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Aid efforts for Haitians suffer new blow with kidnapping of American nurse and daughter

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:29:59 GMT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Aid efforts for Haitians enduring the gang violence ravaging their nation suffered a new blow with the kidnapping of an American nurse from New Hampshire and her young daughter, who were still missing Tuesday. Gang warfare has increasingly plagued Haiti since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. The killing worsened criminal control of Haiti and today the innocent are regularly killed, raped and held for ransom. A local nonprofit has documented 539 kidnappings since January, a significant rise over previous years. That number is almost certainly underreported in Haiti, where many people fear authorities in addition to the gangs. Hospitals and other aid organizations — often the only institutions in the country’s many lawless areas — have increasingly been criminals’ targets. Many service providers have been forced to close, leaving a growing number of people in this country of 11.45 million without access to healthcare, food, ed...

Missouri man executed for 2002 abduction and killing of 6-year-old girl

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:29:59 GMT

BONNE TERRE, Mo. (AP) — A man who abducted a 6-year-old Missouri girl and beat her to death at an abandoned factory decades ago was put to death Tuesday evening, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request to block the lethal injection over arguments he was mentally incompetent.Johnny Johnson, 45, received a a lethal dose of pentobarbital at a state prison in Bonne Terre and was pronounced dead at 6:33 p.m. CDT, authorities said. He was convicted of the July 2002 killing of Casey Williamson in the small St. Louis area suburb of Valley Park.Johnson had expressed remorse in a brief handwritten statement released by the Department of Corrections hours before the execution. “God Bless. Sorry to the people and family I hurt,” Johnson’s statement said.The U.S. Supreme Court, with three justices dissenting, said earlier in an emailed statement that it was rejecting the request to stay the execution plans. Justice Sonia Sotomayor was joined by two other justices in the dissent.I...

Son of Colombia’s president is charged with money laundering

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:29:59 GMT

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The son of Colombia’s president was charged Tuesday with money laundering and illicit enrichment at a hearing where prosecutors said he took thousands of dollars from drug traffickers and used it to buy luxurious homes and expensive cars.Nicolás Petro, 36, pleaded innocent to the charges, which have raised questions about the financing of President Gustavo Petro’s 2022 presidential campaign. But towards the end of the hearing he appeared to change his stance, saying he was willing to “collaborate” with prosecutors who are also trying to investigate President Petro’s campaign. “I will do this for my family and for my baby who is about to be born,” said the younger Petro, who could face up to 30 years in prison if he is found guilty of money laundering. The investigation against Nicolás Petro stems from a shocking declaration made by his ex-wife Daysuris Vásquez to local news magazine Semana in March.It comes at a time when President Petro is losing popul...

Bidens head to summer blockbuster ‘Oppenheimer’ during beach vacation

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:29:59 GMT

REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware (AP) — President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden took a break from their Delaware beach vacation to see the summer blockbuster “Oppenheimer.”The Bidens after a quick dinner at Matt’s Fish Camp in nearby Lewes went to an early evening showing of the three-hour movie about the life of Manhattan Project mastermind J. Robert Oppenheimer.The Bidens for their dinner-and-date chose “Oppenheimer” over the even bigger blockbuster “Barbie,” which was showing at the same time at Movies at Midway theater. The total box office in U.S. and Canadian theaters on the opening weekend was more than $300 million, the fourth highest ever. Warner Bros.’ “Barbie” grossed $162 million domestically, the best opening of the year. Universal’s “Oppenheimer” took in $82.4 million. Director Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” tells the story of the man who changed the course of the world’s history by shepherding the development of the first atomic bombAamer Madhani, The Ass...

Here’s a look at some of Louisiana’s new 2023 laws

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:29:59 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A slew of new Louisiana laws, recently passed by the Republican-dominated Legislature and signed by Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, went into effect Tuesday. Among the laws are those that increase punishments for fentanyl-related crimes, require every public school classroom to display the phrase “In God We Trust,” and add to the state’s age verification law about access to pornography websites.During this legislative session, a package of anti-LGBTQ+ bills drew the most debate. Lawmakers passed a “ Don’t Say Gay ” bill that broadly bars public school teachers from discussing gender identity and sexual orientation in the classroom, and a measure requiring them to use the pronouns and names that align with those assigned to their students at birth. Both bills were vetoed by the governor and blocked from becoming law.In addition, a ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors is set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2024. In the meantime, a...

