AP-Newswatch

Suspect in Georgia high school shooting denied making online threats last year

WINDER, Ga. (AP) — The teen charged with opening fire at a Georgia high school denied threatening to carry out a school shooting when authorities interviewed him last year about a menacing post on the social media site Discord. That’s according to a sheriff’s report obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum told AP her investigators did all they could, but there was insufficient evidence to justify an arrest. The 14-year-old suspect was charged as an adult in the shooting Wednesday at Apalachee High School outside Atlanta. Four people were killed and nine wounded. The suspect is accused of using an assault-style rifle to kill two students and two teachers in the hallway outside his algebra classroom.

You aren’t likely to lose a job in the US but may find it harder to land one

WASHINGTON (AP) — The American labor market, red-hot for the past few years, has cooled. The job market is now in an unusual place: Jobholders are mostly secure, with layoffs low, historically speaking. Yet the pace of hiring has slowed, and landing a job has become harder. If you have a job, you aren’t likely to lose it. But if you’re looking for one, good luck. Since peaking in March 2022 as the economy accelerated out of the pandemic recession, the number of listed job openings has dropped by more than a third. On Friday, the government will report on whether hiring slowed sharply again in August after a much-weaker-than-expected July job gain.

Nearly 2,000 drug plants are overdue for FDA checks after COVID delays, AP finds

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health inspectors are still struggling to address a massive backlog of pharmaceutical plants that went uninspected during disruptions caused by COVID-19. That’s according to an analysis of government data by the Associated Press. The data shows roughly 2,000 drug manufacturing sites around the world have not had a Food and Drug Administration inspection for quality since before the pandemic. The FDA considers plants that have gone more than five years without an inspection to be a significant risk. Agency officials say their work has been hampered by difficulties recruiting and retaining inspectors, who face a grueling schedule of overseas travel.

Teen vaping hits 10-year low in the US

WASHINGTON (AP) — Teen vaping in the U.S. has dropped to its lowest level in a decade. That’s according to new survey data reported Thursday. U.S. health officials say the drop in the number of teens using e-cigarettes has pushed the underage vaping rate to below 6%. They attributed the decline to fewer high school students using Elf Bar and other vapes that come in fruit and candy flavors. The drop in vaping didn’t coincide with a rise in use of other products, such as nicotine pouches. Sales of small, flavored pouches like Zyn have surged among adults. But the survey shows their use remains rare among teens.

US charges former Trump 2016 campaign adviser Dimitri Simes over work for sanctioned Russian TV

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government has charged a Russian-born U.S. citizen and former adviser to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign with working for a sanctioned Russian state television network and laundering the proceeds. Indictments announced Thursday by the Department of Justice allege that Dimitri Simes and his wife received over $1 million dollars and a personal car and driver in exchange for work they did for Russia’s Channel One since June 2022. The state television network was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2022 over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Simes is a U.S. citizen who owns a house in Virginia. Authorities say they believe the couple is in Russia. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison.

US secures the release of 135 Nicaraguan political prisoners

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The United States government says it has secured the release of 135 Nicaraguan political prisoners who have arrived in Guatemala. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement that they were released on humanitarian grounds. Among the Nicaraguans were 13 members of a Texas-based religious charity, Catholic laypeople, students and others. Guatemala President Bernardo Arévalo agreed to host the Nicaraguans while they apply for entry to the U.S. The development comes just two days after Nicaragua’s National Assembly approved changes to the criminal code allowing the government to try Nicaraguans and foreigners in absentia.

Tiny glass beads suggest the moon had active volcanoes when dinosaurs roamed Earth

NEW YORK (AP) — New research suggests that volcanoes were still erupting on the moon when dinosaurs roamed Earth. Researchers based their conclusion on an analysis of tiny glass beads brought back from the moon by a Chinese spacecraft. They reported Thursday that moon volcanoes may have persisted until about 120 million years ago, spilling fresh molten lava that cooled to form the lunar surface. That is much more recent than previously thought. An outside scientist says more research is needed to confirm the origin of the beads and the time line.