May 2023

War, natural disasters left record 71 million people internally displaced in 2022, report says

May 10, 2023 10:14 PM The Associated Press

By GERALD IMRAY Associated Press The war in Ukraine helped push the global total of people left internally displaced by conflict or natural disasters to a record high of 71.1 million last year, according to a report released Thursday by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. By the end of 2022, 5.9 million

Migrants rush across US border in final hours before Title 42 expires

May 10, 2023 10:10 PM The Associated Press

By VALERIE GONZALEZ Associated Press MATAMOROS, Mexico (AP) — Migrants rushed across the Mexico border Thursday, racing to enter the U.S. before pandemic-related asylum restrictions are lifted in a shift that threatens to put a historic strain on the nation’s beleaguered immigration system. The imminent end of the rules known as Title 42 stirred fear

‘Money, power, sex’: Idaho jury deliberates case against slain kids’ mom in alleged doomsday plot

May 10, 2023 10:03 PM The Associated Press

By REBECCA BOONE Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho jury is weighing the fate of a woman charged in the slayings of her two youngest children and a romantic rival in what prosecutors say was a strange doomsday-focused plot. Lori Vallow Daybell wanted the victims’ money, so she used sex and power to

Lainey Wilson triumphs at Academy of Country Music Awards; Chris Stapleton wins top honor

May 10, 2023 9:41 PM The Associated Press

By The Associated Press FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Chris Stapleton has won entertainer of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards on a night where Lainey Wilson was a dominant force. Wilson won album of the year and was a frequent performer onstage, singing “Grease” and collecting an award moments later, still breathless.

Figuring out Texas: From guns to immigration, here’s how one state’s challenges echo the country’s

May 10, 2023 9:32 PM The Associated Press

JUAN A. LOZANO and TIM SULLIVAN Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — Thirteen people dead in two mass shootings. Eight immigrants killed when an SUV slams into a crowded bus stop. The likely approval of legislation that would let the Republican governor overturn elections in the most populous county, a Democratic stronghold. All in the past

As public health emergency ends, pandemic-era support programs have already been fading away

May 10, 2023 9:28 PM The Associated Press

By ASHRAF KHALIL Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The formal end of the national Public Health Emergency on Thursday is largely a symbolic and psychological step, representing the country’s formal emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic. But behind the scenes, several core aspects of America’s pandemic-era emergency safety net are also coming to a close, from

5.4 magnitude earthquake near Tokyo causes minor injuries, damage

May 10, 2023 9:26 PM The Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — An earthquake has shaken Japan’s capital, Tokyo, and surrounding areas, injuring several people and causing minor damage. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake on Thursday had a 5.4 magnitude and its epicenter was in Chiba prefecture, southeast of Tokyo. No tsunami warning was issued. Japan’s Kyodo news agency said four people

House Republicans pass new asylum restrictions as Title 42 ends; Biden promises veto

May 10, 2023 9:25 PM The Associated Press

By STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans passed a sweeping bill Thursday to build more U.S.-Mexico border wall and impose new restrictions on asylum seekers, creating a hard-line counter to President Joe Biden’s policies just as migrants are amassing along the border with the end of coronavirus pandemic restrictions. The bill has

Expel George Santos? GOP leaders aren’t ready to take that step

May 10, 2023 9:22 PM The Associated Press

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Protecting a narrow, four-vote majority, Republican leaders in the House are making clear that they intend to let the legal process play out with New York Rep. George Santos before they take steps to force his resignation or expel him. The freshman congressman was accused Wednesday by

Free speech, racial equity battles play out on Wisconsin campuses

May 10, 2023 9:09 PM The Associated Press

By TODD RICHMOND Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The debate over free speech and racial equity on Wisconsin’s college campuses is intensifying. It’s mirroring a national battle as Republicans work to close campus diversity offices and demand students and faculty treat conservative speakers with respect. In just the past two weeks in Wisconsin, a

Colorado legislative session reinforces once-purple state’s Democratic shift

May 10, 2023 9:05 PM The Associated Press

By JESSE BEDAYN Associated Press/Report for America DENVER (AP) — Colorado’s chaotic legislative session this year underscores the once-purple state’s leftward shift. Republican’s historically small minority was relegated to grasping for power or resorting to obstruction while Democrats faced deep, internal rifts over just how progressive Colorado should be. Such dynamics may be commonplace in

ASEAN leader: No progress in ending Myanmar’s deadly civil strife

May 10, 2023 8:57 PM The Associated Press

By EDNA TARIGAN and JIM GOMEZ Associated Press LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian President Joko Widodo has somberly acknowledged to fellow Southeast Asian leaders that no progress has been made to end the civil strife gripping Myanmar. He renewed a call for an end to the violence, including a recent deadly airstrike that a

Son of NBA great Dennis Rodman transferring to USC, joining Bronny James

May 10, 2023 8:20 PM The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California’s basketball roster is getting more star-studded by the moment. The Trojans had already landed Bronny James, son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James. Now, D.J. Rodman has announced on social media that he’s transferring to USC, which confirmed his addition on Wednesday. The son of NBA rebounding great

G7 finance ministers tackle global economic challenges as Yellen seeks to reassure on debt standoff

May 10, 2023 8:19 PM The Associated Press

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer NIIGATA, Japan (AP) — The financial leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations meet in Japan beginning Thursday as a standoff over the U.S. debt ceiling and potential default looms as one of the biggest potential threats to the global economy, along with the war in Ukraine. U.S.

South Korea to lift quarantine mandate for COVID-19 and end testing recommendation for travelers

May 10, 2023 8:07 PM The Associated Press

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea will drop its COVID-19 quarantine requirements and end testing recommendations for international arrivals starting June 1. In lowering the coronavirus alert level from “critical” to plainly “alert” starting June 1, health authorities will also lift mask mandates in pharmacies and small clinics. Wearing

Se acaba el Título 42 para migrantes en Yuma

May 10, 2023 7:53 PM Oswaldo Rivas

Se acaba el Título 42 para migrantes en Yuma

Hong Kong newspaper to stop publishing drawings by prominent cartoonist after government complaints

May 10, 2023 7:42 PM The Associated Press

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong newspaper will stop publishing drawings by the city’s most prominent political cartoonist after they drew government complaints. Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao did not explain why it will stop publishing Wong Kei-kwan’s works in its announcement. Wong, better known by the pen name Zunzi,