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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota prosecutors have dropped sex abuse charges against disgraced R&B superstar R. Kelly that alleged he invited a 17-year-old girl to his hotel room in 2001 and paid her $200 to dance naked with him. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said in a statement Tuesday that it believes her and that Kelly would likely be convicted if tried, but prosecuting him on charges that had been dormant since being filed in 2019 wouldn’t make a difference now that Kelly’s federal convictions could keep him in prison for the rest of his life. “The overwhelming ...

Spread of abortion restrictions in South puts pressure on Virginia

As more Southern states pass new restrictions on abortion, Virginia is poised to become an outlier in the region for its relatively permissive laws, setting up the state as a destination for women seeking abortions and raising questions about providers’ capacity to meet demand. South Carolina is among the last bastions in the region for those seeking legal abortions, but that status could end soon. Access would be almost entirely banned after about six weeks of pregnancy — often before women know they’re pregnant — under a bill expected to come up for a vote in the House on ...

‘Biden declares ‘America will not default’

WASHINGTON — An optimistic President Joe Biden declared Wednesday he is confident the U.S. will avoid an unprecedented and potentially catastrophic debt default, saying talks with congressional Republicans have been productive. He left for a G-7 summit in Japan but planned to return by the weekend in hopes of approving a solid agreement. Biden’s upbeat remarks came as a select group of negotiators began meeting to try and hammer out the final contours of a budget spending deal to unlock a path for raising the debt limit as soon June 1. That is when the Treasury Department says ...

Horoscopes

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Your reward for doing a stellar job? Now you’re expected to do it faster, cheaper and in greater quantities. This hardly seems fair or logical, but you’ll be rewarded when you go forward anyway. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). When you get tired, should you push through or ease up? The latter idea is what you most need; it will be productive to let the pressure off and rest a while. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The new you is waiting in the future, thinking, “Where are you? When will you get here?” A friend or coach will provide the right push to speed along ...

People in the News

LONDON (AP) — Writer Salman Rushdie has made a public speech, nine months after being stabbed and seriously injured onstage, warning that freedom of expression in the West is under its most severe threat in his lifetime. Rushdie delivered a video message to the British Book Awards, where he was awarded the Freedom to Publish award on Monday evening. Organizers said the honor “acknowledges the determination of authors, publishers and booksellers who take a stand against intolerance, despite the ongoing threats they face.” Rushdie, 75, looked thinner than before the attack and ...

National

Stellantis recalls nearly 220,000 Jeep Cherokee SUVs worldwide due to fire risk DETROIT (AP) — Stellantis is telling owners of nearly 220,000 Jeep Cherokee SUVs worldwide to park them outdoors and away from other vehicles because the power liftgates can catch fire even when the engines are off. The company is recalling certain Cherokees from the 2014 through 2016 model years. Water can get into the liftgate control computer, causing an electrical short that can touch off a fire. The company says it hasn’t developed a fix yet. Owners will get notification ...