What to know about how lawmakers are addressing deepfakes like the ones that victimized Taylor Swift

The growing issue of AI-generated deepfakes has already been a hot topic in state legislatures

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Text of the policy statement the Federal Reserve released Wednesday

Below is the statement the Federal Reserve released Wednesday after its latest policy meeting ended: Recent indicators suggest that economic activity has been expanding at a solid pace. Job gains have moderated since early last year but remain strong, and the unemployment rate has remained low. Inflation has eased over the past year but remains elevated. The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run. The Committee judges that the risks to achieving its employment and inflation goals are moving into better balance. The economic outlook is uncertain, and the Committee remains highly attentive to inflation risks. In support of its goals, the Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 5-1/4 to 5-1/2 percent. In considering any adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate, the Committee will carefully assess incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks. The...

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Illinois voters trying to boot Trump from ballot file legal challenge after election board defeat

Illinois voters trying to remove former President Donald Trump’s name from the primary ballot have filed a legal challenge after the state’s election board unanimously rejected their effort

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NY expands legal definition of rape to include many forms of nonconsensual contact

New York will expand its legal definition of rape to include various forms of nonconsensual sexual contact, under a bill signed into law by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul

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Wisconsin man gets life sentence in 2021 killings of 3 men whose bodies were found outside quarry

A man charged in the fatal 2021 shootings of three men whose bodies were found outside a Wisconsin quarry has been sentenced to life in prison

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US Asians and Pacific Islanders worry over economy, health care costs, AP-NORC/AAPI data poll shows

A majority of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States call their personal financial situation good

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Counselor recalls concerns about Michigan school shooter at mother's trial

A counselor says staff expressed concerns about a Michigan teenager long before he killed four students during a 2021 school shooting

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Judge orders Oregon newspaper not to publish documents linked to Nike lawsuit

A federal judge is ordering an Oregon newspaper not to publish documents linked to a sex discrimination lawsuit against Nike

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The IRS is launching a direct file pilot program for the 2024 tax season — here is how it will work

As tax filing season officially starts Monday, a limited number of taxpayers in 12 states will soon be eligible for a program that will allow them to calculate and submit their returns directly to the IRS without having to pay for commercial tax prepar...

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Trump praises Texas governor as state clashes with White House over immigration

Former President Donald Trump has praised Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for defying the Biden administration over immigration

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American Airlines' hard landing on Maui sends 6 to hospital

Five American Airlines flight attendants and one passenger are recovering after their flight from Los Angeles made a a hard landing on Maui

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Arizona Republicans choose Trump favorite Gina Swoboda as party chair

The Arizona Republican Party is getting a new leader

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Wrestling icon Vince McMahon resigns from WWE parent company after ex-employee files sex abuse suit

Wrestling icon Vince McMahon has resigned from WWE’s parent company

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A snowboarder spent 15 hours trapped in a ski gondola. She rubbed her hands and feet to keep warm

A snowboarder has spent 15 hours trapped overnight inside a ski lift gondola amid freezing temperatures at a Lake Tahoe resort

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White House sets new guidelines for Cabinet notifications after Austin's secret hospitalization

The White House is laying out a new set of guidelines to ensure it will be informed any time a Cabinet head can’t carry out their job

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Exotic animals including South American ostrich and giant African snail seized from suburban NY home

Authorities have seized about a hundred animals from a Long Island home packed with exotic species — including a giant African snail, degus, a sulcata tortoise and a South American ostrich

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NJ Transit scraps plan for gas-fired backup power plant, heartening environmental justice advocates

New Jersey’s public transit agency is scrapping plans for a backup power plant that would have been fueled by natural gas, heartening environmental justice advocates who targeted it and several other proposed power plants in largely minority areas

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Bill decriminalizing drug test strips in opioid-devastated West Virginia heads to governor

A bill that would decriminalize all the strips used to test deadly drugs now goes to West Virginia's governor

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RNC plans to soon consider declaring Trump the 'presumptive 2024 nominee'

The Republican National Committee is expected to consider a resolution next week to declare Donald Trump the party’s “presumptive 2024 nominee,” even though only two states have voted and the former president has nowhere near the requisite number of de...

