AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ice Cube could have chased trends to keep up with today’s rap sound for his latest release, but instead, he stayed loyal to his signature style since the N.W.A. days. The rap icon showcases that gritty West Coast gangsta rap sound on his 11th studio album “Man Down.”
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Writing a Christmas made-for-TV movie may seem formulaic, but there’s no real checklist to follow. Successful writers in the genre say there are some standard practices to keep in mind. Be prepared to devote time beyond the actual holiday season to brainstorming, pitching and writing. These movies never have a true villain and
Continue ReadingAP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Home shoppers hoping for more attractive mortgage rates next year may be disappointed. That’s the takeaway from several economists’ 2025 housing forecasts. The majority of the eight forecasts call for the average rate on a 30-year mortgage to remain above 6% next year, with some including an upper
Continue ReadingAssociated Press HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — From answering questions from Cabinet ministers, academics and students on climate change, substance abuse and the law to children’s inquiries about her “birth” and links to God and being described as a talkative feminist, Sophia, the world-famous robot won hearts at an innovation fair in Zimbabwe this week. Boasting
Continue ReadingAP Technology Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is planning to make a $1 million personal donation to President-Elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, joining a number of tech companies and executives who are working to improve their relationships the incoming administration. A spokesperson for OpenAI confirmed the move on Friday. The announcement
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Have you ever watched a holiday rom-com on Hallmark Channel or Lifetime — or any of the other many networks and streaming services that now air them — and thought, “I could write that”? It’s harder than you may think — but just as fun. Regular writers in the genre say there’s not
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ATLANTA (AP) — The judge overseeing the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump has rejected an attempt by former Trump campaign lawyer Kenneth Chesebro to invalidate his guilty plea. Chesebro reached a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to a single conspiracy count a few months after he, Trump and 17 others
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge has ordered that a prominent real estate broker be held without bond on sexual assault and trafficking charges. The judge says Tal Alexander is a flight risk as she rejected his family’s pledge of $115 million in real estate holdings to secure his release. Magistrate Judge Lisette
Continue ReadingThe griping Vatican-based movie thriller “Conclave” about picking a new pope and Stephanie Hsu starring in the dark comedy series “Laid” as a woman whose former lovers keep unexpectedly dying are some of this week’s new streaming entertainment releases. There’s a Little Big Town Christmas special on NBC, the video game Squid Game: Unleashed offers
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BEIRUT (AP) — After insurgents toppled Syrian President Bashar Assad this month, many senior officials and members of his dreaded intelligence and security services appear to have melted away. Activists say some of them have managed to flee the country while others went to hide in their hometowns. For more than five decades,
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The day after a masked gunman killed the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in New York City, police in San Francisco gave the FBI a potentially valuable tip about the identity of the suspect. He looked like a man who had been reported missing to them the previous month, Luigi Mangione.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been hospitalized after she “sustained an injury” during an official engagement in Luxembourg, according to a spokesman. Pelosi, 84, was in Europe with a bipartisan congressional delegation to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Her spokesman,
Continue ReadingAssociated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The woman who in 2006 falsely accused three Duke University lacrosse players of raping her — making national headlines that stirred tensions about race, class and the privilege of college athletes — has admitted publicly for the first time that she made up the story. Crystal Mangum, who is
Continue ReadingNEW YORK (AP) — Books-in-progress on subjects ranging from Edgar Allan Poe to subway vigilante Bernhard Goetz are among this year’s 10 recipients of $40,000 Whiting grants for nonfiction creative writing. Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grants, established in 2016, have previously gone to such acclaimed authors as George Packer, Ilyon Woo and Meghan O’Rourke. Recipients announced
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Associated Press writer Lou Kesten has chosen his top 10 video games of 2024. The list is capped by Metaphor: ReFantazio, an ambitious political role-playing fantasy game. Indie developers make a strong showing, with Animal Well, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Dungeons of Hinterberg, Balatro and UFO 50. And larger
Continue ReadingAssociated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch court has rejected a bid from human rights groups to block weapons exports to Israel and trading with the occupied territories. It found there were sufficient checks already in place to comply with international law. The ten organizations argued the Netherlands was in violation of the
Continue ReadingCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The U.N. office on human rights in Venezuela has partially resumed operations in recent weeks. That’s according to the agency’s chief. Volker Türk made the announcement on Friday, several months after the government of President Nicolás Maduro expelled the office’s staff, accusing them, without providing evidence, of assisting alleged coup plotters and
Continue ReadingAP Sports Writer BEAVER CREEK, Colo. (AP) — Lindsey Vonn now has a firm target for her return to World Cup ski racing at age 40: next weekend for a pair of super-G events in St. Moritz, Switzerland. She has a goal, too, and it’s not showing up at the starting gate simply to show
Continue ReadingOTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canada’s labor minister says he’s asking the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order about 55,000 striking Canada Post employees back to work after a four week strike that disrupted mail service during the busy holiday season. Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon says if the board agrees the two sides are at an
Continue ReadingLAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — A Florida woman has been charged with threatening her health insurance provider after police say she uttered the same words found on the bullet casings used in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Police in Lakeland say a recording shows Briana Boston told a representative of Blue Cross Blue Shield,
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