Stories by Associated Press

An 80-year-old man who spent nearly 60 years in prison after being convicted of killing one of three suburban Chicago women whose brutalized bodies were found in a state park walked out of prison Friday.

Fresh out of prison thanks to a commutation this week from President Donald Trump, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is in the hunt for a post-prison career. 

A Trump administration policy is expected to all but shut down family based immigration from Myanmar, also known as Burma, as well as Nigeria, Kyrgyzstan and Eritrea. The policy also restricts visas from Sudan and Tanzania.

Six Democratic presidential hopefuls met on the debate stage in Las Vegas, but it was the newcomer, former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who received the most attention, and none of it positive. 

Rod Blagojevich returned home to Chicago early Wednesday, shaking hands and signing autographs after President Donald Trump cut short his 14-year prison sentence.

President Donald Trump has gone on a clemency blitz, commuting what he called a “ridiculous” 14-year prison sentence for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and pardoning former New York Police Department commissioner, among a long list of others.

The world’s richest man, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, said in an Instagram post that he’ll start giving grants this summer to scientists, activists and nonprofits working to protect Earth.

It has become one of the NBA’s most revered traditions: On the morning of the NBA All-Star Game, the league pays tribute to retired players with what is called the Legends Brunch.

Zion Williamson and Trae Young are used to meeting fans who are typically a bit nervous during those interactions. This was different. This time, they were nervous to meet the fan.

New Hampshire Democrats gave Bernie Sanders a win, but also a warning.

The disease caused by a new virus that emerged late last year in China and has since sickened tens of thousands of people now has an official name: COVID-19.

Chicago recorded nine homicides between 6 p.m. Friday and midnight Sunday, a weekend police said was the deadliest of the year for a city that had seen a recent decline in the number of fatal shootings.

China reported a rise in new virus cases Monday, denting optimism that disease control measures including isolating major cities might be working, while the operator of a cruise ship in Japan reported dozens of new cases.

In a milestone win that instantly expanded the Oscars’ horizons, Bong Joon Ho’s class satire “Parasite” became the first non-English language film to win best picture in the 92-year history of the Academy Awards. 

China’s virus death toll rose by 89 on Sunday to 811, passing the number of fatalities in the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic, but fewer new cases were reported in a possible sign its spread may be slowing.

A full accounting of President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, stemming in large part from the foreign policy entanglements pursued by personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, remains unfinished despite Trump’s acquittal Wednesday in the Senate.

President Donald Trump won impeachment acquittal Wednesday in the U.S. Senate, bringing to a close only the third presidential trial in American history with votes that split the country, tested civic norms and fed the tumultuous 2020 race for the White House.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer used Democrats’ response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address to swivel from impeachment to working-class voters’ worries, saying her party is focusing on easing health care costs and other pocket-book concerns.

Standing before a Congress and a nation sharply divided by impeachment, President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address to extol a “Great American Comeback” on his watch, just three years after he took office decrying a land of “American carnage” under his predecessor.

The Iowa Democratic Party released partial results of its kickoff presidential caucus after a daylong delay late Tuesday showing former Midwestern Mayor Pete Buttigieg and progressive Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders leading the opening contest of the party’s 2020 primary season.

On the brink of his Senate acquittal, President Donald Trump will be unleashing “relentless optimism” during his third State of the Union address, a speech designed to pivot from his impeachment to his drive for reelection.

Iowa Democrats anxious for fundamental political change headed toward caucus centers late Monday to decide the opening contest in the 2020 presidential primary season.

Health authorities are preparing for a possible pandemic as they work to contain a respiratory illness in China that’s caused by a new virus. Here’s what you should know about the illness.

Closing arguments Monday in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial were directed more toward history than to sway the outcome.

Under the new rules, U.S. citizens who have traveled in China within the last 14 days will be re-routed to designated airports, where they will undergo enhanced health screening procedures, including Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

California, Nevada and Illinois all saw new laws take effect this year that ban the sale or import of animal-tested cosmetics.