WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has signed a bill into law to make lynching a federal hate crime, more than 100 years after such legislation was first proposed. The Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act is named after the Black teenager whose killing in Mississippi in the summer of 1955 became a galvanizing moment in the civil rights era. His grieving…
U.S. regulators are allowing people 50 and older to get another booster dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration’s decision aims to offer extra protection to the most vulnerable in case the virus rebounds. The FDA said Tuesday that age group can seek a fourth dose at least four months after their previous booster….
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill into law that forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. The Republican governor signed the measure Monday following a news conference at a preparatory school. Critics say the law marginalizes LGBTQ people and have labeled it the “Don’t Say Gay” measure. It…
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart will no longer sell cigarettes in some of its stores though tobacco sales can be a significant revenue generator. Wall Street Journal was the first to report the development Monday. It noted some stores in California, Florida, Arkansas and New Mexico were on the list, citing anonymous sources and store visits. Walmart is not the…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is releasing a budget blueprint that tries to tell voters what the diverse and at times fractured Democratic Party stands for. It calls for higher taxes on the wealthy, lower budget deficits, more money for police and greater funding for education, public health and housing. The 156-page plan also shows the splinters that persist…
ROWLETT, Texas (AP) — Police say two people aboard a helicopter were killed when the aircraft crashed and burned near Dallas. The helicopter crashed about midday Friday into a vacant lot in a commercial strip on Texas 66 in Rowlett. Police Detective Cruz Hernandez says witnesses reported seeing the helicopter lose its tail rotor and spin uncontrollably before crashing and…
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky would make the death penalty off-limits for some defendants diagnosed with severe mental illnesses under a bill that won final legislative approval. The Senate sent the measure to Gov. Andy Beshear on Friday. It caps an effort by death penalty opponents to put limits on the use of capital punishment. Under the bill, the death…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has announced he’ll vote against confirming Ketanji Brown Jackson, saying he “cannot and will not” support the groundbreaking nominee for a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court. While McConnell’s opposition wasn’t unexpected and Jackson’s confirmation is still on track, his declaration coming only hours after the Senate Judiciary Committee wrapped up four…
HOPEWELL, Va. (AP) — A house full of unsupervised children in Virginia were given sleeping pills by another child, causing them to be hospitalized Wednesday evening, police said. WTVR-TV reports that Hopewell Police were called to a home on South 16th Street around 5:30 p.m. where they found four children, ages 1 to 4, unresponsive. Three more children found in…
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky House committee has approved a bill aimed at blocking the release of personal information about judges, prosecutors, police officers and other officials. The bill advanced Wednesday over objections from a statewide newspaper organization. The bill heads to the full House. If the measure passes there, it returns to the Senate to consider House changes….
