Associated Press stories, Page 2
Senators approve withholding their own pay during government shutdowns
WASHINGTON — Senators unanimously approved a resolution Thursday to withhold their pay during government shutdowns, an attempt to make federal closures financially painful for lawmakers after a string of record-breaking impasses in the past year. The bipartisan support for the measure comes at a time when federal closures have become...
Average U.S. long-term mortgage rate eases to 6.36% in 1st drop after 2 straight weekly increases
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate edged lower this week, its first drop after rising the previous two weeks. The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate fell to 6.36% from 6.37% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the rate averaged 6.81%. Borrowing costs on 15-year...
Oilers fire Kris Knoblauch after 1st-round playoff exit that followed 2 Stanley Cup Final trips
EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Oilers fired coach Kris Knoblauch on Thursday, dismissing him after a first-round exit followed him guiding the team to consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final. Knoblauch coached the Oilers to the playoffs three times since taking over as a midseason replacement when Jay Woodcroft...
Trump administration will join a prayer gathering criticized for promoting Christian nationalism
President Donald Trump and several top administration officials are joining with a cast of mostly conservative Christian clergy this Sunday on the National Mall in Washington for a prayer gathering billed as a “rededication of our country as One Nation Under God” upon America’s 250th birthday. But some critics call...
Retail sales growth slowed in April from March as higher gas cost leaves less room for nonessentials
NEW YORK — Shoppers tempered their spending in April as higher gas prices fueled by the Iran war meant less money left over for some nonessentials like clothing and furniture. But they’re still buying, thanks to more generous government tax refunds. Still, economists worry that spending will fall off more...
Postal Service releases special edition bald eagle stamps for America’s 250th
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — For America’s 250th birthday, the U.S. Postal Service is releasing special edition stamps featuring one of the nation’s icons: the bald eagle. The stamps unveiled Thursday at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota, showcase the bird across five major life stages, from a fuzzy hatchling...
Kouri Richins, author of a children’s book on grief, gets life sentence for killing her husband
PARK CITY, Utah — A Utah mother who published a children’s book about grief after the death of her husband will serve a life sentence for his murder without the possibility of parole, a judge ruled Wednesday. Kouri Richins was convicted in March of aggravated murder for lacing her husband...
Some parents don’t want their kids to use tech at school. But districts are pushing back
ARDMORE, Pa. — For high school senior Aliyah Pack, getting distracted during school is the norm. Kids in her Pennsylvania school district use iPads starting in kindergarten, switch to Chromebooks in second grade and get their own MacBooks in eighth grade. Aliyah has ADHD, and finds it difficult to concentrate...
Man known for racially derogatory livestreams charged with attempted murder after Tennessee shooting
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — A man who goes by “Chud the Builder” and livestreams himself saying racially derogatory statements to Black people in public settings was arrested and charged with attempted murder after a shooting outside a Tennessee courthouse on Wednesday, authorities said. Dalton Eatherly, 28, and an unidentified man were...
Trump insists US-China relations are in a good place despite differences as he wraps up Beijing trip
BEIJING — As President Donald Trump wraps up his whirlwind visit to China on Friday, he’s insistent that relations between the world’s two biggest powers are good and getting better despite deep differences on Iran, Taiwan and more. Trump started his last day in Beijing by insisting in a social...
Brett Kulak scores early in OT as Avs rally, advance to West final with win over Wild
DENVER — Brett Kulak scored 3 minutes, 52 seconds into overtime after Nathan MacKinnon tied it late in regulation, and the Colorado Avalanche advanced to the Western Conference final with a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 on Wednesday night. Kulak capped a wild comeback for the...
James Harden scores 30, Cavaliers rally past Pistons in OT for series lead
DETROIT — James Harden scored a playoff-best 30 points, and Donovan Mitchell had 21, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers come back from a nine-point deficit late in regulation and beat the Detroit Pistons, 117-113, in overtime Wednesday night for a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Pistons led...