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Apple will open iPhone to alternative app stores, lower fees in Europe to comply with regulations

Apple has unveiled a sweeping plan to tear down some of the competitive barriers that it has built around its lucrative iPhone franchise

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North Carolina authorizes online sports betting to begin on eve of men's ACC basketball tournament

Legal online sports betting in North Carolina is poised to begin in March on the eve of the region’s beloved Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball tournament

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'Gone Mom' prosecutors show shirt, bra, zip ties they say link defendant to woman's disappearance

Prosecutors attempting to link a Connecticut woman to the disappearance of her boyfriend’s estranged wife say items from Hartford trash receptacles show the connection between defendant Michelle Troconis and the victim

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Trial delayed for man who says he fatally shot ex-Saints star Will Smith in self-defense

The manslaughter retrial for the man who fatally shot New Orleans Saints star Will Smith almost eight years ago has been delayed after an alternate juror dropped out

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Authorities identify woman, 3 adult daughters shot to death in suburban Chicago home

Authorities have identified a woman and her three adult daughters who were found slain inside their suburban Chicago home in what police are calling a domestic-related shooting

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Blinken begins Africa tour in Cape Verde, touting the U.S. as a key security and economic partner

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has begun a tour of four African countries, meeting with the leaders of Cape Verde and Ivory Coast and touting America as the continent’s key economic and security ally at times of regional and international crises

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Ron DeSantis ends presidential bid on eve of N.H. primary after his highly anticipated campaign failed to gain traction

Ron DeSantis ends presidential bid on eve of N.H. primary after his highly anticipated campaign failed to gain traction

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23 lost skiers and snowboarders rescued in frigid temperatures in Killington, Vermont

Police say 23 skiers and snowboarders had to be rescued in frigid temperatures on Saturday after becoming lost in the back country in Killington, Vermont

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Police say 4 killed in suburban Chicago 'domestic related' shooting, suspect is in custody

Four people have been fatally shot outside Chicago in what suburban officials describe as a “domestic-related shooting.”

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'Burn, beetle, burn': Hundreds of people torch an effigy of destructive bug in South Dakota town

In what’s become an annual winter tradition, hundreds of people carrying torches set fire to a giant wooden beetle effigy in Custer, South Dakota, to raise awareness of the destructive impact of the mountain pine beetle on Black Hills forest land

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Adam Harrison, a son of 'Pawn Stars' celebrity Rick Harrison, has died in Las Vegas at age 39

Adam Harrison, one of three sons of reality TV show “Pawn Stars” celebrity Richard “Rick” Harrison, has died in Las Vegas at age 39

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Some South Carolina voters ready to support DeSantis, despite acknowledging Trump's lead in state

Ron DeSantis is aiming to frame his presidential campaign as one that can best both GOP front-runner Donald Trump and former Gov. Nikki Haley in South Carolina, although some attendees at one of his three events said they felt the state’s votes were li...

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Angst over LGBTQ+ stories led to another canceled show. But in a Wyoming town, a play was salvaged

A canceled middle school play indicates there is still a ways to go before there is full LGBTQ+ acceptance in Wyoming

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Human head and hands found in Colorado freezer during cleanup of recently sold house

Authorities say people who were cleaning out a recently sold home in western Colorado found a human head and hands in a freezer

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Extreme cold weather causing oil spills in North Dakota; 60 reports over past week

Bitter cold weather is causing a rash of spills in the oil fields of North Dakota as well as a slowdown in production

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New Hampshire's aging ballot scanners pose challenges. Problems could prompt conspiracy theories

Many New Hampshire voters will be casting ballots on scanners that are at least 15 years old — with some potentially dating back to Bill Clinton’s presidency

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Man accused of using golf club to fatally impale Minnesota store clerk ruled incompetent for trial

