Powerful quake rocks Turkey and Syria, kills more than 2,500

ADANA, Turkey (AP) — A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake has rocked wide swaths of Turkey and neighboring Syria, killing more than 2,500 people and injuring thousands more. It toppled hundreds of buildings and trapped residents under mounds of rubble or pancaked floors. Authorities feared the death toll would rise further as rescuers on both sides…

Legal recreational pot sales begin for Missouri adults

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Adults ages 21 and older now can legally buy marijuana for recreational use in Missouri. The state health department issued marijuana dispensary licenses unexpectedly early Friday. Recreational weed became legal in Missouri in December. But the health department had until Friday to issue business licenses. Missouri voters amended the state constitution…

Chinese balloon now over central US as Blinken cancels visit

WASHINGTON (AP) — A huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon is sailing across the U.S. The spectacle is drawing severe Pentagon accusations of spying on Friday — while sending excited or alarmed Americans outside with binoculars. Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled a high-stakes Beijing trip aimed at easing U..S.-China tensions, and the Biden administration weighed…

20 attorneys general warn Walgreens, CVS over abortion pills

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Attorneys general in 20 conservative-led states are warning CVS and Walgreens that they could face legal consequences if they sell abortion pills by mail in those states. A letter Wednesday from Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey to the nation’s largest pharmacy-dispensing companies was co-signed by 19 other attorneys general, warning…

Donald Trump is reinstated to Facebook after 2-year ban

Facebook parent Meta is reinstating former President Donald Trump’s personal account after two-year suspension following the Jan. 6 insurrection. The company said in a blog post Wednesday it is adding “new guardrails” to ensure there are no “repeat offenders” who violate its rules. Trump’s spokesperson did no immediately respond to a request for comment on…