Russian President Putin visits occupied city of Mariupol
March 19, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited the occupied port city of Mariupol, Russian state news agencies reported Sunday, his first trip to the Ukrainian territory that Moscow illegally annexed in September.
Trump says he expects to be arrested, calls for protest
March 19, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump claimed on Saturday that his arrest is imminent and issued an extraordinary call for his supporters to protest as a New York grand jury investigates hush money payments to women who alleged sexual encounters with the former president.
Some Trump rivals rally to his side as possible charges loom
March 18, 2023 GMTNORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Top Republicans, including some of Donald Trump's potential rivals for the GOP's 2024 presidential nomination, rushed to his defense Saturday after Trump said he is bracing for possible arrest.
From highlands to the coast, quake damages Ecuador, Peru
March 19, 2023 GMTQUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Juan Vera lost three relatives when a strong earthquake that shook parts of Ecuador and Peru on Saturday brought down his niece’s home. The government has offered to pay for the woman’s funeral and those of her baby and her partner, but Vera wonders why local authorities allowed his relatives to live in such an old home to begin with.
Macron’s leadership at risk amid tensions over pension plan
March 19, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — A parody photo appearing on protest signs and online in France shows President Emmanuel Macron sitting on piles of garbage. The image references the trash going uncollected with sanitation workers on strike, but also what many French people think about their leader.
Russia, Ukraine extend grain deal to aid world’s poor
March 18, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An unprecedented wartime deal that allowed grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat and high food prices are pushing more people into poverty was extended just before its expiration date, officials said Saturday.
Silicon Valley Bank collapse concerns founders of color
March 19, 2023 GMTIn the hours after some of Silicon Valley Bank’s biggest customers started pulling out their money, a WhatsApp group of startup founders who are immigrants of color ballooned to more than 1,000 members.
Bank failures: Anger in Congress, but division on what to do
March 18, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Bills were filed, hearings were planned and blame was cast as Congress reacted this past week to the abrupt failure of two banks.
In Zimbabwe’s rainy season, women forage for wild mushrooms
March 19, 2023 GMTHARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe's rainy season brings a bonanza of wild mushrooms, which many rural families feast upon and sell to boost their incomes.
But the bounty also comes with danger as each year there are reports of people dying after eating poisonous fungi.
Arkansas ousts defending champ Kansas from March Madness
March 19, 2023 GMTDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Eric Musselman and his players rushed across the floor at the final buzzer to celebrate with their joyfully delirious friends from Arkansas.
The 58-year-old coach jumped onto the press table, ripped off his red polo shirt and waved it over his head, shouting all the while to the fans' delight, as has become his tradition after the biggest of his wins.
Pakistani police storm home of former PM Khan, arrest 61
March 19, 2023 GMTLAHORE, Islamabad (AP) — Pakistani police stormed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's residence in the eastern city of Lahore on Saturday and arrested 61 people amid tear gas and clashes between Khan's supporters and police, officials said.
No. 8 seed Arkansas sends defending champ Kansas home
March 19, 2023 GMTDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Kansas’ national title defense ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday when Arkansas’ Ricky Council IV made five free throws in the closing seconds and the eighth-seeded Razorbacks beat the No.
Election conspiracy movement grinds on as 2024 approaches
March 19, 2023 GMTFRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) — One by one, the presenters inside the crowded hotel ballroom shared their computer screens and promised to show how easy it is to hack into voting systems across the U.S.
Drawing gasps from the crowd, they highlighted theoretical vulnerabilities and problems from past elections.
March Madness: Top seeds fall in battle for Sweet 16 berths
March 19, 2023 GMTMarch Madness has begun and top teams are already heading home. By Saturday night, two No. 1 seeds, Kansas and Purdue, No. 2 seed Arizona and No. 4 seed Virginia were all gone — and gone with them were millions of busted brackets.
Strong earthquake kills at least 14 in Ecuador, 1 in Peru
March 19, 2023 GMTQUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A strong earthquake shook southern Ecuador and northern Peru on Saturday, killing at least 15 people, trapping others under rubble, and sending rescue teams out into streets littered with debris and fallen power lines.
