U.S. blacklists 6 Chinese entities over balloon program
BEIJING — The United States on Friday 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.
Biden faces doubt from some voters who backed Dems in 2022
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Hillary Scholten is among the Democrats who had a surprisingly good election night in November.
AP source: Pence subpoenaed by special counsel probing Trump
Former Vice President Mike Pence has been subpoenaed by the special counsel overseeing investigations into efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to a person with direct knowledge of the event.
The pandemic missing: The kids who didn’t go back to school
She’d be a senior right now, preparing for graduation in a few months, probably leading her school’s modern dance troupe and taking art classes.
Officer drew gun as he approached Tyre Nichols, report finds
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — One of three Memphis Police officers who initially detained Tyre Nichols last month has admitted he did not witness the alleged reckless driving that was the justification for pulling over Nichols but still approached his car while brandishing his gun, according to police documents seeking to bar him from working in law enforcement.
NFL Honors: Hamlin joins medical staff that saved his life
PHOENIX — The first responders who saved Damar Hamlin’s life were recognized with a tribute video at “NFL Honors” before being invited onto the stage.
Death toll rises, rescues dwindle in earthquake aftermath
KAHRAMANMARAS, Turkey — A teenager was pulled largely unscathed from beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in the Turkish city of Gaziantep early Friday, in a dramatic rescue that belied the reality that the chances of finding many more survivors four days after a catastrophic earthquake killed tens of thousands are shrinking fast.
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy makes emotional appeal for EU membership
BRUSSELS — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked his Western allies Thursday for more weapons and said “a Ukraine that is winning” its war with Russia should become a member of the European Union, arguing the bloc won’t be complete without it.
‘It just rang’: In crises, U.S.-China hotline goes unanswered
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Within hours of an Air Force F-22 downing a giant Chinese balloon that had crossed the United States, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reached out to his Chinese counterpart via a special crisis line, aiming for a quick general-to-general talk that could explain things and ease tensions.
‘Shame for WHO’: Victim of sex misconduct slams UN response
KAMPALA, Uganda — A woman who says she was victimized by a World Health Organization doctor during a recent Ebola outbreak in Congo said she is shocked that no senior officials were punished for the sexual abuse and exploitation claims involving dozens of women in the conflict-ridden country.
Kim Jong Un shows off daughter, missiles at N. Korean parade
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his young daughter took center stage at a huge military parade, fueling speculation that she is being primed as a future leader of the isolated country as her father showed off his latest, largest nuclear missiles.
Biden warns of GOP plans for Medicare, Social Security cuts
WASHINGTON, D.C. — When President Joe Biden suggested that Republicans want to slash Medicare and Social Security, the GOP howls of protest during his State of the Union address showcased a striking apparent turnaround for the party that built a brand for years trying to do just that.
Tyre Nichols documents: Officer never explained stop to him
MEMPHIS, Tennessee — The officer who pulled Tyre Nichols from his car before police fatally beat him never explained why he was being stopped, newly released documents show, and emerging reports from Memphis residents suggest that was common.
Lawmakers in GOP states target medical care for trans kids
OKLAHOMA CITY — Republican attacks on gender affirming medical care for young people continued Wednesday in several conservative states that are among more than two dozen considering similar bans nationwide.
Probe into U.S. Olympic failings stunted by red tape in DC
DENVER — More than 27 months since it was greenlighted by Congress, the panel established to investigate the inner workings of the U.S. Olympic structure has yet to conduct a formal interview because of bureaucratic red tape and slow action from the same lawmakers who had expressed a pressing need for better oversight.
LeBron’s off-court legacy complements his basketball success
Mya Smiley is a student at the University of Akron thanks to an assist from LeBron James, and she is determined upon graduation to become a social worker that helps foster kids.
Zelenskyy seeks weaponry in surprise trips to London, Paris
PARIS — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought Western support for his country in surprise visits to Britain and France on Wednesday, pushing for fighter jets to battle Russian invaders in a dramatic speech to the U.K. Parliament, and then flying to Paris to meet the French and German leaders over dinner at the Elysee Palace.
Hope fading as deaths in Turkey, Syria quake near 12,000
GAZIANTEP, Turkey — With hope of finding survivors fading, stretched rescue teams in Turkey and Syria searched Wednesday for signs of life in the rubble of thousands of buildings toppled by the world’s deadliest earthquake in more than a decade. The confirmed death toll approached 12,000.
U.S. forces returning to Philippines to counter China threats
SUBIC BAY, Philippines — Once-secret ammunition bunkers and barracks lay abandoned, empty and overrun by weeds — vestiges of American firepower in what used to be the United States’ largest overseas naval base at Subic Bay in the northern Philippines.
Brazil pushes illegal miners out of Yanomami territory
ALTO ALEGRE, Brazil — Armed government officials with Brazil’s justice, Indigenous and environment ministries pressed illegal gold miners out of Yanomami Indigenous territory Wednesday, citing widespread river contamination, famine and disease they have brought to one of the most isolated groups in the world.