AP-Newswatch

A 15-year-old girl fatally shoots a teacher and a teenager at a Christian school in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Police say a 15-year-old student opened fire inside a study hall at a small Christian school in Wisconsin, killing a teacher and a teenager. Monday’s shooting prompted a swarm of police officers to descend on the school in response to a second grader’s 911 call. Police say the girl also wounded six others in the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, including two students who were in critical condition. Police say the shooter was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound when officers arrived and died en route to a hospital. Police say a motive for the shooting was not immediately known, nor was it clear if the victims were targeted.

Americans’ trust in nation’s court system hits record low, survey finds

WASHINGTON (AP) — At a time of heightened political division, Americans’ confidence in their country’s judicial system and courts dropped to a record low of 35% this year. That’s according to a new Gallup poll. The United States saw a sharp drop of 24 percentage points over the last four years, setting the country apart from other wealthy nations where most people on average still express trust in their systems. The drop wasn’t limited to one end of the political spectrum: Confidence dropped among people who disapproved of the country’s leadership under President Joe Biden as well as among those who approved.

A top Russian general is killed in a Moscow bombing claimed by Ukraine

A senior Russian general was killed by a bomb hidden in a scooter outside his apartment building in Moscow. A Ukrainian official said its service carried out Tuesday’s attack that killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, as well as his assistant. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information. The bombing came a day after Ukraine’s security service leveled criminal charges against Kirillov, who was the chief of the Russian military’s nuclear, biological and chemical protection forces. Kirillov was under sanctions from several countries, including the U.K. and Canada, for his actions in Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Middle East latest: Israeli strike in Gaza kills at least 8 from the same family, Palestinians say

Palestinian medics say an Israeli strike in Gaza killed at least eight people from the same family, most of them women and children. The strike late Monday hit a house in Gaza City’s central neighborhood of Daraj. According to a casualty list obtained by The Associated Press, among the bodies recovered from the rubble were a father and his three children, and the children’s grandmother. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strike.

Negotiators say Israel and Hamas are inching toward a ceasefire deal. This is what it may look like

After months of deadlock, Israel and Hamas appear to be moving closer toward a ceasefire to end their 14-month war. Top officials from the U.S., Qatar and Egypt have resumed their mediation efforts in recent weeks and reported greater willingness by the warring sides to wrap up a deal. In a key concession, Hamas officials say they are prepared to show more “flexibility” on the timing of an Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza. Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said Monday that a deal is closer than ever. The agreement is expected to take place in phases and include a halt in fighting, an exchange of captive Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, and a surge in aid to Gaza.

Judge rejects Trump’s bid to toss hush money conviction because of Supreme Court immunity ruling

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has refused to dismiss President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money conviction because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity. But the overall future of the historic case remains unclear. Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan’s decision Monday blocks one potential off-ramp from the case ahead of Trump’s return to office next month. His lawyers have raised other arguments for dismissal, however. It’s unclear when — or whether — a sentencing date might be set. A jury convicted Trump in May of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels in 2016. Trump denies wrongdoing.

Suspect in Gilgo Beach serial killings is charged in the death of a seventh woman

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — The New York architect accused in a string of deaths known as the Gilgo Beach killings has been charged in the death of a seventh woman. Rex Heuermann was charged on Tuesday with killing Valerie Mack, whose remains were first found on Long Island in 2000. Twenty-four-year-old Mack had been working as an escort in Philadelphia and was last seen by her family that year in New Jersey. The investigation into the Gilgo Beach killings dates back to 2010, when police searching for a missing woman found 10 sets of human remains in the scrub along a barrier island parkway, prompting fears of a serial killer.

Magnitude 7.3 earthquake causes widespread damage in Pacific island nation of Vanuatu

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake has struck just off the coast of Vanuatu, causing widespread destruction in the South Pacific island nation. The injured have begun arriving at a hospital and there are unconfirmed reports of casualties. A tsunami warning was called off less than two hours after Tuesday’s quake. With communications still down and official information scarce, it is not immediately clear how much damage has been caused.

An Alabama woman is doing well after the latest experimental pig kidney transplant

NEW YORK (AP) — An Alabama woman received a pig kidney transplant last month and is free from dialysis for the first time eight years. Towana Looney is the fifth American given a gene-edited pig organ in a quest to make animal-to-human transplants a reality. Importantly, she wasn’t as sick as prior patients who received pig kidneys or hearts. The others died within two months. Doctors at NYU Langone Health announced Tuesday that Looney was recovering well after the Nov. 25 transplant, a step toward formal studies of pig organs that could begin next year.

Younger Asian Americans navigate something new to their generation: Taking up space

NEW YORK (AP) — It’s about as American an idea as it gets -the hunger to make your own path, to find your own way, make your voice heard. A look at social media and pop culture shows plenty of young Asian Americans doing just that these days — in business, in politics, in content creation, in entertainment, in life. Previous generations of Asian Americans haven’t always had the same chance. They have lived in Americas where their immigrant-origin communities were smaller and regarded as intrinsically, unceasingly foreign.