Associated Press stories, Page 244
Scottie Scheffler rested, ready to defend title at Hilton HeadVideo
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Scottie Scheffler was the star attraction of a parade just two days after the Masters. This one was all about a red plaid jacket from Harbour Town, not a green jacket from Augusta National. The tradition of the RBC Heritage is for the defending champion...
A colossal squid is caught on camera for the first time in the deep sea
A colossal squid has been caught on camera for the first time in the deep sea by an international team of researchers steering a remotely operated submersible. The sighting was announced Tuesday by the Schmidt Ocean Institute. The squid filmed was a juvenile about 1 foot in length at a...
Experts make new recommendations on RSV and meningitis vaccines, but it’s unclear what happens next
ATLANTA — A federal panel of experts on Wednesday recommended an expansion of RSV vaccinations for adults and a new combination shot as another option to protect teens against meningitis. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices also voted to recommend a shot to protect travelers from a mosquito-borne illness called...
Trump administration plans to end IRS Direct File program for free tax filing, AP sources say
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration plans to eliminate the IRS’ Direct File program, an electronic system for filing tax returns directly to the agency for free, according to two people familiar with the decision. The program developed during Joe Biden’s presidency was credited by users with making tax filing easy,...
How war, money and the quest for discovery entwined U.S. government and universities
NEW YORK — The showdown between the Trump administration and Harvard University is spotlighting bare-knuckled politics and big dollar figures. But in the battle of the moment, it’s easy to lose sight of a decades-long alliance between the U.S. government and the nation’s most prominent universities, forged to fight a...
U.S. stocks drop as Nvidia slides and the fog of Trump’s trade war thickens
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks fell Wednesday after Nvidia warned new restrictions on exports to China will chisel billions of dollars off its results, while companies around the world said President Donald Trump’s trade war is clouding forecasts for how they and the economy will do this year. The S&P...
Justin Rose coping with ‘torment’ of Masters close callVideo
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — The farther Justin Rose drove from Augusta National only made him realize how close he came to winning the Masters. His phone kept buzzing on the way to Hilton Head Island, one text after another, all of them with the same message that applauded his...
Fort Benning takes back its old name, but to honor a different soldier
FORT BENNING — The Army officially restored the name Fort Benning to its storied training post in Georgia, only this time to honor an 18-year-old corporal who fought in World War I rather than a Confederate general. A ceremony to make the name change official was held Wednesday at the...
Powell says Federal Reserve can wait on any interest rate moves
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve can stay patient and wait to see how tariffs and other economic policies of the Trump administration play out before making any changes to interest rates, Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday. “For the time being, we are well positioned to wait for greater clarity” on...
Nate Bargatze will host the 2025 Emmy Awards
LOS ANGELES — Stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze will host the 77th Emmy Awards, CBS announced Wednesday. One of the most popular stand-ups currently working, Bargatze will emcee the Sept. 14 ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. While the Oscars have found success with Conan O’Brien, set to return...
Maryland Sen. Van Hollen meets with El Salvador’s VP in push for Abrego Garcia’s release
SAN SALVADOR — Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador on Wednesday and met with the country’s vice president to push for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man who was sent there by the Trump administration in March despite an immigration court order preventing his deportation....
Security review planned for Gov. Shapiro’s official residence after arson attack
HARRISBURG — An independent expert will review security at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s official residence after investigators accused a man of scaling a wall and setting fire to the mansion, state police said Wednesday. State police said the review will be a risk and vulnerability assessment of the governor’s official...
NFL teams are no longer shying away from older prospects in the draft
Bo Nix has already turned 25. Michael Penix Jr. will get there in May. Both quarterbacks were first-round picks last year. They were among 56 players age 24 or older drafted in 2024. That number was up from 54 in 2023, 44 in 2022, 16 in 2021 and 19 in...
Retail sales rise 1.4% in March as shoppers stock up on big ticket items ahead of tariffs
NEW YORK — U.S. shoppers increased their shopping last month, fueled by a spending spree on big ticket items from gadgets to cars before President Donald Trump’s expansive new tariffs started kicking in. Retail sales rose 1.4% in March, after rising 0.2% in February, according to the Commerce Department. Retail...
Trump administration sues Maine over participation of transgender athletes in girls sports
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Wednesday it is suing Maine’s education department for not complying with the government’s push to ban transgender athletes in girls and women’s sports, escalating a dispute over whether the state is abiding by a federal law that bars discrimination in education based on sex....
White House to launch new media policy restricting wire services’ access to the president
Fresh from a courtroom loss over The Associated Press’ access to the presidency, the White House on Tuesday put forward a new media policy that sharply curtails access to Donald Trump by news agencies that serve media outlets around the world. It was the latest attempt by the new administration...
Biden alleges Trump has ‘taken a hatchet’ to Social Security in 1st post-presidency speech
CHICAGO — Former President Joe Biden warned on Tuesday that President Donald Trump has “taken a hatchet” to Social Security, weighing in on a critical issue for millions of Americans as the 82-year-old Democrat briefly returned to the national stage. Biden, who has largely avoided speaking publicly since leaving the...
Trump says he’s joining Bessent and Lutnick for trade negotiations with Japanese at the White House
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he’s joining some of his top economic advisers on Wednesday for negotiations at the White House over tariffs and trade with a top Japanese official who is traveling to Washington for the talks. The Republican president said in a post on his social media...
Russian glide bombs and artillery strike a Ukrainian city, killing 1
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian glide bombs and artillery struck a city in southern Ukraine on Wednesday, killing one person and wounding five others as Moscow forces continued daily attacks across the country. The city of Kherson was struck with glide bombs on Wednesday morning, and when rescue teams arrived at...
U.K.’s top court says definition of a woman is based on biological sex and excludes transgender people
LONDON — The U.K. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a woman is someone born biologically female, excluding transgender people from the legal definition in a long-running dispute between a feminist group and the Scottish government. Several women’s groups that supported the appeal celebrated outside court and hailed it as a...
China’s economy grows at 5.4% annual pace in January-March quarter
BANGKOK — China’s economy expanded at a 5.4% annual pace in January-March, supported by strong exports ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s rapid increases in tariffs on Chinese exports, the government said Wednesday. Analysts are forecasting that the world’s second largest economy will slow significantly in coming months, however, as...
IRS agent who investigated Hunter Biden expected to be named IRS acting chief
CHICAGO — An IRS whistleblower who testified publicly about investigations into Hunter Biden’s taxes is expected to be promoted to IRS acting commissioner, two sources familiar with the plan tell The Associated Press. Gary Shapley, an IRS employee who testified to Congress as Republicans reviewed the business dealings of Joe...
Marjorie Taylor Greene laughs off protests to deliver pro-Trump message at Georgia town hall
ACWORTH, Ga. — U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene came to a town hall in suburban Atlanta on Tuesday night to deliver a full-throated support of President Donald Trump, and she wasn’t letting the protesters faze her — not even the one who was wrestled to the ground by police and...
A sweet 16 for Dude Perfect, from college trick shots to trusted sports and entertainment brand
FRISCO, Texas — The five buddies who now comprise Dude Perfect had no intention of creating a brand or even a business 16 years ago when they started making a video of basketball trick shots while they were attending Texas A&M. “My dad would say we were procrastinating studying for...
What is Jackie Robinson Day around Major League Baseball and why is it always on April 15?
LOS ANGELES — Jackie Robinson’s legacy is being celebrated around the major leagues on Tuesday, with the day named for the first Black baseball player of the modern era and marking the 78th anniversary of his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson’s historic achievement preceded President Harry S. Truman’s desegregation...
