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Hunt for the gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare’s CEO heads into third day as new clues emerge
NEW YORK (AP) — As the investigation into a masked gunman who stalked and killed the head of one of the largest U.S. health insurers moved into its third day Friday, possible leads emerged about his travel before the shooting and a message…
Stock market today: Asian stocks are mixed after Wall Street falls ahead of key US jobs report
Asian stocks are mixed after Wall Street fell ahead of a key U.S. jobs report. U.S. futures slipped and oil prices were little changed. Chinese stocks rose, fueled by hopes for stimulus measures from an economic policy meeting scheduled for…
Michigan Democrats move to protect reproductive health data before GOP takes control of House
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Democrats are pushing this month to pass legislation they say will improve reproductive health care, in particular the safety of digital health data, ahead of Republicans taking over the state House in 2025.…
US hiring likely rebounded last month after storms and strikes curtailed October job growth
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hiring in the United States likely rebounded last month from a dismal October, when hurricanes and strikes reduced job growth to its lowest level in nearly four years.
Friday's jobs report from the Labor Department is…
World’s oldest-known wild bird lays an egg in Hawaii at age 74
The oldest known wild bird in the world has laid an egg at the ripe age of about 74, her first in four years, U.S. wildlife officials said.
The long-winged seabird named Wisdom, a Laysan albatross, returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife…
Biden is considering preemptive pardons for officials and allies before Trump takes office
President Joe Biden is weighing whether to issue sweeping pardons for officials and allies who the White House fears could be unjustly targeted by President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. The preemptive move would be a novel and risky…
Trump names former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China
President-elect Donald Trump is naming former U.S. Senator David Perdue of Georgia to be his ambassador to China. Trump says that as a former CEO, Perdue will bring “valuable expertise” to the U.S. relationship with China. Perdue pushed…
Outgoing DNC chair Jaime Harrison pushes back against critics of ‘identity politics’
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison delivered a steadfast defense of his party’s commitment to racial equity Thursday, drawing on his own identity as a Black man to push back forcefully against…
Biden at tree lighting says his holiday wish is for US to continue to seek light, liberty and love
President Joe Biden has presided over his final Christmas tree lighting at the White House. He says his wish for the nation now, and always, is that “we continue to seek the light, liberty and love, kindness and compassion, dignity and…
An Ole Miss student exchanged messages with the man now on trial in his killing, police say
In the final hours before University of Mississippi student Jimmy “Jay” Lee disappeared, sexually explicit Snapchat messages were exchanged between his account and the account of the man now on trial in his killing, an investigator…
House rejects Democratic efforts to force release of Matt Gaetz ethics report
The House has shut down Democrats’ efforts to release the long-awaited ethics report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz. The party line vote pushes the fate of any resolution to the yearslong investigation of sexual misconduct allegations into…
Environmentalists are headed to court over proposed oil well in vulnerable Florida watershed
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Environmentalists are heading to court to try to stop a plan to drill for oil in the watershed of a vulnerable north Florida river. The challenge brought by the conservation group Apalachicola Riverkeeper against…
Dwarfed by China in shipbuilding, US looks to build its defense base to fend off war
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. severely lags behind China in shipbuilding capacity, lawmakers and experts have warned, as the Biden administration tries to build up the country's ability to develop and produce weapons and other defense supplies…
Eli Lilly invests $3B to expand Wisconsin factory to help meet demand for Mounjaro, Zepbound
Eli Lilly is spending another $3 billion to bulk up manufacturing as the drugmaker seeks to stoke production of some blockbuster drugs and future products.
Lilly said Thursday it will expand a Kenosha County, Wisconsin, factory it bought…
El Salvador’s president is triumphant after his bet on bitcoin comes true
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — As bitcoin reached historic highs, surpassing $100,000 for the first tim e, El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele was triumphant on Thursday about his big bet on the cryptocurrency.
The adoption of bitcoin —…
Woman who conspired to kill her 2 children can be tried in the death of her estranged husband
PHOENIX (AP) — A woman convicted of conspiring to kill her two youngest children and another woman was found competent on Thursday to stand trial on additional charges.
Two court-appointed doctors in Arizona deemed Lori Vallow Daybell fit…
Things to know about the federal investigation into the Memphis Police Department
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A U.S. Department of Justice investigation found that the Memphis Police Department committed a host of civil rights violations, including using excessive force, making illegal traffic stops and disproportionately…
A Texas man claims he shot his son after mistaking him for an intruder, later burns the body
HOUSTON (AP) — A father has been charged with fatally shooting his adult son with Down syndrome at a home in East Texas after claiming he had mistaken him for an intruder and then later burning his body in what authorities on Thursday…
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield reverses decision to put a time limit on anesthesia
One of the country’s largest health insurers reversed a change in policy Thursday after widespread outcry, saying it would not tie payments in some states to the length of time a patient went under anesthesia.
