Associated Press stories, Page 322
Trump says he will create an External Revenue Service agency to collect tariff income
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced plans to create a new agency called the External Revenue Service to collect tariffs and other revenues from foreign nations. “We will begin charging those that make money off of us with Trade, and they will start paying,” Trump said Tuesday on...
U.S. TikTok users flock to Chinese app Xiaohongshu in protest with TikTok ban looming
HONG KONG — As the threat of a TikTok ban looms, U.S. TikTok users are flocking to the Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu — making it the top downloaded app in the U.S. Some of the “TikTok refugees,” as they call themselves, say the TikTok alternative, a Chinese app, is...
A look at the terms — and tensions — in the Israel-Hamas draft ceasefire deal
CAIRO — If the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal goes according to the current draft, then fighting will stop in Gaza for 42 days, and dozens of Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be freed. In this first phase Israeli troops will pull back to the edges of Gaza, and...
Michelle Obama will skip Trump inauguration, but ex-Presidents Obama, Clinton and Bush will be there
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Former first lady Michelle Obama will skip the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, the second time in two weeks that she is not attending a gathering of former U.S. leaders and their spouses, but former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will...
NATO announces a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region
BRUSSELS — NATO is launching a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region after a string of incidents that have heightened fears of Russian sabotage and spying in the strategic region, the alliance’s leader said on Tuesday. Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that the mission dubbed Baltic...
Irregular migration into the European Union fell sharply last year, border agency says
WARSAW, Poland — The number of irregular border crossings into the European Union fell significantly in 2024, according to the bloc’s border control agency Frontex, something which it attributed to intensified cooperation against smuggling networks. The Warsaw-based agency said in a statement that its preliminary data for last year reveal...
Too early to prep the garden for spring? Nope
As I write this, snow is falling outside my suburban New York window, and I feel like I just stored my gardening tools and patio umbrella for the season. And yet, with the winter solstice in the rearview mirror, it’s already time to start preparing for spring. Testing Seeds This...
Trump’s Cabinet picks are set for Senate hearings. Here’s the schedule
After the initial crush of personnel announcements for President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration, now the nominations process officially begins. Senate hearings are scheduled this week for several of Trump’s picks for the Cabinet. Many nominees have met with senators individually. Now, they will go before the committees overseeing the agencies...
Wisconsin Legislature to put photo ID requirement on ballot for voter approval
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s photo ID requirement for voting would be elevated from a state law to a constitutional amendment under a proposal up for approval Tuesday in the Republican-controlled Assembly. Once passed by the Assembly, the proposed constitutional amendment would appear on the April 1 ballot for voter consideration....
Why hundreds of miners are still trapped and starving in an abandoned South Africa mine
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South African authorities have come under intense scrutiny for their response after civic groups said hundreds of miners have been trapped deep in an abandoned gold mine for months, with more than 100 of them believed to have died of starvation or dehydration. Authorities launched...
Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages, officials say
CAIRO — Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages, two officials involved in the talks said Tuesday. Mediator Qatar said Israel and the Palestinian militant group were at the “closest point” yet to sealing a deal that...
Pete Hegseth confronts allegations of misconduct as senators grill Trump’s choice for Pentagon chief
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, vowed Tuesday to foster a “warrior culture” at the Pentagon and confronted allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking and questions about his derisive views of women in combat during a heated Senate confirmation hearing. Hegseth repeatedly deflected the...
Dire fire warning for Los Angeles area pushed back as wind eases
LOS ANGELES — Easing wind delivered a brief but much-needed reprieve to firefighters Tuesday as they battled two massive blazes burning in the Los Angeles area, and the National Weather Service pushed back its unusually dire warning of critical fire weather until early the following day. Forecasters said the winds...
Special counsel report says Trump would’ve been convicted for Jan. 6 ‘unprecedented criminal effort’
WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith said his team “stood up for the rule of law” as it investigated President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, writing in a much-anticipated report released Tuesday that he stands fully behind his decision to bring criminal charges that...
