MICHAEL BLOOMBERG

Supporters of a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights in the Ohio Constitution are far outraising their anti-abortion opponents in the months leading up to the November election.

Britain’s Prince William and wealthy entrepreneurs Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg promise hope to a warming world.

New York Judge Juan Manuel Merchan has presided over criminal cases against former President Donald Trump’s company, its former finance chief and one of Trump's former White House aides.

New York City's latest weapon in its fight against street noise is a traffic camera equipped with a sound meter.

A retired New York Police Department officer has been sentenced to a record-setting 10 years in prison for attacking the U.S. Capitol and using a metal flagpole to assault one of the police officers trying to hold off a mob of Donald Trump supporters.

The cybersecurity firm Recorded Future boasts some 1,400 clients and enjoys considerable respect.

Looking at the schmoozing guests at the Met Gala cocktail reception, TV host James Corden summed up the scene in a word: “Classy.”.

As New York City forges ahead with its recovery, the pandemic is leaving lasting imprints, especially on city roadways: less room for cars and more space for people.

Federal prosecutors have urged a jury to reject a retired New York City police officer’s argument that he was acting in self-defense when he swung a flagpole at police officers and tackled one of them during the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot.

A retired New York City police officer charged with assaulting a police officer during the U.S. Capitol riot has testified that he was trying to defend himself after the officer punched him in the face.

One of the dozens of police officers injured during the U.S. Capitol riot has testified that he didn’t punch or instigate a fight with a man in the mob.

Billionaire Moshe Kantor has severed his longstanding ties to Tel Aviv University — joining a growing list of Russian Jewish oligarchs who have scaled back their philanthropic activities after coming under international sanctions for their ties to President Vladimir Putin.

A jury has heard attorneys' opening statements in the trial of a retired New York City police officer charged with attacking a police officer during the riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Juries have heard an array of defenses at the first trials for rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol.

The “Billionaire Minimum Income Tax” included in President Joe Biden's proposed budget is part of the administration’s effort to reduce the federal deficit.

An institution that has offered guided tours of the World Trade Center site since well before the national Sept. 11 museum was built is in financial trouble.

A handful of Americans donated at least $1 billion to charity last year, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual ranking of the 50 Americans who gave the most to charity in 2021.

Investigators say a man who allegedly kidnapped an employee at the western Colorado ranch owned by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg at first asked her where the billionaire’s daughters were and later went on rants about Bloomberg, saying he wanted to “make an international scene” with him or his daughters.

A string of high-profile violence in New York City has frayed nerves, but the nation's largest city remains relatively safe.

Pfizer's chief executive, Albert Bourla, has been awarded the prestigious Genesis Prize for his efforts in leading the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Bill de Blasio swept into the New York City mayor’s office eight years ago promising a liberal remolding of the nation’s largest city that would level deep inequities and reform police practices.

Michael Bloomberg will spend $120 million in an effort to reduce the soaring numbers of deaths from drug overdoses, he announced today at a healthcare summit he organized.

The United Kingdom is hosting a meeting aimed at attracting billions of dollars in foreign investment for green projects in Britain.

Bill and Melinda Gates’ private foundation announced Thursday it will spend more than $900 million over the next five years to curb global malnutrition.

Jessica Springsteen had no luck going solo in Tokyo.

One of the nation's most prestigious historically Black colleges got a major publicity boost recently when it announced two high-profile faculty hires.

The triumph of a moderate Democrat in the mayoral primary in deep blue New York City has appeared to accelerate the recent trend of some of the party’s most fervent voters to break away from the most progressive candidates.

This week's blunder by the New York City Board of Elections is only the latest in a long history of mistakes by the government agency.

Florida authorities have closed a criminal investigation into fund-raising efforts by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to pay off the outstanding fines of thousands of the state’s felons seeking to reclaim their voting rights.

President Joe Biden takes center stage in a two-day climate summit highlighting America's return to the fight to curb global warming.

President Joe Biden takes center stage in a two-day climate summit highlighting America's return to the fight to curb global warming.

President Joe Biden faces a challenge as he convenes a virtual climate summit later this week.

