AP National News

Associated Press/Report for America Louisiana’s prison system routinely holds people weeks and months after they have completed their sentences. That is according to a lawsuit filed Friday by the U.S. Department of Justice. The suit against the state of Louisiana follows a multiyear investigation into what federal officials say is a pattern of “systemic overdetention”

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods isn’t the only member of his family who can produce big moments. His 15-year-old son Charlie made his first ace Sunday in the PNC Championship. Woods was more excited than if he had made the hole-in-one himself. “That was the thrill of a lifetime to be able to have

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday hosted Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, in a rare visit to the Kremlin by an EU leader since Moscow’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Fico arrived in Russia on a “working visit” and met with Putin one-on-one on Sunday evening, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s RIA

Brazil’s Civil Defense Agency says a small plane has crashed into a Brazilian town that’s popular with tourists and killed all 10 passengers and crew on board. More than a dozen people who were on the ground Sunday have been taken to hospitals with injuries including smoke inhalation, and two are said to be in

Associated Press FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — For centuries, Florence’s 16th-century Vasari Corridor was only accessible to dukes and lords. Now, the raised passageway that connects the city’s Uffizi Galleries to the former residence of the powerful Medici family, has reopened to the public after an eight-year restoration project. The corridor, named after the Renaissance architect and biographer Giorgio Vasari, who

Associated Press Approximately 1 million taxpayers will automatically receive special payments of up to $1,400 from the IRS in the coming weeks. The money will be directly deposited into eligible people’s bank accounts or sent in the mail by a paper check. The IRS said it’s distributing about $2.4 billion to taxpayers who failed to

BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s largest remaining rebel group has announced a unilateral truce to last until Jan. 3, the first since the previous ceasefire broke down in August. In a statement posted on X, the National Liberation Army said that it will halt attacks on the military as the nation celebrates Christmas and New

Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Stampedes during three Christmas charity events across Nigeria have left at least 67 people dead in the past week, many of them children. Families are struggling during the country’s worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. At least 35 children were killed in southwestern Oyo state on Wednesday. And on

Cleanup continues in the Kerch Strait near Russian-occupied Crimea, a week after at least 3,700 tons of low-grade fuel oil spilled out of two storm-stricken Russian tankers. Russia’s state Tass news agency says that by Sunday afternoon, more than 12,000 tons of contaminated soil had been removed along 34 kilometers (21 miles) of shoreline. Russia’s

AP National Writer The average final score over the first week of the College Football Playoffs: Winners 36, Losers 17. This bold, new experiment was supposed to bring more programs from more parts of the country into the loop of a largely regional sport that had been dominated by about a half-dozen teams for the

The Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Tens of thousands streamed into a central square in Serbia’s capital on Sunday for a big rally against populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government. Their tight grip on power has been challenged by weeks of street protests led by university students. The rally Sunday at Belgrade’s Slavija

AP National Writer When the page turns on 2024, it will be time to say goodbye, once and for all, to the amateur athlete in college sports. In theory, the concept held on stubbornly via the quaint and now all-but-dead notion that student-athletes played only for pride, a scholarship and some meal money. In practice,

AP Science Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A NASA spacecraft aims to fly closer to the sun than any object sent before. The Parker Solar Probe was launched in 2018 to get a close-up look at the sun. Since then, it has flown straight through the sun’s corona: the outer atmosphere visible during a total

Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Capitol buildings are almost always an imposing presence. The seat of government, they tend to be elegant and stately. Visitors to Pennsylvania’s Capitol are drawn to its priceless artwork, polished marble and intricate carvings. But there’s another treasure there: 273 antique clocks that were part of its original design.

Associated Press MADRID (AP) — Spaniards have been anticipating the arrival of “El Gordo” or “The Fat One” for weeks. That’s the name of the first prize in Spain’s hugely popular national Christmas lottery. This year’s total draw is worth 2.7 billion euros. Much of that will be paid out in small winnings. The top

Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — It was during the pandemic when the Rev. Kira Austin-Young and her puppet-maker husband, Michael Schupbach, were going a little stir-crazy that they came up with the idea. Instead of a star or some stylized humanoid angel to top their Christmas tree, why not create a biblically accurate angel?

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has called for a ceasefire on all war fronts in his Sunday prayer ahead of Christmas celebrations, condemning the “cruelty” of bombing schools and hospitals in Ukraine and Gaza. Francis said, “Let the weapons fall silent and let the Christmas carols ring out!” He delivering his blessing from indoors

Associated Press MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte (AP) — When Cyclone Chido ravaged Mayotte’s fragile infrastructure, it also exposed deep-seated tensions between the island’s residents and its large migrant population. Thousands of people who have entered the island illegally bore the brunt of the storm that tore through the Indian Ocean archipelago — France’s poorest territory. Authorities in

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian drones have struck a major Russian oil terminal for the second time in just over a week, according to the Russian local governor, as part of what he called a “massive” cross-border attack on fuel and energy facilities that Kyiv says supply Moscow’s military. The strikes came days after Russia

The Associated Press Bluesky has seen its user base soar since the U.S. presidential election, boosted by people seeking refuge from Elon Musk’s X, which they view as increasingly leaning too far to the right given its owner’s support of President-elect Donald Trump, or wanting an alternative to Meta’s Threads and its algorithms. The platform