Austin Peay State University will also pay theater and dance professor Darren Michael $500,000 in settlement

Austin Peay State University has reinstated a professor who was fired for his social media post after the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The Tennessee school is also paying the teacher $500,000 in the settlement.

Austin Peay spokesperson Brian Dunn said Darren Michael returned to his position as a tenured faculty member at the public university in Clarksville effective 30 December. A copy of the settlement agreement obtained through a public records request includes a $500,000 payment and reimbursement of counseling, as reported earlier this week by WKRN-TV.

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© Photograph: Olga Fedorova/EPA

© Photograph: Olga Fedorova/EPA

The seizure Wednesday of the Russian-flagged tanker in the North Atlantic “can only lead to a further escalation of military and political tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region, as well as a visible lowering of the ‘threshold for the use of force’ against peaceful shipping,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

From front-page news to powerful moments you may have missed, this gallery showcases today’s top photos chosen by Associated Press photo editors.

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Jan. 2 - 8, 2026

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The Senate has advanced a resolution that would limit President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela, sounding a note of disapproval for his expanding ambitions in the Western Hemisphere

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President Donald Trump is causing some commotion for investors in U.S. defense contractors this week

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The incident led to a two-hour delay in takeoff

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Somalia’s government is denying an allegation by the U.S. government that authorities in Mogadishu destroyed an American-funded warehouse belonging to the World Food Program

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Minneapolis is on edge following the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer taking part in the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown

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They include a crucial climate treaty and a UN body promoting gender equality and women's empowerment

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US bobsled push athlete Charlie Volker revealed his decision Wednesday, less than two weeks before USA Bobsled and Skeleton will nominate its Olympic roster.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's owners announced that they will be shutting the 240-year-old paper on May 3 due to financial losses.

If lawmakers vote next week to expel the 59-year-old Sen. Dan McKeon, a Republican in the officially nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature, it will be the first time the body has ever done so.

Glenn Hall, a Hockey Hall of Famer whose streak of 502 starts as a goaltender remains an NHL record, has died. He was 94.

The Trump administration says it’s going to depart 66 international organizations, nearly half them affiliated with the United Nations

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From front-page news to powerful moments you may have missed, this gallery showcases today’s top photos chosen by Associated Press photo editors.

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An ICE officer shot and killed a motorist in Minneapolis on Wednesday during the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown on a major American city.

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US employers posted significantly fewer jobs in November than the previous month.

Cuban, Colombians and Mexicans are going about their everyday routines as U.S. President Donald Trump warns these countries to fall in line after the U.S. military raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

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