By LISA MASCARO, AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — Paul Ryan’s future as House speaker has been such a topic of speculation that even the simple question of whether he will seek re-election to his Wisconsin seat remains secret. Officially, Ryan says he’s still deciding. But a person familiar with Ryan’s thinking told The Associated Press…
CHICAGO (AP) — A woman dubbed a “serial stowaway” for repeatedly trying to sneak onto commercial jets without a ticket has been ruled unfit for trial, a judge ruled Thursday. Cook County Judge Maura Slattery Boyle ordered Marilyn Hartman, 66, to be sent to a secured mental health facility in Elgin, near Chicago. The ruling…
By MICHAEL R. SISAK, Associated Press NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Bill Cosby’s lawyers are expected to make a last-ditch effort on Thursday to postpone the comedian’s sexual assault retrial by pressuring the judge to step aside after losing their bid to overturn his ruling allowing up to five additional accusers to testify. The defense first demanded…
By HOPE YEN and ZEKE MILLER, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump fired Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin Wednesday in the wake of a bruising ethics scandal and a mounting rebellion within the agency, and nominated White House doctor Ronny Jackson to lead the agency. A Navy rear admiral, Jackson is a surprise choice…
By DON THOMPSON, Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A Sacramento church is the latest site of mourning over the death of 22-year-old Stephon Clark at the hands of police last week, with family, friends and strangers gathering Wednesday for his public wake. Some attendees wore black shirts calling for justice, while one woman held up…
By BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook is giving its privacy tools a makeover as it reels from criticisms over its data practices and faces tighter European regulations in the coming months. The changes won’t affect Facebook’s privacy policies or the types of data it gathers on users. But the company hopes…
By DAVID EGGERT, Associated Press EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The sexual abuse scandal at Michigan State University widened Tuesday when authorities charged a former dean not only with failing to keep sports doctor Larry Nassar in line but with sexually harassing female students and pressuring them for nude selfies. William Strampel, 70, is the first…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The 2020 U.S. Census will include a question about citizenship status, a move that brought swift condemnation from Democrats, who said it would intimidate immigrants and discouraging them from responding. The population count taken every 10 years is more than an academic exercise. It’s required by the Constitution and used to determine…
NEW YORK (AP) — The pilot of a helicopter that crashed into New York City’s East River told federal investigators that he believed the aircraft’s fuel was cut off when a passenger’s restraint tether tangled with an emergency fuel cutoff switch, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report on the crash released…
By ELAINE GANLEY and JEFFREY SCHAEFFER, Associated Press TREBES, France (AP) — A French bishop paid tribute Sunday to a police officer who lost his life after swapping himself with a supermarket employee held hostage by an Islamist extremist, saying his heroic sacrifice helped save the nation. Survivors and families of the four victims of Friday’s…