Associated Press stories, Page 18
U.S. homes sales bounced back in February as homebuyers seized on easing mortgage rates
Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes bounced back in February as home shoppers took advantage of easing mortgage rates and a modest increase in properties on the market heading into the spring homebuying season. Existing home sales rose 1.7% last month from January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of...
FDA finds little evidence that a generic drug could help many people with autism
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved a generic medication for a rare brain disorder, while walking back suggestions by President Donald Trump and other administration officials that the drug showed great promise for people with autism. The agency said it approved leucovorin for children and adults...
Pope accepts resignation of U.S. bishop who was arrested for alleged financial crimes
ROME — Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of the Chaldean Catholic bishop of San Diego, California, a decision announced Tuesday by the Vatican after the bishop was arrested on embezzlement charges. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said last week it had arrested Bishop Emmanuel Shaleta on March...
Hungary’s Orbán orders authorities to hold some $82 million in seized Ukrainian cash and gold
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has ordered that a shipment of Ukrainian cash and gold seized last week by Hungarian authorities be held in custody for up to 60 days while his country’s tax authority investigates the case. The gold and the money was being transported through...
Russia and Ukraine both claim front-line progress with U.S.-brokered talks on hold
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian and Ukrainian officials are making contradictory claims of battlefield successes in their 4-year-old war, with Ukraine saying it has pushed Moscow’s forces back in some places on the front line but the Kremlin insisting that Russia’s invasion of its neighbor is making progress. At the same...
Column: We need to talk about your retirement ‘spending’
I spend a lot of time talking to retirees about their spending plans. Many of them proudly tell me that they’re spending far less than the 3%-4% initial withdrawal amounts that are often bandied about in the context of safe spending rates. They tell me they’ve been good savers, they’re...
Wildflowers are blooming in the driest place in North America — but not for long
DEATH VALLEY, Calif. — Death Valley, known as the driest place in North America, is teeming with life with a once-in-a-decade blossoming of wildflowers known as a superbloom, transforming a normally brown desert landscape into carpets of gold. Wildflowers bloom across parts of southern California and Nevada at different degrees...
In a time of war with Iran, Americans unite in aggravation over sticker shock at the gas pump
DE SOTO, Iowa — Standing alongside his son’s Ford pickup truck at a central Iowa gas station off Interstate 80, Francisco Castillo was not happy. He had voted for President Donald Trump in the last election. He believed Trump had strengthened the economy in his first term, and he wanted...
Iran launches new attacks targeting Israel and Gulf countries as it seeks to ramp up pressure on U.S.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran launched new attacks on Tuesday at Israel and Gulf Arab countries as it kept up pressure on the Middle East in a war started by Israel and the United States that has sent oil prices surging and stunned global economies. Sirens warned of incoming...
Paul Skenes shines, Aaron Judge homers as U.S. tops Mexico in World Baseball Classic
Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer and Roman Anthony added a three-run drive in a big third inning to lead the United States over Mexico, 5-3, in the World Baseball Classic at Houston’s Daikin Park on Monday night. The U.S. improved to 3-0 and will meet Italy (2-0) on Tuesday...
Justice Department, Live Nation reach settlement over illegal monopoly case
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department touted a tentative settlement of its antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation Entertainment on Monday as a victory for consumers that would end an illegal monopoly over live events in America, but over two dozen states planned to keep fighting the companies...
Former Missouri House speaker sentenced to prison for covid relief fraud
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A former Missouri House speaker was sentenced Monday to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud for misusing federal covid-19 relief funds for his personal benefit. Former Republican House Speaker John Diehl received about $380,000 in federal loans for his law firm between...
Alexander Butterfield, the Nixon aide who disclosed Watergate tapes, dies at 99
WASHINGTON — Alexander Butterfield, the White House aide who inadvertently hastened Richard Nixon’s resignation over the Watergate scandal when he revealed that the president had bugged the Oval Office and Cabinet Room and routinely recorded his conversations, has died. He was 99. His death was confirmed to The Associated Press...