The man accused of using a golf club to fatally impale a Minneapolis grocery store employee has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial on a murder charge

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The Supreme Court declines to step into fight over bathrooms for transgender students

The Supreme Court has passed up a chance to intervene in the debate over bathrooms for transgender students, rejecting an appeal from an Indiana public school district

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Election results tell you who won and lost. AP VoteCast tells you why

When the dust settles from the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses, the returns will reveal who had Republican caucusgoers' vote

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Lionel Messi wins FIFA’s best men’s player award

Lionel Messi wins FIFA’s best men’s player award

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Ships and aircraft search for 2 Navy SEALs missing after mission to confiscate Iranian missile parts

A U.S. official says Navy ships and aircraft are combing areas of the Gulf of Aden for two missing Navy SEALs as details emerge about their mission

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Iowa high school principal who risked his life to protect students during school shooting has died, funeral home says

Iowa high school principal who risked his life to protect students during school shooting has died, funeral home says

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Iowa principal who risked his life to protect students during a high school shooting has died

An Iowa principal who put himself in harm's way to protect students during a school shooting earlier this month has died

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As shutdown looms, congressional leaders ready stopgap bill to extend government funding to March

Congressional leaders are preparing a stopgap bill to keep the federal government running into March and avoid a partial shutdown next week

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DeSantis and Haley barnstorm across frigid Iowa in the final days before the Republican caucuses

Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley were finding Iowa voters looking for alternatives to former President Donald Trump as they campaigned on the final weekend before 2024 voting begins

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Two Navy SEALs are missing after Thursday night mission off coast of Somalia

Two U.S. Navy SEALs are missing after doing a nighttime boarding mission off the coast of Somalia, according to two U.S. officials

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Yemeni rebel Houthi official says US-led strikes on Yemen killed at least 5 people, wounded 6 and won't go 'unanswered'

Yemeni rebel Houthi official says US-led strikes on Yemen killed at least 5 people, wounded 6 and won't go 'unanswered'

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Philly's elected prosecutor sues to stop law designed to limit authority on transit system crimes

Philadelphia’s two-term elected progressive district attorney is suing to halt the appointment of a new special prosecutor for crimes that occur on the city’s trains

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FCC chair asks automakers about plans to stop abusers from using car electronics to stalk partners

The top U.S. telecommunications regulator is asking automakers how they plan to protect people from being stalked or harassed by partners who have access to vehicle location and other data

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Trial is postponed for an Illinois man charged with killing 7 at a Fourth of July parade in 2022

A judge has postponed the trial of an Illinois man accused of killing seven people at a Fourth of July parade in suburban Chicago in 2022 after his lawyer on Wednesday asked for more time to review evidence

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Looking for a cheeseburger in paradise? You could soon find one along Jimmy Buffett Highway

Looking to waste away with a cheeseburger in paradise

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Longest currently serving state senator in US plans to retire in South Carolina

The longest currently serving state senator in the U.S. doesn’t plan to run for office again this year in South Carolina

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CES 2024 updates: The most interesting news and gadgets from tech's big show

CES 2024 starts today in Las Vegas

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Former gang leader charged with orchestrating killing of Tupac Shakur can serve house arrest, judge decides

Former gang leader charged with orchestrating killing of Tupac Shakur can serve house arrest, judge decides

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More women join challenge to Tennessee's abortion ban law

More women have joined a Tennessee lawsuit challenging the state’s broad abortion ban that went into effect shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022

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Michigan cosmetology school agrees to $2.8M settlement in an unpaid labor dispute

A judge has approved a $2.8 million settlement in a dispute over unpaid work performed by aspiring hair stylists at a Michigan cosmetology school

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The Pentagon adds new details about Austin's secretive hospital stay and the delay in telling Biden

The Pentagon is releasing new details about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s nearly weeklong hospitalization

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Rafael Nadal withdraws from the Australian Open with an injury just one tournament into his comeback

