Associated Press stories, Page 2359

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that big tech companies must not be allowed to censor the voices of the American people on social media, even as he hailed conservative critics for using the platforms to get around the “fake news filter.” Trump has weaponized social media to eviscerate...

BATON ROUGE, La. — Memories of an epic flood that caused billions of dollars in damage had Louisiana’s capital on edge Friday as Barry gained strength in the Gulf of Mexico more than 150 miles away. Storms that dumped more than 20 inches of rain across southeastern Louisiana three years...

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump criticized former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan on Friday, calling him a “baby” and a “terrible speaker,” who didn’t know what he was doing. Trump unleashed his criticism on one of Wisconsin’s favorite sons just before leaving to go to the state he wants to...

LONDON — Ed Sheeran has confirmed for the first time that he and long-time girlfriend Cherry Seaborn are married. British media reported the pair wed before Christmas in front of about 40 friends and family. In an interview with broadcaster Charlamagne Tha God to promote his album “No.6 Collaborations Project,”...

BOYERTOWN — A series of storms socked the Northeast with heavy rains and strong winds, causing the deaths of a boy and his pregnant mother whose car was swept away by floodwaters while she was on the phone with emergency officials. The rain started falling Thursday and continued through early...

JOENSUU, Finland — Armed with needles and a yarn of wool, teams of avid knitters danced Thursday to the deafening sounds of drums beating and guitars slashing at the first-ever Heavy Metal Knitting World Championship in eastern Finland. With stage names such as Woolfumes, Bunny Bandit and 9” Needles, the...

Vermont police say they found dozens of cannabis plants in the flower beds in front of the Statehouse. Police say they found a total of 34 plants this week among the cultivated flowers that line the walkway in front of the building in Montpelier. Capitol Police Chief Matthew Romei says...

Federal prosecutors say a Pennsylvania man sexually molested four teenage girls at a Kenyan orphanage he founded with a church’s help. U.S. Attorney William McSwain announced charges Friday against 60-year-old Gregory Dow, of Lancaster, hours after Dow was taken into custody. McSwain says Dow fled Kenya in September 2017 after...

WASHINGTON — Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta said Friday he is resigning following renewed scrutiny of his handling of a 2008 secret plea deal with wealthy financier Jeffrey Esptein , who is accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls. President Donald Trump, with Acosta at his side, made the announcement...

PHILADELPHIA — The Transportation Security Administration says officers closed the checked baggage room at Philadelphia International Airport after finding a device that resembled a pipe bomb. The room was evacuated and closed for about 40 minutes on Wednesday after officers spotted the device in a checked bag. The TSA says...

PHILADELPHIA — Authorities say a man who stole a car with three young children inside was fatally beaten by their father and other men. Philadelphia police say the car was parked at a pizza restaurant with its engine running when the man drove off around 9:15 p.m. Thursday. The children’s...

DETROIT — Volkswagen will sink $2.6 billion into a Pittsburgh autonomous vehicle company that’s mostly owned by Ford as part of a broader partnership on electric and self-driving vehicles, the companies confirmed Friday. The two automakers will become equal owners of Argo AI, a robocar firm that was majority-owned by...

CHICAGO — Singer R. Kelly, already facing sexual abuse charges brought by Illinois prosecutors, was arrested in Chicago Thursday on a federal grand jury indictment listing 13 counts including sex crimes and obstruction of justice. U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Joseph Fitzpatrick said the R&B singer was taken into custody about...

LAS VEGAS — Russell Westbrook and James Harden are together again, and Chris Paul is leaving Houston to make that reunion happen. A person with knowledge of the situation says the Oklahoma City Thunder have traded Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for Paul in a swapping of top point guards....

CLEVELAND, Miss. — This small Mississippi Delta town serves as a reminder that fierce debates over the integration of black and white students are not a thing of the past. Two rival high schools in Cleveland, one historically black and the other historically white, had to be merged just two...

DETROIT — A woman who was sentenced to prison because a judge believed she would use drugs while pregnant has been released after the Michigan appeals court accused him of “extreme bias.” Samantha Hughes gave birth to a boy on July 2. The appeals court on Tuesday threw out a...

The U.S. government is growing the largest crop of research marijuana in five years, responding to interest in varieties with high levels of THC and CBD. The government is the only source of pot for nearly all research in the U.S., while it still considers it illegal and dangerous. Scientists...

After postponing an immigration-enforcement operation late last month, the Trump administration plans to go ahead with the raids as soon as this weekend. The sweep is expected to be similar to others that authorities have done regularly since 2003 and often netted hundreds of arrests. This one is different because...

LOS ANGELES — The two Southern California desert communities rocked by last week’s powerful earthquakes may have sustained as little damage as they did because they have no tall buildings and many of the homes in one are fairly new and were built to stricter earthquake standards. California’s Seismic Safety...

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said he is working to eliminate thousands of homeless people’s old warrants for minor offenses in the coming weeks as part of a solution to help get people off the streets. “This is a humanitarian crisis of our generation,” Moore said...

CHICAGO — The Trump administration is moving forward with a nationwide immigration enforcement operation targeting migrant families, despite loud opposition from Democrats and questions over whether it’s the best use of resources given the crisis at the border. The operation could happen as soon as this weekend after being postponed...

WIMBLEDON, England — Hours before her Wimbledon semifinal, Serena Williams spent some time deep in thought and arrived at a couple of conclusions. For one thing, she shouldn’t focus too much on trying to raise her Grand Slam title total to 24, a number achieved by just one other player...

WIMBLEDON, England — After going more than 1½ years without playing each other, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will be meeting at a second consecutive Grand Slam tournament when they face off in Wimbledon’s semifinals. Last month, Nadal got his shot at Federer on red clay, winning their wind-whipped French...

PHILADELPHIA — There wasn’t a crinoline in sight as 850 square dancers at the International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs opened its annual convention last week in a Philadelphia hotel, bringing their best promenades and do-si-dos to a slightly sped-up version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Correction: There was...