Associated Press stories, Page 226

WASHINGTON — Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee are moving Tuesday to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress after a contentious back-and-forth with the Cabinet secretary over an appearance to testify on the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Blinken, in a letter to Rep. Michael...

BEIRUT — Israel said it killed a top commander with Hezbollah’s missile and rocket unit Tuesday as the Israeli military traded fire with Hezbollah again and the death toll from a massive Israeli bombardment climbed to nearly 560 people. Military officials said Ibrahim Kobeisi, who they alleged was responsible for...

BANGKOK — Thailand’s landmark marriage equality bill was officially written into law Tuesday, allowing same-sex couples to legally wed. The law was published in the Royal Gazette after endorsement by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and will come into effect in 120 days. This means LGBTQ+ couples will be able to register...

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are hanging near their records Tuesday after Chinese stocks soared following a slew of moves by the Chinese central bank to prop up the world’s second-largest economy. The S&P 500 was 0.2% higher in midday trading, a day after setting an all-time high for the...

Editor’s Note: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org. GENEVA — Police in northern Switzerland said Tuesday that several...

SEOUL, South Korea — The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed Tuesday to boost the country’s nuclear war capability and take other steps to protest a recent visit to South Korea by a nuclear-powered U.S. submarine. North Korea has repeatedly vowed to expand its nuclear arsenal,...

UNITED NATIONS — World leaders will open their annual meeting at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday under the shadow of increasing global divisions, major wars in Gaza, Ukraine and, Sudan and the threat of an even larger conflict in the wider Middle East. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres previewed his opening...

ISTANBUL — Prosecutors in Turkey have charged 13 public officials over a fire that killed 29 people at an Istanbul nightclub that was undergoing renovation, state-run media reported Tuesday. The defendants, who include current and former officials from the Besiktas municipality and fire service officers, face up to 17 years...

Lebanese health authorities on Tuesday raised the death toll from two days of Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah militants to 558. Palestinian officials in Gaza, meanwhile, said new a Israeli strike killed at least seven people in the southern city of Khan Younis. Israel’s military says it will do “whatever is...

CINCINNATI — Rookie Jayden Daniels threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score in a remarkably efficient performance, and the Washington Commanders stunned Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals 38-33 on Monday night. Daniels finished 21 of 23 for 254 yards, with the No. 2 overall draft pick setting...

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen threw four touchdown passes in the first half and the Buffalo Bills scored on each of their first five drives in a 47-10 win over a misfiring Trevor Lawrence and the unraveling Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night. Allen went 22 of 28 for 247...

TALLAHASSEE — Some Florida school districts are rolling back a more comprehensive approach to sex education in favor of abstinence-focused lessons under pressure from state officials who have labeled certain instruction on contraception, anatomy and consent as inappropriate for students. Officials from the Florida Department of Education, led by an...

A Republican effort to lock down all of Nebraska’s electoral votes for former President Donald Trump appeared doomed Monday when a state lawmaker denied backers his crucial support for the move. GOP Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha said in a statement that he opposes awarding Nebraska’s five electoral votes on...

The Pac-12 is adding Utah State as its seventh member and is in discussions with basketball powerhouse Gonzaga to join the rebuilding conference in 2026, multiple people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Monday. Utah State and UNLV were the main targets for the Pac-12 after...

NEW YORK — Attention, Kmart shoppers, the end is near! The erstwhile retail giant renowned for its Blue Light Specials — featuring a flashing blue orb affixed to a pole enticing shoppers to a flash sale — is shuttering its last full-scale store in mainland United States. The store, located...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — At only 6 years old, Esai Reed has endured three emergency evacuations from orphanages across Haiti as gangs pillage and plunder their way through once peaceful communities. He is now in northern Haiti under the care of a U.S. organization after the director of Esai’s...

WHITESBURG, Ky. — A Kentucky judge who was gunned down in his courthouse chambers was remembered for his public service as mourners looked for answers to unravel a mystery still shaking their tiny Appalachian town — why their popular sheriff is behind bars and charged with murder. The preliminary investigation...

WILKESBORO, N.C. — North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson vowed Monday to rebuild his campaign staff after several top aides quit and a key Republican group backed away from his race following a CNN report alleging he made explicit racial and sexual posts years ago on a pornography website’s...

AUSTIN, Texas — A federal jury in Texas on Monday rejected voter intimidation allegations against all but one of a group of former President Donald Trump’s supporters who surrounded a Biden-Harris campaign bus on an interstate days before the 2020 election. Only one of the six Trump supporters who were...