Nation
Kouri Richins, author of a children’s book on grief, gets life sentence for killing her husband
PARK CITY, Utah | A Utah mother who published a children’s book about grief after the death of her husband will serve a life sentence for his murder without the possibility of parole, a judge ruled Wednesday. Kouri Richins was convicted in March of aggravated murder for lacing her husband Eric Richins’ cocktail with five […]
Former private prison executive David Venturella will become ICE’s acting leader
WASHINGTON | David Venturella, a former executive at a private prison operator, will serve as the acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Trump administration says, after the agency’s current leader steps down at the end of the month. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said late Tuesday that Venturella would […]
Prosecutors to retry Alex Murdaugh in deaths of wife and son after high court overturned convictions
COLUMBIA, S.C. | The murder convictions and life sentence of Alex Murdaugh were overturned Wednesday by the South Carolina Supreme Court because the court clerk at his trial suggested he was guilty, but the disgraced lawyer won’t be leaving prison any time soon. Prosecutors say they plan to retry Murdaugh, which likely means there will […]
Russia presses its barrages of Ukraine as Trump talks of possible peace and Kyiv is emboldened
KYIV, Ukraine | More than 100 Russian drones targeted areas of Ukraine on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, hours after another barrage of civilian areas killed at least eight people. “Russia continues its strikes and is doing so brazenly — deliberately targeting our railway infrastructure and civilian sites in our cities,” Zelenskyy said in a […]
US overdose deaths fell again in 2025, but some worry about policy and drug supply changes
NEW YORK | About 70,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year — about 14% fewer than the previous year, according to preliminary government data. It was the third straight annual drop, making it the longest decline in decades, according to federal data released Wednesday. The 2025 total is about the same as the tally […]
Operator of hantavirus-hit ship will say by week’s end when the vessel will resume cruises
The operator of the cruise ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak told The Associated Press Wednesday that it expects to know by the end of the week if the vessel will keep to its schedule for the coming months, as it previously indicated it would. The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius is listed on Oceanwide […]
Louisiana advances plan to eliminate majority-Black US House district after court ruling
BATON ROUGE, La. | Republican senators in Louisiana advanced a plan Wednesday to eliminate one of two majority-Black, Democratic-held congressional seats following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down the state’s U.S. House map as an illegal racial gerrymander. The early morning Senate committee vote came after hours of impassioned testimony from Black residents […]
Gunfire breaks out in Philippine Senate where authorities have tried to arrest a senator
MANILA, Philippines | A burst of gunfire rang out Wednesday night in the Philippine Senate, where authorities have tried to arrest a senator who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for a charge of crime against humanity, an Associated Press journalist and other witnesses said. It wasn’t immediately clear what set off the gunfire […]
Producer prices shot up 6%, adding to pressure on companies to raise prices for customers
WASHINGTON | U.S. wholesale inflation came in hot last month. Producer prices rose 6% from a year earlier, most since December 2022, as the 10-week Iran war pushed up energy prices and put pressure on companies to pass along higher costs to consumers. The Labor Department reported Wednesday that its producer price index — which […]
Russian ship that sank near Spain in 2024 may have carried nuclear reactor parts
BARCELONA, Spain | A Russian ship that sank in the Mediterranean over a year ago after its engine room exploded may have been carrying pieces for nuclear reactors used in submarines, a Spanish government document shows. The Ursa Major sank on Dec. 23, 2024, between Spain and Algeria while allegedly on a journey from St. […]