March Madness: Clutch performances as women open tourney
March 19, 2023 GMTMarch Madness has begun! Here is what to know about the women’s NCAA Tournament, including the favorites and underdogs as well as key games and how to watch:
French protesters march past garbage piles, resisting Macron
March 18, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — A smattering of protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise France's retirement age from 62 to 64 took place Saturday in Paris and beyond, as uncollected garbage reeked in the streets of the French capital amid a strike by sanitation workers.
Haley, Ramaswamy among those taking on ‘woke ideology’ in SC
March 18, 2023 GMTNORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Republicans who are seeking to lead their party in the 2024 presidential race gathered in South Carolina this weekend with a goal at the forefront of their agenda: taking on “woke ideology.”
Prosecutor to release video of death of man in custody
March 18, 2023 GMTDINWIDDIE, Va. (AP) — Prosecutors plan next week to release the video that led authorities in Virginia to charge seven deputies and three state mental hospital employees with second-degree murder in the death of a handcuffed and shackled man.
Supervisor in Tyre Nichols’ death retired before firing
March 18, 2023 GMTMEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Memphis police supervisor on scene when Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by officers retired with his benefits the day before a hearing to fire him, according to documents filed to revoke his law enforcement certification.
Wyoming governor signs measure prohibiting abortion pills
March 18, 2023 GMTWyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has signed into law the nation's first explicit ban on abortion pills since they became the predominant choice for abortion in the U.S. in recent years.
Gordon, a Republican, signed the bill Friday night while allowing a separate measure restricting abortion to become law without his signature.
US Open ‘very hopeful’ unvaccinated Novak Djokovic can play
March 18, 2023 GMTAfter Novak Djokovic withdrew from tournaments in Florida and California because he still can't travel to the United States as a foreign citizen who is not vaccinated against COVID-19, a U.S.
Pope promotes ‘humanitarian corridors’ for asylum-seekers
March 18, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis met Saturday with thousands of refugees and charity groups hosting them in Italy as he sought to promote legal migration routes to Europe as an alternative to smuggling operations that he said have turned the Mediterranean Sea into a “cemetery.”
Pro-Moscow voices tried to steer Ohio train disaster debate
March 18, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Soon after a train derailed and spilled toxic chemicals in Ohio last month, anonymous pro-Russian accounts started spreading misleading claims and anti-American propaganda about it on Twitter, using Elon Musk's new verification system to expand their reach while creating the illusion of credibility.
How a warrant for Putin puts new spin on Xi visit to Russia
March 18, 2023 GMTFacing arrest warrant, Russia’s Putin visits annexed Crimea
March 18, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the Black Sea peninsula’s annexation from Ukraine on Saturday, the day after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader accusing him of war crimes.
Vatican closes embassy in Nicaragua after Ortega’s crackdown
March 18, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican said Saturday it had closed its embassy in Nicaragua after the country's government proposed suspending diplomatic relations, the latest episode in a yearslong crackdown on the Catholic Church by the administration of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.
Japan, German leaders agree to strengthen ties, supply chain
March 18, 2023 GMTTOKYO (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday held the first round of government consultations in Tokyo and agreed to strengthen economic and defense ties to better cope with China's growing influence and global security concerns.
Lance Reddick, ‘The Wire’ and ‘John Wick’ star, dies at 60
March 18, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Lance Reddick, a character actor who specialized in intense, icy and possibly sinister authority figures on TV and film, including “The Wire,” "Fringe” and the "John Wick” franchise, has died.
Fairleigh Dickinson stuns No. 1 seed Purdue in March Madness
March 18, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Fairleigh Dickinson brought down a giant.
Pulling off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history, the undersized, underdog Knights stunned top-seeded Purdue 63-58 on Friday night, becoming the second No.
0 left: March Madness upsets end chase for perfect bracket
March 18, 2023 GMTThe chase for the perfect March Madness bracket will have to wait another year. Again.
In a men's tournament that saw a 2 and a 4 seed lose on Day 1, only a relative handful of brackets were still intact in the biggest contests when 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson took the floor against Purdue.
Officials are preparing security in case of Trump indictment
March 18, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Law enforcement officials in New York are making security preparations for the possibility that former President Donald Trump could be indicted in the coming weeks and appear in a Manhattan courtroom in an investigation examining hush money paid to women who alleged sexual encounters with him, four law enforcement officials said Friday.
