Associated Press

Associated Press

California air regulators update a key climate program, sparking pushback from environmentalists

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California air regulators updated the rules of a key climate program on Friday in a move widely protested by environmental groups who said the changes would weaken the program and undercut efforts to curb planet-warming emissions. The oil industry, meanwhile, said the program will still hinder efforts to bring down energy […]
3 months ago

Blue Origin investigates rocket explosion as public is warned about possible wreckage washing ashore

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is assessing damage to its launch pad after a rocket exploded during a test firing.
3 months ago

US commander meets with Cuban military officials as Trump pressures island nation

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top U.S. commander in Latin America met with Cuban military leaders on Friday in a “brief exchange on operational security matters” near the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, the latest official to visit the island nation as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on its leaders. Trump has warned that […]
3 months ago

Crews recover another worker after Washington chemical tank collapse as details about victims emerge

Crews on Friday recovered the remains of one more victim of a massive chemical tank rupture at a paper mill in Washington state, leaving two workers still unaccounted for. Among the 11 workers killed in the disaster were two brothers who worked there together, a trivia champ and an electrician who would help his farmer […]
3 months ago

Trump jumps into 2 GOP governor primaries, backing Evette in South Carolina and Feenstra in Iowa

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump endorsed two Republican gubernatorial candidates Friday, wading into contests in South Carolina and Iowa that have pitted allies against each other in a fierce competition for their party leader’s blessing. In a pair of social media posts, Trump gave his backing to South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette […]
3 months ago

US and China trade journalist expulsions days after Trump visits Xi in Beijing

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has revoked the visa of a Chinese national working for the state news agency Xinhua in the United States, in an apparent reciprocal act to Beijing’s decision to expel a New York Times reporter. A person familiar with the matter confirmed the visa had been revoked. The person spoke […]
3 months ago

Jackson State’s new president will get leadership training for a role previously marked by turmoil

Jackson State University’s new president will receive a year of outside leadership training as she transitions into the job, which has been tumultuous for her predecessors. Denise Jones Gregory took the permanent role of president on May 1 after holding the interim role for a year. She is entering a position that has been held […]
3 months ago

SEC moves to repeal rule that requires companies to report greenhouse gas emissions and climate risk

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the latest action to undo Biden-era regulations on climate change, the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday proposed repealing a rule that requires some public companies to report their greenhouse gas emissions and the risks they face from global warming. The climate-disclosure rule has been on hold since last year, after […]
3 months ago

NJ governor sends state police to set up protest zone outside contested immigration detention center

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is sending state police to bring order to an immigration detention center in Newark that has been the site of violent demonstrations and arrests in recent days. The Democrat announced Friday that police will create designated protest zones and set up vehicle checkpoints to regulate traffic outside Delaney Hall. She […]
3 months ago

US adult cigarette smoking rate hits another all-time low

NEW YORK (AP) — The cigarette smoking rate among U.S. adults dropped to another all-time low last year, with 1 in 11 adults saying they were current smokers, according to government survey data released this week. Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer, heart disease and stroke, and it’s long been considered the […]
3 months ago

Former Southern California mayor pleads guilty to secretly acting as agent of Chinese government

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former Southern California mayor pleaded guilty Friday to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government. Eileen Wang, who stepped down as the mayor of Arcadia earlier this month, was charged in April with one count of acting in the United States as an illegal agent of a foreign […]
3 months ago

Federal judge says New Hampshire must make it easier to prove citizenship when registering to vote

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A federal judge has said that New Hampshire must make voter registration easier by allowing applicants to attest to their U.S. citizenship if they don’t have the documents to prove it. The case was seen as the first major legal test of an election reform that has been pushed nationally by […]
3 months ago

Judge says Kennedy Center board broke law putting Trump’s name on building, blocks closure

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center and blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., ruled that the Kennedy Center board’s March 16 vote to close the facility […]
3 months ago

