AP National News

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, brought some holiday cheer to patients and families at a children’s hospital in Washington. The president and first lady on Friday made a traditional Christmastime visit to Children’s National Hospital. They visited privately with patients and their families for photos. Jill Biden read

Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Real estate broker Oren Alexander and his twin brother Alon will remain in custody following an initial court appearance in Miami. The brothers sought bond during the Friday afternoon hearing on sex trafficking and gang rape charges. Federal prosecutors argued they’re a flight risk and a danger to the community.

Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Department of Homeland Security agent who the FBI says conspired with another agent to sell an illicit drug known as “bath salts” has pleaded not guilty to a drug distribution conspiracy charge. A grand jury in Salt Lake City brought the criminal charge against Special Agent David

BERWYN, Ill. (AP) — A man suspected in the killings of three people in Illinois was fatally shot by police in suburban Chicago while in the neighborhood of a far-right political influencer. Nick Fuentes said on the social media site X that the man was outside his home in Berwyn with a gun and another

AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — To many Australians, Saturday is more than just Dec. 21. It’s “Gravy Day,” all because of a lyric in one of the most unlikely Christmas songs ever written. “How to Make Gravy,” written by singer Paul Kelly, has become a holiday classic in Australia over the past few

Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Fentanyl fueled a record number of homeless deaths last year in Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland, according to an annual county report released Friday that officials described as showing the peak of the fentanyl crisis in the area. The report found that 456 homeless people died in the

AP Sports Writer Netflix is planning to provide plenty of gifts for viewers of its two Christmas Day games, including Mariah Carey kicking it all off with a taped performance of “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Yet, Netflix executive Brandon Riegg realizes it all amounts to a lump of coal if there are

Associated Press MANASQUAN, N.J. (AP) — Huge gates at the mouths of three inlets and barriers across bays are no longer part of a plan to protect New Jersey’s back bays from the type of catastrophic flooding they endured during Superstorm Sandy. Instead, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wants to rely more on elevating

ROME (AP) — A court in Sicily Friday found Vice Premier Matteo Salvini not guilty of illegally detaining 100 migrants aboard a humanitarian rescue ship when he was interior minister. The court dropped all the charges against Salvini in relation an incident in 2019, when he refused to allow the migrants to leave the Open

Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Members of Greece’s former royal family have applied for Greek citizenship and formally acknowledged the country’s republican system of government, in a landmark move 50 years after the monarchy was abolished. A government official said relatives of the late King Constantine II, who died last year aged 82, had

Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Friday added the 27 countries that make up the European Union to the list of trade partners he’s threatening with tariffs — unless the group takes steps to import more U.S. goods. “I told the European Union that they must make up their

DENVER (AP) — A baby Jesus figurine snatched from a nativity scene in Colorado has been returned in time for Christmas, with an apology. Police in Fort Collins say the statuette of Jesus lying in a manger, stolen from a public display downtown, was dropped off anonymously at a fire station on Thursday. It was

Associated Press Federal education officials say the Philadelphia school district failed to show it protected Jewish students from harassment despite “repeated, extensive notice” that students, teachers and administrators were engaging in antisemitic behavior. The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights found that Philadelphia school administrators did not adequately address allegations that students were performing Nazi

AP Sports Writer ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The chance to rub shoulders with quarterback Josh Allen and broaden the Buffalo Bills’ reach into Toronto wasn’t the only thing on the minds of former NBA stars Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady and soccer’s Jozy Altidore in purchasing a minority share of the franchise. More importantly,

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Michael Regan, who has led the Environmental Protection Agency throughout President Joe Biden’s four-year term, said Friday he will be leaving the agency Dec. 31, about three weeks before Biden’ leaves office. In a letter to agency employees, Regan said he was proud of the EPA’s work to confront climate