Biden calls transportation nominee Buttigieg 'a new voice'

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden introduced onetime Democratic primary rival Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday as his nominee for transportation secretary, saying the 38-year-old can be “a new voice" in …

Chinese capsule returns to Earth carrying moon rocks

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese lunar capsule returned to Earth on Thursday with the first fresh rock samples from the moon in more than 40 years, offering the possibility of new insights into the history of the solar sys…

Vaccinations reach nursing homes as California faces crisis

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The first COVID-19 vaccinations are underway at U.S. nursing homes, where the virus has killed more than 110,000 people, even as the nation struggles to contain a surge so alarming it has…

'If not one thing, it's another': Northeast preps for storm

NEW YORK (AP) — The Northeast girded Wednesday for a major snowstorm at a key moment in the coronavirus pandemic, days after the

Florida's new python-sniffing dogs have 1st success

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Truman, the python-sniffing black Labrador retriever, recently tracked down his first snake in a new program Florida is using to eradicate the invasive species.

Prague zoo's month-old Sumatran orangutan finally has a name

PRAGUE (AP) — He’s called Pustakawan, or Kawi, if you wish.

Florida man sentenced to 50 years for stabbing mom to death

PALM COAST, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man was sentenced to 50 years in prison Wednesday for stabbing his mother to death after he got angry when she threatened to kick him out of the house.

Senate report: Opioid industry has paid advocacy groups $65M

A bipartisan congressional investigation released Wednesday found that key players in the nation’s opioid industry have spent $65 million since 1997 funding nonprofits that advocate treating pain with medications, …

Extradition delayed for Wisconsin man charged in kidnap plot

PORTAGE, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin man accused in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer should be extradited to Michigan, but he will be given a chance to appeal first, a judge ruled.

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Venezuelan village mourns 23 drownings, seeks those missing

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Twinkling Christmas lights have been turned off in the remote fishing village of Güiria in Venezuela as hundreds mourn and gather on its shores to await word of loved ones who remain missi…

IS widow convicted in Charlie Hebdo, kosher market attacks

PARIS (AP) — The fugitive widow of an Islamic State gunman and a man described as his logistician were convicted Wednesday of terrorism charges and sentenced to 30 years in prison in the trial of 14 people linked t…

Israel signs extradition order in Australia sex-crime case

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s justice minister on Wednesday said he has signed an extradition order to send a former teacher to Australia to face charges of child sex abuse.

Mexico to name education secretary as new US ambassador

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Wednesday he will nominate current Education Secretary Esteban Moctezuma as Mexico’s next ambassador to the United States.

World's space achievements a bright spot in stressful 2020

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronauts blasted into orbit from the U.S. for the first time in nearly a decade, three countries sent spacecraft hurtling toward Mars, and robotic explorers grabbed rocks from the moon…