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield…
Apex the $45M stegosaurus is on display in New York. Here’s what scientists hope to learn about it
The most expensive dinosaur fossil ever discovered will be on view in New York starting this weekend. American Museum of Natural History officials are announcing that the giant stegosaurus, dubbed “Apex,” will be viewable by the public…
Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming announces bid to run for U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy’s seat
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming, a Republican and appointee of Donald Trump's during his first term as president, has announced that he will run for U.S. Senate in the hopes of unseating current member Bill Cassidy,…
Former officials urge closed-door Senate hearings on Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for intel chief
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 100 former senior U.S. diplomats and intelligence and national security officials have urged Senate leaders to schedule closed-door hearings to allow for a full review of the government's files on former Rep. Tulsi…
An architect of Project 2025 is pressuring Republican senators to confirm Pete Hegseth
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The think tank behind Project 2025, the conservative blueprint linked to President-elect Donald Trump, is launching an effort to back Trump's imperiled selection for secretary of defense in its latest attempt to…
Trump dispatched his incoming envoy to the Mideast for high-level talks on reaching Gaza ceasefire
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump's incoming Middle East envoy recently visited Israel and Qatar for high-level talks on landing a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza, a U.S. official said Thursday.
Steve Witkoff, who was tapped…
Trump talks up his transition and election victory as he receives Fox Nation award
Donald Trump isn't even in office yet, but he says he's already accomplished more than President Joe Biden did in his entire term. It's an outsized claim from the president-elect, coming just a month after Trump won the election. Trump made…
EPA hails ‘revitalized’ enforcement efforts as Biden administration heads to exit
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency enhanced enforcement efforts this year, doubling financial penalties issued to polluters and issuing the first-ever arrest for a climate change-related crime, the agency said in a report…
US judge rejects Boeing’s plea deal in a conspiracy case stemming from fatal plane crashes
A federal judge has rejected a deal that would have let Boeing to plead guilty to a felony conspiracy charge and pay a fine for misleading U.S. regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed and 346 people died. U.S.…
Hegseth faces senators’ concerns not only about his behavior but also his views on women in combat
Pete Hegseth has spent the week on Capitol Hill trying to reassure Republican senators that he is fit to lead President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Defense in the wake of high-profile allegations about excessive drinking and sexual…
From outsider to the Oval Office, bitcoin surges as a new administration embraces crypto
Bitcoin burst on the scene after trust had withered in the financial system and Washington’s ability to protect people from it. Now, it’s Washington’s embrace of bitcoin that’s sending it to records. Bitcoin briefly surged above $103,000…
Fox News loses bid for Smartmatic voting-tech company’s records about Philippines bribery case
Smartmatic does not need to give Fox News any information about U.S. federal charges against the voting machine company’s co-founder over alleged bribery in the Philippines. A New York judge on Thursday also turned down Smartmatic’s request…
Words on ammo in CEO shooting echo common phrase on insurer tactics: Delay, deny, defend
A message left at the scene of a health insurance executive’s fatal shooting — “deny,” “defend” and “depose” — echoes a phrase commonly used to describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims.
The three words were written on the ammunition…
Average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the US falls to 6.69%
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. eased again this week, slipping to its lowest level since late October.
The rate dropped to 6.69% from 6.81% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate…
Father of victim in NYC subway chokehold case sues defendant Daniel Penny
The father of the victim in the fatal New York City subway chokehold case has sued defendant Daniel Penny as a Manhattan jury continues deliberating. Jordan Neely’s father, Andre Zachary, filed the suit Wednesday in New York Supreme Court.…
A George Floyd protester injured by Fort Lauderdale police gets $2 million in lawsuit settlement
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A protester who suffered eye damage when a rubber bullet fired by Fort Lauderdale police struck her in the face during a 2020 protest over George Floyd’s murder has received $2 million from the city to settle a…
At a sinkhole above an abandoned Pennsylvania coal mine, hopes of a rescue dwindle
Digging crews have resumed efforts to try to locate a woman who authorities fear died after falling into a sinkhole above an abandoned Pennsylvania coal mine. Fewer than a dozen searchers, including state police and excavator operators,…
Work-life balance isn’t working for women. Why?
NEW YORK (AP) — About half of working women reported feeling stressed “a lot of the day," compared to about 4 in 10 men, according to a Gallup report published this week.
The report suggests that competing demands of work and home comprise…
Historic images of Native Americans by a Swiss artist find their way back to North Dakota
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — More than two dozen historic prints that depict a slice of Native American life and culture on the Upper Missouri River nearly 200 years ago will soon be more accessible to the public thanks to a gift that enabled a…
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy bring Trump’s DOGE to Capitol Hill
It’s DOGE time at the U.S. Capitol. Billionaire Elon Musk and fellow business titan Vivek Ramaswamy spent several hours meeting with lawmakers, swapping ideas for how to cut government. The two are heading up President-elect Donald Trump's…
The Latest: Police search for man who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO, new photos of suspect released
The masked gunman who stalked and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel used ammunition emblazoned with the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose,” a law enforcement official said Thursday. The gunman is still at…
Consumer Reports survey finds electric vehicle reliability improving but lagging gas models
DETROIT (AP) — The reliability of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids has dramatically improved, narrowing a wide gap with gas-powered automobiles, according to the latest survey by Consumer Reports.
But vehicles with internal combustion…
US applications for jobless benefits rise last week but remain at low levels
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week but remains at historically healthy levels.
Jobless claim applications rose by 9,000 to 224,000 for the week of Nov. 30, the Labor Department reported Thursday.…
US first lady Jill Biden in the capital of the United Arab Emirates on her last solo foreign trip
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Jill Biden used a tour of the United Arab Emirates' capital Thursday to praise efforts to fight cancer and call for more attention on women's health issues as part of her final solo foreign tour as…
On its way out, the Biden administration renews a push for airline-consumer protections
The Biden administration said Thursday it will take steps toward requiring airlines to pay cash compensation and cover lodging and meals for passengers who are stranded when an airline causes flights to be canceled or changed.
Such a rule…
