One of the country’s most popular and versatile singers, B.J. Thomas, has died. He was 78. Thomas was a Grammy-winning singer who enjoyed success on the pop, country and gospel charts with such hits as “I Just Can’t Help Believing,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” and “Hooked on a Feeling.” A statement released by…
BOSTON (AP) — Microsoft says the state-backed Russian cyber spies behind the SolarWinds hacking campaign launched a targeted spear-phishing assault on U.S. and foreign government agencies and think tanks this week. It says they did so by gaining access to an email marketing account of the U.S. Agency for International Development and masquerading as the…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans have blocked the creation of a bipartisan panel to study the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The Senate fell sort of the 60 votes needed to consider a House-passed bill that would have formed a 10-member commission evenly split between the two parties. It was another sign of GOP…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans are poised to block the creation of a special commission to study the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. That action would dash hopes for a bipartisan investigation amid a GOP push to put the violent insurrection by Donald Trump’s supporters behind them. A vote on the procedural motion…
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. pipeline operators will be required for the first time to conduct a cybersecurity assessment under a Biden administration directive. It’s in response to the ransomware hack that disrupted gas supplies in several states. The Transportation Security Administration directive being issued Thursday will mandate that the owners and operators of the nation’s…
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — An employee opened fire at a California railyard serving Silicon Valley, killing eight people. Authorities say the suspect is also dead. The shooting took place Wednesday in San Jose at a transit control center that stores trains and has a maintenance yard. Sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Russell Davis said the suspect…
NEW YORK (AP) — Online shopping giant Amazon is buying MGM, the movie and TV studio behind James Bond, “Legally Blonde” and “Shark Tank,” with the hopes of filling its video streaming service with more stuff to watch. Amazon is paying $8.45 billion for MGM, making it the company’s second-largest acquisition after buying grocer Whole…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans are reviving negotiations over President Joe Biden’s sweeping investment plan. On Tuesday, they prepared a $1 trillion infrastructure proposal that would be funded with COVID-19 relief money as a counteroffer to the White House ahead of a Memorial Day deadline toward a bipartisan deal. White House press secretary Jen Psaki…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minneapolis intersection where George Floyd died has been disrupted by gunfire, just hours before a family-friendly street festival marking the anniversary of his death at the hands of police. Associated Press video from the scene Tuesday morning shows people running for cover as shots ring out. Police say one person later…
TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo is denying that a U.S. warning for Americans to avoid traveling to Japan will have an impact on Olympians. Japan is determined to hold the Tokyo Games that start July 23. The U.S. cited a surge in coronavirus cases in Japan caused by virus variants that may even pose a risk…