Judge orders more Trump lawyer testimony in Mar-a-Lago probe
March 18, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors investigating the potential mishandling of classified documents at former President Donald Trump's Florida estate will be able to again question a Trump lawyer before a grand jury, a judge has ruled in a sealed order.
Dems say some foreign gifts to Trump remain unaccounted for
March 18, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump's White House has failed to report more than 100 gifts from foreign nations worth more than a quarter-million dollars, and federal officials have been unable to find a life-size painting of Trump given by the president of El Salvador as well as golf clubs from the prime minister of Japan, according to a report Friday from House Democrats.
FDU joins UMBC in the ultimate March Madness: Ousting No. 1
March 18, 2023 GMTThey are the five letters no No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament ever wants to see: upset.
Five years and one day after UMBC pulled off the biggest upset in college basketball history by beating the tournament's top overall seed, Virginia, it happened again.
Supreme Court honors legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
March 17, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose death ahead of the 2020 election led to a conservative shift on the Supreme Court, was remembered Friday during ceremonies at the high court as a legendary champion for women's rights.
Lack of hugs caused US fentanyl crisis, Mexico’s leader says
March 17, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president said Friday that U.S. families were to blame for the fentanyl overdose crisis because they don’t hug their kids enough.
The comment by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador caps a week of provocative statements from him about the crisis caused by the fentanyl, a synthetic opioid trafficked by Mexican cartels that has been blamed for about 70,000 overdose deaths per year in the United States.
Ford recalls 1.5M vehicles to fix brake hoses, wiper arms
March 17, 2023 GMTDETROIT (AP) — Ford is recalling more than 1.5 million vehicles in the U.S. in two actions to fix leaky brake hoses and windshield wiper arms that can break.
The largest of two recalls covers nearly 1.3 million 2013 through 2018 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ midsize cars.
St. Patrick’s Day rites: Parades, bagpipes, clinking pints
March 17, 2023 GMTFrom New York City, to Savannah, Georgia, to the halls of the White House, thousands of people in the U.S.
New COVID origins data point to raccoon dogs in China market
March 17, 2023 GMTBEIJING (AP) — Genetic material collected at a Chinese market near where the first human cases of COVID-19 were identified show raccoon dog DNA comingled with the virus, adding evidence to the theory that the virus originated from animals, not from a lab, international experts say.
Biden cheers for Irish bonds, unity on St. Patrick’s Day
March 17, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Sporting a green tie and shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day, President Joe Biden on Friday voiced his support for a recent economic accord affecting Ireland as he hosted the republic's prime minister, a longstanding meetup scuttled by the COVID-19 pandemic the past two years.
7 deputies charged with murder in the death of Irvo Otieno
March 17, 2023 GMTDINWIDDIE, Va. (AP) — Video from a state mental hospital shows a Black Virginia man who was handcuffed and shackled being pinned to the ground by seven deputies who are now facing second-degree murder charges in his death, according to relatives of the man and their attorneys who viewed the footage Thursday.
Former Air Force officer gets prison term for Capitol attack
March 17, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A retired Air Force officer who stormed the U.S. Capitol dressed in combat gear and carried zip-tie handcuffs into the Senate gallery was sentenced on Friday to two years in prison.
State and US officials tout spending to plug ‘orphan wells’
March 17, 2023 GMTATCHAFALAYA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, La. (AP) — Stacks of valves, networks of pipes and hulking, two-story-tall tanks litter parts of the swampy landscape of Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin, rusting relics of sites where oil wells were drilled in the 1970s, an unwanted legacy of the energy industry that has long helped drive the Louisiana economy.
Stocks fall to cap chaotic week driven by fears about banks
March 17, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell Friday to end a whipsaw week on Wall Street amid rising fear among investors that turmoil in the banking industry could drag the economy into a recession.
The S&P 500 sank 1.1%, cutting into its gain for the week.
New this week: ‘Top Gun,’ Lana Del Rey and ‘Rabbit Hole’
March 17, 2023 GMTHere’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music and video game platforms this week.
MOVIES
— The Oscar-nominated “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” was one of the high points in documentary in the past year.
Washington turns to Wall Street to help rescue dying bank
March 17, 2023 GMTThe scene was reminiscent of the last financial crisis, nearly 15 years ago: Faced with a blossoming emergency in the banking sector, worried regulators and policymakers in Washington turned to Wall Street for help.