Vartan Gregorian, the noted scholar and philanthropic leader who led the Carnegie Corporation of New York since 1997, has died.

A pushback against new voting bills and laws in numerous states is gaining momentum.

The Tribeca Film Festival said Monday, March 29, 2021, it plans to hold its 20th edition in-person and with outdoor screenings in June. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File)NEW YORK – The Tribeca Film Festival said Monday that it plans to hold its 20th edition in-person this June and with outdoor screenings spread throughout New York's five boroughs. “The Tribeca Film Festival was born out of our mission to bring people together in the aftermath of 9/11. Major film festivals — the Berlin International Film Festival and the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas — have thus far turned to virtual editions. France's Cannes Film Festival, usually held in May, is aiming for an in-person festival in July.

Democrats hope to make deeper strides in changing their fortunes in a state that has become friendlier place for Republicans. And that was despite $100 million spent by Michael Bloomberg to help Democrats in the state. When the spending tally is complete, the last election cycle in Florida is expected to rank as among the most expensive in state history. Ad“I don’t know anybody who’s happy with investing $100 million and not winning,” said Manny Diaz, the new chair of the Florida Democratic Party. Diaz, the state party chairman, is trying to reverse the slide in its voter registration advantage over Republicans.

Bezos is one of the 50 Americans who gave the most to charity in 2020, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropys annual rankings. “There has been change building among private donors.”All told, the 50 biggest donors contributed $24.7 billion in 2020, compared with $15.8 billion in 2019. The $1 billion-plus of giving by each of the top five on the Philanthropy 50 matches last year’s record. No more than three donors gave $1 billion or more in any of the previous years. Colleges and universities received $2.2 billion from Philanthropy 50 donors in 2020.

FILE - In this Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018 file photo, Michael Bloomberg, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Climate Action, speaks during the plenary session of the Global Action Climate Summit, in San Francisco. The United Nations says American billionaire Michael Bloomberg has been reappointed as a special envoy to engage governments and businesses in tackling the threat of global warming. The U.N. said Friday, Feb. 5, 2021 that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wants the former New York City mayor to mobilize stronger and more ambitious climate action in the lead-up to a global climate summit in November. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)BERLIN – The United Nations says American billionaire Michael Bloomberg has been reappointed as a special envoy to engage governments and businesses in tackling the threat of global warming. The U.N. said Friday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wants the former New York mayor to “mobilize stronger and more ambitious climate action” in the lead-up to a November global climate summit.

NEW YORK – Super Bowl ads each year offer a snapshot of the American psyche. The chance to break into the psyche and (virtual) watercooler talk of an estimated 100 million viewers who will be watching the CBS broadcast of Super Bowl LV on Sunday. This year’s Super Bowl will showcase more than 20 first-time advertisers — more than double the 8 from last year if you exclude campaign ads, according to a tally by research firm iSpot. It’s a bellwether when a brand can afford the estimated $5.5 million cost-of-entry for a 30-second spot during the Super Bowl. In stark contrast to last year's Super Bowl, which featured campaign ads from both Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg, politics is out of sight this year.

People in the crowd hold up an image of Stacey Abrams as President-elect Joe Biden speaks in Atlanta, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, to campaign for Georgia Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate, Rev. “I think what’s next for Stacey is whatever Stacey wants to be next," said Leah Daughtry, a former chief of staff at the Democratic National Committee. “Stacey Abrams (that’s the tweet),” wrote Karine Jean-Pierre, incoming deputy White House press secretary. At the same time, Abrams never stopped pushing Democrats to support her Georgia efforts and copy them nationally. Groh-Wargo emphasized this week that one difference between 2018 and 2020 was the success at turning out Black voters in rural areas.

His only win during a short-lived Democratic bid for the White House was in the territory of American Samoa. Yet after dumping $1.1 billion into his campaign, he waited until September to follow through on his vow to spend big to unseat Trump. The showing could raise questions about Bloomberg's ability to use his vast financial resources to sway politics in the future. Bloomberg advisers say it's unfair to blame him for not doing enough to help Biden in Florida. Democrats lost seats in the House on Election Day and failed to flip statehouse chambers they had targeted.

