truck slammed into a minibus in Egypt’s fertile Nile Delta region early on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people, authorities said. Officials blamed speeding for the crash; local media said women and children were among those killed. The collision in the province of Dakahlia, around 93 miles...
Rishi Sunak becomes British prime minister
LONDON — Rishi Sunak became Britain’s third prime minister of the year on Tuesday and now must turn his attention to taming an economic crisis that has left the country’s finances in a precarious state and millions of Britons struggling to afford food and energy bills. Sunak, the U.K.’s first...
2 right-wing operatives accused in hoax robocall scheme plead guilty
CLEVELAND — Two right-wing operatives pleaded guilty on Monday in Cleveland to single felony counts of telecommunications fraud for having placed thousands of false robocalls in Ohio that told people they could be arrested or be forced to receive vaccinations based on information they submitted in votes by mail. Jacob...
Penn State protests lead to last-minute cancellation of Proud Boys founder’s appearance
Penn State University officials canceled a Monday evening appearance by Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes as protests gained steam outside of the event. “Due to the threat of escalating violence associated with tonight’s event, Penn State University Police determined that it was necessary to cancel the speaking event in the...
USPS honoring late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with stamp
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service is honoring the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as “an icon of American culture” with a stamp in the new year. The design, unveiled on Monday, is a painted portrait based on a photo of Ginsburg in a black robe with an...
Jake Wagner, Ohio shooter of 5 family members, said he ‘had no choice’Video
WAVERLY, Ohio — An Ohio man convicted of shooting five of eight family members killed in a 2016 massacre testified Monday he had no choice but to kill the mother of his child. Jake Wagner pleaded guilty last year to shooting the five victims, an attack that investigators said resulted...
How to watch Pa.’s highly anticipated Senate debate between Fetterman, Oz
Pennsylvania’s hotly contested U.S. Senate race will have its only televised debate Tuesday in a highly anticipated event that could play an important role in deciding the outcome. Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz will square off for an hour starting at 8 p.m. in a live debate...
Justice Thomas issues temporary order shielding Sen. Lindsey Graham from testifying in Georgia election case
WASHINGTON — Justice Clarence Thomas issued an order Monday that temporarily shields Sen. Lindsey Graham from testifying about his phone calls to Georgia election officials after President Donald Trump’s narrow loss there in November 2020. Thomas oversees appeals coming from the 11th Circuit Court based in Atlanta. Late last week,...
What’s behind worrying RSV surge in U.S. children’s hospitals?
Children’s hospitals in parts of the U.S. are seeing a surge in a common respiratory illness that can cause severe breathing problems for babies. RSV cases fell dramatically two years ago as the pandemic shut down schools, day cares and businesses. With restrictions easing in the summer of 2021, doctors...
Chinese officers charged in plot to obstruct U.S. Huawei probeVideo
WASHINGTON — Two men suspected of being Chinese intelligence officers have been charged with attempting to obstruct the U.S. criminal investigation and prosecution of Chinese tech giant Huawei, according to court documents unsealed Monday. The cases were announced at a news conference that featured the heads of both the FBI...
Pa. acting secretary of state deals with threats as election approaches
Pennsylvania Acting Secretary of State Leigh M. Chapman said Monday that her office has received threats over the upcoming election. “It is the misinformation that is really fueling these threats,” said Chapman in a press call. She said the Department of State has been in communication with the FBI and...
A swing state no more? GOP confidence grows in Florida
THE VILLAGES, Fla. — Democrats are increasingly concerned that Florida, once the nation’s premier swing state, may slip away this fall and beyond as emboldened Republicans capitalize on divisive cultural issues and population shifts in crucial contests for governor and the U.S. Senate. The anxiety was apparent last week during...
U.S. Border Patrol sending migrants to offices with no notice
NEW YORK — When Wilfredo Molina arrived in the U.S. from his native Venezuela, he told border agents he wanted to go to Miami but didn’t have an address. They directed him to what he thought was a shelter in midtown Manhattan but turned out to be a gray office...
Police: 3 killed in shooting at St. Louis high school
ST. LOUIS— St. Louis police say three people are dead, including the shooter, after a shooting at a high school Monday morning. Speaking at a news conference, Police Commissioner Michael Sack said the three dead included a woman, a teenage girl and the shooter, described as a man about 20...
Ex-Minneapolis cop pleads guilty in George Floyd killing
MINNEAPOLIS — A former Minneapolis police officer pleaded guilty Monday to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd just as jury selection was about to begin. Another former officer waived his right to a jury trial, setting up an unusual proceeding in which the judge will...
Test scores show historic covid setbacks for kids across U.S.Video
WASHINGTON — The covid-19 pandemic caused historic learning setbacks for America’s children, sparing no state or region as it erased decades of academic progress and widened racial disparities, according to results of a national test that provide the sharpest look yet at the scale of the crisis. Across the country,...
After struggle, Ukraine claims success in downing drones
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian authorities on Monday tried to dampen public fears over Russia’s use of Iranian-built drones on its neighbor by claiming increasing success in shooting down the small aircraft, while talk of a “dirty bomb” attack has added another worrying dimension to the conflict that’s entering its ninth...
Prison deaths mount in El Salvador’s gang crackdown
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Jesús Joya says his brother was “special” — at 45, he was childlike, eager to please. He was as far from a gang member as anyone could be. And yet the last time he saw Henry, he was boarding a bus to prison. “Henry, you’re...
