Associated Press

There were plenty of reasons Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack to ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ shouldn't have worked. Jazz music for an animated television special featuring the famous comic strip characters? Yet the show has become a holiday tradition from its first airing in 1965, the music performed by Guaraldi's piano-led jazz trio even more so. What unites Prince, Michelle Obama and Foo Fighters? They all performed the soundtrack's “Linus and Lucy” in public. Members of show producer Lee Mendelson's family wish they had the envelope where he hurriedly wrote lyrics to the song “Christmas Time is Here.”

Jazzy ‘Charlie Brown Christmas’ swings on after 57 years

December 6, 2022 at 7:40 p.m.

There were plenty of reasons Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack to ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ shouldn't have worked. Jazz music for an animated television special featuring the famous comic strip characters? Yet...

A surge of anti-Jewish vitriol spread by celebrities is stoking fears that public figures are normalizing hate and ramping up the risk of violence. Former President Donald Trump hosted a Holocaust-denying white supremacist at Mar-a-Lago. The rapper Ye expressed love for Adolf Hitler in an interview. Basketball star Kyrie Irving appeared to promote an antisemitic film on social media. Those are just a few recent examples of influential people abusing their platforms to amplify antisemitism in a way that has been taboo for decades in the U.S. Some people say the incidents harken back to a darker time in America when powerful people routinely spread conspiracy theories about Jews with impunity.

Antisemitic celebrities stoke fears of normalizing hate

December 3, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.

A surge of anti-Jewish vitriol spread by celebrities is stoking fears that public figures are normalizing hate and ramping up the risk of violence. Former President Donald Trump hosted a...

Five Connecticut police officers were charged Monday with cruelly neglecting a Black man after he was partially paralyzed in the back of a police van, despite his repeated and desperate pleas for help. Officials announced the misdemeanor charges Monday. Randy Cox was being driven to a New Haven police station June 19 for processing on a weapons charge when the driver braked hard at an intersection to avoid a collision. That caused Cox to fly headfirst into a metal partition in the van. As Cox pleaded for help, some of the officers mocked him and accused him of faking his injuries. Then, the officers dragged him from the van by his feet. Messages seeking comment were sent to the officers' attorneys.

5 officers charged after Black man paralyzed in police van

November 28, 2022 at 5:15 p.m.

Five Connecticut police officers were charged Monday with cruelly neglecting a Black man after he was partially paralyzed in the back of a police van, despite his repeated and desperate...

Shoppers eager to start holiday shopping but weighed down by inflation are hunting for the best deals at stores and online this Black Friday. Retailers that had offered mostly lackluster discounts earlier in the season responded this week with new bargains. Elevated prices for food, rent, gasoline and other household costs have taken a toll on shoppers. As a result, many are reluctant to spend unless there is a big sale and are being more selective with what they will buy — in many cases, trading down to cheaper stuff and less expensive stores. Shoppers are also dipping more into their savings, turning increasingly to “buy now, pay later” services that allow users to pay for items in installments. They are also running up their credit cards.

Inflation hovers over shoppers seeking deals on Black Friday

November 25, 2022 at 7:02 p.m.

Shoppers eager to start holiday shopping but weighed down by inflation are hunting for the best deals at stores and online this Black Friday. Retailers that had offered mostly lackluster...

A current U.S. Navy servicemember and an army veteran are being applauded for helping subdue the gunman at a gay club in Colorado Springs. Rich Fierro, the army veteran, credits his military training and instincts in helping him disarm the attacker. He told reporters Monday how he grabbed the gunman's body armor and began punching him. Authorities say Fierro and another man, Thomas James, stopped the shooter after he began spraying bullets inside Club Q on Saturday night. The rampage killed five people and wounded 17. Fierro's daughter's boyfriend, Raymond Green Vance, was among those fatally shot.

Army vet, Navy sailor stopped gunman at Colorado gay club

November 23, 2022 at 8:57 p.m.

A current U.S. Navy servicemember and an army veteran are being applauded for helping subdue the gunman at a gay club in Colorado Springs. Rich Fierro, the army veteran, credits...

The holiday travel rush is already on, and it could spread out over more days than usual this year. Travel experts say the ability of many people to work remotely is letting them take off early for Thanksgiving or return home later. Crowds are expected to rival those of 2019, the last Thanksgiving before the pandemic. The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 2.6 million travelers on Monday, surpassing the 2.5 million screened the Monday before Thanksgiving in 2019. AAA predicts that nearly 55 million people in the U.S. will travel at least 50 miles from home this week, an increase over last year and only 2% less than in 2019.

Thanksgiving travel rush is back with some new habits

November 22, 2022 at 4:54 p.m.

The holiday travel rush is already on, and it could spread out over more days than usual this year. Travel experts say the ability of many people to work remotely...

Hundreds of people have gathered in a Colorado Springs park to honor five people killed and 17 wounded in a weekend shooting at a gay nightclub. Club Q for decades was a sanctuary for the local LGBTQ community. While the community mourned, the 22-year-old man suspected in the attack was being held on preliminary charges of murder and hate crimes. Authorities said the attack was halted by two club patrons. Army veteran Richard Fierro told reporters Monday night that he pulled Aldrich down and severely beat him until police arrived. The suspect and 13 victims remained hospitalized.

Gay bar shooting suspect faces murder, hate crime charges

November 21, 2022 at 10:52 p.m.

Hundreds of people have gathered in a Colorado Springs park to honor five people killed and 17 wounded in a weekend shooting at a gay nightclub. Club Q for decades...

It's holiday time at the White House, and President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, are plunging into the season. Biden participated in the annual pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey on Monday. The first lady accepted delivery of the official White House Christmas tree. And both Bidens visited North Carolina later in the day to share an early Thanksgiving meal with members of the military and their families at Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point. The burst of holiday activity follows the president's granddaughter's White House wedding and his 80th birthday over the weekend.

Biden opens holidays, pardons turkeys Chocolate and Chip

November 21, 2022 at 9:17 p.m.

It's holiday time at the White House, and President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, are plunging into the season. Biden participated in the annual pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey...

1 dead, 2 dozen injured, when bus carrying students crashes

November 20, 2022 at 4:47 p.m.

Authorities say a college student died while more than two dozen other passengers and the driver were injured when a bus returning from a hockey game struck a tree in...

The oldest president in U.S. history is hitting a milestone birthday. Biden turns 80 on Sunday, and questions are swirling about whether he has the acuity and stamina to run for president again, if he chooses to do so. He says he intends to run, yet leaves himself an out, saying he is "a great respecter of fate.” He's got a record as a campaign winner and has posted major legislative successes in recent months. But surveys of voters point to concern about his capabilities. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision, at age 82, to pull back from leadership and let a new generation rise may spill over into Biden’s thinking

Biden at 80: A ‘respecter of fate’ mulls 2nd White House bid

November 19, 2022 at 10:24 a.m.

The oldest president in U.S. history is hitting a milestone birthday. Biden turns 80 on Sunday, and questions are swirling about whether he has the acuity and stamina to run...

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