Divisive social media star Andrew Tate detained in Romania
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Andrew Tate, a divisive social media personality and former professional kickboxer, was detained in Romania on charges of human trafficking and rape, an official said Friday.
Analysis: With 1 more game, more teams in NFL playoff race
With two weeks remaining in the NFL season, only eight teams have been eliminated from the playoff race.
Aaron Judge is AP male athlete of year after setting HR mark
NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge has always stood out.
No. 14 Miami wins 9th straight, topping Notre Dame 76-65
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Nigel Pack scored 21 points and grabbed four steals in his home state to lead No. 14 Miami over Notre Dame 76-65 on Friday.
The CFP semifinalists and the NIL collectives that back them
Two days before Christmas, University of Michigan President Santa Ono tweeted out a statement from athletic director Warde Manuel, informing Wolverines fans how they can help athletes they cheer for cash in on their fame while playing college sports.
Biden pardons 6 convicted of murder, drug, alcohol crimes
KINGSHILL, U.S. Virgin Islands — President Joe Biden has pardoned six people who have served out sentences after convictions on a murder charge and drug- and alcohol-related crimes, including an 80-year-old woman convicted of killing her abusive husband about a half-century ago and a man who pleaded guilty to using a telephone for a cocaine transaction in the 1970s.
Putin, Xi vow closer ties as Russia bombards Ukraine again
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping vowed Friday to deepen their bilateral cooperation against the backdrop of Moscow’s 10-month war in Ukraine, which weathered another night of drone and rocket attacks following a large-scale missile bombardment.
Alabama to allow concealed guns without permit in 2023
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama on Jan. 1 will become the latest state to allow people to carry a concealed handgun without a state permit that requires a background check.
Maui police officer shoots, kills man holding weapon
KAHULUI, Hawaii (AP) — A Maui officer shot and killed a man who advanced toward him with an unspecified weapon, police said. Officers responded to a report of a suicidal man at a Kahului home Thursday night, according to a Maui police news release. The first officer who arrived found a 29-year-old man wielding a weapon over his head. The officer fired his gun when the man moved toward him, police said. A police spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to an email Friday morning seeking additional details, including the type of weapon the man wielded. The man was taken to a hospital where he died. Police said his identity would be withheld for 24 hours to allow family to notify extended relatives and friends. The officer was put on administrative leave.
Suspect in deaths of Idaho students arrested in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Authorities in Pennsylvania arrested a suspect in the killings of four University of Idaho students who were found stabbed to death in their beds more than a month ago, a law enforcement official said Friday.
Trump’s tax returns released after long fight with Congress
Democrats in Congress released thousands of pages of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns on Friday, providing the most detailed picture of his finances over a six-year period, including his time in the White House.
EPA finalizes water rule that repeals Trump-era changes
ST. LOUIS — President Biden’s administration on Friday finalized regulations that protect hundreds of thousands of small streams, wetlands and other waterways, repealing a Trump-era rule that federal courts had thrown out and that environmentalists said left waterways vulnerable to pollution.
Brazil will have first Indigenous woman chief for key post
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil’s President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced Thursday that Sônia Guajajara will head up a new Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, with a mandate to oversee policies ranging from land demarcation to health care.
Israel indicts soldiers for trying to bomb Palestinian home
JERUSALEM — Israel’s military said its prosecutor has filed indictments against two soldiers who allegedly hurled an explosive device at a Palestinian home in the occupied West Bank, a rare instance of Israeli troops facing serious charges over an offense against Palestinians.
Court in Myanmar again finds Suu Kyi guilty of corruption
BANGKOK — A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption Friday, sentencing her to seven years in prison in the last of a string of criminal cases against her.
US stocks fall broadly as S&P 500 ends worst year since 2008
Stocks fell in afternoon trading on Wall Street Friday as major indexes close out a dismal year with lingering concerns about stubbornly hot inflation and a potential recession.
Los Angeles ballot measure raises hope for housing solution
Los Angeles voters approved a ballot measure in November to address the city’s housing crisis, which has left tens of thousands of people with no place to live, many others priced out of the area, and prompted recently elected mayor, Karen Bass, to declare a state of emergency. The measure, known as United to House LA, or ULA, is designed to provide both immediate protections to vulnerable tenants and to fund longer-term housing solutions.
Be mindful: Fireworks celebrations can impact veterans and pets
New Year’s Eve can be a stressful time for veterans suffering from PTSD and pets who are sensitive to loud noises as fireworks blanket neighborhoods with a barrage of bangs.
As COVID infections surge in China, the things we can take away
Few countries can be said to have truly responded adequately to the deadly threat of the coronavirus, and ours certainly isn’t near the top, with a poisonous fixation on individual liberty that shot even basic collective efforts to ward off the crisis.
The pandemic drinking binge just keeps going
The arrival of COVID-19 and the societal disruptions that accompanied it understandably drove a lot of Americans to drink. But even as life has returned to more or less normal this year, the drinking binge has continued. The consumer spending statistics compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis are the timeliest estimates of alcohol consumption available. They show November’s spending on alcoholic beverages, adjusted for inflation and seasonal spending patterns, to have been 3% higher than a year earlier and 15% higher than just before the pandemic. (1)