A full day after Election Day, neither candidate had cleared the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House. Trump’s campaign requested a recount, though statewide recounts in Wisconsin have historically changed the vote tally by only a few hundred votes. After the victories in Wisconsin and Michigan, he was just six Electoral College votes away from the presidency. Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said the president would formally request a Wisconsin recount, citing “irregularities" in several counties. The Trump campaign on Wednesday pushed Republican donors to dig deeper into their pockets to help finance legal challenges.

— Trump paints an apocalyptic portrait of life under a Biden presidency— Trump Cabinet members fan out to states, blending politics and policy. ___HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON:8:45 p.m.President Donald Trump has met with rap star Lil Wayne at his resort in Doral, Florida. The Trump campaign and the company didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press. The Minnesota Department of Health has linked 28 coronavirus cases to other recent Trump campaign events in the state. Mrs. Trump warmed up the large crowd outside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa for President Donald Trump.

ATLANTA – Karen Handel is looking for Republicans to mobilize in Georgia's 6th District, once an incubator of high-profile Republicans. But Democrat Lucy McBath, who unseated Handel in 2018, is trying to show that Atlanta's wealthiest suburbs have changed. But McBath is hitting Handel with a range of attacks, with the most concerted sparring around health care. “My opponent's record on health care is absolutely dismal,” McBath said. “Right now we have a single-issue, completely disengaged member of Congress representing this congressional district,” Handel said.

In this undated handout photo issued by WWF on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, British Naturalist Sir David Attenborough, sits with Prince William for a private outdoor screening of his upcoming film, David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet, at Kensington Palace, London. William, who has been immersed in environmental issues all his life, said the same resources used to tackle the coronavirus pandemic should be devoted to saving the natural world. “According to the experts, it really is the point of no return," he told Sky News. “It’s a matter of great urgency now.”William also spoke about how his seven-year-old son, Prince George, is getting concerned about what's going on in the world. He said his son was left so saddened by an Attenborough documentary about extinction that he told his father “I don’t want to watch this anymore."

The former Democratic presidential candidate has helped raise more than $20 million so that felons who completed their prison sentences can vote in the presidential election. Bloomberg also has pledged $100 million to help Joe Biden win Florida. Working together with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, we are determined to end disenfranchisement and the discrimination that has always driven it,” Bloomberg said in a written statement. The Florida Rights Restitution Coalition had raised about $5 million before Bloomberg made calls to raise almost $17 million more, according to Bloomberg staffers. ____This version corrects the name of the group to Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.

The Trump campaign announced the “eight-figure” ad buy Tuesday, but declined to say specifically how much will be spent in states that include North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona and Pennsylvania. That sets up a high-stakes dilemma for Trump campaign officials who are making key spending decisions at a time when Democrats have shattered fundraising records and overtaken what was once a formidable cash advantage enjoyed by Republicans. The Trump campaign said the moves were part of a broader shift in advertising spending. That's likely to put Trump at a disadvantage unless he ups the $32.6 million in ad time he's reserved in the state. “The ads airing on local television beginning Tuesday feature real people whose lives have been positively impacted by President Trump’s policies."

FILE - In this April 29, 2017, file photo journalist Bob Woodward sits at the head table during the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington. ___THE BIG QUESTIONSHow much more damage can Woodward do? There is no more expensive swing state on the 2020 map and there is no state more important to Trump's reelection than Florida. See it here: https://interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020/Every state allows voters to cast ballots before Nov. 3, either in person or by mail. ___2020 Watch runs every Monday and provides a look at the week ahead in the 2020 election.

WASHINGTON – Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is committing at least $100 million to help Joe Biden's presidential campaign in the crucial battleground state of Florida. A victory for Biden in Florida, the largest of the perennial battleground states, would significantly complicate Trump's path to reaching the 270 Electoral College votes needed to secure a second term. The billionaire Bloomberg launched his own campaign for the Democratic nomination late last year amid worries about Biden's strengths. Despite spending $1 billion on his campaign, Bloomberg struggled and dropped out in March, quickly endorsing Biden. Bloomberg's new spending is intended to boost Biden before the start of early voting in Florida, which begins on Sept. 24.

