AP

By Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Abortion-rights advocates on Wednesday asked a judge to overturn Missouri’s near-total ban on the procedure, less than a month after voters backed an abortion-rights constitutional amendment. Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang did not immediately rule after the hearing. Planned Parenthood and other plaintiffs had asked her to

By Associated Press President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he intends to nominate cryptocurrency advocate Paul Atkins to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission. Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Angelina Jolie never expected to hit all the notes. But finding the breath of Maria Callas was enough to bring things out of Jolie that she didn’t even know were in her. “All of us, we really don’t realize where things land in our body over a lifetime of

By Associated Press Keira Knightley starred in one of the most popular Christmas films of the 21st century, the 2003 romantic comedy “Love Actually.” Her new Netflix series “Black Doves” is also set during the holidays, but in this, she plays a spy alongside Ben Whishaw’s assassin. Knightley says the show, debuting Thursday, falls under

By The Conversation via AP In all the arguments over whether President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for director of national intelligence is fit for the job, it’s easy to lose sight of why it matters. It matters a lot. To speak of telling truth to power seems terribly old-fashioned these days, but as a veteran of

By Associated Press Forty years ago, on Dec. 8, 1984, one of the largest manhunts in FBI history came to an explosive end on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. The person they were after was Robert Jay Mathews, the leader of a white supremacist group committing armed robberies to finance plans to overthrow the government.

By Associated Press Sabrina Carpenter hosting a holiday variety music special on Netflix and Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw playing a spy and an assassin in the TV series “Black Doves” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Millions displaced by global conflicts. Communities reeling from unseasonably strong natural disasters. Lives upended due to healthcare inequalities. In the middle of these crises are established nonprofits, everyday individuals and mutual aid groups — all seeking your dollars to make a difference. But with no shortage of worthy causes

By Metro Creative ‘Tis the season for frost and snow, which means coming downstairs in the morning to a chilly home. One way to rally the troops out of bed when it’s cold and snowy is to reward family with a warm breakfast. Muffins are a go-to choice for a quick bite, and homemade muffins

By Metro Creative Computers are vital for work or school. Computers can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars for a basic model to upwards of $3,000 for a top-of-the-line machine. Either way, purchasing a computer involves a considerable sum of money and buyers may wonder just how far that money will go in terms

By Associated Press Getting benched may have been the best thing that happened to Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson. Both second-year quarterbacks are playing well since returning to the starting lineup. Young has steadily improved after coming back in Week 8. He’s displayed the skills that earned him a Heisman Trophy at Alabama and convinced

By Associated Press Tiger Woods could not offer much of a timetable Tuesday on PGA Tour negotiations with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf or his own future as a player. Woods is the tournament host of the Hero World Challenge this week, and that’s his only role at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas.

By Associated Press HOUSTON — Houston’s Azeez Al-Shaair was suspended by the NFL without pay for three games Tuesday for repeated violations of player safety rules following his violent hit to the head of Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion. Al-Shaair’s punishment was announced by NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan.

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spent a second day Tuesday on Capitol Hill, meeting privately with Republican senators amid rising questions about his ability to effectively lead the Pentagon. Hegseth told reporters he was planning to sit down with senators, even with those potentially skeptical of

By Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Years of legal wrangling have come to an end for a woman who spent 43 years behind bars for a killing that her attorneys argue was committed by a discredited police officer. A judge ruled Tuesday that Sandra Hemme can’t be retried, the final step in a tumultuous

By Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa officials on Tuesday sued the Biden administration for access to information on the citizenship status of more than 2,000 registered voters they had questioned in the weeks leading up to the 2024 election. The complaint details a back and forth with the federal government after state election

By Associated Press BONNE TERRE, Mo. — Rowan Ford knew Christopher Collings as “Uncle Chris” after he spent several months living with her family. On Tuesday, Collings was executed for sexually assaulting and killing the child, then dumping her body in a sinkhole outside a small Missouri town. Collings, 49, was put to death with

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump dialed in to what was described as a “love fest” Tuesday with Senate Republicans as they begin laying the groundwork for control of government in the new year, and a potential first-30-days agenda. Trump’s brief call was more celebratory than a prescriptive policy agenda, according to those

By Associated Press NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers formally asked a judge Monday to throw out his hush money criminal conviction, arguing that continuing the case would present unconstitutional “disruptions to the institution of the Presidency.” In a filing made public Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers told Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that anything short

By Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea — The president of South Korea early Wednesday lifted the martial law he imposed on the country hours earlier, bending to political pressure after a tense night in which troops surrounded parliament and lawmakers voted to reject military rule. President Yoon Suk Yeol, who appeared likely to be impeached