United Airlines raises bag fees amid rising fuel costs and introduces tiered premium fares
Most travelers flying with United Airlines will pay $10 more to check their luggage beginning Friday, as higher jet fuel costs driven by the war in the Middle East push another major U.S. carrier to increase fees. The first piece of checked luggage will now cost customers $45 on flights...
Bondi struggled to prosecute Trump foes. But will a new attorney general make a difference?
WASHINGTON — Pam Bondi is out of her job after failing to deliver criminal cases against President Donald Trump’s political enemies. But there’s no guarantee her successor will have any better success at placating the president. Over the last year, Bondi’s Justice Department has encountered resistance from judges, grand jurors...
A fast-growing wildfire in windy Southern California triggers evacuations
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A smoky and fast-growing wildfire Friday in windy Southern California has prompted multiple evacuation orders and warnings. The Springs Fire broke out at around 11 a.m. Friday and by the evening had grown to about 5.47 square miles , with fire crews starting to contain it. The...
Robert MacIntyre has big finish, builds 4-shot lead in Texas Open
SAN ANTONIO — Robert MacIntyre added the Valero Texas Open this year to be sharp for the Masters, and he looked every bit of that Friday with four birdies in his last five holes for an 8-under-par 64 and a four-shot lead over Ryder Cup teammate Ludvig Aberg. MacIntyre felt...
South Carolina snaps UConn’s 54-game win streak in NCAA semis
PHOENIX — Ta’Niya Latson scored 16 and Agot Makeer added 14 points and South Carolina played stifling defense to beat UConn, 62-48, on Friday night, ending the Huskies’ 54-game winning streak and advancing to the women’s NCAA Tournament championship game. The Gamecocks will face the winner of Texas and UCLA...
As freed prisoners celebrate in Cuba, human rights groups demand clarity and release of protesters
HAVANA — Katia Arias buzzed with hope on Friday morning as she gathered at the gates of a prison on the outskirts of Havana, waiting with other families for their loved ones to be freed in one of the biggest prison releases by the Cuban government in years. When her...
Orcas never seen before in Seattle delight whale watchers with a visit
SEATTLE — 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 been recorded previously in the Seattle area...
Powerhouses Arizona, Michigan meet in Final Four in matchup with championship feel
INDIANAPOLIS — More than 24 hours before the first shot flew at a Final Four that really feels like a five-team affair, Arizona already had a win. The Wildcats kept their coach from bolting to that fifth team — North Carolina. Tommy Lloyd dropped the news of the contract extension...
Illinois tries to erase memories of previous matchups with UConn heading into Final Four
INDIANAPOLIS — Illinois coach Brad Underwood doesn’t need any reminders about what happened the last two times his team faced UConn. He can just plug in the game tapes, rewind them and watch them again. Back in November, the Huskies led wire-to-wire in a 74-61 victory. Two years ago in...
Trump administration to rejoin offshore drilling agencies separated after 2010 Gulf oil spill
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Friday it is combining two agencies that were separated in the aftermath of the 2010 Gulf oil spill. The Interior Department said the overhaul would increase efficiency and speed up permitting for offshore oil and gas drilling. The new Marine Minerals Administration will bring...
12-year-old 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...
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...
Lawyers say up to 75 women expected to benefit from Bank of America settlement in Epstein sex abuse
NEW YORK — 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...
New Jersey state troopers rescue bear cub from highway ditch
UNION TOWNSHIP, N.J. — 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...
Former Turnstile guitarist is accused of hitting an ex-bandmate’s dad with his car
SILVER SPRING, Md. — 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...
Pope Leo XIV to carry cross for entire procession, the 1st pontiff to do so in decades
ROME — Pope Leo XIV will personally carry the wooden cross through all 14 stations of the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum on his first Good Friday as pontiff, marking the first time in decades that a pope carries the cross to every station. “I think it will...
Artemis II’s moon-bound astronauts capture Earth’s brilliant blue beauty as they leave it behind
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The Artemis II astronauts have captured our blue planet’s brilliant beauty as they zoom ever closer to the moon. NASA released the crew’s first downlinked images Friday, 1 1/2 days into the first astronaut moonshot in more than half a century. The first photo taken by...
China says peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan are advancing
BEIJING — Peace talks between Afghanistan’s Taliban government and Pakistan are advancing, China’s government said Friday, two days after those countries resumed conversations following weeks of fighting that have killed hundreds. “The consultation process is being steadily implemented and advanced,” said China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning. Xi Jinping’s government...
Good Friday is a unique and solemn day for Christians, with ancient prayers and fervent processions
MIAMI — Good Friday is a unique — and uniquely solemn — day in the Christian calendar. It commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus, ahead of what’s a central tenet of faith for believers — his resurrection two days later on Easter Sunday, according to the Gospels. This year,...
Stay tuned Cincinnati: WKRP is coming to town for real, North Carolina station’s director says
RALEIGH, N.C. — Hold on to those Thanksgiving turkeys! WKRP is coming to Cincinnati — for real this time. “I cannot, by contract, tell you when. I cannot tell you who. But I can tell you, direct to the camera, WKRP, after 48 years, is coming to Cincinnati,” D.P. McIntire,...
U.S. employers added a surprisingly strong 178,000 jobs last month, rebounding from a weak February
WASHINGTON — American employers added a surprisingly strong 178,000 new jobs last month, rebounding from a dismal February. And the unemployment rate dipped to 4.3%. The Labor Department reported Friday that hiring marked a rebound from the loss of 133,000 jobs in February. The job gains were about three times...
Russia launches daytime strikes on Ukraine, killing 5, as Kyiv holds door open for Easter truce
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian strikes killed at least five people across Ukraine on Friday, including in a “massive” missile and drone attack near the capital, local authorities reported. Ukrainian officials claim the Kremlin is changing its tactics to increase civilian suffering, shifting to daytime barrages and preparing to target more...
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani wants to crack down on ‘bad landlords’ — but he has to find them
NEW YORK — On a recent weeknight, three tenants of an aging Bronx building were trading apartment horror stories inside a packed ballroom lined with city bureaucrats. The occasion was the third in a series of “rental rip-off hearings,” a new forum launched by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for...
Trump budget seeks $1.5T in defense spending alongside cuts in domestic programs
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has proposed boosting defense spending to $1.5 trillion in his 2027 budget released Friday, the largest such request in decades, reflecting his emphasis on U.S. military investments over domestic programs. The sizable increase for the Pentagon, some 44%, had been telegraphed by the Republican president...
Easter eggs can be dyed and still eaten. Just follow these tips to make sure it’s safe
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Easter is around the corner, and it’s time to start thinking about how to decorate your eggs. Whether you’re dying eggs for your table spread or planning to hide them for an egg hunt, it’s important to follow food safety guidelines to minimize germs and maximize...
