Southwest Airlines adds former Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri to its board of directors

DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines is adding a former Republican senator to its board of directors. Southwest said Monday that Roy Blunt, who represented Missouri in the Senate and before that the U.S. House of Representatives, joined the airline’s board on Sunday. That gives Southwest 15 directors. Blunt served in the Senate from 2011 until…

House Republicans push through defense bill limiting abortion access and halting diversity efforts

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed a sweeping defense bill that provides a pay raise for service members but strays from traditional military policy with Republicans add-ons blocking abortion coverage, diversity initiatives at the Pentagon and transgender care. Democrats voted against the package, which had sailed out of the House Armed Services Committee on…

3 dead, 14 hurt after Greyhound bus strikes semis in Illinois; NTSB investigating

HIGHLAND, Ill. (AP) — Illinois State Police say a Greyhound passenger bus crashed into three tractor-trailers parked along a highway exit to a rest area in southern Illinois, killing three people and injuring 14 others, some seriously. State police say the bus was traveling westbound along Interstate 70 in Madison County around 1:55 a.m. when…

3 tax prep firms shared ‘extraordinarily sensitive’ data about taxpayers with Meta, lawmakers say

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some congressional Democrats say three large tax preparation firms sent “extraordinarily sensitive” information on tens of millions of taxpayers to Facebook parent company Meta over at least two years. Their Wednesday report urges federal agencies to investigate and potentially go to court over the information H&R Block, TaxAct and TaxSlayer shared with…

Missouri’s Parson signs laws for new moms’ health care, ban on texting while driving

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s Republican Gov. Mike Parson has signed legislation to extend health care for new mothers and prohibit handheld phone use while driving. Parson last week signed almost all of the remaining bills passed by the GOP-led Legislature this year. Bills signed by the governor include expanded Medicaid for lower-income new mothers…

Baltimore police searching for suspects after 2 killed, 28 wounded at weekend block party shooting

BALTIMORE (AP) — Police are searching for suspects who opened fire during a holiday weekend block party in Baltimore that killed two people, wounded 28 others and prompted one resident to jump into action when a wounded teenage girl showed up on her doorstep. Authorities said many of the shooting victims were under 18. Charlene…

Pence calls for his 2024 rivals to back a 15-week federal abortion ban on eve of Dobbs anniversary

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaking at a gathering of evangelical Christians, former Vice President Mike Pence urged his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination to support a 15-week federal abortion ban at minimum. The exhortation at the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s annual conference on Friday came a day before the first anniversary of Roe v. Wade’s…