Mother: Irvo Otieno was ‘brilliant and creative and bright’
March 17, 2023 GMTIrvo Otieno had realized his passion: making hip-hop. He could write a song in less than five minutes. And he was streaming his music under the moniker “Young Vo,” while working toward starting his own record label.
Violent protests in France over Macron’s retirement age push
March 17, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — Angry protesters took to the streets in Paris and other cities for a second day on Friday, trying to pressure lawmakers to bring down French President Emmanuel Macron's government and doom the unpopular retirement age increase he's trying to impose without a vote in the National Assembly.
Washington State’s March Madness soundtrack? Shania Twain
March 17, 2023 GMTVILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) — Man, the Washington State women's basketball team has felt like big winners since they adopted Shania Twain's monster 1997 hit “Man, I Feel Like A Woman” as the their theme song on their run into March Madness.
Biden calls for tougher penalties for execs of failed banks
March 17, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday called on Congress to allow regulators to impose tougher penalties on the executives of failed banks, including clawing back compensation and making it easier to bar them from working in the industry.
Chauvin, who killed George Floyd, pleads guilty in tax case
March 17, 2023 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The former Minneapolis police officer convicted in the 2020 killing of George Floyd pleaded guilty Friday to two tax evasion counts, admitting that he didn't file Minnesota income taxes for two years due to “financial concerns.”
Ski resorts are embracing a new role: climate activist
March 17, 2023 GMTASPEN, Colorado (AP) — Snow falls thick as skiers shed their gear and duck into the Sundeck Restaurant, one of the first certified energy efficient buildings in the U.S. – this one at 11,200 feet (3,413 meters) above sea level atop Aspen Mountain in Colorado.
What to do if you’re concerned you might be laid off
March 17, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — The job market in the U.S. remains strong overall, but recent high-profile layoffs at technology and media companies and predictions of a recession later this year may have you thinking about job security.
California bill to protect doctors who mail abortion pills
March 17, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Doctors in California who mail abortion pills to people in other states would be protected from prosecution under a new bill announced Friday in the state Legislature.
The bill would not let California extradite doctors who are facing charges in another state for providing abortion medication.
Scientists create mice with cells from 2 males for 1st time
March 17, 2023 GMTFor the first time, scientists have created baby mice from two males.
This raises the distant possibility of using the same technique for people – although experts caution that very few mouse embryos developed into live mouse pups and no one knows whether it would work for humans.
Jim Gordon, rock drummer who killed mother, dies at 77
March 17, 2023 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — Jim Gordon, the rock ‘n’ roll session drummer who played on classic records by Eric Clapton, George Harrison and The Beach Boys but suffered from growing mental health problems and spent the second half of his life in prison for killing his mother, has died at 77.
Rural Missouri sheriff, 2 deputies arrested in plot to kidnap child
March 17, 2023 GMTA rural Missouri sheriff and two deputies are jailed and facing charges accusing them of helping a man in a parental kidnapping plot.
Officers with the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Thursday arrested Iron County Sheriff Jeff Burkett, deputies Matthew Cozad and Chase Bresnahan, and the father of the child, Donald Gaston.
Prince Harry sues tabloid for defamation over security story
March 17, 2023 GMTLONDON (AP) — Lawyers for Prince Harry asked a judge Friday to rule that a tabloid newspaper libeled the British royal with an article about his quest for police protection when he and his family visit the U.K.
Trump vs. DeSantis: Rivals’ very different styles on display
March 17, 2023 GMTDAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — In his first trip to Iowa this year, Ron DeSantis did not take any questions from voters.
Flight attack raises questions about security, mental health
March 17, 2023 GMTLEOMINSTER, Mass. (AP) — The music was blaring on a February afternoon when Francisco Torres stopped by a Massachusetts barbershop, proclaiming he was half-angel, half-devil.
He wanted a dozen people to come outside the shop and shoot him with an automatic weapon stored in his car trunk.
Slovakia, after Poland, agrees to give Ukraine Soviet jets
March 17, 2023 GMTPRAGUE (AP) — Slovakia’s government on Friday approved a plan to give Ukraine its fleet of 13 Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets, becoming the second NATO member country to heed the Ukrainian government's pleas for warplanes to help defend against Russia's invasion.
