Author: Associated Press

How to keep your Twitter account secure – without paying

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Twitter has given users an ultimatum. If they don't subscribe to a new premium service, they'll lose a popular account security feature. As of March 19, users won't be able to secure their accounts via text…

YouTube CEO steps down, severing longtime ties to Google

UNDATED (AP) - Susan Wojcicki (wah-JIHT'-skee), a longtime Google executive who played a key role in the company’s creation, is stepping down as YouTube’s CEO after spending the past nine years running the video site that has reshaped entertainment, culture…

US: Russia has committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine

MUNICH (AP) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris says Washington has determined that Russia has committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine. She insisted on Saturday that “justice must be served” to the perpetrators. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Harris…

FBI records deepen mystery of dig for Civil War-era gold

By Michael Rubinkam  - Associated Press CLEARFIELD, Pa. (AP) — The court-ordered release of a trove of government photos, videos, maps and other documents involving the FBI's secretive search for Civil War-era gold has a treasure hunter more convinced than…

Federal prosecutors ask for more years for R. Kelly

CHICAGO (AP) - Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to give singer R. Kelly 25 more years in prison for his child pornography and enticement convictions last year in Chicago. That recommendation in a court filing would add to the…

Sheriff: Gunman kills 6, including ex-wife, in Mississippi

ARKABUTLA, Miss. (AP) — A lone gunman killed six people including his ex-wife and stepfather Friday at multiple locations in a tiny rural community in northern Mississippi, the sheriff said, leaving investigators searching for clues to what motivated the shocking…

6 shot dead in small Mississippi town, suspect in custody

ARKABUTLA, Miss. (AP) — Six people were fatally shot Friday in a small town in rural Mississippi near the Tennessee state line, and authorities said they had taken a suspect into custody. Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bailey Martin…

Whiteville to get budget boost after census appeal

U.S. cities and towns that have challenged their 2020 census population figures appear to be winning only small victories. The U.S. Census Bureau has resolved and made public a dozen or so municipal appeals. The biggest gain so far has…

5 Memphis officers plead not guilty in death of Tyre Nichols

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The judge in the case of five former Memphis, Tennessee, police officers charged with killing Tyre Nichols has asked for “continued patience” in a case that could "take some time.” Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills…

Military finishes recovering Chinese balloon debris

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has finished efforts to recover the remnants of the large balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina, and analysis of the debris so far reinforces conclusions that it was a Chinese spy…

2 wounded, 1 has medical problem in Memphis mall shooting

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Two people were wounded and a third person suffered a medical problem Thursday in a shooting stemming from a fight at a large mall in suburban Memphis, Tennessee, police said. Memphis police and other law enforcement…

Bruce Willis has frontotemporal dementia, condition worsens

NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly a year after Bruce Willis' family announced that he would step away from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, his family says his “condition has progressed.” In a statement posted Thursday, the 67-year-old actor's family said Willis has a…

Biden wants ‘sharper rules’ on unknown aerial objects

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says the U.S. is developing “sharper rules” to track, monitor and potentially shoot down unknown aerial objects. This follows three weeks of high-stakes drama sparked by the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon…

Tennessee senators OK school voucher expansion bill

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Senate lawmakers on Thursday approved the expansion of an education voucher program that allows public tax dollars to be given to families to pay for private schooling. FILE - The Tennessee…

Deputies suspended in Nichols case didn’t keep body cams on

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities say two sheriff’s deputies who have been suspended for five days for their role in the arrest of Tyre Nichols failed to keep their body cameras activated after they went to the location where Nichols…

Jeers, boos from Ohio villagers enraged by toxic train spill

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — Residents of the Ohio village upended by a freight train derailment packed a school gym demanding to know if they're safe from the toxic chemicals that spilled or were burned off to avoid an even…

A Black Hawk crashes in AL, killing 2 crew

A Black Hawk helicopter from the Tennessee National Guard crashed Wednesday in Alabama, killing two crew members, the Tennessee National Guard said. Tennessee’s Adjutant General Brig. Gen. Warner Ross said in a statement. “We ask Tennesseans to join us in…

White supremacist gets life in prison for Buffalo massacre

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A white supremacist who killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket was sentenced to life in prison without parole Wednesday after relatives of his victims confronted him with pain and rage caused by his racist attack. [caption…

Stax offers free soul music event for Black History Month

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The foundation associated with the Stax Museum of American Soul Music and the Stax Music Academy says a new multimedia presentation celebrating Black History Month is now available for viewing online. The Memphis-based Soulsville Foundation said…

Review: A Marvel villain comes into focus in ‘Ant-Man 3’

Peyton Reed’s “Ant-Man” films have generally served as a kind of palate cleanser to the world-ending stakes of the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang is just an ordinary dude, or so they keep telling us, who still…

