Author: Associated Press

Trump’s tax returns released after long fight with Congress

(AP) -- Democrats in Congress have released six years of former President Donald Trump's tax returns. It's the culmination of a yearslong effort to learn about the finances of a onetime business mogul who broke decades of political norms when…

US Census Bureau redefines meaning of ‘urban’ America

(AP) -- More than 1,100 towns, hamlets and villages in the U.S. lost their status as urban areas as the U.S. Census Bureau released a new list of places considered urban based on revised criteria. The new standards raise the…

Vivienne Westwood, influential fashion maverick, dies at 81

LONDON (AP) — English designer Vivienne Westwood has died at 81. Her fashion house announced her death Thursday on its social media platforms, saying she died peacefully in South London surrounded by friends and family. A cause was not immediately…

TN deputies fatally shoot suspect after multi-state pursuit

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee sheriff’s office says a chase by car and on foot Thursday ended with deputies fatally shooting a suspect who had shot at them. One deputy was injured. On Facebook, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office posted that…

Jan. 6 panel drops Trump subpoena as it wraps up work

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee has dropped its subpoena against former President Donald Trump as it wraps up work and prepares to dissolve next week. The committee’s Democratic chairman wrote in a letter to Trump lawyer David…

Russia hits key infrastructure with missiles across Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian missiles struck Ukraine in the biggest wave of strikes in weeks, hitting power stations and other critical infrastructure Thursday during freezing winter weather. Russia fired 69 missiles at energy facilities and Ukrainian forces shot down…

‘Not just the ramp.’ Worship spaces need more accessibility

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — Many U.S. houses of worship have accessibility limitations. They are exempt from the Americans with Disabilities Act, the 32-year-old landmark civil rights law that included access requirements for public spaces. Nonetheless, most have made their buildings…

Southwest Airlines flight cancellations continue to snowball

DALLAS (AP) — Families hoping to catch a Southwest Airlines flight after days of cancellations, missing luggage and missed family connections are suffering through another wave of scrubbed flights. Another 2,500 flights are being pulled from arrival and departure boards…

Paul Pelosi attack suspect enters not-guilty plea

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The man who allegedly broke into U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ’s home and beat her 82-year-old husband in October has pleaded not guilty to six charges, including attempted murder. Suspect David DePape entered the plea…

US will require COVID-19 testing for travelers from China

(AP) -- The U.S. will soon require COVID-19 testing for travelers from China. The U.S. joins a few other nations imposing travel restrictions because of a surge of infections in China. The increase in cases follows the rollback of China’s…

4 more slayings tied to California serial killer, prosecutor says

STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) — A suspect in serial killings has been charged in four additional slayings, bringing the total to seven deaths in Northern California since April 2021. Prosecutors charged the suspect Tuesday in a seventh killing. The shootings terrorized…

Winter weather upends water systems across the Deep South

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A cold snap blanketing the Deep South has upended water systems as local officials struggle to repair widespread leaks and broken pipes. Breakdowns in infrastructure arose in rapid succession after days of freezing temperatures in areas…

Mexico’s president asks residents to reject drug gang gifts

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president appealed to the country’s citizens Tuesday not to accept holiday handouts and gifts from drug gangs, after videos posted online showed garish pickup trucks handing out loads of gifts while bystanders described the drivers…

Mega Millions Tuesday jackpot surpasses estimated $565M

The holiday shopping season — for Mega Millions lottery ticket buyers, at least — is ramping up as officials say the estimated jackpot for Tuesday night's drawing has surpassed half a billion dollars. As of late Monday, lottery officials estimate…

Sheriff: 6 believed to be dead in Tennessee house fire

CROSSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities believe six people were killed in an early morning house fire in Tennessee on Monday. Cumberland County firefighters responded to find the Crossville home fully engulfed in flames, a statement from Cumberland County Sheriff's Department…

Zach Bryan drops ‘All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster’ album

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The chorus against Ticketmaster's contentious concert pricing practices is growing, numbering among them Zach Bryan and friends. FILE - Zach Bryan performs at the Railbird Music Festival on Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021,…

Long COVID: Could mono virus or fat cells be playing roles?

A British historian, an Italian archaeologist and an American preschool teacher have never met in person, but they share a prominent pandemic bond. Plagued by eerily similar symptoms, the three women are credited with describing, naming and helping bring long…

Western NY death toll rises to 27 from cold, storm chaos

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The death toll from a Buffalo-area blizzard rose to 27 in western New York, authorities said Monday, as the region reeled from one of the worst weather-related disasters in its history. Much of the rest of the…

$600M designated for struggling water system in Mississippi

By Emily Wagster Pettus - Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The federal government will put $600 million toward repairing the troubled water system in Mississippi's capital city — a project that the mayor has said could cost billions of…

Stuck at the border, migrants find a little Christmas cheer

By Morgan Lee and Giovanna Dell'Orto - Associated Press CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) — After fleeing violence in their Guatemalan town, but with their way to relatives in California blocked by continuing U.S. asylum restrictions, a family of 15 joined…

