AP

By Associated Press BRUSSELS — European military heavyweights Germany and Poland affirmed Tuesday that they would not be sending troops to Ukraine, after reports that some Western countries may be considering doing so as the war with Russia enters its third year. The head of NATO also said the U.S.-led military alliance has no plans

By Associated Press A Washington state man accused of helping kill more than 3,000 birds — including eagles on a Montana Indian reservation — then illegally selling their feathers intends to plead guilty to illegal wildlife trafficking and other criminal charges, court documents show. Federal prosecutors say Travis John Branson and others killed about 3,600

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army is slashing the size of its force by about 24,000, or almost 5%, and restructuring to be better able to fight the next major war, as the service struggles with recruiting shortfalls that made it impossible to bring in enough soldiers to fill all the jobs. The

By Associated Press JERUSALEM — Israel and Hamas on Tuesday played down chances of an imminent breakthrough in talks for a cease-fire in Gaza, after U.S. President Joe Biden said Israel has agreed to pause its offensive during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan if a deal is reached to release some hostages. The president’s

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders emerged from an “intense” Oval Office meeting with President Joe Biden on Tuesday speaking optimistically about the prospects for avoiding a partial government shutdown, but with new uncertainty about aid for Ukraine and Israel as the president and others urgently warned Speaker Mike Johnson of the grave consequences

By Jacob Pellinen University of Colorado The Conversation via AP Approximately 1 in 26 people develop epilepsy, a condition in which someone experiences recurring and unprovoked seizures. But experiencing a seizure does not always mean a person has epilepsy. Seizures can be provoked by acute head injuries, alcohol withdrawal and high blood sugar, among other

By Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — In California, a high school teacher complains that students watch Netflix on their phones during class. In Maryland, a chemistry teacher says students use gambling apps to place bets during the school day. Around the country, educators say students routinely send Snapchat messages in class, listen to music and

By Missouri Independent via My Courier-Tribune Dean Plocher’s last year as speaker of the Missouri House wasn’t supposed to go this way. The Republican from Des Peres was riding high at the end of the 2023 legislative session, able to point to big wins while pinning any disappointments on continued dysfunction in the state Senate.

By Metro Creative The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 3,522 people were killed by distracted driving in 2021. Distracted driving also poses a significant threat in Canada, where the Canadian Automobile Association reports 47% of the nation’s drivers admit to typing or using voice-memo features to send a message while driving. Various behaviors

By Metro Creative On lazy weekend mornings or when entertaining a crowd, it may be more fitting to serve brunch rather than breakfast or lunch. Brunch enables guests or family members to sleep in a little later. Plus the filling combination of menu items can keep people satisfied until dinner later on in the evening.

By Associated Press MANHATTAN, Kan. — Tylor Perry scored 29 points and made six 3-pointers, Cam Carter added 19 points and Kansas State let a 25-point lead slip away before beating West Virginia 94-90 in overtime on Monday night. Kansas State (17-11, 7-8 Big 12 Conference) set an NCAA single-season record with its seventh overtime

By Associated Press MIAMI | Emergency crews responded Monday after a letter containing an unidentified white powder was sent to the Florida home of Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of former President and GOP front-runner Donald Trump. A person familiar with the matter said that results on the substance were inconclusive, but officials do

By Associated Press WASHINGTON | An active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force has died after he set himself ablaze outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., while declaring that he “will no longer be complicit in genocide.” The 25-year-old airman, Aaron Bushnell, of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries, the Metropolitan Police Department

By Associated Press LOS ANGELES — After a winter barrage of award shows — the Emmys, the Golden Globes, the Grammys — the grandaddy of them all, the Academy Awards, are around the corner. The 96th Oscars may be a coronation for “Oppenheimer,” which comes in with a leading 13 nominations, though other films, including

By Missouri Independent via My Courier-Tribune In September, the mom of a 4-year-old boy made national news when she used ChatGPT to diagnose her son’s pain, teeth grinding and leg dragging, a diagnosis that had eluded 17 doctors over three years. It’s an increasingly common scenario: Patients are looking to artificial intelligence for health care

By The Center Square via My Courier-Tribune A Missouri House committee will hold hearings Tuesday on changing the income tax deductions for private pensions and repealing a tax on bingo cards. The Ways and Means committee, led by Rep. Mike McGirl, also will vote on a bill to change the tax credit for contributions to

By Associated Press HOUSTON — Body camera footage released by Houston police on Monday showed off-duty police officers with weapons drawn as they confronted a woman who opened fire at celebrity pastor Joel Osteen’s Houston megachurch earlier this month before she was gunned down. The footage also showed blurred images of the shooter’s young son,

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will make dueling trips to the U.S-Mexico border on Thursday, as both candidates try to turn the nation’s broken immigration system to their political advantage in an expected campaign rematch this year. Biden will travel to Brownsville, Texas, in the Rio Grande

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court cast doubt Monday on state laws that could affect how Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube and other social media platforms regulate content posted by their users. The cases are among several this term in which the justices could set standards for free speech in the digital age. In

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — For the third time in five years, senators will be sworn in as jurors for an impeachment trial. But the chamber is expected to spend far less time on the charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas than the ones brought against former President Donald Trump — or maybe no

By Associated Press Texas rose to its highest ranking in more than a year in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll Monday after another week of shakeups amongst the top teams. The Longhorns moved up two spots to No. 3 after four of the top seven teams lost at least one game last

By Associated Press Now it is Houston’s turn at the top of The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll. The Cougars moved to No. 1 for the first time this season in Monday’s latest poll, climbing one spot to end the six-week stay of reigning national champion Connecticut. Houston (24-3) became the fifth

By Associated Press On the same night Caitlin Clark was adding to her NCAA women’s basketball scoring record before a packed house in Indiana, and a national audience on television, the Iowa sensation was losing ground to the most prolific active scorer in her sport. In a gymnasium smaller than those of many high schools,

By Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungary’s parliament voted Monday to ratify Sweden’s bid to join NATO, ending more than 18 months of delays that frustrated the alliance as it sought to expand in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The vote, which passed with 188 votes for and six against, was the culmination of

By Associated Press LOS ANGELES — A former FBI informant charged with fabricating a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden’s family must remain behind bars while he awaits trial, a judge ruled Monday, reversing an earlier order releasing the man. U.S. District Judge Otis Wright II in Los Angeles ordered Alexander Smirnov’s detention days

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Prosecutors in Donald Trump’s New York hush-money criminal case asked a judge Monday to impose a gag order on the former president ahead of next month’s trial, citing what they called his “long history of making public and inflammatory remarks” about people involved in his legal cases. The Manhattan

By Associated Press NEW YORK — President Joe Biden said Monday that he hopes a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that would pause hostilities and allow for remaining hostages to be released can take effect by early next week. Asked when he thought a cease-fire could begin, Biden said: “Well I hope by the beginning