With all the politics and maneuvering, how is life in Florida changing for its residents?

FILE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference to sign several bills related to public education and increases in teacher pay, in Miami, on May 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - "Don't say gay." Regulation of books and classroom discussion. Teachers, parents and school librarians all navigating new and uncertain ground. LGBTQ+ rights under attack. A very public spat between state government and

Black victims of violent crime disproportionately denied aid in many states

The cold formality of the letter is seared in Debra Long's memory. It began "Dear Claimant," and said her 24-year-old son, Randy, who was fatally shot in April 2006, was not an "innocent" victim. Without further explanation, the New York state agency that assists violent-crime victims and their families refused to help pay for his funeral. Randy was a father, engaged to be married and studying to become a juvenile

Biden declares ‘America will not default,’ says he’s confident of budget deal with GOP lawmakers

WASHINGTON (AP) - An optimistic President Joe Biden declared Wednesday that he is confident the U.S. will avoid an unprecedented and potentially catastrophic debt default, saying talks with congressional Republicans have been productive as he prepared to leave for a global summit in Japan. Biden's upbeat remarks came as a select group of negotiators began meeting to try and hammer out the final contours of a budget spending agreement to

Mexican woman faces 6 years in prison for killing the man sexually assaulting her

MEXICO CITY (AP) - A Mexican woman who killed a man defending herself when he attacked and raped her in 2021 was sentenced to more than six years in prison, a decision her legal defense called "discriminatory" and vowed to appeal Tuesday. The ruling against Roxana Ruiz spurred anger from experts and feminist groups who said it speaks to the depth of gender-based violence and Mexico's poor record of bringing

Special prosecutor ends Trump-Russia investigation, saying FBI acted hastily

WASHINGTON (AP) - A special prosecutor found that the FBI rushed into its investigation of ties between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and relied too much on raw and unconfirmed intelligence as he concluded a four-year probe that fell far short of the former president's prediction that the "crime of the century" would be uncovered. The report Monday from special counsel John Durham represents the long-awaited culmination of an

New Mexico gunman who killed 3 and injured 6 shot randomly at cars, houses, police say

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) - Authorities on Tuesday were trying to determine why an 18-year-old man roamed through a northwestern New Mexico neighborhood and randomly sprayed houses and cars with bullets, killing three people and wounding six others, including two police officers, before police killed him. The shootings occurred around 11 a.m. Monday in Farmington, a city of about 50,000 near the Four Corners - where New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and

ChatGPT’s chief to testify before Congress as concerns grow about artificial intelligence risks

The head of the artificial intelligence company that makes ChatGPT will testify before Congress as lawmakers call for new rules to guide the rapid development of AI technology. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is scheduled to speak at a Senate hearing Tuesday. His San Francisco-based startup rocketed to public attention after its release late last year of ChatGPT, a free chatbot tool that answers questions with convincingly human-like responses. What started

A lonely nation: Has the notion of the ‘American way’ promoted isolation across history?

NEW YORK (AP) - At the end of "The Searchers," one of John Wayne's most renowned Westerns, a kidnapped girl has been rescued and a family reunited. As the closing music swells, Wayne's character looks around at his kin - people who have other people to lean on - and then walks off toward the dusty West Texas horizon, lonesome and alone. It's a classic example of a fundamental American

Biden, congressional leaders likely to meet Tuesday for talks on raising the debt limit

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) - President Joe Biden and congressional leaders will likely resume talks on Tuesday at the White House over the debt limit as the nation continues to edge closer to its legal borrowing authority with no agreement in sight. The meeting was initially supposed to be Friday, but was abruptly postponed so staff-level talks could continue before Biden and the four congressional leaders huddled for a second

GOP state lawmakers try to restrict ballot initiatives, partly to thwart abortion protections

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - With other state lawmakers seated around her in the Ohio House, Democratic state Rep. Tavia Galonski got to her feet and began to loudly chant, "One person, one vote!" The former Teamster's cry spread quickly through the visitors gallery, then began to rise from the throng of protesters gathered outside in the statehouse rotunda. Struggling to be heard over the din, the Republican speaker ordered spectators