Why was suspect in Canadian stabbing rampage on the streets?

JAMES SMITH CREE NATION, Saskatchewan (AP) - As the manhunt dragged on for one of two brothers in the stabbing deaths of 10 people in Saskatchewan, the rampage raised questions Wednesday of why the suspect - an ex-con with 59 convictions and a long history of shocking violence - was out on the streets in the first place.

Myles Sanderson, 32, was released by a parole board in February while serving a sentence of over four years on charges that included assault and robbery.

But he had been wanted by police since May, apparently for violating the terms of his release, though the details were not immediately clear.

His long and lurid rap sheet also showed that seven years ago, he attacked and stabbed one of the victims killed in the weekend rampage, according to court records.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said there will be an investigation into the parole board's assessment of Sanderson.

"I want to know the reasons behind the decision" to release him, Mendicino said.

"I'm extremely concerned with what occurred here. A community has been left reeling."

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Elected officials, police chiefs on leaked Oath Keepers list

The names of hundreds of U.S.

law enforcement officers, elected officials and military members appear on the leaked membership rolls of a far-right extremist group that's accused of playing a key role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to a report released Wednesday.

The Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism pored over more than 38,000 names on leaked Oath Keepers membership lists and identified more than 370 people it believes currently work in law enforcement agencies - including as police chiefs and sheriffs - and more than 100 people who are currently members of the military.

It also identified more than 80 people who were running for or served in public office as of early August.

The membership information was compiled into a database published by the transparency collective Distributed Denial of Secrets.

The data raises fresh concerns about the presence of extremists in law enforcement and the military who are tasked with enforcing laws and protecting the U.S.

It´s especially problematic for public servants to be associated with extremists at a time when lies about the 2020 election are fueling threats of violence against lawmakers and institutions.

"Even for those who claimed to have left the organization when it began to employ more aggressive tactics in 2014, it is important to remember that the Oath Keepers have espoused extremism since their founding, and this fact was not enough to deter these individuals from signing up," the report says.

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Michael Flynn: From government insider to holy warrior

BATAVIA, N.Y.

(AP) - The crowd swayed on its feet, arms pumping, the beat of Twisted Sister´s "We´re Not Gonna Take It" thumping in their chests. The people under the revival tent hooted as Michael Flynn strode across the stage, bopping and laughing, singing the refrain into his microphone and encouraging the audience to sing along to the transgressive rock anthem.

"We´ll fight the powers that be just/Don´t pick our destiny ´cause/You don´t know us, you don´t belong!"

The emcee introduced him as "America´s General," but to those in the audience, Flynn is far more than that: martyr, hero, leader, patriot, warrior.

The retired lieutenant general, former national security adviser, onetime anti-terrorism fighter, is now focused on his next task: building a movement centered on Christian nationalist ideas, where Christianity is at the center of American life and institutions.

Flynn brought his fight - a struggle he calls both spiritual and political - last month to a church in Batavia, New York, where thousands of people paid anywhere from a few dollars to up to $500 to hear and absorb his message that the United States is facing an existential threat, and that to save the nation, his supporters must act.

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Obamas return to the White House, unveil official portraits

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, returned to the White House Wednesday, unveiling official portraits with a modern vibe in an event that set humor and nostalgia over his presidency against the current harsh political talk about the survival of democracy.

While her husband cracked a few jokes about his gray hair, big ears and clothes in his portrait, Mrs.

Obama, a descendant of slaves, said the occasion for her was more about the promise of America for people like herself.

"Barack and Michelle, welcome home," declared President Joe Biden as the gathering cheered.

Biden, who was Obama´s vice president, praised his former boss´ leadership on health care, the economy and immigration and said nothing could have prepared him any better for being president than serving with Obama for those eight years.

"It was always about doing what was right," he said.

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Apple maintains prices on new iPhones despite inflation

CUPERTINO, Calif.

(AP) - Apple´s latest line-up of iPhones will boast better cameras, faster processors, and a longer lasting battery - all at the same prices as last year´s models, despite inflationary pressure that has driven up the cost of many other everyday items.

That pricing decision, revealed Wednesday during Apple's first in-person product event in three years, came as a mild surprise.

Many analysts predicted Apple would ask its devout fans to pay as much as 15% more to help offset rising costs for many components.

The hoopla surrounding Apple's new iPhone 14 models is part of a post-Labor Day ritual the company has staged annually for more than a decade.

Wednesday´s event was held on the company's Cupertino, California, campus at a theater named after company co-founder Steve Jobs. After Apple CEO Tim Cook strolled out on stage, most of the event consisted of pre-recorded video presentation that the company honed during previous events staged during the pandemic.

For several years, Apple´s new iPhones have mostly featured incremental upgrades to cameras and battery life, and this year's models were no exception. Pricing for the standard iPhone 14 will start at $799; the deluxe iPhone 14 Pro Max will start at $1099.

Among the latest improvements is a 48-megapixel camera in the Pro and Pro Max models that the company said will produce especially crisp pictures.

The iPhone 13 versions of the Pro and Pro Max have 12-megapixel cameras. This year´s high-end models will also have always-on displays that stay lit even when the device is locked, a feature that has long been available on many smartphones powered by Google´s Android software.

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EPA leader: Jackson needs 'fair share' of money to fix water

JACKSON, Miss.