Rafael Nadal withdraws from the Australian Open with an injury just one tournament into his comeback

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Congressional leaders announce deal on spending levels. Biden hails it as a step toward preventing a government shutdown

Congressional leaders announce deal on spending levels. Biden hails it as a step toward preventing a government shutdown

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What to know about the Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 jet that suffered a blowout

An emergency landing by an Alaska Airlines jetliner has prompted U.S. federal authorities to ground some Boeing 737 Max aircraft, adding another episode to the troubled history of Boeing’s Max lineup of jets

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New round of Epstein documents offer another look into his cesspool of sexual abuse

More than 130 additional court files have been unsealed in a lawsuit involving Jeffrey Epstein

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Federal officials order grounding of Boeing 737-9 Max jetliners after a plane suffers a blowout midflight

Federal officials order grounding of Boeing 737-9 Max jetliners after a plane suffers a blowout midflight

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Ohio governor signs order barring minors from gender-affirming surgery as veto override looms

A week after vetoing a ban on all forms gender affirming care for minors in Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has signed an executive order effective immediately barring Ohioans from gender-affirming surgical interventions until they're 18

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NRA chief Wayne LaPierre says he's resigning days before trial scrutinizing his leadership, spending

The longtime head of the National Rifle Association is resigning, just days before the start of a New York civil trial that’s poised to scrutinize his leadership of the powerful gun rights organization

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New gun law has blocked over 500 firearms from being bought by young people, attorney general says

Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday that more than 500 gun purchases have been blocked since a new gun law requiring stricter background checks for young people went into effect in 2022

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UC Berkeley walls off People's Park as it waits for court decision on student housing project

Police officers in riot gear have removed activists from Berkeley’s People’s Park and crews began placing double-stacked shipping containers to wall off the historic park overnight Thursday

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Glynis Johns, 'Mary Poppins' star who introduced the world to Sondheim's 'Send in the Clowns,' dies at 100

Glynis Johns, 'Mary Poppins' star who introduced the world to Sondheim's 'Send in the Clowns,' dies at 100

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New bridge connecting Detroit to Canada won't open until fall 2025

A second bridge connecting Detroit and Canada over the Detroit River won’t open for travel until fall 2025, months later than anticipated

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Nebraska judge allows murder case to proceed against suspect in killing of small-town priest

A Nebraska judge has agreed that the fact that the suspect was found lying on top of a badly wounded priest covered in blood stains last month inside the home where the priest lived next door to his small-town church suggests Kierre Williams was respon...

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Michigan state lawmaker enters crowded U.S. House race as Democrats aim to defend open seat

Michigan state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet has announced that she will seek a U.S. House seat in Michigan being left vacant after U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee’s retirement this year

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Series of small explosions, no injuries reported after 1.7-magnitude quake in New York

Officials say a 1.7 magnitude earthquake that hit New York City may have caused a series of small explosions on an island between Manhattan and Queens

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Harvard president Claudine Gay resigns amid plagiarism accusations, backlash from antisemitism testimony

Harvard president Claudine Gay resigns amid plagiarism accusations, backlash from antisemitism testimony

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135th Rose Parade boasts floral floats, sunny skies as California tradition kicks off the new year

Floral floats, marching bands and equestrian units took to the streets under a sunny California sky as the 135th Rose Parade drew hundreds of thousands of spectators on New Year’s Day

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Federal appeals court temporarily delays new state-run court in Mississippi's majority-Black capital

A federal appeals court has temporarily delayed Mississippi officials from creating a state-run court in part of the majority-Black capital city of Jackson

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A crash on a New York City parkway leaves 5 dead

Police in New York City say five people died when the car they were in crashed on a parkway in Queens

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POLL ALERT: Purdue stays atop AP men's basketball poll; Gonzaga falls to No. 24 but runs its poll streak to 142 weeks

POLL ALERT: Purdue stays atop AP men's basketball poll; Gonzaga falls to No. 24 but runs its poll streak to 142 weeks

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