NEW YORK President Donald Trump and his Republican Party jointly raised $210 million in August, a robust sum but one dwarfed by the record $364.5 million raised by Democrats and their nominee, Joe Biden. Both campaigns are raising massive amounts of money but have very different priorities about how to spend it, said Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien. The Trump campaign, however, faces questions about how it has managed to lose a massive financial advantage. Trump campaign officials have kicked off a review of expenditures, including those authorized by former campaign manager Brad Parscale, who was demoted this summer. But even Parscales internal critics give him credit for helping the Trump campaign construct an unparalleled Republican operation to attract small donors online.

Heres a collection curated by The Associated Press entertainment journalists of whats arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. The film from director Mamouna Doucour is a thoughtful and poignant coming-of-age drama about Amy, an 11-year-old Senegalese immigrant living in Paris. Dont judge Cuties by its cover and give it a chance when it starts streaming Wednesday. Answer: Jeopardy! The quiz show with Alex Trebek at the helm of a COVID-19-conscious season hits screens Monday. Celebrity guest hosts are all the rage these days on late night TV but a documentary airing Thursday sheds light on one who really made history.

What were watching heading into a new week on the 2020 campaign:Days to general election: 78Days to first debate: 43___THE NARRATIVEThe first national political convention of the coronavirus era has arrived. President Donald Trump is working to step on the Democrats' convention and prevent Biden from earning any convention polling bounce. The Republican president launches a campaign tour on Monday that features in-person stops in three swing states, including Wisconsin. Forced to abandon their in-person convention in Milwaukee because of the pandemic, Democrats begin their all-virtual affair on Monday night. Biden won't be in Wisconsin for the Democrats' convention as initially planned this week, but Trump will.

NEW YORK CITY, NY – The annual light display honoring victims of 9/11 in New York City will go on after all, organizers said Saturday, after concerns about workers’ safety during the pandemic threatened to cancel the tribute. New York Gov. The announcement came days after the National September 11 Memorial & Museum canceled the “Tribute in Light” over concerns the coronavirus might spread among crews creating twin columns of light to represent the World Trade Center in the Manhattan sky. Cuomo said the pandemic would not stop the tribute to victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack. “The state will provide health personnel to supervise to make sure the event is held safely while at the same time properly honoring 9/11,” he said in a statement.

The spread of disinformation, including by Russia, is an urgent concern heading into the November vote. U.S. officials have warned before about the spread of disinformation tied to the pandemic. But on Tuesday, they went further by singling out a particular information agency that is registered in Russia, InfoRos. It operates a series of websites InfoRos.ru, Infobrics.org and OneWorld.press that have leveraged the pandemic to promote anti-Western objectives and to spread disinformation. The researchers identified technical clues tying their websites to Russia and identified some financial connections between InfoRos and the government.

The information had previously been classified, but officials said it had been downgraded so they could more freely discuss it. Officials described the Russian disinformation as part of an ongoing and persistent effort to advance false narratives and cause confusion. Though U.S. officials have warned before about the spread of disinformation tied to the pandemic, they went further on Tuesday by singling out a particular information agency that is registered in Russia, InfoRos and that operates a series of websites InfoRos.ru, Infobrics.org and OneWorld.press that have leveraged the pandemic to promote anti-Western objectives and to spread disinformation. InfoRos and One Worlds ties to the Russian state have attracted scrutiny in the past from European disinformation analysts. The researchers identified technical clues tying their websites to Russia and identified some financial connections between InfoRos and the government.

NEW YORK A new literary award with a $50,000 cash prize will honor those best at telling a New York story. Wolfson and Tusk are funding the prize themselves and have committed to at least 10 years. Starting next spring, the award will be presented to a book, fiction or nonfiction, published in a given calendar year that is about New York City or takes place there. Celebrated works of the past that would have fit that category include Robert Caro's The Power Broker, Tom Wolfe's The Bonfire of the Vanities and Toni Morrison's Jazz.Jurors for the Gotham prize include filmmaker Ric Burns, poet Safina Sinclair and former New York City schools chancellor Dennis Walcott. The deadline for submissions for the 2020 prize is Nov. 1.

