NEW YORK (AP) -- President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday to no punishment in his historic hush money case, a judgment that lets him return to the White House unencumbered by the threat of a jail term or a fine. With Trump appearing by video from his Florida estate, the sentence quietly capped an extraordinary case rife with moments unthinkable in the US only a few years ago. It was the first criminal prosecution and first conviction of a former US president and major presidential candi

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden canceled the final overseas trip of his presidency just hours before he was set to depart for Rome and the Vatican, choosing to remain in Washington to monitor the response to devastating fires raging in California . Biden was scheduled to leave Thursday, after eulogizing former President Jimmy Carter at a memorial service in Washington, for the three-day trip to meet with Pope Francis and Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

The passing of former US President Jimmy Carter on Dec. 29, at the age of 100, has sparked reflection on his legacy in diplomacy and humanitarian work. While widely celebrated for his efforts after leaving office, Carter’s presidency faced significant challenges, earning him an average approval rating of 45.5 percent. This ranks the second-lowest among post-World War II presidents, just above Harry Truman’s 45.4 percent. Donald Trump recorded the lowest first-term average at 41.1 percent. In sta

A year after a panel blew out of a Boeing 737 Max during flight, the nation’s top aviation regulator says the company needs "a fundamental cultural shift” to put safety and quality above profits. Mike Whitaker, chief of the Federal Aviation Administration, said in an online post Friday that his agency also has more work to do in its oversight of Boeing. Whitaker, who plans to step down in two weeks to let President-elect Donald Trump pick his own FAA administrator, looked back on his decision la

At least 30 people, including children, were killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes overnight and into Friday morning, said hospital staff, as air sirens sounded across Israel and stalled ceasefire talks were set to resume. Staff at the Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital said more than a dozen women and children were killed in strikes that hit various places in Central Gaza, including Nuseirat, Zawaida, Maghazi and Deir al Balah. Dozens of people were also killed across the enclave the previous day, bringing t

CAIRO (Reuters) - Israeli airstrikes killed at least 37 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including 11 people in a tent encampment sheltering displaced families, medics said. They said the 11 included women and children in the Al-Mawasi district, which was designated as a humanitarian zone for civilians earlier in the war between Israel and Gaza's ruling Hamas militant group, now in its 15th month. The director general of Gaza's police department, Mahmoud Salah, and his aide, Hussa

NEW ORLEANS -- Ten people were killed and 30 injured when a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' famed Canal and Bourbon Street in the first hours of New Year's Day, according to NOLA Ready, the city’s emergency preparedness agency. New Orleans police earlier said they were responding to a mass casualty incident, including fatalities. NOLA Ready advised people to stay away from the area. It said the injured had been taken to five local hospitals. The incident came toward the end of New Yea

Former US President Jimmy Carter -- a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and statesman noted for his interest in peace efforts for the Korean Peninsula -- died at his home in Georgia on Sunday, the Carter Center, a nonprofit organization, said. He was 100. Surrounded by his family, the longest-lived president in US history passed away in the Peach State's countryside town of Plains, according to the center. He had reportedly suffered some health issues, including melanoma, and received hospice care. "My

Bitcoin hit a record high above $106,000 on Monday after President-elect Donald Trump suggested he plans to create a US bitcoin strategic reserve similar to its strategic oil reserve, stoking the enthusiasm of crypto bulls. Bitcoin, the world's biggest and best known cryptocurrency, hit a high of $106,533 and last traded up 2.6 percent at $103,917 at 12:15 GMT (9:15 p.m. in Korea). Smaller crypto ether was up 0.4 percent at $3,918. "We're in blue sky territory here," said Ton

SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son will announce a $100 billion investment in the United States over the next four years during a Monday visit to US President-elect Donald Trump's residence, Mar-a-Lago, CNBC reported. Son will also promise in a joint announcement with Trump to create 100,000 jobs focused on artificial intelligence and related infrastructure, with the money to be deployed before the end of Trump's term, CNBC said, citing sources. The funding could come from various source

President Emmanuel Macron on Friday named centrist leader Francois Bayrou as prime minister, handing him the daunting task of hauling France out of months of political crisis. Bayrou, the 73-year-old head of the MoDem group which is allied to Macron's party, was appointed nine days after Michel Barnier's government was ousted by parliament in a historic no-confidence vote following a standoff over an austerity budget. "The President of the Republic has appointed Mr. Francois Bayro