By THOMAS BEAUMONT and HANNAH FINGERHUT - Associated Press
Former President Donald Trump will campaign Saturday in west-central Iowa as part of his fall push. The state's leadoff caucuses are now less than two months away. Trump is expected to headline a organizing rally in Fort Dodge, a GOP-leaning hub. The midday event set for Fort Dodge High School would be Trump’s sixth Iowa visit since late September. Trump has led Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley comfortably in polls of likely caucus participants. His campaign has been more aggressive in Iowa than any of the other early-voting states in the Republican presidential nominating calendar.
A Roman Catholic priest has received a life sentence for his convictions on five counts related to sex-trafficking charges in the molestation of three boys who prosecutors say he met at an Ohio preschool and coerced to continue sexual activity as adults. Rev. Michael Zacharias was sentenced Friday. Prosecutors have said Zacharias “paid the victims to engage in sex acts with him using the victims’ fear of serious harm to compel their compliance.” Zacharias has maintained his innocence, saying none of the sexual contact occurred when the boys were minors and that any sexual contact after they became adults was consensual.
Police say three adults in a van have been shot while leaving a Maryland funeral. The Prince George’s County Police Department said in a statement that none of the injuries are considered life-threatening. Footage from news outlets showed bullet holes in a black van near National Harmony Memorial Park cemetery in Landover. Police said they were searching for possible suspects. No further information was immediately released.
By SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON - Associated Press/Report For America
An Ohio state lawmaker has been removed from committees and banned from contacting staff following an alleged pattern of “erratic and abusive behavior.” Documents obtained by The Associated Press on Friday outline concerns from House Democratic leadership over Cleveland-area Democratic Rep. Elliot Forhan's alleged repeated hostile interactions with legislators, staff and constituents. That includes one over the Israel-Hamas war with a Muslim colleague that left her “visibly shaken.” Forhan, who is Jewish, calls the situation unfortunate and says he's determined not to “back down from supporting Israel.”
The Bengals say quarterback Joe Burrow will be out the rest of the season due to a torn ligament in his right wrist. Coach Zac Taylor said Friday that the injury would require surgery. Burrow left the Bengals game in the second quarter of a 34-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night. When Burrow tried a practice throw on the sideline, the ball slipped out of his hand as the quarterback winced. Burrow then went to the locker room and looked frustrated. The NFL will investigate why Cincinnati did not list Burrow on the team’s injury report, a person familiar with the situation tells the AP.
The West Virginia agency managing health insurance for government employees is facing pushback over proposed premium increases. The West Virginia Public Health Insurance Agency is proposing a premium hike that would amount to a 35% increase in two years for state workers. The proposal comes five years after public school employees went on strike over rising health care costs. With the state insurance agency facing a $376 million budget deficit earlier this year, state lawmakers raised premiums for state employees by just under 25% this fiscal year. Under next year's proposal, premiums would increase an additional 10.5%. The Public Employees Insurance Agency finance board is expected to vote on the plan in December.
George Brown, the co-founder and longtime drummer of Kool & The Gang who helped write such hits as “Too Hot,” “Ladies Night,” “Joanna” and the party favorite “Celebration,” has died at age 74. A statement from Universal Music says Brown died Thursday in Los Angeles after a battle with cancer. Kool & The Gang has sold millions of records with its catchy blend of jazz, funk and soul, what Brown liked to call “the sound of happiness.” Brown helped launch the Grammy-winning group in 1964. Kool & the Gang broke through in the mid-1970s with “Jungle Boogie” among others songs and peaked in the late ’70s and mid-1980s, with such hits as “Cherish” and “Celebration.”
University of Virginia officials are further delaying the public release of the findings of an investigation into the events surrounding a 2022 campus shooting that killed three student-athletes and wounded two other students. Citing concern about the impact the findings could have on the suspect's pending trial, UVA said in a news release Friday that it would not make a “redacted” version of the final report public available until “after the criminal proceedings.” The suspect is charged with aggravated murder, aggravated malicious wounding and firearms-related counts. Court records show his next court hearing is in February.
At the inaugural Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix, music and entertainment has taken a front seat. It began with a star-studded Open Ceremony on Wednesday, featuring single-song performances from Thirty Seconds to Mars, Keith Urban, Andra Day, Bishop Briggs, Journey, Steve Aoki, J Balvin, Tiësto and John Legend. On Thursday, a loose water valve cover canceled the first F1 practice session and delayed the second one to well after 2 a.m., but the concerts continued without a hitch. J Balvin, who's performing twice during this week's festivities, tells The Associated Press that Formula One translates to every language and culture, and that — and the fast cars — appeal to him.
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