Associated Press stories, Page 13
Buyers fret as the average cost of a new car nears $50K
DETROIT — After a few years of sharing a 2019 Chevrolet Trax, Dana Eble and Tyler Marcus are finally looking for a second car. But as they jump into the market, the young married couple isn’t sure what they can afford. “I just keep seeing a lot of different aspects...
Masters gnomes a hot commodity at Augusta National amid speculation this is final year of production
AUGUSTA, Ga. — John James arrived at Augusta National an hour before the gates opened to patrons for the 90th Masters — all for the purpose of securing a 13 1/2-inch tall gnome. “Had to have one,” said James, who was attending the Masters from Wyckoff, N.J. “It’s a novelty.”...
Michigan couple at center of Bahamas disappearance chronicled sailing adventures on social media
Lynette Hooker bounced around the deck of the docked Soul Mate, smiled into the camera and proclaimed: “We’re finally leaving Kemah,” referring to a Texas port town. “It’s only been four months,” she said as her husband, Brian, tugged on some rigging as they got ready to set sail. The...
Melania Trump denied ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The question remains: Why now?
WASHINGTON — First lady Melania Trump’s seemingly out-of-the-blue statement Thursday denying affiliation with disgraced sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein left people still wondering Friday what prompted the public declaration at a time when the case had receded from the spotlight. Reading prepared remarks at the White House on Thursday, Melania Trump...
From ‘BuddhaBot’ to $1.99 chats with AI Jesus, the faith-based tech boom is here
CAMARILLO, Calif. — For some evangelical Christians, faith is about having a personal relationship with Jesus. At $1.99 per minute, the tech company Just Like Me is taking that concept to a new level. Users of the platform can join video calls with an avatar of Jesus generated by artificial...
Artemis II’s record-breaking journey around the moon ends with dramatic splashdownVideo
AP-US-SCI-NASA-Artemis-Moonshot, 19th Ld-Writethru19th Ld-Writethru HOUSTON — Artemis II’s astronauts closed out humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than half a century with a Pacific splashdown on Friday, blazing new records near the moon with grace and joy. It was a dramatic grand finale to a mission that revealed not only...
Rory McIlroy pulls away with birdie binge and sets Masters record with 6-shot lead
AUGUSTA, Ga. — The only thing that stopped Rory McIlroy in the Masters was running out of holes to play Friday. McIlroy stood on the 12th tee in a tie with Patrick Reed and with a dozen other players bunched together in what was shaping up to be a compelling...
Mammoth rebuilding project puts Utah in playoffs in team’s 2nd season since moving from Arizona
Utah’s rebuilding process began in the Arizona desert, where the team was known as the Coyotes and progress was incremental. In the first year after a move to Salt Lake City, the team became the Utah Hockey Club and took a bigger step, winning eight more games than the previous...
Call it ‘Bowness Time.’ Lured out of retirement, Blue Jackets coach enjoying playoff-race pressure
Age has its privileges, something Rick Bowness is fondly enjoying in the overtime of his coaching career. At 71 and by his count twice retired, Bowness hasn’t lost the urgency to win in his latest interim job coaching the Columbus Blue Jackets. What he also has is freedom from the...
Fewer players from outside Power Four are being selected in NFL Draft
Just like Cinderella teams have become less of a factor at the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, fewer longshots are reaching the NFL Draft from small schools. Blame NIL riches and the crowded transfer portal, a combination that has led to a concentration of talent in the power conferences. The SEC,...
Trump shares video of a brutal Florida killing allegedly by Haitian immigrant
MIAMI — President Donald Trump shared a video of a deadly attack allegedly by a Haitian immigrant accused of bludgeoning a woman with a hammer at a Florida gas station, portraying the killing as justification for his administration’s mass deportation agenda. Rolbert Joachin, 40, was arrested and charged with killing...
‘I am thinking about it,’ Kamala Harris says of 2028 presidential bid
NEW YORK — After chants of “run again!” filled the room, former Vice President Kamala Harris told African American activists on Friday that she’s actively considering another presidential bid. “I might. I am thinking about it,” Harris told Rev. Al Sharpton after he asked directly whether she was going to...
