‘I want to talk’: Griner opened up during her long trip home
WASHINGTON (AP) — WNBA star Brittney Griner didn’t want quiet time as soon as she boarded a U.S. government plane that would bring her home. “I’ve been in prison for 10 months, listening to the Russians. I want to talk,” Griner said. That’s according to Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, who helped secure the basketball star’s release and bring her back to the U.S. last week. Carstens told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that Griner walked throughout the plane, introducing herself to every member of the flight crew, shaking their hands, and “making a personal connection with them.”
Young voters’ enthusiasm for Democrats waned during midterms
WASHINGTON (AP) — Young voters who have been critical to Democratic successes in recent elections showed signs in November’s midterms that their enthusiasm may be waning. That’s a potential warning sign for a party that will need their strong backing heading into the 2024 presidential race. Midterm voters under 30 went 53% for Democrats compared with 41% for Republicans nationwide. That was down from 2020, when such voters supported Joe Biden over his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, 61% to 36%. That’s according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping national survey of voters in November’s election.
Golden Globe noms led by ‘Banshees,’ ‘Everything Everywhere’
NEW YORK (AP) — The 80th Golden Globe Awards nominations have been announced, with “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” leading the pack. Nominations were read Monday. Martin McDonagh’s feuding friends tale “The Banshees of Inisherin” led all films with eight nominations. The madcap metaverse film “Everything Everywhere all at Once” came in second with six nominations. The 2023 broadcast will mark the award show’s return after scandal and boycott plunged the Hollywood Foreign Press Association into disarray and knocked it off television for a year. The Globes will be telecast Jan. 10, hosted by Jerrod Carmichael.
Trump probe subpoena served on Georgia secretary of state
ATLANTA (AP) — The office of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has received a subpoena related to special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation of former President Donald Trump. Smith was appointed last month not only to oversee the Justice Department investigation into the presence of classified documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate — but also aspects of a separate probe involving the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 and Trump’s scramble to remain in power. The subpoena received by Raffensperger’s office Monday follows subpoenas served last week in other states and counties. Like those other locations, Georgia was a target of Trump and his allies as they sought to overturn his loss in the 2020 election.
Morocco’s World Cup streak brings a joyful Arab embrace
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — It’s a rare moment in the Middle East when the public’s voice roars louder than those of the governments. But Morocco’s surprise wins at the World Cup have stirred a joy and pride among many Arab fans that have, at least for a moment, eclipsed the region’s many political divisions. Perhaps most striking is the Palestinians’ enthusiastic embrace of the Moroccan team, despite the Moroccan government’s normalization of ties with Israel.
Peru president proposes moving up elections amid protests
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru’s new president has given in to protesters demands, announcing in a nationally televised address a proposal to move up elections. The announcement from Dina Boluarte early Monday came after protests turned deadly as thousands of people took to the streets Sunday to demand her resignation. But her announcement did not placate protesters, particularly in rural areas. Hours after her address, demonstrators blocked access to an international airport in southern Peru and occupied its runway. Protesters are demanding new general elections to replace Boluarte and Congress, and they want the ex-president ousted last week, Pedro Castillo, to be released from custody. He is charged with rebellion.
Soccer journalist Grant Wahl’s body returned to US
WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior State Department official says the body and possessions of soccer journalist Grant Wahl have been repatriated to the United States after his death last week while covering the World Cup in Qatar. The official says Wahl’s remains and his belongings arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport around 8:30 a.m. ET. They were accompanied by a consular official from the U.S. embassy in Doha who had had custody of Wahl’s remains since shortly after he collapsed and died during Friday’s match between Argentina and the Netherlands. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Wahl’s “writing captured not only the essence of the beautiful game but also the world around it.”
Kawānanakoa, ‘last Hawaiian princess’ dies at 96
HONOLULU (AP) — Abigail Kawānanakoa, the so-called last Hawaiian princess whose lineage included the royal family that once ruled the islands and an Irish businessman who became one of Hawaii’s largest landowners, died on Sunday. She was 96. She held no formal title but was a living reminder of Hawaii’s monarchy and a symbol of Hawaiian national identity that endured after the kingdom was overthrown by American businessmen in 1893. She funded various causes from her $215 million estate over the years, including scholarships for Native Hawaiian students and maintaining ʻIolani Palace _ America’s only royal residence where the Hawaiian monarchy dwelled but now serves mostly as a museum.
BLM sets up student relief fund as loan forgiveness stalls
The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation has launched a new relief fund aimed at Black college students, alumni and dropouts overburdened by mounting education costs and the student loan debt crisis. The foundation said it set aside $500,000 for the fund and plans to award more than 500 recipients with relief payments ranging from $750 to $4,500. A public application process for the fund opened on Monday. If selected, recipients will receive their money in January. The relief fund is an expansion of a previous initiative the BLM foundation launched last year as millions of Americans struggled to make ends meet amid economic uncertainty in the coronavirus pandemic.
Purdue moves to No. 1 in AP Top 25, Alabama cracks top 5
Purdue has climbed to No. 1 in men’s basketball AP Top 25 for the second straight season. The Boilermakers moved up three spots in this week’s poll. Virginia moved up to No. 2, with Connecticut, Alabama and Houston rounding out the top five. The Crimson Tide have their second top-five ranking in three seasons after becoming the second team to beat two No. 1 teams in the same season. Alabama knocked off Houston last week after beating North Carolina earlier in the season.
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