Month: June 2023

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI and JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s administration accused the National Rifle Association of wanting to use involuntary commitment laws “to round up mentally ill people and deprive them of other liberties,” according to documents drafted by the Republican’s staffers as part of their initial attempt

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador President Nayib Bukele says he wants to cut the number of municipalities in the country from 262 to 44 to reduce the tax burden. The proposal would require the approval of the country’s Legislative Assembly, in which Bukele’s party and its allies hold a majority. The president

By THALIA BEATY Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Dozens of transgender people in Florida have turned to crowdfunding appeals to help them leave the state after the passage of new legislation that targets the LGBTQ+ community, including a law that curtails access to gender-affirming care for adults and bans it for minors. For Sage

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Debt-stricken Sri Lanka, which declared bankruptcy last year, is showing signs of economic improvement but its recovery still faces challenges, the International Monetary Fund said Friday. The Indian Ocean island nation declared bankruptcy in April 2022 and said it was suspending repayment of its foreign

By JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI and GRANT PECK Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — The United Nations anti-drug agency is warning that the huge trade in illegal drugs such as methamphetamine from Southeast Asia’s ‘Golden Triangle’ shows no signs of slowing down. The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime released a report Friday on synthetic drugs in East

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s employers stepped up their hiring in May, adding a robust 339,000 jobs, well above expectations and evidence of enduring strength in an economy that the Federal Reserve is desperately trying to cool. Friday’s report from the government reflected the job market’s resilience after more

By JOHNSON LAI and HIROYUKI KOMAE Associated Press NAHA, Japan (AP) — Heavy rains intensified by Tropical Storm Mawar are falling on Japan’s main archipelago and threatening floods and mudslides in western and central regions. Warnings were issued Friday for places that might get a foot of rain through Saturday morning. Residents in vulnerable areas

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is nothing if not a political survivor. Underestimated from the start, the Republican who cruised around his California hometown of Bakersfield and stumbled into a career in Congress was never taken too seriously by the Washington establishment. With overwhelming House passage of

By SEUNG MIN KIM, STEPHEN GROVES and FARNOUSH AMIRI The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Perhaps most critical to locking up the debt-limit deal were President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s five handpicked negotiators, three men and two women unknown to most outside government. They were tasked to work out an agreement between

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government agency charged with keeping the roads safe is slow to investigate automobile safety defects, limiting its ability to handle rapidly changing or severe risks, an audit made public Thursday found. Problems at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation limit