North Korea says ICBM test aimed to strike fear into enemies
March 17, 2023 GMTSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Friday it fired an intercontinental ballistic missile to “strike fear into the enemies” as South Korea and Japan agreed at a summit to work closely on regional security with the United States and staged military exercises around the region.
In Israel, TV’s dystopian ‘Handmaids’ is protest fixture
March 17, 2023 GMTTEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — It's become an ominous fixture of the mass anti-government protests roiling Israel: a coil of women in crimson robes and white caps, walking heads bowed and hands clasped. They are dressed as characters from Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel, “The Handmaid's Tale,” and the eponymous TV series.
No. 15 seed Princeton uses late run to stun 2 seed Arizona
March 17, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Ryan Langborg lifted Princeton to its first lead with 2:03 to play and the Tigers used a late-game run to earn their first NCAA Tournament win in 25 years, topping No. 2 seed Arizona 59-55 on Thursday.
US military moves to cut suicides, but defers action on guns
March 17, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a number of improvements in access to mental health care on Thursday to reduce suicides in the military, but held off on endorsing more controversial recommendations to restrict gun and ammunition purchases by young troops, sending them to another panel for study.
Santos refuses to quit, brazenly says ‘truth still matters’
March 17, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Besieged Republican Rep. George Santos arrives on the House floor most days to deliver short speeches — celebrating women-owned small businesses, a special high school in his district or raising concern about various countries in crises.
California will remake San Quentin prison, emphasizing rehab
March 17, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The infamous state prison on San Francisco Bay that has been home to the largest death row population in the United States will be transformed into a lockup where less-dangerous prisoners will receive education, training and rehabilitation, California officials announced Thursday.
Pakistan court rejects ex-PM Khan’s plea to suspend warrant
March 17, 2023 GMTLAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani court on Thursday rejected a petition from former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s lawyers to suspend a warrant for him to appear in court in a graft case linked to his term in office — a development that increases the likelihood of another police attempt to arrest the ousted premier.
Pentagon video shows Russian jet dumping fuel on US drone
March 17, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Biden administration released video Thursday of a Russian fighter jet dumping fuel on a U.S.
Why TikTok’s security risks keep raising fears
March 17, 2023 GMTTikTok is once again fending off claims that its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, would share user data from its popular video-sharing app with the Chinese government, or push propaganda and misinformation on its behalf.
Australia to buy up to 220 Tomahawk missiles from the US
March 17, 2023 GMTCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia said it's planning to buy up to 220 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States after the U.S. State Department approved the sale Friday.
The deal comes days after Australia announced it would buy nuclear-powered attack submarines from the U.S.
Henderson, Princeton stun Arizona 59-55 in NCAA Tournament
March 17, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Mitch Henderson’s victory leap that punctuated Princeton’s famed upset over UCLA in 1996 has become an iconic moment.
Microsoft adds AI tools to office apps like Outlook, Word
March 17, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Microsoft is infusing artificial intelligence tools into its suite of office software, including Word, Excel and Outlook emails.
The company said Thursday the new feature, named Copilot, is a processing engine that will allow users to do things like summarize long emails, draft stories in Word and animate slides in PowerPoint.
Review: U2 reworks past in thrilling ‘Songs of Surrender’
March 17, 2023 GMT“Songs of Surrender,” U2 (Universal)
Imagine walking into your living room and all your stuff is there, but it's different. The sofa has moved, the bookcase is leaning on a different wall and the framed photos have swapped locations.
Pence defends joke about Buttigieg ‘maternity leave’
March 17, 2023 GMTKEENE, N.H. (AP) — The husband of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Thursday he hasn’t heard from Mike Pence in the days since the former vice president mocked his family, but will continue to hold him accountable for his words.
France’s Macron risks his government to raise retirement age
March 17, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron ordered his prime minister to wield a special constitutional power Thursday that skirts parliament to force through a highly unpopular bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 without a vote.
Kentucky lawmakers pass ban on youth gender-affirming care
March 17, 2023 GMTFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kentucky passed a measure Thursday to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors, completing whirlwind voting on a repackaged proposal that triggered outrage and tears among opponents unable to stop the sweeping policymaking on a culture wars issue.