UAW to show list of economic demands to automakers this week, will seek worker pay if plants close

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:29:59 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union will present a long list to General Motors, Ford and Stellantis when it delivers economic demands to the companies this week, the union’s president says.And the message from newly elected chief Shawn Fain is that the companies are making big profits and can afford to pay up.“Record profits mean record contracts,” Fain told members in a Facebook Live presentation Tuesday evening.He reiterated potentially costly demands to end different wage tiers among workers, double-digit pay raises and restoration of cost-of-living pay, defined benefit pensions for all workers, and restoring retiree health coverage.In addition, Fain said the UAW will ask that companies pay workers for doing community service or other work if their plants are closed, an apparent restoration of the much maligned jobs bank that was eliminated in 2009. He also proposed a 32-hour work week so union members could spend more time with families and enjoying life.“I know t...

Trump refused to tell Jan. 6 rioters to leave U.S. Capitol, indictment says. Follow live updates

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:29:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Follow along for live updates on the Justice Department’s indictment of former President Donald Trump over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The charges focus on schemes by Trump and his allies to subvert the transfer of power and keep him in office despite his loss to Joe Biden. ___WHAT TO KNOW— Trump has now been indicted for the third time. Here’s where all the investigations stand— Trump also was indicted in June on charges that he illegally hoarded classified documents— Mar-a-Lago’s property manager is the latest Trump staffer ensnared in his legal turmoil— Special counsel Jack Smith has a long career of confronting corruption___Trump repeatedly refused to tell Jan. 6 rioters to leave U.S. Capitol, indictment saysThe indictment filed against Donald Trump details his alleged actions — and, at times, willful lack of action — surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.Despite Tru...

Recreational marijuana is now legal in Minnesota, but the state is still working out retail sales

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:29:59 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota’s legalization of recreational marijuana went into effect Tuesday, allowing people 21 and older to legally possess and grow their own marijuana for recreational purposes, subject to limits as the state establishes a legal cannabis industry in the coming months and years. The midwestern state is the 23rd in the country to legalize recreational marijuana. Surrounding states — including Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota — have not yet legalized it. At least two tribal nations in northwestern Minnesota are expected to open dispensaries for recreational marijuana this month. The Red Lake Nation and the White Earth Nation are using their tribal sovereignty to allow sales. But most other businesses aren’t expected to sell legal recreational marijuana until early 2025, as the state sets up a licensing and regulatory system for the new industry. Dennis Buchanan, who owns The THC Joint in Minneapolis and two other cannabis-relate...

1 dies, over 50 others hurt in tour bus rollover at Grand Canyon West

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:29:59 GMT

GRAND CANYON WEST, Ariz. (AP) — One person was killed and more than 50 others injured in a rollover involving a tour bus Tuesday in northern Arizona, authorities said.The bus rolled over just before 10 a.m. Tuesday at Grand Canyon West, according to the Hualapai Nation Police Department. Grand Canyon West is run by the tribe but has no operational ties to Grand Canyon National Park, which is managed by the National Park Service.The rollover involved 57 people; one died, eight were flown to hospitals and others with injuries that were not critical were driven for treatment, police said in a statement. The name of the person who died and details on the injured people were not immediately released.A private tour operator and a visitor’s personal vehicle collided near the Grand Canyon West parking lot, Las Vegas TV station KTNV reported, but tribal officials declined comment, citing an ongoing investigation.The Arizona Department of Public Safety, which is also investigating the crash, ...

Ex-Washington state newspaper editor pleads not guilty to paying girls for sexually explicit images

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:29:59 GMT

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A former Spokesman-Review newspaper editor arrested and accused of paying girls for sexually explicit images pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to nearly a dozen charges. Steven Smith, 73, pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, KHQ-TV reported. He has remained in Spokane County Jail on a $25,000 bail since his arrest on July 20.Smith was executive editor of The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, from 2002 to 2008. An account in Smith’s name for a mobile cash payment service was linked to an investigation into children using social media to send sexually explicit photos of themselves in exchange for money sent to them via the app, according to court documents.The victims, 10-to-14-year-old girls, sent images to an Instagram account and received money through a cash app account. Internet activity of those accounts was traced to Smith’s Spokane home, the documents said.Chat conversations showed...