MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama House of Representatives overcame years of resistance in approving medical marijuana legislation on Thursday, voting after two days of long and emotional debate in which key Republican lawmakers described switching sides in favor of the proposal. Read more

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — All “red flag” cases filed by Indianapolis police will now come before a judge after an Indiana prosecutor was criticized for declining to use the law to pursue court hearings that could have prevented a man from accessing the guns used to kill eight people at a FedEx fac… Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — G. Balachandran turned 80 this spring — a milestone of a birthday in India, where he lives. If not for the coronavirus pandemic, he would have been surrounded by family members who gathered to celebrate with him. Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — U.S. Census Bureau officials on Thursday recapped the challenges of executing the nation's head count, which included hijacked personal protective equipment for census takers, difficulty getting access to tribal lands because of pandemic restrictions and worry that nonpr… Read more

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Former reality TV star Josh Duggar was released from an Arkansas jail Thursday as he awaits trial on federal charges that he possessed and downloaded child pornography. Read more

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — With Republicans in Washington turning up the heat on Rep. Liz Cheney, the defiant third-term congresswoman faces mixed reviews at home. Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is signaling that Iran shouldn't expect major new concessions from the United States as a new round of indirect nuclear talks is set to resume. Read more

DENVER (AP) — A Republican lawmaker in Colorado was reprimanded Thursday after calling a colleague “Buckwheat” during debate on legislation — a racist term that provoked outcry from Democrats at a time when America is confronting its history of discrimination. Read more

Cece Linder was living in a 770-square-foot apartment outside Washington, D.C., last spring when the area went into lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more

The Biden administration’s call to lift patent protections on COVID-19 vaccines to help poor parts of the world get more doses has drawn praise from some countries and health advocates. But it has run into resistance from the pharmaceutical industry and others, who say it won’t help curb the… Read more

Cece Linder was living in a 770-square-foot apartment outside Washington, D.C., last spring when the area went into lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — His final plea was uttered quietly but urgently. Read more

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — When Teri Murray tried to buy her first home in 1968, searching this leafy college town for the perfect place, she thought she was an ideal candidate: married, steadily employed, ample savings. Read more

Cutting the super-potent greenhouse gas methane quickly and dramatically is the world’s best hope to slow and limit the worst of global warming, a new United Nations report says. Read more

DENVER (AP) — A Colorado man arrested on a murder charge in the presumed death of his wife who disappeared last Mother's Day was scheduled to make his first court appearance on Thursday. Read more

The Office of the New York Attorney General said in a new report that a campaign funded by the broadband industry submitted millions of fake comments supporting the 2017 repeal of net neutrality. Read more

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A former worker at a New Hampshire youth detention center recently charged with holding down a teenage boy during a rape was fired years before that, over allegations of physical and psychological abuse, according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press. Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily stayed an order that found the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exceeded its authority when it imposed a federal eviction moratorium to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is outlining a plan to sharply increase conservation of public lands and waters over the next decade. A report to be issued Thursday recommends a series of steps to achieve a nationwide goal to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. Read more

NEW YORK (AP) — Like so many, the pandemic upended life for actor and dancer Rena Riffel. The Los Angeles-based performer needed help with rent, utilities and counselling when jobs suddenly dried up. Read more

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a sweeping elections bill into law Thursday that he and other Republicans said would place guardrails against fraud, even as they acknowledged there were no serious signs of voting irregularities last November. Democrats and voter rig… Read more

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic forced students out of the classroom and starkly revealed how learning difficulties, distractions and challenging home dynamics can make it tough to adhere to a rigid curriculum. Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell last week to 498,000, the lowest point since the viral pandemic struck 14 months ago and a sign of the job market's growing strength as businesses reopen and consumers step up spending. Read more

Facebook’s oversight board, which on Wednesday upheld the company’s ban of former President Donald Trump, also had some harsh words for its corporate sponsor: Facebook. “In applying a vague, standardless penalty and then referring this case to the Board to resolve, Facebook seeks to avoid it… Read more

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — When the pandemic passed the one-year mark, Lisa Phillips wasn't exactly eager to walk down memory lane. She had developed symptoms and quarantined with a suspected case of COVID-19 last spring, lost her mother to the disease in July and been hospitalized in November fr… Read more

Can COVID-19 vaccines affect my period? Read more

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia is prohibiting travel during the popular homecoming period to celebrate Eid al-Fitr. Read more

DENVER, Colo. (AP) — First lady Jill Biden plans to visit military spouses Thursday at an Army base in Colorado, her last stop during a swing through the U.S. West. Read more

India's large diaspora — long a boon to India's economy — is tapping its wealth, political clout and expertise to help its home country combat the catastrophic coronavirus surge that has left people to die outside overwhelmed hospitals. Read more

U.S. soldiers were fighting in Korea when President Harry S. Truman signed a congressional resolution calling for an annual National Day of Prayer. The purpose was for people to gather in houses of worship to pray for world peace, according to an Associated Press report from April 17, 1952. Read more

President Joe Biden has met his goal of having most elementary and middle schools open for full, in-person learning in his first 100 days, according to new survey data, but the share of students choosing to return has continued to lag far behind. Read more

PHOENIX (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice expressed concern Wednesday about ballot security and voter intimidation arising from the Republican-controlled Arizona Senate's unprecedented private recount of the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County. Read more

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX launched and successfully landed its futuristic Starship on Wednesday, finally nailing a test flight of the rocketship that Elon Musk intends to use to land astronauts on the moon and send people to Mars. Read more

Cruise lines can soon begin trial voyages in U.S. waters with volunteer passengers helping test whether the ships can sail safely during a pandemic. Read more

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina House voted Wednesday to add a firing squad to the state's execution methods amid a lack of lethal-injection drugs — a measure meant to jump-start executions in a state that once had one of the busiest death chambers in the nation. Read more

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A U.S. Capitol Police officer traveled thousands of miles to Homer, Alaska, for an FBI raid on a woman's home, looking for something stolen during the Jan. 6 insurrection and the person who took it. Read more