Tory Lanez convicted in Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles jury on Friday found rapper Tory Lanez guilty of three felonies in the 2020 shooting of hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion that left her wounded with bullet fragments in her feet. …

House passes $1.7 trillion spending bill with Ukraine aid

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic-led House has passed a $1.7 trillion government spending bill. The bill will finance federal agencies through September and provide more aid to a devastated Ukraine. It passed by a vote of 225-201. The bill represents…

Bill naming post office for late ex-senator goes to Biden

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A bill that would name a Nashville post office after a late former state senator is headed to President Joe Biden’s desk. In a news release Thursday, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper said the proposal dedicated…

Massive winter storm brings frigid temps, snow and ice to US

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Winter weather is blanketing the U.S. as a massive storm sent temperatures crashing and created whiteout conditions. More than 200 million people — about 60% of the U.S. population — were under some form of winter…

Jan. 6 report: Trump ‘lit that fire’ of Capitol insurrection

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee’s final report asserts that Donald Trump criminally engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election and failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking…

Jurors deciding whether Tory Lanez shot Megan Thee Stallion

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jurors have began deliberating at the trial of rapper Tory Lanez, who is charged with shooting hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in the feet and leaving her wounded. The jury of seven women and five men…

“Weed Nuns” put faith in cannabis

For a group of women living in a commune in a remote area of California near Yosemite, marijuana is a religion. The self-proclaimed "Sisters of the Valley," also nicknamed the…

Titans’ Tannehill out vs. Texans, rookie QB Willis to start

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee rookie Malik Willis will start his third NFL game Saturday against the Houston Texans with veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill ruled out with an injured right ankle. Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis (7) passes against the…

Senate passes $1.7 trillion bill to fund gov’t, aid Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed a massive $1.7 trillion spending bill Thursday that finances federal agencies through September and provides another significant round of military and economic aid to Ukraine one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's dramatic address…

International migration drove US population growth in 2022

(AP) -- The U.S. population grew by 1.2 million people this year, with growth largely driven by international migration, and the nation now has 333.2 million residents, according to estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. Net international migration…

New majority of Biden picks confirmed to TVA board

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The U.S. Senate has confirmed six long-waiting nominees by President Joe Biden to the board of the nation’s largest public utility, establishing a new majority with Biden’s picks. Tennessee Valley Authority spokesperson Ashton Davies said the…

Memphis Zoo pandas Ya Ya, Le Le to return to China

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Memphis Zoo says its giant pandas will be heading back to China within the next few months. The zoo says 22-year-old Ya Ya and 24-year-old Le Le will return after two decades in Memphis under…

Zelenskyy to Congress: Against all odds Ukraine still stands

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that “against all odds” Ukraine still stands, as he paid a defiant wartime visit to Washington to thank U.S. leaders and “ordinary Americans” for their support in fighting off Russia’s invasion…

Zelenskyy gets White House welcome from Biden before talks

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House. At their summit, the two leaders are aiming to show a unified front against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It's Zelenskyy’s first known trip outside…

Number of guns found at Tennessee airports hits high in 2022

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — More than 350 guns have been found in passengers' carry-on luggage at security checkpoints at Tennessee's major airports this year, marking an all-time high, federal officials said. The 353 guns found so far this year at…

Wells Fargo to pay $3.7B over consumer law violations

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer banking giant Wells Fargo agreed to pay $3.7 billion to settle charges that it harmed customers by charging illegal fees and interest on auto loans and mortgages, as well as incorrectly applying overdraft fees against savings…

Millions to lose Medicaid coverage under Congress’ plan

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of people who enrolled in Medicaid during the COVID-19 pandemic could start to lose their coverage on April 1 if Congress passes the $1.7 trillion spending package leaders unveiled Tuesday. The legislation will sunset a requirement of…

Congress moves to ban TikTok from US government devices

WASHINGTON (AP) — TikTok would be banned from most U.S. government devices under a government spending bill Congress unveiled early Tuesday. It's the latest push by American lawmakers against the Chinese-owned social media app. The $1.7 trillion package includes requirements…

Kayaker’s body found in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials say they have recovered the body of a kayaker who disappeared underwater and did not resurface. A news release from the park says rangers recovered the body of 61-year-old Carl…

Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape in Los Angeles trial

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After a month-long trial and nine days of deliberations, Los Angeles jurors on Monday found Harvey Weinstein guilty of the rape and sexual assault of just one of the four accusers he was charged with abusing. [caption id="attachment_1259402"…

Jan. 6 panel urges Trump prosecution with criminal referral

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee urged the Justice Department on Monday to bring criminal charges against Donald Trump for the violent 2021 Capitol insurrection, calling for accountability for the former president and “a time of reflection and reckoning.” [caption…

Loved or hated, Fauci’s parting advice: Stick to the science

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Anthony Fauci is excited by the prospect of next-generation coronavirus vaccines but worried about health misinformation as he prepares to step down at the end of the month. Fauci, who turns 82 on Christmas Eve, has…