Trump pushes GOP on voting bill, demanding an end to most mail balloting
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday he won’t sign any other legislation into law until Congress passes a strict proof-of-citizenship voting bill that he says also must end Americans’ ability to vote by mail, a startling demand months before the midterm elections. Trump told House Republicans during their annual...
New Mexico prosecutors launch search of Jeffrey Epstein’s secluded former Zorro Ranch
SANTA FE, N.M. — State investigators began searching a secluded ranch in New Mexico on Monday where financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein once entertained guests amid allegations that the property may have been used for sexual abuse and sex trafficking of young women. The office of state Attorney General...
Kentucky soldier in Saudi Arabia is 7th U.S. casualty to die in Iran war
ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. — A Kentucky man who joined the Army shortly after graduating from high school is the seventh U.S. service member to die in combat during the Iran war, the Pentagon announced Monday. Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky, died Sunday after being wounded during a...
Kenneth Walker headed to Kansas City, Malik Willis starts QB reset in Miami, AP sources say
Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III is the new running back for Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, Miami settled on Malik Willis for a reset at quarterback and receiver Mike Evans is headed to San Francisco after 12 years in Tampa Bay. People with knowledge of the agreements told the...
Australia grants asylum to 5 members of the Iranian women’s soccer team, official saysVideo
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Australia granted asylum to five members of the Iranian women’s soccer team who were visiting the country for a tournament when the Iran war began, a government minister said Tuesday. The announcement followed days of urging by Iranian groups in Australia and by U.S. President Donald...
Judge disqualifies trio of lawyers tapped to lead New Jersey’s federal prosecutor’s office
TRENTON — A judge on Monday disqualified three Justice Department officials from overseeing federal prosecutions in New Jersey, saying they were appointed as part of an illegal power grab by the Trump administration. The scathing, 130-page ruling is the latest development in a long-running fight between the judiciary and President...
Alexander brothers convicted of sex trafficking in case that shocked real estate world
NEW YORK — Three brothers, including two of the nation’s most successful luxury real estate brokers, were convicted of sex trafficking charges Monday after a five-week trial over accusations that they used drugs and force to rape scores of women they had dazzled with their wealth and opulent lifestyle. The...
U.S. stocks erase a big early loss and rise after oil prices whip from nearly $120 back below $90Video
NEW YORK — The U.S. stock market careened through a manic Monday, going from a steep early loss to a solid gain as worries turned into hope that the war with Iran may not last that long. Oil prices whipped from nearly $120 per barrel, their highest since 2022, back...
Authorities say a Georgia teacher was killed in a prank gone wrong. A teen is charged with homicide
GAINESVILLE, Ga. — It was a prank that turned deadly, authorities said: A group of teenagers unspooled rolls of toilet paper outside the home of a beloved high school teacher who tripped in the street and was struck by a pickup truck as the pranksters started to drive away. The...
Man who helped recruit players into a sprawling NCAA basketball point-shaving scheme pleads guilty
One of the so-called fixers in a sprawling betting scheme to cash in on big bets on rigged NCAA basketball games pleaded guilty Monday, according to the federal prosecutors’ office in Philadelphia. Jalen Smith appeared in federal court in Philadelphia and pleaded guilty to wire fraud and bribery charges, becoming...
Chiefs, tight end Travis Kelce nearing a deal for his 14th season, AP source says
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs and Travis Kelce are nearing a deal to bring the four-time All-Pro tight end back for a 14th season, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Monday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because a contract had...
Iran war puts at risk key pipelines, terminals and refineries that supply the world with oil and gas
FRANKFURT, Germany — The Iran war has put at risk some of the world’s most critical oil and gas infrastructure — the pipelines, refineries, and shipping terminals that keep energy flowing from the countries around the Persian Gulf to the global economy. Strikes by Iranian drones have disrupted operations, while...
