Associated Press stories, Page 2418

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Majors matter more than any other golf tournament. They are not the sole measure of greatness. And that might be one reason it took Brooks Koepka winning four majors — as many as Rory McIlroy, one more than Jordan Spieth among his contemporaries — for the 29-year-old...

PLYMOUTH — A northeastern Pennsylvania man accused of baiting cats with food on fishhooks is facing animal cruelty charges. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says a stray cat was found April 8 in a vacant house with three fishhooks in its mouth. The cat was treated...

NASHVILLE — Tennessee’s embattled House Speaker Glen Casada announced Tuesday he plans to resign from his leadership post following a vote of no confidence by his Republican caucus amid a scandal over explicit text messages. The move is unprecedented in Tennessee’s modern political era. The last Senate speaker resignation came...

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Abortion clinics are facing protesters emboldened by a flurry of restrictive new state laws as they reassure confused patients that the laws have yet to take effect, abortion providers said. “We have actually had many people calling and say, ‘Are you open? Are you still seeing patients?...

WASHINGTON — The former attorney general of Virginia, whose name had been tossed around for months for an immigration role, will be joining the Trump administration, according to a White House official. Ken Cuccinelli will be taking a position within the Department of Homeland Security, according to the person, who...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Yemen’s Iranian-allied Houthi rebels attack a Saudi airport and military base with a bomb-laden drone, an assault acknowledged by the kingdom as Middle East tensions remain high between Tehran and Washington. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The attack on the Saudi...

WASHINGTON — As questions mount over President Donald Trump’s tough talk on Iran, top national security officials headed to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to brief Congress. But skeptical Democrats sought out a second opinion, holding their own briefing with former Obama administration officials. The competing closed-door sessions Tuesday, unusual and...

Technology companies helped power stocks broadly higher on Wall Street Tuesday, snapping the market’s two-day losing streak. The rally followed the U.S. government’s decision to temporarily ease off proposed restrictions on technology sales to Chinese companies. The news gave a boost to technology sector stocks, which took steep losses a...

“This Is Us” star Milo Ventimiglia learned firsthand what the Red Nose Day’s fundraising campaign means to children in need, and he’s eager to spread the word. “I saw how the money was being spent, and how it’s impacting these kids on a very real level and giving them a...

NEW YORK — The outlook for department stores got murkier Tuesday after J.C. Penney and Kohl’s reported fiscal first quarter results that showed they struggled at the start of the year. Penney, which has been trying to turn around its business for several years after a disastrous reinvention plan, reported...

CHICAGO — Cholesterol levels in children and teens improved in the latest analysis of U.S. health surveys, yet only half of them had readings considered ideal. Overall, 7% of kids had high cholesterol in surveys from 2009 to 2016. That was down from 10% a decade earlier. In children, high...

NEW YORK — What’s next for “Game of Thrones?” The author, whose work was adapted into the HBO series that drew a record-setting numbers of viewers for Sunday’s finale, says it’s “been a wild ride.” George RR Martin wrote on Monday that it “was an ending, but it was also...

WASHINGTON — Generous benefits. No copays. No need for private policies. The “Medicare for All” plan advocated by leading 2020 Democrats appears more lavish than what’s offered in other advanced countries, compounding the cost but also potentially broadening its popular appeal. While other countries do provide coverage for all, benefits...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Filled with paratroopers, a U.S. warplane lumbered down an English runway in 1944 to spearhead the World War II D-Day invasion with a message for Adolf Hitler painted in bright yellow across its nose: “That’s All, Brother.” Seventy-five years later, in a confluence of history and luck,...

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes enter the offseason confident of one thing: They shouldn’t have to wait another decade to return to the playoffs. They hope their nucleus will make postseason appearances an every-year thing. The Hurricanes made their first playoff berth since 2009 last much longer than most...

NEW YORK — Dressbarn, the women’s clothing chain that’s been around for nearly 60 years, is closing all 650 of its stores. The company’s chief financial officer, Steven Taylor, said Dressbarn has not been operating at an “acceptable level of profitability in today’s retail environment.” Its owner, Ascena Retail Group...

ST. LOUIS — Jaden Schwartz is on a scoring run that has the St. Louis Blues dreaming big. Schwartz’s hat trick in Game 5 on Sunday helped give the Blues a 3-2 series lead against the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference finals and set the single-season franchise record...

Meal kit companies face an ultimatum: Adapt or die. The business is still in its infancy, with the biggest players — Blue Apron and HelloFresh — less than a decade old. But they’re facing serious challenges from restaurant and grocery delivery services, smaller niche players and even home chefs. The...