AP Trending SummaryBrief at 11:06 p.m. EST

HONOLULU (AP) — Officials at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park are bracing for crowds eager to get a glimpse of lava fountaining from an eruption. The eruption began last month in a crater at the summit of Kilauea volcano and has paused periodically. It resumed Wednesday morning as a small and sluggish flow and then increased into a fountain several hundred feet high. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says it's possible fountain heights will increase as more gas-rich lava erupts. The eruption is visible from many public overlooks in the park on Hawaii's Big Island. The lava is not posing a hazard to homes or infrastructure.

Drake sues Universal Music for defamation related to Kendrick Lamar diss track 'Not Like Us'

The leading hip-hop superstar beef has been cranked up another notch, with Drake suing Universal Music Group for defamation over rival Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us.” The lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in New York alleges UMG published and promoted the track, even though it included false pedophilia allegations against Drake and suggested listeners should resort to vigilante justice. Lamar is not named in the suit. Universal Music Group, the parent record label for both artists, denies the allegations. The lawsuit claims the track led to violence at Drake's home in Toronto, tarnished his reputation and decreased the value of his brand.

Conor McGregor is being sued for alleged sexual battery at 2023 NBA final

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Former UFC champion Conor McGregor is being sued by a woman who accused him of sexual assault but was unable to get authorities to file charges in 2023. The lawsuit also accuses staff and security at the Kaseya Center of gross negligence. The center is the arena for the Miami Heat NBA team, and is where the woman says the assault took place. Her attorney, James Dunn, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida.

Trump adviser says president-elect is exploring options to 'preserve' TikTok

Trump’s pick for national security adviser, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, said during an interview on Wednesday that the president-elect is exploring options to “preserve” TikTok. Waltz made the comment after he was asked by Fox News anchor Bret Baier about a report from the Washington Post that said Trump was considering an executive order to suspend enforcement of the federal law that could ban the app by Sunday. Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a legal challenge to the statute brought by TikTok its China-based parent company ByteDance, and users of the app. The Justices seemed likely to uphold the law.

Kid Rock, Jason Aldean to perform during Trump's Inauguration weekend

A host of big-name performers including Kid Rock and country singer Jason Aldean will be making their way to Washington to perform at various presidential inauguration events over the weekend. On Wednesday, the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee unveiled most of the lineup, including Rascal Flatts, Billy Ray Cyrus and Gavin DeGraw. Events include the official swearing-in, a "Make America Great Again" rally and a trio of balls taking place Monday night. The full roster includes previously announced acts like Carrie Underwood, Lee Greenwood, The Village People and opera tenor Christopher Maccio.

No cupcakes, no cosmos: 'Sex and the City' brownstone in NYC will get a gate to deter tourists

NEW YORK (AP) — The front staircase of the Manhattan brownstone where Carrie Bradshaw lived in “Sex and the City” is getting a metal gate to keep away tourists who endlessly trespass and pose for pictures. The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission approved an application for a gate Tuesday. Longtime building owner Barbara Lorber complained about “the endless presence of interest in my celebrity staircase.” The staircase has been chained off with a “no trespassing” sign. But one neighbor told the commission that the chain has failed to deter fans of the show, who create a nuisance on the block.

British author Neil Gaiman denies ever engaging in non-consensual sex as more accusers come forward

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Best-selling British author Neil Gaiman has released a statement denying he has ever engaged in non-consensual sex after a magazine published allegations from several women, accusing him of sexual assault. The 64-year-old author of “The Sandman” comic book series and novel “American Gods” was responding on Wednesday to a New York Magazine article that detailed allegations of assault, abuse and coercion made by eight women. The allegations of four of them had been broadcast in July last year in a podcast and most relate to occasions when Gaiman was in his 40s or older and living in the United States, Britain and New Zealand.

US in plea talks with Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. prosecutors said Wednesday they’re discussing a potential plea deal with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the long-elusive Mexican drug lord arrested last summer. And if he goes to trial in his drug trafficking case, his own son could be called to testify against him. Prosecutors said at a federal court hearing in New York Wednesday that the plea discussions with Zambada haven’t borne fruit so far, but they want to keep trying to reach a deal. A judge set April 22 for an update. Zambada’s attorney declined to comment. Meanwhile, prosecutors have said Zambada's son Vicente might be called to testify for the government if there's a trial. He testified at the trial of Sinaloa cartel  Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

Ancient DNA suggests women were at the heart of social networks in Celtic society in Britain

Genetic evidence from a late Iron Age cemetery in southern Britain shows that women were closely related while unrelated men tended to come into the community from elsewhere, likely after marriage. The study published Wednesday in the journal Nature shows that female family ties were central to the organization of Celtic society in southern Britain before the Roman invasion. Researchers studied ancient DNA from 57 graves in Dorset in southwest England. They found that two-thirds of the individuals who lived between 100 B.C. and 200 A.D.  were descended from a single maternal lineage. This pattern is historically rare.

2 private lunar landers head toward the moon in a roundabout journey

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX has launched a pair of lunar landers for U.S. and Japanese companies looking to jumpstart business up there. The two landers rocketed away early Wednesday from Florida, the latest in a stream of private spacecraft aiming for the moon. They shared the ride to save money but planned to peel away on separate roundabout routes. Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander should arrive in March. Tokyo's ispace company expects its Resilience lander to get there by May or June. This is the second moon mission for ispace. Its first ended with a crash in 2023.