George Winston, million - Zhengzhou Pole Line Hardware Group

NEW YORK (AP) — George Winston, the Grammy-winning pianist who blended jazz, classical, folk and other stylings on such million-selling albums as "Autumn," "Winter Into Spring" and "December," has died at age 73.

According to an announcement on his website www.georgewinston.com, confirmed by a spokesman, Winston died Sunday after a 10-year battle with cancer.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing an amendment to the United States Consitution that would enshrine into law regulations on guns, including implementing universal background checks and raising the minimum age to buy a firearm to 21. Newsom's proposed 28th Amendment would also institute a "reasonable" waiting period for all gun purchases and ban assault rifles throughout the country. Amending the Constitution requires either approval from two-thirds of the members of Congress or for 33 states to support the effort and call for holding a convention. Newsom said Thursday that California will call for a convention of states.

Gov. Chris Sununu has ordered state agencies to develop curriculum that would add instruction about the dangers of social media to all K-12 health classes in New Hampshire. The executive order issued by the Republican governor Wednesday instructs the departments of education and health and human services to create guidelines for a curriculum to be submitted to the state Board of Education within 90 days. The order also requires the establishment of a website to provide information about the potential harmful effects of social media and suggestions for how to reduce the time children spend using it. It also directs state agencies to develop a media campaign with similar information.

Tens of thousands of people have marched in Tel Aviv's Pride parade. It's an annual celebration that turns the city's seaside promenade into a boisterous festival of rainbow flags, pounding music and colorful costumes. It was the first time that Tel Aviv has held the parade since Israel's new far-right government, which is stacked with openly anti-LGBTQ+ members, took office. Drag queens and shirtless men danced on floats as excited crowds of onlookers danced and snapped photos. Many of the rainbow flags were emblazoned with the Jewish Star of David. The festive scenes were a contrast to the tense and tightly secured pride parade held last week in Jerusalem, a conservative city just one hour's drive away.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals expressed skepticism of umpire Ángel Hernández's attempt to reinstate his race discrimination lawsuit against Major League Baseball. The Cuba-born Hernández, hired as a big league umpire in 1993, alleged he was discriminated against because he had not been assigned to the World Series since 2005 and had been passed over for crew chief. U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken threw out the case in 2021. Hernández, 61, has been sidelined by a back injury and has not worked on the field April 3, his only game this season.

Authorities say a freight train has derailed in northern Arizona involving 23 cars, but no injuries have been reported. Coconino County Emergency Management officials say the derailment occurred around 11:20 p.m. Wednesday east of Williams, which is 33 miles (53 kilometers) west of Flagstaff. They say the BNSF train cars were carrying a variety of new cars, vans and truck. Photos from the derailment scene showed heavy damage to many vehicles and freight cars. County Emergency Management officials say cleanup was already underway. There was no immediate word Thursday from Texas-based BNSF Railway about the derailment.

Russian and Egyptian authorities say that a man has died after being mauled by a shark off one of Egypt's Red Sea resorts. Egypt's Environment Ministry says the man died after being attacked by a tiger shark in the waters near the coastal city of Hurghada. The Russian Consulate in Hurghada identified the man as a Russian citizen but did not reveal his name. Egypt later closed off the beach for two days and said it had caught the shark behind the attack. An online video, purportedly of the attack, shows a man thrashing about in the water before being repeatedly attacked by a shark circling around him, then being dragged under.

Jack Draper will miss Wimbledon because of a shoulder injury that forced him out of the French Open. The 21-year-old British player says he needs time to recover from his latest injury setback. At Roland Garros last Monday, Draper retired from his first-round match against Tomas Martin Etcheverry while trailing by a set and 1-0. The 6-foot-4 left-hander had hoped to make his third appearance at the All England Club next month.

While under house arrest in New York, Anna Sorokin has launched the podcast, "The Anna Delvey Show." From her East Village apartment, she tells the Associated Press: "I’m on 24/7 house arrest. I’m only allowed to leave for my parole check-ins, my ICE check-ins, and for medical emergencies." Arrested in late 2017, she was convicted in 2019 of bilking banks, hotels and wealthy New Yorkers out of $275,000. After serving three years in prison, partly at Riker's Island jail complex, Sorokin, a German citizen, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and then released after posting a $10,000 bond in the fall to home confinement.

NASCAR is at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France this weekend. The American stock car series is celebrating its new car in its 75th season during the 100th running of the most prestigious endurance race in the world. The Chevrolet Camaro fielded by Hendrick Motorsports has been a popular attraction this week heading into Saturday's twice-around-the-clock race. Its trio of drivers is determined to finish the race. NASCAR's presence at Le Mans marks the first time since 1976 it has challenged the top talent in Europe.

