Ingested Articles

Serial killer Joseph Edward Duncan III died in federal prison recently, having admitted to killing seven people, including five children, in Idaho, Washington state, Montana and California. Some question whether Duncan killed even more people. Following his arrest in 2005 for the slayings of four members of an Idaho family, federal authorities reviewed missing children cases nationwide. The assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted him in Idaho believes all of Duncan’s killings were revealed in court. The 58-year-old died Sunday at a hospital in Indiana near the federal prison where he was on death row. The native of Tacoma, Washington, had recently been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

Americans are broadly supportive of President Joe Biden’s early handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and approval of his stewardship of the economy has ticked up following passage of a sprawling $1.9 trillion relief bill. That's according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. But Americans are split over Biden’s early approach to some of the hot-button issues that are moving to the forefront, including guns and immigration. The president has outlined goals for tackling both issues but has made clear that they are not his immediate legislative priorities.  

People 21 and over in Virginia could legally possess and grow small amounts of marijuana beginning in July under changes the governor is proposing to legislation the General Assembly passed this year. That's about three years faster than the original legislation. Racial justice advocates and some fellow Democrats had called on Gov. Ralph Northam to speed up the timeline for legalization. Retail sales won't go into effect until 2024 under the bill. Lawmakers will convene in April to consider Northam's proposed amendments. His office said Black Virginians have been disproportionately policed and convicted for using marijuana, even after lawmakers decriminalized marijuana last year.

ROME (AP) — Italy ordered two Russian Embassy officials expelled Wednesday and arrested an Italian Navy captain on spying charges after police caught the officer allegedly giving classified documents to one of the Russians in exchange for money. Foreign Minister…

Cleveland Indians fans won't be allowed inside Progressive Field wearing Native American headdresses or face paint. While moving forward with a plan to change their name, the Indians announced a new fan dress policy for the 2021 season. The team said fans will either be ejected or denied admission for behavior that includes wearing headdresses or “face paint styled in a way that references or appropriates American Indian cultures and traditions.” The Indians said earlier this year that they are changing their name, joining a nationwide movement to ban racist symbols and slogans. The name change will not take effect until the 2022 season at the earliest.

The men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments in Indianapolis and San Antonio aren’t all COVID-19 tests, basketball and contact tracing. But being in quasi-isolation with any movement inside and outside hotels restricted, teams had to get creative during the days and weeks between games and nasal swabs to find ways to stay entertained. There have been Wiffle ball games and ping-pong tournaments. There are boat rides, TikTok videos and Uno. Lots and lots of Uno, in fast-paced games in which the cards fly in a frenzy. It's been a taxing journey for players, coaches and support staff cooped up in hotels.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday reaffirmed a determination made last year by the Trump administration that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous and remains undeserving of special treatment by the United States. In a notice…

One of President Joe Biden's dogs has left some poop in a White House hallway. Reporters accompanying Jill Biden on a trip to California spotted the brown stuff Wednesday as they waited just inside the mansion to be taken to the first lady's motorcade. It's unclear which pooch — Major or Champ — dropped the poo. This week, the younger of Biden's two German shepherds, Major, was involved in his second biting incident in March. The first lady's spokesperson says Major “nipped someone while on a walk” Monday and the person was treated and returned to work without injury. The dogs recently spent time back home in Delaware, where Major received training.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says he has started a prison hunger strike to protest officials’ failure to provide proper treatment for his back and leg pains. In a statement posted Wednesday on Instagram, Navalny complained about prison authorities’ refusal to give him the right medicines and to allow his doctor to visit him. He also protested the hourly checks a guard makes on him at night, saying they amount to sleep deprivation torture. Navalny said he had no choice but to protest with a hunger strike because his physical condition has worsened. He said his back pains have spread to his right leg and he feels numbness in his left leg.

Major League Baseball is set to start the season Thursday and opening day brings a welcome change for fans. Crowds are being allowed back in the ballparks again. No fans were permitted last year during a season shortened to 60 games because of the coronavirus pandemic. All 30 teams are scheduled to play Thursday, with Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Mike Trout among the stars in action. The first game of the season is at Yankee Stadium, where Gerrit Cole is set to face the Toronto Blue Jays. Weather could be a factor in some spots. Rain is in the forecast on the East Coast and temperatures might in the 30s at Wrigley Field. 

It feels like a tale as old as time: Wayward teenage son meets up with estranged father, one needing some straightening out, the other some serious humanizing. Can they connect? But if that’s the familiar story at the heart of…

Just a few months ago, almost no one would have paid actual money for a digital image that could be copied for free. But sports trading cards have gone convincingly virtual thanks to a clever use of the technology that underlies Bitcoin and similar cryptocurrencies. These virtual collectible cards -- spinning, floating digital cubes that each feature a video highlight of an NBA player — typically cost $10 to $20 on the trading site Top Shot, created by a Canadian startup and the NBA. But a LeBron James dunk highlight that's easy to find on the internet for free recently sold for $210,000.

With the Screen Actors Guild Awards days away, producers gathered for final appraisal of a montage honoring the nominees that include Olivia Colman, Sacha Baron Cohen and the late Chadwick Boseman. The meeting was virtual and the SAG event will be pre-taped because of the pandemic. Producers of the SAG honors say their challenge became how to evoke the tradition of ceremonies past. They decided to reimagine the ‘I Am an Actor’ stories that typically open the SAG Awards. Producers say that led to docuseries-style segments in which actors share career anecdotes and more. They'll be part of Sunday's SAG Awards, airing on TNT and TBS.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon on Wednesday will sweep away Trump-era policies that largely banned transgender people from serving in the military, issuing new rules that offer them wider access to medical care and assistance with gender transition, defense officials…

Students who once shopped at a downtown mall in Burlington, Vermont, are now attending high school in the former Macy's department store, with gleaming white tile floors and escalators whisking them to and from classes. The existing Burlington High School was closed last August after PCBs were found in the building. School officials eyed the closed Macy's store as an alternative. Partial walls were added for classrooms while some remnants, like the Calvin Klein and Michael Korrs signs remained. While noise from the partial walls is a challenge, some students say they're happy to be back in school after being remote for much of the year.  

The new head of the Environmental Protection Agency is taking steps to restore what he calls “scientific integrity” at the EPA. And one way Michael Regan is trying to do that is by reversing Trump administration actions that sidelined many academic scientists as advisers in favor of industry figures. Regan says in an Associated Press interview that the “reset” of two advisory panels will return the EPA to its time-honored practice of relying on advice from a balanced group of experts. Regan says “scientific integrity is a foundational value for EPA.” And he says he's is committed "to ensuring that every single decision we make meets rigorous scientific standards.’’