Rams overwhelm Vikings in wild-card playoff game moved to Arizona because of L.A. wildfiresVideo
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes and the Los Angeles Rams overwhelmed the Minnesota Vikings, sacking Sam Darnold an NFL playoff record-tying nine times to win 27-9 Monday night in an NFC wild-card game that was moved out of Southern California because of devastating wildfires. Rookie Jared...
Traffic into Manhattan drops 7.5% in first week of new toll. That’s 43,000 fewer cars a dayVideo
NEW YORK — A new toll on drivers entering the core of Manhattan brought modest but measurable traffic reductions to New York City’s heavily-gridlocked streets in its first week of operation, according to preliminary data released Monday by the state’s transit authority. Known as “congestion pricing,” the first-in-the-nation program launched...
Hanging out at Starbucks will cost you as company reverses its open-door policy
If you want to hang out or use the restroom at Starbucks, you’re going to have to buy something. Starbucks on Monday said it was reversing a policy that invited everyone into its stores. A new code of conduct — which will be posted in all company-owned North American stores...
Up to 4 in 10 people could develop dementia after 55. What you can do to lower your risk
WASHINGTON — About a million Americans a year are expected to develop dementia by 2060, roughly double today’s toll, researchers reported Monday. That estimate is based on a new study that found a higher lifetime risk than previously thought: After age 55, people have up to a 4 in 10...
Texas man charged with stalking WNBA star Caitlin Clark
Authorities in Indianapolis have charged a 55-year-old Texas man with felony stalking of Indiana Fever star and WNBA rookie of the year Caitlin Clark. Michael Thomas Lewis is accused of repeated and continued harassment of the 22-year-old Clark beginning on Dec. 16, the Marion County prosecutor’s office wrote in a...
Prosecutor who investigated Hunter Biden defends probes, denounces president’s remarks in new report
WASHINGTON — The criminal charges against Hunter Biden “were the culmination of thorough, impartial investigations, not partisan politics,” the prosecutor who led the probes said in a report that sharply criticized President Joe Biden for having maligned the Justice Department when he pardoned his son. “Other presidents have pardoned family...
Roki Sasaki won’t sign with New York Yankees, Texas Rangers or San Francisco GiantsVideo
NEW YORK — The New York Yankees, Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants have been informed Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki won’t be signing with them. Giants general manager Zack Minasian announced during a news conference Monday to introduce Justin Verlander that San Francisco no longer was in contention. Sasaki’s decision...
Country star Carrie Underwood will perform at Trump’s inauguration
NEW YORK — Country music star Carrie Underwood will perform “America the Beautiful” at Donald Trump’s inauguration next week and other performers will include two of the president-elect’s musical favorites, country singer Lee Greenwood and opera singer Christopher Macchio. Underwood, who launched her career on “American Idol,” is to perform...
Auburn rises to No. 1 in AP Top 25 after Tennessee loses, Georgia is ranked for 1st time since 2011
Auburn has climbed to No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s basketball poll for its second stint at the top in program history, while fellow Southeastern Conference program Georgia is in the rankings for the first time in 14 years. Bruce Pearl’s Tigers (15-1) claimed 60 of 62 first-place votes...
Judge clears the way for release of special counsel Smith’s report on Trump’s 2020 election case
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department can publicly release special counsel Jack Smith’s investigative report on President-elect Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case, a federal judge said Monday in the latest ruling in a court dispute over the highly anticipated document days before Trump is set to reclaim the White House....
Mike McCarthy is not returning as coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones saysVideo
DALLAS — Mike McCarthy is not returning as coach of the Dallas Cowboys, who are going on three decades since their last Super Bowl title, owner Jerry Jones said in a statement Monday. Jones said the organization and McCarthy mutually agreed to part ways. The team’s search for its next...
