Biden Commutes Roughly 1,500 Sentences and Pardons 39 People in Biggest Single-Day Act of Clemency
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. The White House says it’s the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history. The clemency follows a broad pardon for his son Hunter, who was prosecuted for gun and tax crimes. Biden is under pressure from advocacy groups to pardon broad swaths of people before the Trump administration takes over in January. He’s also weighing whether to issue preemptive pardons to those who investigated Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election and are facing possible retribution when he takes office.
Pressure on a Veteran and Senator Shows What’s Next for Those Who Oppose Trump
WASHINGTON (AP) — Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst is an Iraq War veteran and sexual assault survivor who has advocated for years to improve how the military handles claims of sexual misconduct. But she now finds herself in the position of seriously considering Pete Hegseth to serve as defense secretary. Hegseth once said women should not serve in combat and has been accused of sexual assault. The Republican senator is facing an aggressive pressure campaign from President-elect Donald Trump’s allies, complete with threats of primary challengers. It serves a warning to Ernst’s colleagues who may have qualms about Trump’s other controversial picks for his Cabinet.
Trump Is Named Time’s Person of the Year and Rings the New York Stock Exchange’s Opening Bell
NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange after being recognized by Time magazine as its person of the year. The honors Thursday for the businessman-turned-politician are a measure of Trump’s remarkable comeback from an ostracized former president who refused to accept his election loss four years ago to a president-elect who won the White House decisively in November. At the stock exchange, Trump was accompanied by his wife, Melania Trump, daughters Ivanka and Tiffany and Vice President-elect JD Vance. Trump grinned as people chanted “USA” before he opened the trading day and raised his fist.
Gun Found on Suspect in Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Matches Shell Casings at Scene, Police Say
ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) — New York City’s police commissioner says the gun found on the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO matches shell casings found at the crime scene. Commissioner Jessica Tisch also said Wednesday that lab results matched suspect Luigi Mangione’s prints to a water bottle and a snack bar wrapper found near the scene of the killing. Police had said earlier that they believed the gunman bought the items at a nearby coffee shop while awaiting his target. Mangione is jailed in Pennsylvania on weapon and forgery charges, but he also has been charged in New York with murder in Brian Thompson’s death. His lawyer has noted that Mangione is presumed innocent. Authorities are scrutinizing evidence and the suspect’s experiences with the health care industry.
Middle East Latest: Israeli Airstrikes Kill 28 in Gaza, Including 7 Children, Health Officials Say
Palestinian medical officials say Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 28 people in the Gaza Strip, including seven children and a woman, hours after the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire. One of the strikes overnight and into Thursday flattened a house in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the nearby city of Deir al-Balah, where the casualties were taken. Two other strikes killed 15 men who were part of local committees established to secure aid convoys. Health officials in Gaza say the war has killed more than 44,800 Palestinians.
Migrant Workers in Lebanon Are Trying to Return Home After Abuses and Then War
BEIRUT (AP) — Hundreds of migrant workers in Lebanon are waiting to be repatriated after the ceasefire ending the war between the Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Israel went into effect last month. The Associated Press spoke to women from Sierra Leone who described what they called exploitative work conditions and sexual violence, along with the horrors of conflict. Some migrants were killed. Others were turned away from government-run shelters that refused to take in displaced people who weren’t Lebanese. But some have danced as repatriation flights have begun. One woman said, “I am happy to be going back to my country.”
South Korea’s Yoon Defends Martial Law As an Act of Governance and Vows to ‘Fight to the End’
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president has defended his martial law decree as an act of governance and denied rebellion charges, vowing to “fight to the end” in response to attempts to impeach him and intensifying investigations into last week’s dramatic move. Yoon Suk Yeol’s statement Thursday came hours before the opposition parties submits a new impeachment motion against Yoon for a floor vote this weekend. Parliament on Thursday afternoon passed motions to impeach national police chief Cho Ji Ho and Justice Minister Park Sung Jae, suspending them from official duties, over their enforcement of martial law.
Some Breast Cancer Patients Can Avoid Certain Surgeries, Studies Suggest
Some early breast cancer patients can safely avoid certain surgeries. That’s according to two studies published Thursday that explore ways to lessen treatment burdens. One new study examines whether removing lymph nodes is always necessary in early breast cancer. Another suggests a new approach to a type of breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS. The research is being discussed at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The lymph nodes study appears in the New England Journal of Medicine. The DCIS study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Southern California Forecast of Cool Temps, Calm Winds to Help Firefighters Battle Malibu Blaze
MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Cooler temperatures, calmer winds and a chance of rainfall in Southern California this week are forecast to help firefighters as they battle a wind-driven wildfire. The Franklin Fire has driven thousands, including celebrities, from their homes in Malibu. The weather improved so much Wednesday that meteorologists said all red flag warnings were discontinued. The conditions allowed firefighters to have have a lot of success despite the nearly inaccessible terrain. Still, some 20,000 residents remained under evacuation orders and warnings Wednesday evening from the Franklin Fire. And it was only 7% contained over 6 square miles.
Black Denomination Upholds Stance Against Same-Sex Marriage. a Gay Pastor in Its Ranks Seeks Change
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of largest Black Protestant denominations in the world, has been wrestling with whether to change a policy that threatens to punish any of its clergy who recognize same-sex marriages. Among those leading the push for change is an openly gay pastor, the Rev. Jennifer Leath. Now pastor of an AME church in Canada, Leath comes from a sixth-generation AME family. Her father was pastor of the AME church’s flagship congregation in Philadelphia for 14 years and served as the denomination’s 128th bishop. Leath feels an urgency to change current church policy, while also feeling pressured to honor AME history and the members who disagree with her.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
