AP National News

Cheerleader’s mom accused of making ‘deepfakes’ of rivals

AP
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by Rayos Syndication User

A Pennsylvania woman is accused of doctoring photos and video of her daughter’s cheerleading rivals to try to get them kicked off the squad. The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office last week charged 50-year-old Raffaela Spone with three misdemeanor counts of cyber harassment of a child and related offenses. Investigators say Spone manipulated photos from social media of three girls on the Victory Vipers cheerleading squad in Chalfont to make it appear they were drinking, smoking and even nude. Investigators say Spone also sent messages with the so-called “deepfake” pictures to the girls and suggested they kill themselves. Spone’s attorney, Robert Birch, told WPVI-TV she “has absolutely denied what they’re charging her with.”

The Latest: China donates vaccine doses to UN peacekeepers

By The Associated Press
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by Rayos Syndication User

UNITED NATIONS — China’s U.N. ambassador says China is donating 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to U.N. peacekeepers, with priority given to those serving in Africa. Ambassador Zhang Jun sent a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres informing him of the donation, China’s U.N. Mission said Monday. It follows the announcement by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi of Beijing’s intention…

The Latest: Billie Eilish wins record of the year at Grammys

By The Associated Press
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by Rayos Syndication User

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on the Grammy Awards (all times local): 8:45 p.m. Billie Eillish has won the Grammy Award for record of the year for the second straight year. The 19-year-old Eillish won on Sunday night for “Everything I Wanted,” a year after winning it for “Bad Guy.” Eillish appeared genuinely stunned accepting the award, saying, “This…

The Latest: Mexico’s president knocks US over vaccines

By The Associated Press
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by Rayos Syndication User

MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took a dig at the U.S. government Sunday, saying the United States has not helped Mexico with coronavirus vaccines. López Obrador thanked India and Russia, which have each sent small amounts of vaccines, and China, whose firms have promised millions of doses. López Obrador said “I hope that soon I will…

The Latest: All Duke University undergrads must quarantine

By The Associated Press
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by Rayos Syndication User

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke University issued a quarantine order for all of its undergraduates effective Saturday night due to a coronavirus outbreak caused by students who attended recruitment parties, the school said. The university said in a statement that all undergraduate students will be forced to stay-in-place until at least March 21. Suspension or dismissal from the school are potential…

AP Week in Pictures: Global

AP
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by Rayos Syndication User

MARCH 6 – 12, 2021 This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published in the past week by The Associated Press from around the world. The selection was curated by AP photo editor Patrick Sison in New York. Follow AP visual journalism: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apnews AP Images on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Images AP Images blog: http://apimagesblog.com Categories: AP…

The Latest: US health officials warn of false positives

By The Associated Press
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by Rayos Syndication User

WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials are warning health professionals about the risk of false positive results with a widely used laboratory test for COVID-19 and flu. The Food and Drug Administration issued the alert to Friday for health facilities using Roche’s cobas test for coronavirus and seasonal flu. The agency warned that problems with the test’s processing tubes could result…

Airline passenger accused of refusing mask, then urinating

AP
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by Rayos Syndication User

A Colorado man accused of disrupting an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Denver by refusing to wear a mask and then standing up and urinating in the cabin faces a federal charge of interfering with a flight crew and attendants. The charge carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison and a possible $250,000 fine. Court records say the FBI arrested 24-year-old Landon Grier after the flight landed March 9. The FBI affidavit says Grier swatted at an attendant when she asked him repeatedly to put on his mask. Grier is represented by a federal public defender. They do no comment on pending cases. 

VIRUS TODAY: Deaths drop, but health experts urge vigilance

By The Associated Press
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by Rayos Syndication User

Here’s what’s happening Friday with the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.: THE NUMBERS: VACCINES: More than 65.9 million people, or 19.9% of the U.S. population, have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some 35 million people, or 10.5% of the population, have completed their vaccination. CASES: The seven-day…

Philly to dim lights to make it safer for birds in flight

By SHAWN MARSH - Associated Press
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by Rayos Syndication User

The lights of Philadelphia might not shine as bright in the coming weeks as a coalition in the City of Brotherly Love tries to prevent millions of migrating birds that pass through twice a year from slamming into skyscrapers and crashing to the sidewalk. Bird Safe Philly on Thursday announced the Lights Out Philly initiative. The voluntary program, which is in 33 other cities, seeks to turn off or dim as many external and internal lights in buildings during the spring and fall. Scientists estimate between 365 million and one billion birds are killed by collisions with buildings or other outdoor structures in the U.S. every year.