Associated Press stories, Page 160

WASHINGTON — Americans’ confidence in the economy slumped for the fifth straight month to the lowest level since the onset of the covid-19 pandemic as anxiety over the impact of tariffs takes a heavy toll. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell 7.9 points in April...

In pain so bad he couldn’t stand, Chris Meek was rushed to the hospital with a life-threatening ruptured gallbladder. When he emerged from surgery, he learned he had kidney cancer that thankfully hadn’t yet spread. Meek, a social studies teacher in Wilmington, North Carolina, was 47 at the time. But...

VATICAN CITY — The Italian cardinal at the heart of the Vatican’s “trial of the century” announced Tuesday he was withdrawing from participating in the upcoming conclave to elect a new pope for “the good of the church,” ending days of drama that had overshadowed the proceedings. Cardinal Angelo Becciu’...

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Chinese authorities say 22 people have been killed and 3 injured in a fire at restaurant in the northern city of Liaoyang. No word was given on the cause of the fire, which broke out shortly after noon, but images from the scene showed huge flames spurting...

You shouldn’t have to cross your fingers and hope for a strong stock market to coincide with your short-term goals. And right now, you probably wouldn’t want to. Because you’re working within a short time frame — think two to six years — investing for shorter-term goals like buying a...

NEW YORK — Major orders canceled. Containers of products left stranded overseas. No roadmap for what comes next. The Trump administration raised tariffs on goods from China to 145% in early April. Since then, small business owners who depend on imports from China to survive have become increasingly desperate as...

WARREN, Mich. — President Donald Trump is holding a rally in Michigan on Tuesday to mark the first 100 days of his second term, staging his largest public event since returning to the White House in a state that has been especially rocked by his steep trade tariffs and combative...

TORONTO — Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party won Canada’s federal election Monday, capping a stunning turnaround in fortunes fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s annexation threats and trade war. The Liberals are projected to win more of Parliament’s 343 seats than the Conservatives, though it wasn’t clear yet whether...

WASHINGTON — Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia announced Monday he is stepping down as the top Democrat on the powerful House Oversight Committee and will not be seeking reelection next year because of his cancer returning, ending his long career in public life. “The sun is setting on my time...

MEXICO CITY — Mexico and the United States said Monday they had reached an agreement that involves Mexico immediately sending more water from their shared Rio Grande basin to Texas farmers after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs and sanctions this month. “Mexico has committed to make an immediate transfer...

CHATHAM, Ill. — A car smashed through a building Monday afternoon, killing four children and injuring several others during an after-school program in a small city outside of Springfield, Illinois, police said. Officers responded at about 3:20 p.m. to calls about a vehicle ramming through the building, fatally hitting four...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Amazon’s first batch of internet satellites rocketed toward orbit Monday, the latest entry in the mega constellation market currently dominated by SpaceX’s thousands of Starlinks. The United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket carried up 27 of Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites, named after the frigid fringes of...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Amazon’s first batch of internet satellites rocketed toward orbit Monday, the latest entry in the mega constellation market currently dominated by SpaceX’s thousands of Starlinks. The United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket carried up 27 of Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites, named after the frigid fringes of...

HARRISBURG — The Trump administration said Monday the University of Pennsylvania violated laws guaranteeing women equal opportunities in athletics by letting a transgender swimmer compete on the school’s women’s team and into team facilities. The administration’s statement does not name Lia Thomas, the transgender swimmer who last competed for the...

A woman pleaded not guilty Monday to fatally stabbing a Kansas City, Missouri, paramedic as she was being taken to a hospital in an ambulance. Shanetta Bossell, 39, was arrested Sunday after trying to drive off in the ambulance as others were tending to paramedic Graham Hoffman’s chest wound, according...

BARCELONA, Spain — An unprecedented blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday, stopping trains, cutting phone service and shutting down traffic lights and ATMs for millions of people across the Iberian Peninsula. Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica declined to speculate on the cause of the power...

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks drifted to a mixed finish on Monday, ahead of potential flashpoints this week that could bring more sharp swings for financial markets. The S&P 500 inched up by 0.1% to extend its winning streak to a fifth day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 114...

WASHINGTON — A former career Justice Department prosecutor is challenging his firing by the White House, saying it was for “unprecedented partisan and political reasons” and undermines a “bedrock principle” of the justice system after he was dismissed following a post by right-wing activist Laura Loomer. Adam Schleifer, an assistant...

WASHINGTON — A man accused of stealing a purse from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was charged Monday in federal court with aggravated identity theft, robbery and fraud. Video captured Mario Bustamante Leiva taking Noem’s purse while she dined at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., on April 20 under the...

WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday opened a weeklong celebration of Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office by focusing on his border crackdown, an area of relative strength for the president at a time when there are red flags for him in the latest round of polling. Yard...

TOPEKA, Kan. — Consumers across the U.S. still will be able to buy higher-ethanol blend E15 gasoline this summer, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday, saving them a little money at the pump but risking potential damage to the air and water. The emergency waiver issued by the EPA prevents...