AP

By Associated Press NEW YORK | The first of Donald Trump’s four criminal trials will begin April 15, a Manhattan judge ruled Monday after tearing into the former president’s lawyers for what he said were unfounded claims that the hush-money case had been tainted by prosecutorial misconduct. Judge Juan M. Merchan scoffed at the defense’s

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Ghost busting is still a good business. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” collected $45.2 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, handing Sony Pictures the studio’s first No. 1 film since last summer. The opening weekend for “Frozen Empire,” in 4,345 theaters, was nearly exactly the

By Associated Press MOSCOW — A Russian spacecraft with three astronauts successfully docked Monday at the International Space Station. The Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, Russian Oleg Novitsky and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus reached the space outpost after Saturday’s blastoff from the Russian-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan that followed an aborted

By Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida will have one of the country’s most restrictive social media bans for minors — if it withstands expected legal challenges — under a bill signed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday. The bill will ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission

By Associated Press Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that the gunmen who killed 139 people at a suburban Moscow concert hall are “radical Islamists,” but he repeated his accusation that Ukraine could have played a role despite Kyiv’s strong denials. Two days after the Islamic State’s Afghanistan affiliate claimed responsibility for Friday night’s attack

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will again wade into the fractious issue of abortion this week when it hears arguments over a medication used in the most common way to end a pregnancy, a case with profound implications for millions of women no matter where they live in America and, perhaps, for

By Associated Press NEW YORK — A New York appeals court on Monday agreed to hold off collection of former President Donald Trump’s more than $454 million civil fraud judgment if he puts up $175 million within 10 days. If Trump does, it will stop the clock on collection and prevent the state from seizing

By Associated Press UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council on Monday issued its first demand for a cease-fire in Gaza, with the U.S. angering Israel by abstaining from the vote. Israel responded by canceling a visit to Washington by a high-level delegation in the strongest public clash between the allies since the war

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Wall Street edged back further from its record heights on Monday to start a shortened trading week. The S&P 500 slipped 15.99 points, or 0.3%, to 5,218.19 in a quiet day of trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 162.26, or 0.4%, to 39,313.64, and the Nasdaq composite dropped

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — Hackers linked to the Chinese government launched a sweeping, state-backed operation that targeted U.S. officials, journalists, corporations, pro-democracy activists and the U.K.’s election watchdog, American and British authorities said Monday in announcing a set of criminal charges and sanctions. The intention of the campaign, which officials say began in 2010,

By Associated Press NEW YORK — If content creators and corporate executives made TikTok videos about the platform’s possible U.S. demise, disco diva Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” could supply the soundtrack. Sure, businesses that built strategies around TikTok and promote products there would prefer not to seek eyeballs on another app. Smaller firms and

By Associated Press STORRS, Conn. — Minutes after his team won the Big East Tournament championship, UConn coach Dan Hurley was worrying aloud about one of his freshmen being lured toward the transfer portal with name, image and likeness compensation offers from other schools. Highly recruited forward Jaylin Stewart had just hit three key 3-pointers

By Associated Press CLEARWATER, Fla. — Trea Turner’s speed and instincts helped him go perfect on the bases. The Philadelphia Phillies’ star shortstop set a major league record for most steals in a season without getting caught, going 30-for-30 on the basepaths last year. He wasn’t the only player who had a lot of success.

By Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. — The NFL is eliminating the hip-drop tackle. NFL team owners on Monday unanimously approved a rule that bans players from using a swivel technique to tackle an opponent. A violation will result in a 15-yard penalty and could ultimately result in fines for players. NFL executive Jeff Miller said

By Metro Creative Sloppy joes are a favorite comfort food. But many might be surprised to learn that they can stray from traditional sloppy joes and experiment in ways that may give this beloved dish a whole new look. Those who want to try something new with their sloppy joes can use the following recipe

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — Download the mental health chatbot Earkick and you’re greeted by a bandana-wearing panda who could easily fit into a kids’ cartoon. Start talking or typing about anxiety and the app generates the kind of comforting, sympathetic statements therapists are trained to deliver. The panda might then suggest a guided breathing

By Sara Harmouch American University The Conversation via AP Russia is reeling from the worst terror strike on its soil in a generation following an attack on March 22, 2024, that killed at least 137 concertgoers in Moscow. The attack has been claimed by the Islamic State group. And despite Russian authorities expressing doubt over

By Columbia Missourian via TN Content Exchange JEFFERSON CITY − An education bill that ballooned to 153 pages during floor debate before passage in the Senate is a key topic for the House to address as it returns from break this week. State senators passed Senate Bill 727 on March 14, right before leaving for

By Missouri Independent via My Courier-Tribune Missouri lawmakers return to the Capitol Monday with a long list of policy priorities still in flux and only eight weeks to get it all done before the legislative session ends in May. Yet despite a host of issues dominating debate during the first half of the session, the

By Metro Creative Pickleball is an American original. The popularity of pickleball has risen sharply in recent years, and a recent report from the Association of Pickleball Professionals indicated more than 36 million people played the sport across the United States in 2022. But pickleball is much older than its recent participation boom suggests. According

By Associated Press COLUMBIA, Mo. — The president of a historically Black Missouri university has been reinstated after an independent investigation cleared him of claims that he bullied another top administrator before she killed herself this year, university leaders announced Thursday. Lincoln University curators called Antoinette Bonnie Candia-Bailey’s January death tragic in an open letter

By Associated Press WASHINGTON | Speaker Mike Johnson is at risk of being ousted after hard-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to vacate Friday, his leadership abruptly challenged in the middle of a House vote on a $1.2 trillion package to keep the government open. It’s the same political dynamic that removed the