AP-Newswatch

Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. The White House says it’s the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history. The clemency follows a broad pardon for his son Hunter, who was prosecuted for gun and tax crimes. Biden is under pressure from advocacy groups to pardon broad swaths of people before the Trump administration takes over in January. He’s also weighing whether to issue preemptive pardons to those who investigated Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election and are facing possible retribution when he takes office.

Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst is an Iraq War veteran and sexual assault survivor who has advocated for years to improve how the military handles claims of sexual misconduct. But she now finds herself in the position of seriously considering Pete Hegseth to serve as defense secretary. Hegseth once said women should not serve in combat and has been accused of sexual assault. The Republican senator is facing an aggressive pressure campaign from President-elect Donald Trump’s allies, complete with threats of primary challengers. It serves a warning to Ernst’s colleagues who may have qualms about Trump’s other controversial picks for his Cabinet.

Trump invites China’s Xi to his inauguration even as he threatens massive tariffs on Beijing

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration next month. Trump with the move is extending a diplomatic olive branch even as he threatens to levy massive tariffs on Chinese goods once he becomes president. Trump’s incoming press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed on Thursday that Trump invited Xi, but said it was “to be determined” if the leader of the United States’ most significant economic and military competitor would attend. Leavitt, in a Fox News interview, called the invitation “an example of President Trump creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies, but our adversaries and our competitors too.”

The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot even though the bureau did prepare for the possibility of violence on Jan. 6, 2021, according to a watchdog report. It also says no undercover FBI employees were present that day and none of the bureau’s informants was authorized to participate. The report Thursday from the Justice Department inspector general’s office knocks down a fringe conspiracy theory advanced by some Republicans in Congress that the FBI played a role in instigating the events of Jan. 6, when rioters determined to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss stormed the building in a violent clash with police.

What Americans think about Hegseth, Gabbard and key Trump Cabinet picks AP-NORC poll

WASHINGTON (AP) — As several of President-elect Donald Trump’s choices for high-level positions in his administration face scrutiny on Capitol Hill, a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that Americans have their own doubts. Relatively few Americans overall approve of Pete Hegseth, Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Defense, or Tulsi Gabbard, his pick for intelligence chief, although a substantial share don’t know who those figures are. Trump and his allies are pushing Republican senators to confirm his picks.

Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration says he will step down next month to let President-elect Donald Trump name his choice to lead the agency. Mike Whitaker announced his pending resignation in a message to FAA employees on Thursday. Since taking the helm at the FAA in October 2023, Whitaker has dealt with challenges that include a surge in close calls between planes, a shortage of air traffic controllers and antiquated equipment. He has led a tougher enforcement policy against Boeing since a panel blew off a jetliner in January.

House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed what was once a bipartisan effort to expand the number of federal district trial court judgeships across the country. Prospects for the bill are murky though, after Republicans opted to bring the measure to the floor only after President-elect Donald Trump had won a second term. The bill passed by a vote of 236-173 with the vast majority of Democrats opposed. The White House said Tuesday that if President Joe Biden were presented with the bill, he would veto it. A Congress closely divided along party lines would be unlikely to overturn a veto, likely dooming the bill’s chances this year.

Some breast cancer patients can avoid certain surgeries, studies suggest

Some early breast cancer patients can safely avoid certain surgeries. That’s according to two studies published Thursday that explore ways to lessen treatment burdens. One new study examines whether removing lymph nodes is always necessary in early breast cancer. Another suggests a new approach to a type of breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS. The research is being discussed at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The lymph nodes study appears in the New England Journal of Medicine. The DCIS study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Black denomination upholds stance against same-sex marriage. A gay pastor in its ranks seeks change

The African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of largest Black Protestant denominations in the world, has been wrestling with whether to change a policy that threatens to punish any of its clergy who recognize same-sex marriages. Among those leading the push for change is an openly gay pastor, the Rev. Jennifer Leath. Now pastor of an AME church in Canada, Leath comes from a sixth-generation AME family. Her father was pastor of the AME church’s flagship congregation in Philadelphia for 14 years and served as the denomination’s 128th bishop. Leath feels an urgency to change current church policy, while also feeling pressured to honor AME history and the members who disagree with her.

Travis Hunter, the 2-way standout for Colorado, is the AP college football player of the year

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Colorado two-way standout Travis Hunter is The Associated Press college football player of the year. Hunter received 26 of the 43 votes from a panel of AP Top 25 voters. Boise State tailback Ashton Jeanty finished second with 16 votes, and Arizona State running back Cameron Skattebo received one vote. A throwback player who rarely left the field, Hunter had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns as a receiver. He had four interceptions and 11 passes defensed as a shutdown corner. Hunter helped the the 20th-ranked Buffaloes to a 9-3 record and an appearance in the Alamo Bowl against BYU.