Trump’s Washington arch plan includes golden-winged figure, eagles, lions and ‘One Nation Under God’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s plans for a new triumphal arch in the capital, unveiled on Friday, include a towering winged figure with a Lady Liberty-like torch and crown, flanked by two eagles and guarded by four lions — all gilded. The 12-page plan released by the U.S. Commission on...
Pope amplifies criticism of Iran war and says ‘God does not bless any conflict’
ROME — Pope Leo XIV amplified his condemnation of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran on Friday, saying that “God does not bless any conflict” and certainly doesn’t side with those who drop bombs. Leo spoke during a gathering of top bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq, an Eastern...
Stocks drift lower and oil prices ease ahead of planned U.S.-Iran talks
Stocks drifted mostly lower on Wall Street and oil prices slipped Friday ahead of planned U.S.-Iran talks following a shaky ceasefire agreement. The S&P 500 inched 0.1% lower after a day of choppy trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.6% and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.4%. The major indexes...
Five people charged with murder in deadly Northern California fireworks warehouse explosion
WOODLAND, Calif. — Five people have been charged with murder in a deadly Northern California explosion at a fireworks warehouse that killed seven people, authorities said. Yolo County Deputy District Attorney Clara Nabity said Friday the charges stem from a grand jury indictment that found five people, including a former...
A federal judge dismisses another DOJ lawsuit seeking voter data, this time in Massachusetts
A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice seeking Massachusetts’ state voter rolls, marking the latest setback in a wide-ranging effort by the Trump administration to collect detailed data on the nation’s voters. The ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Leo Sorokin marks at...
Trump administration temporarily blocks Minnesota’s historic wage floor for nursing home workers
Unprecedented minimum wages for thousands of nursing home workers in Minnesota are delayed again. Leah Solo, executive director of the state’s Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board, said at a board meeting Thursday that the Trump administration has reset to day one its 90-day clock to review the wage floor. Under...
FAA investigates close call on LAX taxiway just weeks after LaGuardia runway crash
A Frontier Airlines jet nearly collided with two trucks that crossed in front of it earlier this week at Los Angeles International Airport, but unlike last month’s deadly crash in New York while a plane was landing, this incident happened on a taxiway while the plane was moving slowly. The...
Federal court hears new case against Trump’s latest global tariffs
NEW YORK — The centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s economic policy — sweeping taxes on global imports — is under legal assault again. The U.S. Court of International Trade, a specialized court in New York, heard oral arguments Friday in an attempt to overturn the temporary tariffs Trump turned to...
War in Iran sends inflation soaring and the mood of American consumers plunging
WASHINGTON — The largest monthly jump in gas prices in six decades caused a sharp spike in inflation last month, creating major challenges for the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve and heightening already substantial political hurdles for the White House. Consumer prices rose 3.3% in March from a year earlier,...
Bible stories would be part of a new Texas public schools reading list drawing attention
Biblical stories like Jonah and the whale would be required reading for Texas public schools students under proposals that are putting the state at the center of another contentious wrangling over the role of religion in classrooms. Religious leaders, teachers, parents and students spent hours Tuesday before the state education...
Former Russian deputy defense minister is sentenced to 19 years for corruption
MOSCOW — Former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov was sentenced to 19 years in prison for corruption by a military court in Moscow, Russian state media said Friday. The case against Popov, who was arrested in 2024, relates to business activities at a sprawling park in Moscow sometimes called...
Abusive husband gets 8 years in prison in Scotland for wife’s suicide in landmark case
LONDON — Kimberley Milne jumped to her death in Scotland in July 2023, but prosecutors in a landmark case said Friday that she was driven to do it by her husband’s physical abuse. Lee Milne, 40, was sentenced to eight years in prison following his conviction in Glasgow’s High Court...
Vance warns Iran not to ‘play’ the U.S. as he departs for negotiations aimed at ending the war
WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance on Friday warned Iran not to “play” the U.S. as he headed overseas for negotiations aimed at ending the war. President Donald Trump has tasked the member of his inner circle who has seemed to be the most reluctant defender of the 6-week-old conflict...
