Associated Press

Recent Articles

  • Texas judge rules health care overhaul unconstitutional

    FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A federal judge in Texas has ruled the Affordable Care Act “invalid” on the eve of the sign-up deadline for coverage next year. In a 55-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor ruled Friday that last year’s tax cut bill knocked the constitutional foundation from under “Obamacare” by eliminating a penalty for not having coverage. Supporters of the law immediately said they would appeal. The White House applauded O’Connor’s ruling, but said the law remains […]

  • Trump picks Mulvaney to be next chief of staff

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday picked budget director Mick Mulvaney to be his next chief of staff, ending a chaotic search for a new chief of staff that had been inching forward with the feel of an unfolding reality TV show. Trump tweeted that Mulvaney “will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff, replacing General John Kelly, who has served our Country with distinction.” “Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration,” Trump posted. […]

  • Mueller: FBI is not to blame for Flynn’s false statements

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The special counsel’s office is pushing back at the suggestion that the FBI acted improperly in its interview of former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn’s lawyers said in a sentencing memorandum this week that Flynn was not warned during his interview with the FBI that it was a crime to lie to federal agents. But prosecutors with special counsel Robert Mueller say Flynn had lied to the White House about his contacts with the Russian ambassador […]

  • Toyota recalls pickups, SUVs to fix air bag, brake problems

    DETROIT (AP) Toyota is recalling nearly 143,000 SUVs and pickups worldwide to fix air bag and brake problems. The first recall covers about 96,000 Toyota Land Cruisers and Lexus LX570 SUVs from 2008 through 2019. Toyota says a seat belt tension sensor can malfunction and deactivate the passenger’s front, knee and side air bags. That would increase the injury risk in a crash. The company is developing a fix and will notify owners by mid-February. The other recall affects about […]

  • Nancy Wilson, Grammy winning jazz singer, dies at 81

    LOS ANGELES (AP) Grammy-winning jazz and pop singer Nancy Wilson has died. Her manager Devra Hall Levy tells The Associated Press late Thursday night that Wilson died peacefully after a long illness at her home in Pioneertown, a California desert community near Joshua Tree National Park. She was 81. Influenced by Dinah Washington, Nat “King” Cole and other stars, Wilson covered everything from jazz standards to “Little Green Apples” and in the 1960s alone released eight albums that reached the […]

  • Carnival announces roller coaster on new cruise ship

    MIAMI (AP) Carnival Cruise Line plans to launch the first cruise ship with a roller coaster on board. Carnival announced Thursday that BOLT will circle the top of a new ship, Mardi Gras, when it sets sail in 2020. The all-electric coaster will allow people to strap in and race along nearly 800 feet (244 meters) of track, 187 feet (57 meters) above sea level. The cars will travel nearly 40 mph (64 kph) and take riders on a series […]

  • Alabama leaders temporarily stop $10M prison contract

    BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) Alabama legislators have put a temporary hold on a $10 million contract between the state Department of Corrections and a company that could analyze prison needs and design new facilities. Al.com reports the Legislature’s contract committee paused the plan Thursday amid questions about its reliability, considering construction plans for new prisons failed in 2016 and 2017. Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn says planning for new prisons is a better use of tax dollars than putting more money into […]

  • Birmingham breaks ground on new 55,000-seat stadium

    BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) Work is ramping up on a new outdoor stadium that will help remake downtown Birmingham. A groundbreaking was held Thursday for a new, 55,000-seat multi-use stadium that will be located new the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. Mayor Randall Woodfin says the project will be a “transformational” experience for Alabama’s largest city. Crews already are moving utilities and doing other site preparation work. But construction on the $174 million structure won’t begin until the spring or early summer of […]

  • Death row executions remain near historic lows in 2018

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Three states resumed executions of death row inmates in 2018 after long breaks, but nationwide, executions remained near historic lows this year, according to an annual report on the death penalty released Friday. The report by the District of Columbia-based Death Penalty Information Center says 25 executions were carried out in 2018, the fourth consecutive year in which there have been fewer than 30 executions nationwide. Since the death penalty was re-instated in the United States in […]

  • 7-year-old immigrant girl dies after Border Patrol arrest

    LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A 7-year-old girl who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with her father last week died after being taken into the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol, federal immigration authorities confirmed Thursday. The Washington Post reports the girl died of dehydration and shock more than eight hours after she was arrested by agents near Lordsburg, New Mexico. The girl was from Guatemala and was traveling with a group of 163 people who approached agents to turn themselves in on […]

  • Attorney General Steve Marshall taking over Riverchase Galleria shooting investigation

    MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall says he is taking over the investigation into the police killing of a black man inside the state’s largest shopping mall on Thanksgiving night. Marshall made the announcement during a news conference in Montgomery on Thursday. He says his office will oversee the case to prevent any possible conflicts involving local officials. Near-daily protests have occurred since an officer shot and killed 21-year-old Emantic “EJ” Bradford Jr. in Hoover last month. […]

  • Postal workers accused of stealing mail, trafficking weed

    MOBILE, Ala. (AP) Four U.S. Postal Service workers in Alabama are accused of stealing packages in connection with a marijuana distribution scheme. News outlets report U.S. Attorney Richard W. Moore said this week that a grand jury indicted the four Mobile workers on federal charges in November. Thirty-three-year-old Unterria J. Rogers, 26-year-old Devon Donald, 26-year-old Sade Martin and 25-year-old Shambria Hill were each indicted on charges including stealing mail entrusted to them for delivery. Rogers also was indicted on charges […]