Associated Press stories, Page 1611

Americans should start getting screened for colon cancer earlier — at age 45 instead of waiting until they’re 50, according to guidelines released Tuesday. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said it’s time for the change because colorectal cancer increasingly is appearing in younger adults. Colorectal cancer is one of...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee will become the first state in the United States to require businesses and government facilities open to the public to post a sign if they let transgender people use multiperson bathrooms, locker rooms or changing rooms associated with their gender identity. Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee man who harassed two teenage Muslim girls and then swung a knife and attacked their father has pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime. Christopher Beckham, 35, of Nashville, appeared in court last week to enter the plea, the Justice Department said Monday in a...

LOS ANGELES — “Rise Up, Sing Out,” an animated shorts series presenting the concepts of race, racism and social justice to young viewers, is coming to Disney Junior. Designed for children ages 2 to 7 and their families, the series will include music by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black...

WASHINGTON — U.S. home construction fell a surprisingly sharp 9.5% in April and economists attributed that partially builders who delayed projects because of a surge in lumber prices and supply constraints. The April decline left construction at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.57 million units, the Commerce Department said...

WASHINGTON — Rep. Val Demings is planning to challenge Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, giving Democrats a boost in a competitive 2022 race that could decide control of the Senate, according to two people with knowledge of the plans. The move ends mounting speculation over the congresswoman’s political future. She had...

WASHINGTON — House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday that he won’t support a proposal to form an independent, bipartisan commission to study the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, almost certainly eroding GOP support ahead of a vote and positioning his party as opposed to investigations of...

SELMA, Ala. — Police in Alabama have issued an arrest warrant for a man in connection with the bizarre theft of a Confederate monument that was taken from an Alabama cemetery and found in Louisiana. Selma police charged Jason Warnick with theft in connection with the mysterious disappearance of the...

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisian authorities say more than 50 migrants have drowned off the coast of the North African country, while 33 others were rescued by workers from an oil platform. Defense Ministry spokesman Mohamed Zekri said Tuesday that a boat carrying the migrants sank Monday off Sfax, on Tunisia’s...

NEW YORK — Walmart blew past Wall Street projections in the first quarter with U.S. stimulus payments to Americans helping to boost sales and the company raised its expectations for the year. Sales at stores opened at least a year rose 6%, slowing from the 8.6% increase during the fiscal...

DETROIT — President Joe Biden plans to take executive action Tuesday to ensure minorities, low-income Americans and others have better access to quality legal representation after services dwindled during the Trump administration. Biden will sign a memorandum directing the Department of Justice to restore key functions of the shuttered Access...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinians across Israel and the occupied territories went on strike in a rare collective protest Tuesday as Israeli missiles toppled a building in Gaza and militants in the Hamas-ruled territory fired dozens of rockets that killed two people. The demonstrations and ongoing violence came as...

REYKJAVIK, Iceland — On a trip overshadowed by the crisis in the Middle East, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday touted the Biden administration’s abrupt shift in its predecessor’s climate policies as he visited Iceland for talks with senior officials from the world’s Arctic nations. In Reykjavik for...

MADRID — Spain deployed its military to the Moroccan border Tuesday after thousands of Moroccans took advantage of their government’s relaxed border controls to swim or paddle in inflatable boats onto European soil. Live footage on Spain’s public broadcaster TVE showed dramatic scenes of soldiers carrying children in their arms...

WASHINGTON — Brad Marchand scored 39 seconds into overtime after teammate Taylor Hall tied the game late in regulation, and the Boston Bruins rallied to beat the Washington Capitals 4-3 Monday night, tying the East Division first-round playoff series at a game apiece. Marchand was Boston’s OT hero in a...

CARY, N.C. — Izzy D’Aquila made her attempt and Santa Clara claimed the NCAA College Cup championship on a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw with Florida State on Monday. Two of Florida State’s penalty attempts hit the post, opening the door for 11th-seeded Santa Clara, who last won a...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — An inspector who failed to discover a crack in the Interstate 40 bridge linking Arkansas and Tennessee that prompted the span’s closure has been fired, Arkansas transportation officials said Monday. Arkansas Department of Transportation Director Lorie Tudor said the inspector was fired after drone video showed...

HARRISBURG — The president of Pennsylvania’s largest teachers union expressed support Monday for in-person instruction in the fall, calling it a “top priority” now that many teachers have been vaccinated and older children have become eligible for the covid-19 shot. “As more students are vaccinated over the summer, we believe...