Major rail safety technology installed before deadline

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The railroad industry has installed an automatic braking system on nearly 58,000 miles of track where it is required ahead of a yearend deadline, federal regulators said Tuesday.

Regulators: key rail safety technology done before deadline

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The railroad industry has installed an automatic braking system on nearly 58,000 miles of track where it is required ahead of a yearend deadline, federal regulators said Tuesday.

Federal judge in Iowa ridicules Trump's pardons

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge in Iowa who has warned against political corruption is ridiculing President Donald Trump’s pardons, including those issued to convicted Republican campaign operatives and former members of Congress.

Maryland may repeal state song, a Confederate call to arms

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — After decades of debate, legislators are finally sensing strong support for repealing Maryland's state song, a Civil War-era call to arms for the Confederacy against “Northern scum” that refers to President Abraham Lincoln as a despot.

Athletes act: Stars rise up against racial injustice in 2020

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — As the NBA neared its restart in late July, its players vowed to keep the calls for social justice reform at the forefront in the wake of the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

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Offense wins championships? CFP defenses face big challenges

My how times have changed in college football since the last time Alabama and Notre Dame met.

Man charged with killing 2 dies after positive COVID-19 test

LEBANON, Ky. (AP) — A man charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of a northern Kentucky couple has died from COVID-19 complications while in custody awaiting trial, an official said.

Kent State shooting survivor Alan Canfora dies at 71

Alan Canfora, who was one of nine students who were wounded in the 1970 Kent State shootings but survived, has died. He was 71.

Senate GOP blocks Democratic push for Trump's $2K checks

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday blocked Democrats' push to immediately bring President Donald Trump's demand for bigger $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks up for a vote, saying the chamber would “begin a process” to address the issue.

Inmate who survived execution attempt dies; COVID suspected

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio death row inmate who survived an attempt to execute him by lethal injection in 2009 died Monday of possible complications of COVID-19, the state prisons system said.

'Like a bathtub filling up': Alabama is slammed by the virus

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — With its dozen intensive care beds already full, Cullman Regional Medical Center began looking desperately for options as more and more COVID-19 patients showed up.

Christmas bombing marks another dark day for Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — When Sandy and Geff Lee finally saw a photo of the building that was home to their Nashville boutique on the day after the Christmas morning bombing, a quiet came over the room.

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Georgia's two GOP senators back Trump's $2K checks

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s push for $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks lands Tuesday in the Senate, but the Republican majority has shown little interest in following the House, which voted overwhelmingly to meet the president's demand to increase the checks from $600.

Police observed no threats from Andre Hill before shooting

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An officer on the scene of the fatal shooting of Andre Hill in Ohio’s capital city last week didn’t perceive any threats and didn’t see a gun, contrary to a mistaken claim by the fellow officer who killed Hill, according to records released Tuesday.

A record 39 holiday songs dominate Billboard Hot 100 chart

NEW YORK (AP) — Tis the season to be jolly: A record 39 holiday songs have dominated this week's Billboard Hot 100 chart, including nine holiday tunes in the Top 10.

From the camera rolls of American phones, glimpses of 2020

A year like no other: Americans shambled through it, doing the best they could under circumstances that were uneven at best — and sometimes downright punishing.

With deadline looming, group wants more census documents

With the Census Bureau days away from likely missing a year-end deadline for turning in numbers used for divvying up congressional seats, President Donald Trump's administration still hasn't turned over documents showing how it's crunching the data on a shortened schedule, according to a coalition of municipal governments and civil rights groups.

State capitols face showdown over COVID powers and spending

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — State lawmakers across the country will convene in 2021 with the continuing COVID-19 pandemic rippling through much of their work — even affecting the way they work.