NEW YORK As anyone who has ever heard him speak knows, President Donald Trump loves to relive 2016. Our latest staff additions are making Team Trump even stronger and solidify Brads leadership.In the last week, the Trump campaign hired Jason Miller, communications director in 2016, to focus on strategy and coordinate between the campaign and the White House. And some of Trumps 2016 team never left: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, the presidents daughter and son-in-law, are senior advisers. Kellyanne Conway, the presidents final 2016 campaign manager, remains a senior White House counselor. That includes Bannon, who remains supportive of Trump after a messy exit from the White House, and Keith Schiller, Trumps longtime security man.

Even if one candidate has more delegates than the other, that’s only a “plurality,” not a majority, per party rules. Candidates who earned delegates, but have since dropped out of the race, can try to push their delegates onto another candidate. A candidate needs to earn 2,375 delegates on subsequent ballots to win the nomination. However, having a contested convention is something the Democratic National Committee will do its best to avoid in the coming months. The last time a contested convention occurred was in 1952.

(AP Photo/Steve Helber)RICHMOND, Va. – When Virginia lawmakers pass sweeping new gun control laws in the coming days, it will mark the culmination of nearly 13 years of often thankless work for two parents whose children were shot in one of the country's worst mass shootings. Lori Haas and Andrew Goddard started pressing lawmakers to enact new gun laws shortly after a gunman killed 32 people and wounded more than a dozen others at Virginia Tech in 2007. Now they are helping to shepherd through the most substantive new gun laws the state has ever passed. Haas and Goddard have lawmakers' full attention and hardly a day has gone by without some kind of gun control measure advancing in either chamber. But mass shootings and a shrinking ruralbase have made Virginia Democrats more willing to embrace gun restrictions.

RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia's highest court on Friday upheld a ban on firearms at an upcoming pro-gun rally in the state's capital, an event that authorities feared could erupt in violence at the hands of armed extremists. Gun-rights groups argued the ban would violate their Second Amendment right to bear arms and their First Amendment freedom of speech. Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League — the group sponsoring the rally — called the first ruling “mind-boggling." Herring argued Northam's order would help prevent the kind of violence that erupted at a 2017 white nationalist rally in the city of Charlottesville. Because of the threat of possible violence, organizers of an annual vigil for victims of gun violence — usually held on the King holiday each year — said Friday that they have canceled their event this year.

Bloomberg, who has long considered a White House bid, sits atop a sprawling business empire and is worth more than $50 billion, easily making him the wealthiest candidate in the contest. But his attorneys say he is not yet prepared to disclose his investments and income. The FEC on Monday granted his request, giving him until Feb. 4 to file — one day after the Iowa caucuses. Bloomberg has said he is not competing in the first few presidential contests in states including Iowa and New Hampshire. ___Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, “Ground Game.”___This story has been corrected to delete an erroneous reference to White House contender Tom Steyer not releasing his finances.

WASHINGTON, DC – New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg has taken another step toward launching a Democratic bid for president. The former New York City mayor, who became a Democrat just last year, filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday to formally create a presidential campaign committee. The move legally allows him to begin raising and spending money on a 2020 campaign, although his team says he’s yet to make a final decision. Bloomberg’s enormous wealth, his ties to Wall Street, and his status as a former Republican could make it difficult for him to win support among traditional Democratic primary voters. Before Thursday’s federal filing, he had already filed paperwork to qualify for presidential primary ballots in three states.

Trump fired Sessions in November 2018, blaming the Alabama Republican for recusing himself in the Russia probe and allowing special counsel Robert Mueller to be appointed. "Have I said a cross word about President Trump? Later in the video, Sessions said: "When President Trump took on Washington, only one senator out of 100 had the courage to stand with him: me. I was the first to support President Trump. That primary in Alabama would take place on the same day as the GOP's Senate primary.

(CNN) - Former New York mayor and businessman Michael Bloomberg is expected to file the paperwork to be on Alabamas Democratic presidential primary ballot, CNN and the New York Times reported Thursday. Bloomberg, who publicly speculated about a 2020 bid for months, announced in March that he would not be running and instead was devoting his efforts to move the US to a 100% clean energy economy. He spent over $100 million in support of Democratic efforts to retake Congress last fall. Distributed by LAKANA. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.