NC adopts new Trump-backed US House districts aimed at gaining a Republican seat

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina lawmakers have given final approval to a new U.S. House map backed by President Donald Trump. The map adopted Wednesday could help Republicans win an additional seat by reshaping a swing district currently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis. The previous map already helped the GOP win 10 of the 14 House districts in North Carolina, which Trump won with 51% of the vote last year. North Carolina is the latest state to join Trump’s mid-decade redistricting push to avoid losing control of Congress. Texas and Missouri lawmakers already redrew their maps, and California lawmakers countered by asking voters to approve a map to help Democrats.

US strikes eighth alleged drug-carrying boat, this time in the Pacific Ocean

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the U.S. military has launched its eighth strike against an alleged drug-carrying vessel. The Tuesday night strike occurred in the eastern Pacific Ocean. That’s a departure after the seven previous strikes all targeted vessels in the Caribbean. Hegseth said Wednesday in a social media post the strike killed two people, bringing the death toll from all the attacks that began last month to at least 34 people. The strike marks an expansion of the military’s targeting area in South American waters as well as a shift to where much of the cocaine from Colombia, the world’s largest producer, is smuggled.

COVID-19 vaccines may help some cancer patients fight tumors

WASHINGTON (AP) — The most widely used COVID-19 vaccines may offer a surprise benefit for some cancer patients by boosting their immune systems to help fight tumors. Research reported Wednesday in the journal Nature found that people with advanced lung or skin cancer lived longer if they received a Pfizer or Moderna shot within 100 days of starting a type of immunotherapy. The mRNA in these vaccines appears to enhance the immune system’s response. Now the research team is preparing a more rigorous study of the potential connection, to see if mRNA vaccines should be deliberately paired with cancer drugs called checkpoint inhibitors.

Mother of baby abandoned at Penn Station subway stop charged with endangering child

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City police say they have arrested the mother of a newborn girl who was abandoned at a busy midtown Manhattan subway station with her umbilical cord still attached. The 30-year-old Queens woman was taken into custody shortly before 3 a.m. Wednesday and charged with abandoning and endangering a child. She was expected to appear in court later in the day. The baby was left Monday in a passageway at the 34th Street-Penn Station subway stop during the typically crowded morning rush hour. The subway stop is attached to the broader Penn Station complex, the country’s busiest rail hub.