Texas loses high court case over prayer during executions
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with a Texas death row inmate seeking to have his pastor be allowed to pray out loud and touch him during his execution. The high court’s decision won’t keep John Henry Ramirez from being executed. But the justices in an 8-1 decision...
New rules aim to decide U.S. asylum cases in months, not years
The Biden administration on Thursday unveiled new procedures to handle asylum claims at the U.S. southern border, hoping to decide cases in months instead of years. The rules empower asylum officers to grant or deny claims, an authority that has been limited to immigration judges for people arriving at the...
NATO helps Ukraine prepare for chemical attack
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the military alliance is stepping up its defenses against chemical and nuclear weapons as concern mounts that Russia might use such weapons in Ukraine. Stoltenberg says that NATO leaders agreed at their summit Thursday to send equipment to Ukraine to help protect it against a...
Ketanji Brown Jackson on track for confirmation, but GOP votes in doubt
WASHINGTON — After more than 30 hours of hearings, the Senate is on track to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. But Democrats seem unlikely to confirm her with a robust bipartisan vote, dashing President Joe Biden’s hopes for a grand reset after...
U.S. to welcome up to 100,000 from Ukraine
WASHINGTON — A U.S. official says the United States will welcome up to 100,000 refugees from Ukraine as 3.5 million flee Russia’s invasion. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement later Thursday. The White House has been saying for weeks that the U.S. would accept...
Americans applying for jobless aid is lowest since 1969
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week fell to its lowest level in 52 years as the U.S. job market continues to show strength in the midst of rising costs and ongoing virus pandemic. Jobless claims fell by 28,000 to 187,000 for the week ending...
U.S. states seek to ease inflation burden with direct payments
PORTLAND, Maine — With inflation raging and state coffers flush with cash, governors and lawmakers across the U.S. are considering a relatively simple solution to help ease the pain people are feeling at the gas pump and grocery store — sending money. At least a dozen states have proposed giving...
Rich countries getting new covid vaccine before poorer ones
NEW DELHI — The company behind a covid-19 vaccine touted as a key tool for the developing world has sent tens of millions of doses to wealthy nations but provided none yet to the U.N.-backed effort to supply poorer countries, a sign that inequity persists in the global response to...
North Korea says it test-fired biggest ICBM, U.S. adds sanctionsVideo
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Friday it test-fired its biggest-yet intercontinental ballistic missile under the orders of leader Kim Jong Un, who vowed to expand the North’s “nuclear war deterrent” while preparing for a “long-standing confrontation” with the United States. The report by North Korean state media came...
Americans want Biden to be tougher on Russia: AP-NORC poll
WASHINGTON — As President Joe Biden meets with key allies in Brussels to coordinate a stronger response to Russia’s monthlong assault on Ukraine, a new poll shows Americans have yet to rally around his leadership. Concern about Russia has swelled and support for a major U.S. role in the conflict...
Ukrainian president to press Biden, NATO for more support
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy called on people worldwide to gather in public Thursday to show support for his embattled country as U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders met for talks focused on pressuring Russia to end the invasion that is entering its second month. “Come...
Biden seeks new sanctions, help for Ukrainians in EuropeVideo
BRUSSELS — As war rages on in Ukraine, President Joe Biden will huddle with key allies in Brussels and Warsaw this week to talk through plans for imposing punishing new sanctions on Russia and dealing with an extraordinary humanitarian crisis, while developing a consensus on how they would respond if...
Suit filed over threat to ban Native Americans from South Dakota hotel
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Hundreds of demonstrators gathered Wednesday outside a federal courthouse in a South Dakota city to cheer the filing of a federal lawsuit over a hotel owner’s pledge to ban Native Americans from the property. The protesters held a rally and prayer meeting in a Rapid City...
Ex-prosecutor: Trump ‘guilty of numerous felony violations’
NEW YORK — A prosecutor who had been leading a criminal investigation into Donald Trump before quitting last month said in his resignation letter that he believes the former president is “guilty of numerous felony violations” and he disagreed with the Manhattan district attorney’s decision not to seek an indictment....
Deer are leaping to their deaths in northwest Pennsylvania
It’s raining deer in a small northwestern Pennsylvania town, and residents say that’s disgusting and dangerous. Approximately 25 whitetail deer have leaped to their deaths from the U.S. 219 bypass that runs through the town of Johnsonburg, Elk County, in recent years, according to a recent report by WJAC-TV of...
Bail denied for Montgomery County woman in crash that killed Pa. state troopers, man
PHILADELPHIA — A judge has denied bail to a woman charged with third-degree murder in an early morning crash on a Philadelphia interstate that claimed the lives of two Pennsylvania troopers and a civilian. Jayana Tanae Webb, 21, of Eagleville was ordered held pending an April 5 hearing on charges...
Trump rescinds Mo Brooks endorsement in Senate race in Alabama
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday rescinded his endorsement of U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks in Alabama’s Republican primary for Senate, dealing a major blow to the congressman’s campaign. In a statement, Trump cited Brooks’ languishing performance in the race and his attempt to move Republicans beyond Trump’s...
Russians destroy Chernobyl radiation monitoring laboratory, Ukraine says
LVIV, Ukraine — Russian military forces have destroyed a new laboratory at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant that among other things works to improve management of radioactive waste, the Ukrainian state agency responsible for the Chernobyl exclusion zone said Tuesday. The Russian military seized the decommissioned plant at the beginning...
Pennsylvania liquor board reverses decision on CBD edibles
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board on Wednesday reversed decisions from last year and said it will not allow beer and wine licensees to sell edible products containing the marijuana extract called CBD. The decision to rescind the approval was made at the request of the state Department of...
High court won’t say whether Clarence Thomas remains hospitalized
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court declined to say Wednesday whether 73-year-old Justice Clarence Thomas remains in the hospital, though he had been expected to be released by Tuesday evening. The court said Sunday that Thomas had been admitted to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington on Friday after experiencing “flu-like symptoms,”...
Supreme Court tosses Wisconsin legislative voting maps
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday threw out Wisconsin state legislative maps that were preferred by the state’s Democratic governor and selected by Wisconsin’s top court, making it unclear what the boundaries will be for the fall election. But while the justices in an unsigned opinion threw out voting...
WVU suspends fraternity related to hazing, reprimands 3 others
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University has suspended Delta Chi fraternity in connection with a hazing incident, the school said. The fraternity’s international headquarters also removed its recognition of the local chapter, WVU said. The university suspension is for three years. The hazing incident was reported in February. The chapter...
Oklahoma House passes Texas-style bill to ban all abortions
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma House late Tuesday passed a bill that would prohibit doctors from performing abortions in the state, one of several anti-abortion bills working its way to the Republican governor — who has indicated he’ll sign it. The ban on abortions would be enforced through private civil...
U.S. finds Russian troops have committed war crimes in Ukraine
The Biden administration on Wednesday made a formal determination that Russian troops have committed war crimes in Ukraine and said it would work with others to prosecute offenders, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. “Today, I can announce that, based on information currently available, the U.S. government assesses that members...
Taliban cancels higher education for girls despite pledges
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers unexpectedly decided against reopening schools Wednesday to girls above the sixth grade, reneging on a promise and opting to appease their hard-line base at the expense of further alienating the international community. The surprising decision, confirmed by a Taliban official, is bound to disrupt efforts by the...
