CONGRESS-BUDGET

House ready for debate, votes after bolstering Biden’s bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is preparing to debate and vote on a revised draft of President Joe Biden’s now-$1.85 trillion domestic policy package as well as a companion $1 trillion infrastructure bill. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says House votes are possible Thursday. The Democrats have bolstered the package by adding a new paid family leave program, work permits for immigrants and a state and local tax break. Eager to show voters they can deliver after dismal election results, they finished up the overall package Wednesday. Debate is expected to open Thursday but voting could slip into Friday.

AP-US-ELECTION-2021

Murphy barely wins in NJ while Youngkin upsets in Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey narrowly won reelection in his reliably blue state while a Republican political newcomer delivered a stunning upset in the Virginia governor’s race. That’s sending a warning to Democrats that their grip on power in Washington may be in peril. In Virginia, Glenn Youngkin became the first Republican to win statewide office in a dozen years, uniting former President Donald Trump’s most fervent supporters with enough suburban voters to notch a victory. Meanwhile, in New Jersey, Murphy won after Jack Ciattarelli mounted a surprisingly strong campaign on issues including taxes and opposition to pandemic mask and vaccination mandates.

KENOSHA PROTEST-SHOOTINGS

Detective: Rittenhouse shouted ‘Friendly!’ to pursuer

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Kyle Rittenhouse shouted “Friendly! Friendly! Friendly!” as he was being chased by a man he eventually shot to death during street protests against racial injustice. That’s according to a police detective who testified at his murder trial Wednesday in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Video took center stage Wednesday in the Illinois man’s trial in the shootings of three men — two fatally — after Rittenhouse traveled to Kenosha in August 2020 with a medical kit and a rifle in what he says was an effort to safeguard property from damaging riots. One of the videos came from an FBI surveillance plane some 9,000 feet above. Rittenhouse’s defense attorney argued that the video showed the first man Rittenhouse shot confronted him in “the classic ambush.”

INDONESIA-EARTHQUAKE

Undersea 5.7 earthquake shakes part of eastern Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A shallow undersea earthquake has shaken part of eastern Indonesia but no serious damage or casualties have been reported so far. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 5.7-magnitude quake struck off the coast of an island in North Maluku province. The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency said the quake was unlikely to trigger a tsunami. North Maluku has about 1 million people and is one of Indonesia’s least populous provinces. Indonesia has frequent seismic activity. Its last major earthquake was in January and killed at least 105 people in West Sulawesi province.

JAPAN-MAZDA

New Mazda cars will stop if driver suffers health problem

TOKYO (AP) — Cars already know how to park themselves, warn drowsy drivers, steer back into the right lanes and propose map routes to destinations. The cars Mazda has in the works for next year in Japan know when drivers have a stroke or heart attack. By 2025, the cars will even know when drivers are about to have a sudden health problem and warn them, according to the Japanese automaker. What’s involved are data from cameras inside the car. The technology will be offered in affordable models. The technology holds promise for one of the most advanced aging societies in the world. 

AP-FINANCIAL MARKETS

Asian shares rise after Fed says economic aid will wind down

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares are rising, boosted by the announcement from the U.S. Federal Reserve on winding down the extraordinary aid for the economy it been providing since early in the pandemic. Benchmarks in Japan, South Korea, Australia and China are all rising in early trading. Analysts say the Fed’s message was both dovish and hawkish, meaning interest rates will remain low for some time. That message from the Fed sent Wall Street indexes higher. Investors are also watching for upcoming earnings reports from an array of companies, including Japanese automakers and technology companies.      

AP-US-FEDERAL-RESERVE

Fed pulls back economic aid in face of rising uncertainties

WASHINGTON (AP) — If you find the current economy a bit confusing, don’t worry: So does the nation’s top economic official, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. At a news conference, Powell said the Fed was sticking by its bedrock economic forecast: COVID-19 will eventually fade, which, in turn, will enable supply chain bottlenecks to unsnarl. More people will return to the workforce, the economy will strengthen and inflation pressures will ease. And yet the nation’s leading economic figure acknowledged that it isn’t at all clear when or even whether things will play out the way he and other Fed officials hope. And so far, they haven’t.  

RAIDERS-RUGGS-VEHICLE CRASH

Prosecutor: Ruggs drove 156 mph before fatal crash in Vegas

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Prosecutors in Las Vegas say former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III was speeding at 156 mph with a blood-alcohol content twice Nevada’s legal limit before his sports car slammed into another vehicle, killing a 23-year-old woman. Ruggs made his initial court appearance Wednesday and posted $150,000 bond on felony driving under the influence resulting in death and reckless driving charges. The team released Ruggs just hours after the fiery crash. Police said a loaded gun also was found in Ruggs’ wrecked Corvette. A judge set strict conditions for his release, including home confinement, pending another court appearance next week. Ruggs’ attorney says Ruggs was released from jail Wednesday evening.

AP-AS-AUSTRALIA-GIRL-FOUND

Suspect in Australian girl’s abduction to be charged soon

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Police expect to charge a local man with abducting a 4-year-old girl from her family’s camping tent 18 days before police smashed into a locked house and rescued her in an outcome celebrated around Australia. The suspect was arrested early Wednesday around the time that police found Cleo Smith alone in the house in the town of Carnarvon. “My name is Cleo,” the smiling girl told the police officers who rescued her. Police did not detail the charges the man would face and have disclosed little about what made him a suspect. After Cleo was reunited with her family, balloons were raised on buildings and signs were posted in her hometown welcoming Cleo home.

CLIMATE-COP26-EMISSIONS

Globe bounces back to nearly 2019 carbon pollution levels

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Global carbon pollution this year has bounced back to almost 2019 levels, after a drop during pandemic lockdowns. A new study by climate scientists at Global Carbon Project finds that the world is on track to put 36.4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the air this year. That’s only 300 million metric tons less than 2019 and a 4.9% jump from pandemic-dampened levels in 2020. Study authors say this is driven by lots of coal and natural gas use in China. Without a 7% increase in Chinese carbon pollution compared to two years ago, the rest of the world is far below 2019 levels.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.