Associated Press

Associated Press

Nearly a century of wondering: The American UFO saga, in reality and in fiction

UFOs, or the notion of them, have been around a long time. Here’s a look at how the various iterations of the subject — from government investigations to sightings to movies and TV — have unfolded since World War II: ___ 1947: First widely reported UFO sighting in US On June 24, private pilot Kenneth […]
5 months ago

Hollywood’s narrative on UFOs and ETs reaches back many decades

Before zombies shambled about, ghoulishly feasting on the flesh of those too slow to flee, aliens from outer space ruled movie theaters, drive-ins and late Saturday night creature features on television. Even as Hollywood still drives how Americans envision little green men with big eyes and bigger heads, fiction soon could be separated from — […]
5 months ago

As Trump orders UFO data released, a question hangs: If aliens exist, what would they think of us?

For generations, human beings have wondered: What would alien life from another planet be like? But we rarely ask the opposite: What would they think of us? It’s a question that can produce some, well, uncomfortable answers if you happen to be an earthling. “If I were looking at Earth from a distance, I would […]
5 months ago

Moms for Liberty wanted a seat on the school board. Trump gave them a voice in the White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Donald Trump signed an executive order against transgender athletes last year, he took a moment to thank Tina Descovich, co-founder and CEO of Moms for Liberty. Descovich was back at the White House a few months later, seated alongside CEOs of Google and IBM to weigh in on artificial intelligence […]
5 months ago

US military aircraft hit in Iran war are first shot down by enemy fire in over 20 years

WASHINGTON (AP) — Iran shooting down two American military aircraft marks an exceedingly rare assault for the U.S. that has not happened in more than 20 years and shows the Islamic Republic’s continued ability to hit back despite President Donald Trump asserting it has been “completely decimated.” The attacks came five weeks after U.S. and […]
5 months ago

China aims to show global leadership with Iran war diplomacy. US appears uninterested

WASHINGTON (AP) — China is stepping up its diplomacy on the Iran war, putting forward a five-point proposal with Pakistan, rallying support from Gulf countries and opposing a United Nations proposal to use any force necessary to open the Strait of Hormuz. It is China’s latest push for a more prominent role in global affairs, […]
5 months ago

Former death row inmate asks Utah judge to dismiss murder case slated for retrial

PROVO, Utah (AP) — A man who spent decades on death row in Utah asked a judge Friday to throw out his aggravated murder case after the state Supreme Court last year ordered a new trial due to misconduct by investigators. Douglas Stewart Carter, 70, was sentenced to death in 1985 after a jury found […]
5 months ago

A fast-growing wildfire in windy Southern California triggers evacuations

A smoky and fast-growing wildfire Friday in windy Southern California has prompted multiple evacuation orders and warnings.
5 months ago

Trump administration to rejoin offshore drilling agencies separated after 2010 Gulf oil spill

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration said Friday it is combining two agencies that were separated in the aftermath of the 2010 Gulf oil spill as part of an overhaul to increase efficiency and speed up permitting for offshore oil and gas drilling. The new Marine Minerals Administration will bring together the functions of the […]
5 months ago

President Trump signs executive order that aims to stabilize college sports

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday aimed at restoring “order, fairness and stability” to college athletics. The order directs federal agencies to bolster the effectiveness of key rules on transferring, eligibility and pay-for-play by evaluating whether violations of such rules render a university unfit for federal grants and contracts. The order also calls […]
5 months ago

Lawyers say up to 75 women expected to benefit from Bank of America settlement in Epstein sex abuse

NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers say up to 75 women who were sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein since 2008 may benefit from a $72.5 million fund set up as part of a settlement Bank of America reached with lawyers representing the women. U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff gave the deal preliminary approval Thursday and […]
5 months ago

12-year-old was arrested in death of a classmate who was hit in the head by a metal water bottle

A 12-year-old has been arrested in connection with the death of a classmate who was hit in the head with a metal water bottle during an alleged bullying incident at a Los Angeles school, authorities said Friday. The juvenile, whose age and gender have not been made public, was arrested on suspicion of murder on […]
5 months ago