A murder charge has been filed in another fatal shooting involving Detroit gas station clerks and customers. Police say Anthony McNary was shot through a door after the clerk had kicked him out of the gas station and then locked the door earlier this week. Just before the shooting, they had a dispute over a beef stick. The clerk, Moad Al-Gaham, appeared in court Thursday and was returned to jail without bond. Prosecutor Kym Worthy says Al-Gaham was in no danger when he fired the gun. On May 6, a customer fatally shot another customer at a different Detroit gas station. In that incident, a clerk had locked the door. He's been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

There are a lot of questions surrounding this year's Tony Awards and not just about who might win. The Hollywood writers’ strike has left much of Sunday's telecast with unknowns. There will be performances from the nominated musicals, pre-recorded montages of the plays and acceptance speeches. Everything else seems up in the air. But if any group of people are best equipped to handle the electricity from a really live event, it's the Broadway community. Going live without a net just doesn't scare them. There's plenty of time to eat up: A 2 1/2-hour pre-show on Pluto TV and then the three-hour main event on CBS and Paramount+.

PHILADELPHIA — DJ Jazzy Jeff Townes is hype.

An Oklahoma City man who found a swastika cut into the grass in front of his home says he believes it was done by a neighbor with whom he has a long-running dispute. Stan Sells said Thursday that he was mowing when he discovered the swastika Tuesday on the shoulder of the road that passes in front of his home, not visible from the road but faces his home and is clearly seen from his yard. The Anti-Defamation League says the swastika, a symbol used by Nazi Germany, is "the most significant and notorious of hate symbols" expressing anti-Semitism and white supremacy. Sells says he is not Jewish.

KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) — Before-and-after images of the area downstream from a dam that collapsed Tuesday vividly show the extent of the devastation of a large, flooded swathe of southern Ukraine.

Thursday

El Chapo's wife transferred to Long Beach halfway house to serve out prison term

Donald Trump could hardly have picked a friendlier venue than this weekend's state GOP convention for his return to Georgia, the site of some of the former president's most humbling political defeats.

Surfers from all over Brazil gathered this week at the Amazon River's mouth to ride some of the world's longest-lasting waves, when the incoming tide roars upriver in a broad band that can keep surfboards afloat for kilometers (miles). The annual festival to ride these tidal bore waves, known locally as the "Pororoca," rotates through towns where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean and this year took place for five days through Wednesday in Brazil's Para state town of Chaves. First timer Carlos Carneiro Jr. traveled from the city of Fortaleza to attend the festival and surf the waves. He said it's something surfers have to come and experience. He says it's a "different dimension."

The leaders of Italy and the Netherlands along with the EU Commission president travel to Tunisia on Sunday with a packet of initiatives to help create security in Tunisia, easing the way for a possible international bailout. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni says Tunisia is a priority because instability will inevitably spread to the rest of north Africa and then Europe. The European Commission says talks will center on making progress on an EU-Tunisia agreement focused on the economy, energy and migration. Tunisia has seen growing numbers of African migrants arriving from neighboring Libya, and has appealed for economic help.

In late September, as Hurricane Ian brushed the Florida Keys on its way to hitting the state's southwestern Gulf coast, nearly 200,000 gallons of raw sewage from the island chain's billion-dollar wastewater treatment system — not even 10 years old — leaked into the porous ground and nearshor…

Kosovo's prime minister has complained of bias against his country from the United States and the European Union and tolerance of what he calls Serbia's authoritarian regime. Prime Minister Albin Kurti says "behaving well with an autocrat doesn't make him behave better. On the contrary." The U.S. and EU envoys for the Kosovo-Serbia talks — Gabriel Escobar and Miroslav Lajcak respectively — make demands of Kosovo but requests of Serbia, he told The Associated Press. Ethnic Serbs recently clashed with Kosovo police and then the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force, leaving 80 people injured and provoking fears of a renewal of the region's bloody conflicts.

SAN DIEGO — Unlike many musicians who sold millions of album and drew devoted concert audiences for several decades, George Winston did not want to be remembered.

The Supreme Court is giving whiskey maker Jack Daniel's a reason to raise a glass. The justices on Thursday handed the company a new chance to win a trademark dispute with the makers of a dog toy that mimics the whiskey's signature bottle. The justices unanimously said a lower court's reasoning was flawed when it ruled for the makers of the Bad Spaniels toy. The court did not decide whether the toy's maker had violated trademark law with their toy, which squeaks and resembles the whiskey's signature bottle. Instead, the justices said a lower court needed to redo its analysis in the case and sent it back for further review.

