Faith leaders who minister to Christians in Venezuela and the Venezuelan diaspora in the United States are urging prayers for peace as they attend to congregations roiled by uncertainty and high emotions following the U. S. capture of deposed leader Nicolás Maduro. In Venezuela, initial statements from the Catholic bishops' conference and the Evangelical Council of Venezuela were cautious, appealing for calm and patience, while many pastors in the diaspora welcomed Maduro's ouster. The of who...

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton has chosen an outspoken former state party chair as her running mate, confirming her selection of David Pepper as her No. 2 to The Associated Press ahead of their first public appearance together Wednesday. Pepper, 54, the son of a former Procter & Gamble CEO, is a lawyer, writer and former member of the Cincinnati City Council and the Hamilton County Commission in his native Cincinnati. Acton said Pepper has a track...

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — One of the world's rarest whale species is having more babies this year than in some recent seasons, but experts say many more young are needed to help stave off the possibility of extinction. The North Atlantic right whale's population numbers an estimated 384 animals and is slowly rising after several years of decline. The whales have gained more than 7% of their 2020 population, according to scientists who study them. The whales give birth off the southeastern every...