Orcas never seen before in Seattle delight whale watchers with a visit

Seattle (AP) — When tourists travel to Seattle, it’s common to take in the Space Needle and the downtown skyline from Puget Sound. It’s an itinerary that a newly arrived pod of killer whales appears to be following too. Three orcas that had not previously been recorded in the Seattle area have delighted whale watchers […]
5 months ago

Children race to gather marshmallows dropped from a helicopter at pair of Michigan parks

WESTLAND, Mich. (AP) — It was cloudy with a chance of marshmallows at two Detroit-area parks Friday as kids raced to collect thousands of the gooey treats dropped from a helicopter. The annual Marshmallow Drop, hosted by Wayne County Parks, took place two hours apart in Trenton, Michigan, and Westland, Michigan. “It was great. The […]
5 months ago

Justice Alito fell ill at a March event and was treated for dehydration, Supreme Court says

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito fell ill at an event in Philadelphia last month and was treated for dehydration before returning home to suburban Washington, the court’s spokeswoman said Friday. Alito’s illness did not require an overnight hospital stay and he was back on the bench the following Monday, spokeswoman Patricia McCabe […]
5 months ago

Georgia lawmakers pass a bill that advocates fear will land homeless people in jail

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia lawmakers passed a bill early Friday that would allow property owners to file claims against local governments if the individual believes policies that ban people from sleeping outside and require law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities were not enforced. If Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signs the bill, individuals will […]
5 months ago

New Jersey state troopers rescue bear cub from highway ditch

UNION TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — State police troopers came to the rescue of a bear cub found in a ditch along the side of a major interstate highway in northern New Jersey. Troopers from the Perryville station responded shortly before 1:40 p.m. Wednesday to milepost 12.2 on I-78 eastbound in Union Township. The animal was […]
5 months ago

Descendants of Choctaw code talkers gather in Fort Worth for historical marker unveiling

Nuchi Nashoba grew up looking at a photograph of her great-grandfather Ben Carterby inside her grandmother’s Oklahoma home. But, she didn’t know much about the man in the frame other than that he was a World War I veteran. It wasn’t until 1989 — when Nashoba was in her late 20s — that she learned […]
5 months ago

Checking a bag on United Airlines now costs $10 more as jet fuel costs soar

Most travelers flying with United Airlines will now pay $10 more to check their luggage beginning on Friday, as rising jet fuel costs driven by the war in the Middle East pushes another major U.S. carrier to increase fees. Customers traveling in the United States, Mexico, Canada and Latin America will now pay $45 for […]
5 months ago

Democrats see Georgia’s failure to curb data centers as an electoral gift

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia state lawmakers spent months debating ideas to curb the impact of data centers. But as their annual legislative session ended Thursday, they did nothing. Now with election season upon them, lawmakers are returning home to find local communities up in arms against the warehouses full of computers that power artificial intelligence. […]
5 months ago

Raw dairy farm recalls some cheese products as FDA investigates E. coli outbreak

WASHINGTON (AP) — A California dairy producer that health authorities have been investigating amid an ongoing outbreak of E. coli is recalling some of its raw cheese products, after initially refusing to do so. Raw Farm of Fresno, California, said Thursday it is voluntarily recalling more than a half-dozen varieties of its cheddar cheese made […]
5 months ago

Former Turnstile guitarist is accused of hitting an ex-bandmate’s dad with his car

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — A former guitarist for Grammy-winning Baltimore hardcore band Turnstile has been charged with attempted murder after authorities say he chased down and struck a former bandmate’s father with his car, badly injuring him. Montgomery County police officers responding to a Sunday report about a pedestrian being struck in the Washington, […]
5 months ago

Home mitigation bill heads to Mississippi governor in yearslong effort to improve storm resilience

After nearly two decades of paralysis on the issue, Mississippi officials are inching closer to establishing a state home mitigation program to protect residents from natural disasters. Storm preparation experts say such a program is vital to building resilience as the dangers from climate change continue to grow. Senate Bill 2409, which would create the […]
5 months ago

Tennessee eases up on its unique child support rule for restoring voting rights after a felony

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A new Tennessee law has eased up on two longstanding financial hurdles for people with felony sentences who want their voting rights back, including a unique requirement among states that they must have fully paid their child support costs. The Republican-supermajority Legislature approved the Democratic-sponsored change, which now lets people prove […]
5 months ago