ATLANTA -- The U.S. Supreme Court's surprise decision that could pave the way for a second majority-Black U.S. House district in Alabama could bolster a legal challenge seeking to redraw the political boundaries in Georgia.

The United States Agency for International Development says it has suspended all food aid to Ethiopia after an internal investigation found supplies intended for needy people were being diverted on a "widespread" scale. USAID did not say Thursday who diverted the food aid. An internal memo prepared by a group of humanitarian donors and seen by the AP pointed to the involvement of Ethiopia's federal government in the diversion of food aid. The U.S. is the biggest single donor to Ethiopia, providing $1.8 billion in humanitarian assistance, including food aid, in the 2022 fiscal year. About 20 million of Ethiopia's 120 million people rely on aid because of conflict and drought.

A count conducted in January found a record high 10,264 homeless people throughout San Diego County, including 5,171 living outdoors or in vehicles, according to findings released Thursday.

On Tuesday evening, two guards at a Missouri prison clicked their flashlights off, the room darkening for a split second, and opened a set of dark blue curtains revealing the execution chamber.

A Boston-based drug trafficking ring that's accused of flooding New Hampshire with fentanyl and crack cocaine has been busted by the feds, the U.S. Attorney's Office has announced.

Thursday

Officials: 2021 Colorado blaze that destroyed 1,000 homes caused by smoldering fire outside home and power lines.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday called for a U.S. constitutional amendment on gun control that would ban assault weapons and mandate background checks and waiting periods for purchasing firearms, a longshot proposal with little chance of passing in a nation deeply divided on the issue.

The Carolina Panthers have given rookie quarterback Bryce Young the first-team reps in practice this week, a move that coach Frank Reich said is the next step in his progression. Reich anticipates Young will continue to get first-team reps "for now" as the Panthers head into their mandatory minicamp session next week. However, Reich stopped short of naming Young the team's starting quarterback, saying there is plenty of time to make that decision. Young, the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, took over first-team reps from veteran Andy Dalton earlier this week, but Thursday was the first time reporters were allowed at practice.

Unseeded Karolina Muchova has reached her first Grand Slam final by saving a match point and using a stirring comeback to grab the last five games despite dealing with leg problems for a 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-5 victory over No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka at the French Open. Sabalenka was a point from winning the semifinal at 5-2 in the third set Saturday but then collapsed, dropping 20 of 24 points down the stretch. Muchova is a 26-year-old from the Czech Republic. She had never made it past the third round on the red clay at Roland Garros until now.

Lawmakers this year kicked rival colleagues out of office in Tennessee and off the chamber floor in Montana. They staged a walkout in Oregon and filibusters in Nebraska, where interactions are so fraught that some lawmakers say they’re unsure they can work together anymore. In a year of outsized acrimony at statehouses, it would be wrong to say tensions have never been worse. Legislatures have seen fistfights, unpopular members hounded from office, mass expulsions and even armed confrontations. Experts say what's different now is that politics can reward sparring and punish bipartisanship, making reelection tougher for those who seek compromise.

Lifestyle icon and famed workaholic Martha Stewart is trending on social media after her rant about about people working from home went viral.

Maine lawmakers have signed off on a proposal to expand the state's equal pay law to prevent discrimination on the basis of race. The proposal from House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross received affirmative votes in both chambers of the Maine Legislature this week. The change would expand the current equal pay law, which prevents employers from discriminating between employees on the basis of sex by paying lower wages for comparable work on jobs that require comparable skill, effort and responsibility. Ross's proposal adds language that an employer may also not discriminate between employees on the basis of race.

Federal prosecutors say an 18-year-old Massachusetts man sent gift cards worth a total of $1,670 to someone he thought was a supporter of the Islamic State group that he intended to be used to fund a war on nonbelievers. Mateo Ventura, of Wakefield, is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Worcester on Thursday on a charge of knowingly concealing the source of material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization. Prosecutors say Ventura wanted the gift cards to be sold on the dark web for less than face value with the resulting proceeds going to the Islamic State group. An email was left with Ventura's lawyer.

The Big 12 Conference is extending its reach into Mexico. The league says Kansas and Houston will play men's and women's basketball games in Mexico City in December 2024. The league will also explore a possible football bowl game in Monterrey in 2026. Big 12 Mexico is the league's first international extension, and comes less than a year after Brett Yormark became the commissioner of the evolving conference. Yormark says Mexico is a natural extension to the Big 12 footprint. After those initial basketball games, women's soccer teams and baseball teams from the Big 12 will play exhibitions against Mexican clubs.

NYON, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 8, 2023--

Publishers Weekly Best Selling Books for the week ending June 3rd.

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