(AP) - The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that he wants Mississippi's capital city to receive "its fair share" of federal money to repair a troubled water system that left homes and businesses without running water for several days.

Even with water flowing from taps and people again able to flush toilets this week, web designer malaysia Jackson lacks safe drinking water.

The city of 150,000 is in the sixth week of a boil-water advisory from the state health department because of concerns that low pressure could allow contaminants into the water.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan was in Jackson to meet with residents and state and local elected officials Wednesday.

He touted the $1 trillion federal infrastructure law that President Joe Biden signed in November.

Mississippi is set to receive more than $4 billion from the law, with most of the money designated for highways and bridges, the White House said.

The state's allocation includes $429 million over five years to improve water systems.

"It´s our desire that the city of Jackson gets its fair share," Regan said during a meeting with community leaders. "It´s our desire that the city of Jackson doesn´t have to live with what you all have lived with for far too long."

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Shelling resumes near Ukraine nuclear plant, despite risks

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Shelling resumed near Ukraine´s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, with the warring sides trading blame again on Wednesday, a day after the U.N.

atomic watchdog agency pressed for a safe zone there to prevent a catastrophe.

Russian forces fired rockets and heavy artillery on the city of Nikopol, on the opposite bank of the Dnieper River from Europe´s largest nuclear plant, regional Gov.

Valentyn Reznichenko said.

"There are fires, blackouts and other things at the (plant) that force us to prepare the local population for the consequences of the nuclear danger," Reznichenko said. Officials in recent days have distributed iodine pills to residents to help protect them in the event of a radiation leak.

In Enerhodar, where the power plant is located, Dmytro Orlov, the pre-occupation mayor, reported the city had come under Russian attack for a second time Wednesday and was without power.

"Employees of communal and other services simply do not have time to complete emergency and restoration work, as another shelling reduces their work to zero," he said on the Telegram messaging app.

The Russian side blamed the Ukrainians.

Vladimir Rogov, head of the Russia-installed Enerhodar administration, said on Telegram that heavy Ukrainian fighting had caused the city's blackout, and Russia's Defense Ministry blamed the outage on a Ukrainian attack on a power substation.

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Judge strikes down 1931 Michigan law criminalizing abortion

DETROIT (AP) - A judge on Wednesday struck down Michigan's 1931 anti-abortion law, months after suspending it, the latest development over abortion rights in a state where the issue is being argued in courtrooms and, possibly, at the ballot box.

The law, which was long dormant before the U.S.

Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, violates the Michigan Constitution, said Judge Elizabeth Gleicher.

"A law denying safe, routine medical care not only denies women of their ability to control their bodies and their lives - it denies them of their dignity," Gleicher of the Court of Claims wrote.

"Michigan´s Constitution forbids this violation of due process."

The decision comes as the Michigan Supreme Court is considering whether to place a proposed amendment on the Nov. 8 ballot that would add abortion rights to the state constitution. A Friday deadline is looming.

Supporters submitted more than 700,000 signatures, easily clearing the threshold.

But a tie vote by the Board of State Canvassers over spacing issues on the petition has kept it off the ballot so far.

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ALS drug gets rare second review at high-stakes FDA meeting

WASHINGTON (AP) - A closely watched experimental drug for Lou Gehrig´s disease got an unusual second look from U.S.

regulators on Wednesday, following intense pressure to approve the treatment for those with the fatal illness.

Patients and their families have rallied behind the drug from Amylyx Pharma, launching an aggressive lobbying campaign and enlisting members of Congress to push the Food and Drug Administration to grant approval.

The FDA has approved only two therapies for the disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which destroys nerve cells needed for basic functions like walking, talking and swallowing.

The more effective of the two drugs extends life by several months.

In a rare move, the FDA convened a second meeting of neurology advisers who narrowly voted against the company's drug in March. The panel was reviewing new statistical analyses from Amylyx and planned to vote again on whether to recommend approval.

The FDA is not required to follow's the group's guidance.

An internal review by FDA scientists posted ahead of the meeting struck a negative tone, concluding that the company's updated analysis was not "persuasive" and provided "no new data." On the other hand, the FDA's instructions to the panel stressed the need for regulatory flexibility when considering drugs for deadly diseases.

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Tiafoe beats Rublev; 1st US man in US Open SF in 16 years

NEW YORK (AP) - Frances Tiafoe became the first American man to reach the U.S.

Open semifinals since 2006 by beating Andrey Rublev 7-6 (3), 7-6 (0), 6-4 behind the backing of a boisterous partisan crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old Tiafoe, who grew up in Maryland, put on a performance just as strong, if not stronger, than the one he used to eliminate 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in the fourth round.

"Man, man, this is wild. This is crazy. Had the biggest win of my life 24 hours ago. ... That´s huge growth. it´s tough to turn the page," said Tiafoe, who is seeded 22nd at Flushing Meadows.

Then, looking ahead, and making sure everyone knows this big milestone is not enough to satisfy him, Tiafoe said: "Let´s enjoy this one. We've got two more, guys. We've got two more."

Andy Roddick was the last U.S.

man to get to the semifinals in New York, when he lost to Roger Fededer in the title match 16 years ago. Roddick also was the last man from the country to win any Grand Slam singles championship, taking the 2003 U.S. Open.