Business owners thought they would never reopen after Maine’s deadliest shooting. Then support grew

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Immediately after Maine’s , the owners of the bowling alley and the bar in Lewiston where the gunman killed a total of 18 people were certain their doors were closed for good.

Yet as time passed, they came to the same conclusion: They had to reopen.

In interviews with The Associated Press, Just-In-Time Recreation co-owner Samantha Juray and Schemengees Bar & Grille co-owner Kathy Lebel spoke about their businesses, and how their thinking shifted after support


Could Georgia’s Fani Willis be removed from prosecuting Donald Trump?

ATLANTA (AP) — Accusations that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had an inappropriate relationship with to seek convictions of Donald Trump and others for interfering in Georgia’s 2020 election have led to renewed calls to remove Willis from the case.

, who has little prosecutorial experience, and has not directly denied a romantic relationship. The allegations were first made public in a motion filed earlier this month by defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant, who represents former Trump campaign staffer and White House aide Michael Roman.

Merchant alleges that


Michigan school shooter’s mother to stand trial for manslaughter in 4 student deaths

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — The mother of a teenager who committed a is headed to trial on involuntary manslaughter charges in an unusual effort to pin criminal responsibility on his parents for the deaths of four students.

Jennifer and James Crumbley are not accused of knowing their son planned to kill fellow students at Oxford High School in 2021. But prosecutors said they made a gun accessible to Ethan Crumbley, ignored his mental health needs and declined to take him home when confronted with his violent drawings at school on


Testy encounters between lawyers and judges a defining feature of Trump’s court cases so far

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump was by a judge angry over the former president’s behavior in a

His lawyer didn’t fare much better.

Attorney Alina Habba was ordered to “sit down” after continuing in vain to press a point that the judge had rejected, prompting the lawyer to respond: “I don’t like to be spoken to that way, your Honor.” She was later rebuked for sitting instead of standing while addressing the court and chided the following day over how to properly question


Biden, Harris team up to campaign for abortion rights in Virginia

MANASSAS, Va. (AP) — President on Tuesday condemned abortion bans that have increasingly endangered the health of pregnant women, forcing them to grow sicker before they can receive medical care, and he laid the blame on , his likely Republican challenger in this year’s election.

“He’s betting we won’t hold him responsible,” Biden said to a crowd of hundreds of cheering supporters. “He’s betting you’re going to stop caring.”

“But guess what?” he


Trump seeks control of the GOP primary in New Hampshire against Nikki Haley, his last major rival

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — easily won New Hampshire’s primary on Tuesday, seizing command of the race for the Republican nomination and making a November rematch against President feel all the more inevitable.

The result was a setback for former U.N. Ambassador , who finished second despite investing significant time and financial resources in a state famous for its . She’s the last major challenger after Florida Gov. ended his presidential bid over the weekend, allowing her to campaign as the sole alternative to


AP News in Brief at 12:04 a.m. EST

Trump wins New Hampshire primary as rematch with Biden appears increasingly likely

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump easily won New Hampshire’s primary on Tuesday, seizing command of the race for the Republican nomination and making a November rematch against President Joe Biden feel all the more inevitable.

The result was a setback for former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who finished second despite investing significant time and financial resources in a state famous for its independent streak. She’s the last major


China’s critics and allies have 45 seconds each to speak in latest U.N. review of its human rights

GENEVA (AP) — Western countries used a regular U.N.-backed review of China’s human rights record Tuesday to press Beijing to do more to allow freedom of expression, protect the and to repeal a that troubles independent activists.

China’s ambassador in Geneva, Chen Xu, led a delegation from some 20 Chinese ministries for the “universal periodic review” conducted under the U.N. Human Rights Council. He stressed China’s progress in poverty eradication, said citizens engage in “


Dixville Notch’s 6 voters prepare to cast their primary ballots at midnight, the 1st in the nation

DIXVILLE NOTCH, N.H. (AP) — The six registered voters of tiny Dixville Notch in New Hampshire all cast their ballots for at midnight on Tuesday, giving her a clean sweep over former President and all the other candidates.

The resort town was the first place in the nation to vote in . The voters were outnumbered more than 10-to-1 by reporters from every corner of the globe — not to mention by a pile of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

Dixville Notch has a tradition of


More flooding forecast for Australia’s northeast as storm in Coral Sea nears cyclone strength

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — A tropical low strengthening over the Coral Sea on Tuesday is forecast to be the second cyclone in as many months to bring destructive winds and flooding to Australia’s northeast coast.

The system expected to be named Tropical Cyclone Kirrily later Tuesday or Wednesday morning was tracking west toward the Queensland state coast near Townsville and forecast to make landfall overnight Thursday. Winds gusting up to 120 kph (75 mph) were expected as it crossed the Whitsunday Islands on Wednesday evening before increasing to