Associated Press

Associated Press

NYC’s Rikers Island jail hosts World Cup watch party for inmates

NEW YORK (AP) — Offices, public parks, bars — watch parties popped up at all the usual spots for Wednesday’s semifinal World Cup match. But one was in something of an unusual location: New York’s sprawling Rikers Island correctional facility, better known for its overcrowding and mismanagement woes than for hosting social events. More than […]
18 days ago

Muslim man in Utah was targeted in stabbing because of his religion, police say

A Utah man told police he repeatedly stabbed a Muslim man because of the man’s faith and intended to kill him, according to court records filed Monday. The Muslim man survived the attack Monday afternoon at a mall southeast of Salt Lake City. But he’s expected to face a long recovery after suffering more than […]
19 days ago

Hegseth announces new policy to test troops for low testosterone

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that he is rolling out a new screening program for “testosterone deficiency” among troops, calling it necessary to allow them to operate at their “absolute best.” The new screenings will be conducted annually as part of service members’ required medical screenings for those 30 and older, […]
19 days ago

The Latest: Argentina and England revive their fierce rivalry in the World Cup semifinal

Argentina faces England in a World Cup semifinal match that pits soccer great Lionel Messi against the young superstar Jude Bellingham. The winner will meet Spain, whose defensive prowess and swagger allowed them to clinch a spot in the World Cup final with a 2-0 win against France on Tuesday. Follow along for live updates, […]
19 days ago

US Mint begins producing a $1 coin bearing Trump’s face that will be available in the fall

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Mint has begun producing a new $1 coin bearing President Donald Trump’s face that will be released in the fall, the Treasury Department said Wednesday. The final design for America’s 250th birthday was approved earlier this year by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members were appointed by Trump. […]
19 days ago

Fed chair Warsh sidesteps Senate questions on inflation, AI, contact with Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh on Wednesday sought to evade a range of questions from senators on issues such as the impact of AI on inflation, what contacts he has had with President Donald Trump, and how the central bank will determine the persistence of inflation. Warsh has said since taking office […]
19 days ago

Buffett says Gates’ Epstein ties are ‘distasteful’ but didn’t drive Buffett’s charitable decisions

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire Warren Buffett said Wednesday that his decision to cut the Gates Foundation out of his charitable giving is more about believing his three kids are ready to handle giving away his entire fortune than it is about Bill Gates ‘ ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Buffett told CNBC […]
19 days ago

Federal government installs reworked panels about slavery at George Washington’s Philadelphia home

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Trump Administration followed through on its pledge to rework and then reinstall panels about slavery at the site of President George Washington’s home in Philadelphia. Critics have warned that the new panels replacing the ones exhibited since 2010 whitewash the history of slavery. They were installed Wednesday morning in the same […]
19 days ago

House Republicans unveil $95 billion plan for the Iran war, farm aid and elections

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Wednesday unveiled a $95 billion package focused on boosting defense, aiding farmers and enacting stricter voter registration rules, a sequel to the massive tax and spending cut bill that President Donald Trump signed into law last year. The 47-page bill, called a budget resolution, is a long-shot undertaking designed […]
19 days ago

Rescuers are still searching for 3 people after a boat sank in San Francisco Bay, leaving 1 dead

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Rescuers were still searching for three people missing after a boat involved in a memorial service sank in the cold waters and strong currents of San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island, authorities said Wednesday. One person was plucked from the water by rescue crews but later died, and 16 people were […]
19 days ago

Senate committee reviews Erica Schwartz’s nomination to take over beleaguered CDC

The revolving-door leadership of the nation’s top public health agency took another potential turn on Wednesday, as Dr. Erica Schwartz’s nomination came before a U.S. Senate committee. Schwartz, 54, is up for director of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is charged with protecting Americans from preventable health threats. Her career has […]
19 days ago

The Latest: Todd Blanche faces US Senate for DOJ confirmation hearing

WASHINGTON (AP) — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is set to confront questions about his brief but turbulent tenure atop the Justice Department during a Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday that will test President Donald Trump’s grip on Republican lawmakers whose support the nominee will need for the job. Blanche, according to prepared remarks released before […]
19 days ago

