CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — After stumbling out of the starting gate in Big Tech’s pivotal race to capitalize on artificial intelligence, Apple tried to regain its footing Monday during an annual developers conference that focused mostly on incremental advances and cosmetic changes in its technology. The presummer rite, which attracted thousands of developers from nearly […]
WASHINGTON (AP) — As they get ready in their hotel room, Bella Bautista trades makeup tips with the roommate she has just met. Bautista, her cheekbones high and her confidence glowing, asks her roommate to curl her highlighted hair in the back. Jae Douglas obliges cheerfully. Bautista, 22, is a college cheerleader turned pageant contestant. […]
WASHINGTON (AP) — Gray skies and drizzle gave way to sunshine, multicolored flags and celebrations as the nation’s capital held the World Pride parade Saturday. Tens of thousands of people participated in parades and other festivities, in defiance of what activists say is an unprecedented assault on the LGBTQ+ community that challenges the rights many […]
WASHINGTON (AP) — David Perry recalls being young and gay in 1980s Washington D.C. and having “an absolute blast.” He was fresh out of college, raised in Richmond, Virginia, and had long viewed the nation’s capital as “the big city” where he could finally embrace his true self. He came out of the closet here, […]
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Residents will gather Saturday in a scenic Minneapolis neighborhood for an annual ritual — the sharpening of a gigantic No. 2 pencil. The 20-foot-tall (6-meter-tall) pencil was sculpted out of a mammoth oak tree at the home of John and Amy Higgins. The beloved tree was damaged in a storm a few […]
NEW YORK (AP) — Craft labels from the now-shuttered fabrics seller Joann are making their way to a new home: Michaels. The Michaels Companies announced on Thursday that it had completed its purchase of Joann’s intellectual property and private label brands — in an acquisition that arrives as the Texas-based arts and crafting chain works […]
Midea is voluntarily recalling about 1.7 million of its popular U and U+ Smart air conditioners because pooled water in the units may not drain fast enough, leading to mold growth. The news comes as temperatures are rising across the U.S. and the official start of summer rapidly approaches. The Midea air conditioners fit in […]
NEW YORK (AP) — Inside a Walmart store in New Jersey, a worker puts the finishing touches on a cake with an edible ink Sponge Bob on top. A colleague creates a buttercream rosette border for a different cake, while another co-worker frosts a tier of what will be a triple-deck dessert. It’s graduation season, […]
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Steve Hubbard was back teaching yoga in a San Diego beachfront park on Thursday, the day after a federal appeals court ruled against the California city’s ban on his classes in shoreline parks and beaches. “We’re all happy to be back,” Hubbard, who is known as “NamaSteve,” said as at least […]
NEW YORK (AP) — Strawberry, Blueberry, JoJo and Mazzy were about 6 weeks old when animal rescuers coaxed them out of long metal pipes in the parking lot of a storage unit company. Meatball was a single kitten living in a cold garage with a group of semi-feral adult cats. Spaghetti, Macaroni and Rigatoni, meanwhile, […]
NEW YORK (AP) — Edmund White, the groundbreaking man of letters who documented and imagined the gay revolution through journalism, essays, plays and such novels as “A Boy’s Own Story” and “The Beautiful Room is Empty,” has died. He was 85. White’s death was confirmed Wednesday by his agent, Bill Clegg. Along with Larry Kramer, […]
Spanish may be the most spoken language at home behind English, except in three U.S. states, but the second most-popular, non-English languages used in each state show off the diversity of the United States in unexpected places, whether it’s Korean in Alabama or Vietnamese in Kansas. Almost 22% of U.S. residents age 5 and older […]
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Walk into enough gas stations and they’re likely easy to find: gummies, drinks and vapes infused with THC, the compound that gives marijuana its psychoactive properties. That’s given lawmakers across the U.S. headaches over how to regulate the booming market, and it’s a conflict now taking hold in Texas, where a […]
Pride Month kicks off with events around the world starting this weekend. It’s an annual series of parades and other gatherings to celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and rights. At its heart, Pride is both a party and a protest. In the U.S. this year, that means speaking out against a slew of policies that impose restrictions […]
LAS VEGAS (AP) — It wasn’t going to be easy to track down the woman who came to be known as “Miss Atomic Bomb.” All Robert Friedrichs had to go on was a stage name he found printed under an archival newspaper photo that showed her posing with other Las Vegas showgirls. It would take […]
Snack food maker Mondelez International is suing the Aldi supermarket chain, alleging the packaging for Aldi’s store-brand cookies and crackers “blatantly copies” Mondelez products like Chips Ahoy, Wheat Thins and Oreos. In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Illinois, Chicago-based Mondelez said Aldi’s packaging was “likely to deceive and confuse customers” and threatened to irreparably […]
OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Faizan Zaki nearly threw away his opportunity to go from runner-up to champion at the Scripps National Spelling Bee with a shocking moment of overconfidence. Given a second chance, he seized the title of best speller in the English language. The 13-year-old from Allen, Texas, who lost in a lightning-round […]
OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — With the benefit of hindsight, Vikram Raju knows there was almost no chance he would win after being a runner-up in the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee. “The chances of getting that high are infinitesimally small, and the chances of doing it again are an order of magnitude smaller, obviously,” […]
NEW YORK (AP) — Gen Z is disillusioned with major institutions and the philanthropic sector knows it. The generation tends to lack faith in the political, economic and social structures expected by their predecessors to safeguard their futures. Born out of the idea that young people distrust institutions because they don’t feel served or included, […]
OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — The best young spellers in the English language competed at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stragglers beware: U.S. travelers flying with United Airlines will have to check in to domestic flights a little earlier starting next week. That is, if they’re customers only taking carry-on bags. Effective June 3, United’s “check-in cutoff” for most U.S. flights will be 45 minutes before departure. That’s the same deadline […]