Dolphins, RB De’Von Achane agree to 4-year, $64M extension
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins and Pro Bowl running back De’Von Achane agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $64 million, a person with knowledge of the deal told the Associated Press on Wednesday. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the...
Howard Lutnick backs away from his Epstein ‘blackmail’ claim in interview with House committee
WASHINGTON — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in an interview with House lawmakers, backed away from a previous claim that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had blackmailed people. Lutnick agreed to sit for an interview with the House Oversight Committee last week after the release of case files on Epstein contradicted...
Microgardening means getting a surprisingly big harvest from a windowsill or balcony garden
Short on space? Consider microgardening. Although the term might conjure thoughts of minuscule garden gnomes and fairies, the reality is quite the opposite. You can get a surprisingly high yield from a small space, even a windowsill or balcony, if you plant it right. One way to maximize your harvest...
Former private prison executive David Venturella will become ICE’s acting leader
David Venturella, a former executive at a private prison operator, will serve as the acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Trump administration says, after the agency’s current leader steps down at the end of the month. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said late Tuesday...
Officials say $1.3 billion in Medicaid money to California will be deferred over suspicions of fraud
WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday announced new steps in the Trump administration’s initiative to root out fraud in federal health programs, including a $1.3 billion deferral in Medicaid funding to California. “How long are people going to pay into programs if they know that that money doesn’t...
Remains of 2nd American soldier who went missing during military exercises in Morocco have been recovered
CASABLANCA, Morocco — The remains of the second U.S. Army soldier who went missing during military exercises in Morocco have been recovered, the Army said Wednesday, ending a multinational search operation that deployed air, naval and artificial intelligence assets. The soldier was identified as Spc. Mariyah Symone Collington of Taveres,...
Peterson, Dybantsa, Boozer and Wilson wait for NBA draft selections
CHICAGO — Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa had an epic showdown in high school, crossed paths in college and could be the top two picks in this year’s NBA Draft after starring at Kansas and BYU. That’s if Duke’s Cameron Boozer and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson don’t have something to...
Canadiens-Sabres Game 5, Golden Knights-Ducks Game 6 test experience vs. youth
While John Tortorella has only been coaching the Vegas Golden Knights for a little over six weeks, they are his sixth NHL team and he is coming up on his 22nd anniversary of hoisting the Stanley Cup. Through all that, he still wonders something about playoff hockey. “I’m not sure...
Netanyahu’s secret visit to UAE during Iran war leads to a breakthrough, his office contends
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates during the Israeli-US war with Iran, further strengthening ties with a Gulf nation that normalized relations with Israel in 2020, his office said Wednesday. Netanyahu met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in a...
ACC formally backs Big Ten’s push for College Football Playoff to expand to 24 teams
AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — The Atlantic Coast Conference is backing the Big Ten’s push for a 24-team playoff, commissioner Jim Phillips said Wednesday. Speaking at the end of three days of spring meetings in a posh resort in northeast Florida, Phillips said ACC coaches and athletic directors reached consensus on...
Museum’s ‘Knight Rider’ replica car got a speeding ticket. It hasn’t gone anywhere in years
It’s a mystery on the streets of New York City. What traffic law violator with unpaid fines is driving a black Pontiac Trans Am that looks like the car with the talking computer from the 1980s TV series “Knight Rider,” and even has the same license plate? Officials at an...
Florida attorney general issues investigative subpoena to NFL over Rooney Rule
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said he has issued an investigative subpoena to the NFL regarding the Rooney Rule. Uthmeier, who threatened possible enforcement actions against the league in March if it didn’t suspend the 23-year-old rule, sent the subpoena along with a letter to NFL executive vice president and...
Expected closure of ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ is no accident given timing, environmentalists say
ORLANDO, Fla. — Environmental groups say that the timing of the expected closure of an immigration detention center in the middle of the Florida Everglades, likely in the next month or two, is no accident because it will come as their lawsuit challenging its existence returns to a federal judge...