Tennessee advances bill to narrowly loosen abortion ban

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s GOP-dominant Statehouse on Tuesday took a first step toward loosening one of the strictest abortion bans in the country, advancing a narrow exemption bill over threats from anti-abortion advocates that doing so would come with…

US inflation slows to 6.4%, but price pressures re-emerge

WASHINGTON (AP) — The pace of consumer price increases eased again in January compared with a year earlier, the latest sign that the high inflation that has gripped Americans for nearly two years is slowly easing.   At the same time, Tuesday’s…

TikTok ‘de-influencers’ want Gen Z to buy less – and more

NEW YORK (AP) — At a time when consumers are inundated with so-called social media influencers peddling the latest products online, a slew of TikTok users are leveraging their platforms to tell people what not to buy instead. [caption id="attachment_1327986"…

Gunmen storm hospital of newborn saved from quake in Syria

BEIRUT (AP) — Gunmen stormed a Syrian hospital that is caring for a baby girl who was born under the rubble of her family’s earthquake-shattered home, and the attackers beat the facility's director, a hospital official said Tuesday. [caption id="attachment_1328004" align="aligncenter"…

Bill would ban companies that offer trans care from TennCare

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The private companies that manage care for most of Tennessee’s Medicaid program could no longer contract with the state if they cover gender-transitioning medical care, according to a bill Republican lawmakers advanced Tuesday. [caption id="attachment_1327977" align="aligncenter"…

Ohio derailment aftermath: How worried should people be?

Plumes of smoke, questions about dead animals, worries about the drinking water. A train derailment in Ohio and subsequent burning of some of the hazardous chemicals has people asking: how worried should they be? A black…

Police seek motive of gunman who killed 3 at Michigan State

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Police say the gunman who killed himself hours after fatally shooting three students at Michigan State University was 43-year-old Anthony McRae. Authorities said Tuesday that five people in critical condition Tuesday are also students. The…

Rumors swirl about balloons, UFOs as officials stay mum

WASHINGTON (AP) — Officials have offered few details about four aerial objects recently shot down over North America, helping to fuel conspiracy theories and conjecture on the internet. One popular claim circulating suggested, with no evidence, that the U.S. deployed…

Officer fired in Tyre Nichols case had minor reprimands

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Records obtained by The Associated Press show a Memphis police officer who hit Tyre Nichols with a stun gun during a traffic stop that preceded Nichols’ brutal beating by other officers had a prior record of…

Nikki Haley announces run for president, challenging Trump

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, announced her candidacy for president on Tuesday. She becomes the first major challenger to former President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination. The announcement,…

Tennessee closes in on trans youth care ban; lawsuit pledged

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee's Republican-led Senate approved a measure Monday that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors, spurring civil rights groups to promise an immediate lawsuit if and when it becomes law. FILE -…

Aliens? Lack of US info on shootdowns breeds wild ideas

WASHINGTON (AP) — With few confirmed details from President Joe Biden’s White House, the downing of three unknown aerial objects in as many days by U.S. fighter jets has prompted wild speculation about what they were and where they came from. It…

Tennessee Senate speaker recovering after pacemaker inserted

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Lt. Gov. and Senate Speaker Randy McNally is recovering after having a pacemaker inserted. McNally checked into Vanderbilt University Medical Center last week after experiencing symptoms of an irregular heartbeat, the Republican lawmaker said on…

Hamlin makes appearance on field at Super Bowl

By DAVID BRANDT - AP Sports Writer GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Damar Hamlin has made it to the Super Bowl. The Buffalo Bills safety made his third appearance in Phoenix during Super Bowl week, this time on the field at…

Turkey probes contractors as earthquake deaths pass 33,000

By JUSTIN SPIKE, ZEYNEP BILGINSOY and SARAH EL DEEB Associated Press ANTAKYA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish authorities are targeting contractors allegedly linked with buildings that collapsed in the powerful Feb. 6 earthquakes as rescuers found more survivors in the rubble…

Mars Wrigley fined after workers fall into vat of chocolate

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Federal workplace safety authorities have fined a central Pennsylvania confectionary factory more than $14,500 following an accident last year in which two workers fell into a vat of chocolate. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited…

Union: Fired EMTs didn’t get enough info in Nichols response

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The head of a union representing most of the Memphis Fire Department said three employees who were fired after the death of Tyre Nichols weren't given enough information as they responded to the call for medical…

US blacklists 6 Chinese entities over balloon program

BEIJING (AP) — The United States has blacklisted six Chinese entities it said were linked to Beijing's aerospace programs as part of its retaliation over an alleged Chinese spy balloon that traversed U.S. airspace. The economic restrictions announced Friday followed…

How the ‘boneless wing’ became a tasty culinary lie

By Ted Anthony - AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — One day in 2020, at the pandemic's height, an earnest-looking man with long hair the color of Buffalo sauce stepped up to a podium in Lincoln, Nebraska, to address…