Trump administration grants rare TPS reprieve, extending protections for 11,000 Lebanese

MIAMI (AP) — The Trump administration has extended protections shielding about 11,000 Lebanese from deportation, allowing them to stay and work in the United States for another six months. The decision, announced Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security, marked a rare reprieve for people protected by temporary measures which have been harshly criticized by […]
3 months ago

Trump claims he’s making food more affordable but his examples ignore the big picture

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, the president proclaimed “TRUMP’S MAKING FOOD AFFORDABLE,” and cited falling prices for a range of groceries, including avocados, fresh berries, and a variety of pantry staples. Yet just two weeks earlier the Labor Department had released inflation figures showing grocery prices up nearly 3% in […]
3 months ago

A robot is helping an ailing couple stay in their home. Are more to come for an aging population?

DURHAM, N.H. (AP) — After outliving Booker T. Bones, their second service dog, Brenda and Brian Marquis still needed help with some of the more difficult parts of daily life. They found Robbie, a robot that rolls out of a hallway into their living room several times a day. “Do you want to exercise now? […]
3 months ago

ICE officer wanted for shooting a man during the Minneapolis crackdown is arrested in Texas

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal immigration officer wanted for shooting a Venezuelan man during the Trump administration’s Minnesota crackdown was arrested Friday in Texas, authorities said. Christian Castro, of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, was taken into custody 11 days after Minneapolis prosecutors charged him with assault and falsely reporting a crime in the […]
3 months ago

Dallas chief says firefighters were preparing to evacuate residents when apartment building exploded

DALLAS (AP) — Firefighters responding to reports of a gas leak had arrived at a Dallas apartment building and were preparing to evacuate residents when it exploded in a massive fireball, killing three people and injuring several more, the city’s fire chief said Friday. Dallas Fire-Rescue Chief Justin Ball said the first responders did “everything […]
3 months ago

In farm country, an old American pickup truck becomes more than a workhorse

EFFINGHAM, Illinois (AP) — In Illinois farm country, there’s a 70-year-old pickup truck waiting on a fresh coat of canary yellow paint. It’s the first vehicle my dad learned to drive, as a young boy helping with farm chores during the day and adventuring with friends at night. At the time, the 1956 International Harvester […]
3 months ago

Louisiana Republicans are poised to pass new US House districts in wider redistricting fight

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana’s Republican-controlled Senate is poised to pass a plan Friday to help the GOP maintain control of the U.S. House in November, potentially becoming the latest Southern state to eliminate a majority-Black congressional district that elected a Democrat. The state Senate is set to vote on a redistricting plan that […]
3 months ago

In a city with an iconic skyline, the Obama presidential museum aims to reshape Chicago architecture

CHICAGO (AP) — The granite monolith soars above a leafy stretch of Chicago’s South Side, a nearly windowless exterior more suited to a sci-fi film set than the state-of-the art presidential museum held within. Crews are putting the finishing touches on the Obama Presidential Center ahead of the official public opening on Juneteenth, more than […]
3 months ago

Car crashes into a passenger terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, driver arrested

ROMULUS, Mich. (AP) — A car crashed into a passenger terminal Friday at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, and the driver was immediately arrested. Images posted online by TV stations showed a SUV inside the terminal and a man in handcuffs outside a police car. It’s unclear how the vehicle got around concrete barriers along the curb. […]
3 months ago

Questions dog tentative US-Iran deal as Iranian official says concessions come ‘through missiles’

WASHINGTON (AP) — Uncertainty swirled Friday around what the U.S. called a tentative deal to extend the ceasefire in its war with Iran. It wasn’t clear whether U.S. President Donald Trump supports it, and a top Iranian official said his country wins concessions “through missiles,” not talks. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Thursday the […]
3 months ago

Judge temporarily blocks payouts from Trump’s $1.8B ‘anti-weaponization’ settlement fund

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked any payouts from the Trump administration’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” settlement fund.
3 months ago