Report: Detainees at ICE facility in Texas report frequent beatings and other human rights abuses

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dozens of people held at a sprawling Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Texas say they were either beaten by guards or witnessed others being beaten, according to a new report issued by legal and human rights advocates. The 84-page report issued jointly Wednesday by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil […]
19 days ago

Heavy rains keep drenching South Texas, tornado reported in San Antonio

UVALDE, Texas (AP) — Slow-moving storms drenched much of South Texas with more heavy rain on Wednesday, spawning a tornado in San Antonio after downpours washed out roads and farmland and led to dozens of high-water rescues across the region. The National Weather Service said a tornado touched down in the northwestern part of San […]
19 days ago

Donald Trump endorses ‘Pillow Man’ Mike Lindell for Minnesota governor

President Donald Trump has endorsed MyPillow founder Mike Lindell for Minnesota governor, praising him as “one of America’s greatest and most hard working Patriots.” Lindell established his national profile from his TV advertising campaign as the MyPillow Guy and has been one of Trump’s most outspoken supporters, echoing the Republican president’s false claims his 2020 […]
19 days ago

Faint new planet is revealed around a young star after a decade in hiding

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronomers have discovered a faint, elusive planet orbiting a young star after more than a decade of cosmic hide-and-seek. In an unusual twist, two groups working independently detected the cold gas giant a few days apart late last year using different telescopes. It’s the dimmest planet ever directly imaged from […]
19 days ago

Trump: ICE should continue traffic stops after recent shootings, seeming to contradict new policy

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says Immigration and Customs Enforcement should continue traffic stops after recent fatal shootings, seeming to contradict a new policy to halt them.
19 days ago

US negotiator Brett McGurk will release a book on the Hamas hostage crisis

NEW YORK (AP) — A lead U.S. negotiator for the release of hundreds of people captured by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel will have a book out this fall. The Penguin Random House imprint Crown has scheduled Brett McGurk’s “Brink: Inside the Race to Free the October 7 Hostages” for Oct. […]
19 days ago

Blanche faces Senate scrutiny with Republican support key to his confirmation as attorney general

WASHINGTON (AP) — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will confront questions Wednesday about his brief but turbulent tenure atop the Justice Department during a Senate confirmation hearing that will test President Donald Trump’s grip on Republican lawmakers whose support the nominee will need for the job. Blanche, Trump’s former personal attorney, has run the department […]
19 days ago

Human rights groups sue over Trump administration’s sanctions on ICC for investigations into Israel

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two human rights groups say Trump administration sanctions imposed on the International Criminal Court over its investigations of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza have illegally impeded their ability to advocate for Palestinians. The organizations say in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that they have been forced to censor their own advocacy work […]
19 days ago

Biden will publish ‘Promise Me, America’ memoir after the November midterm elections

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Joe Biden will publish a memoir this fall, publisher Little, Brown and Company told The Associated Press. “Promise Me, America,” which Biden says will touch upon everything from the economy to his decision to drop his bid for reelection, is scheduled to come out Nov. 17. The timing of […]
19 days ago

Search and rescue operation for a sunken pontoon boat near Alcatraz Island, in photos

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Emergency crews responded to a pontoon boat that sank Tuesday afternoon in the waters off San Francisco while carrying mostly family members as part of a memorial service. Rescuers arriving near Alcatraz Island, once an infamous federal prison and now a tourist destination, found the three-deck pontoon vessel almost fully submerged […]
19 days ago

Former Obama counsel Kathryn Ruemmler to testify in Epstein probe

WASHINTON (AP) — Kathryn Ruemmler, the former top lawyer at Goldman Sachs who was White House counsel to President Barack Obama, is set to face questioning before a House committee Wednesday about her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Ruemmler is the latest prominent figure called before the House Oversight Committee as lawmakers investigate the network of […]
19 days ago

Asian shares rise after rally on Wall Street as data show US inflation slowing

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose Wednesday, tracking a rally on Wall Street following a report that showed U.S. inflation was not as bad last month as economists expected. South Korea’s Kospi surged 7.1% to 7,343.37 as prices rebounded from a recent sell-off in semiconductor stocks. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.9% to 68,353.91. […]
19 days ago