Associated Press stories, Page 261
Employers added a surprising 177K jobs as job market shows resilience
WASHINGTON — American employers added a better-than-expected 177,000 jobs in April as the job market showed resilience in the face of President Donald Trump’s trade wars. Hiring was down slightly from a revised 185,000 in March and came in above economists’ expectations for a modest 135,000. The unemployment rate remained...
Drones strike ship carrying aid to Gaza, organizers say
TEL AVIV, Israel — Drones attacked a vessel carrying aid to Gaza while it was in international waters off Malta on Friday, the group organizing the shipment said. A fire broke out but was brought under control, according to authorities. A nearby tugboat responded to a distress call from the...
White House will unveil Trump’s 2026 budget, his 1st since returning to power
WASHINGTON — The White House is planning on Friday to unveil President Donald Trump’s 2026 budget, a sweeping framework that is expected to propose steep reductions, if not a wholesale zeroing out, of various federal programs as part of his administration’s priorities. Budgets do not become law but serve as...
How long was the longest conclave? Facts about the secret voting to elect a pope
VATICAN CITY — “Conclave” the film may have introduced moviegoers to the spectacular ritual and drama of a modern conclave, but the periodic voting to elect a new pope has been going on for centuries and created a whole genre of historical trivia. Here are some facts about conclaves past,...
Vatican firefighters install a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel for the papal election
VATICAN CITY — Preparations for the conclave to find a new pope accelerated Friday with the installation of the chimney out of the Sistine Chapel that will signal the election of a successor to Pope Francis. Vatican firefighters were seen on the roof of the Sistine Chapel installing the chimney,...
When did Disney villains stop being so villainous? New show suggests they may just be misunderstood
ORLANDO, Fla. — Cruella de Vil wanted to turn Dalmatian puppies into fur coats, Captain Hook tried to bomb Peter Pan and Maleficent issued a curse of early death for Aurora. But wait, maybe these Disney villains were just misunderstood? That’s the premise of a new musical show at Walt...
Soviet-era spacecraft is set to plunge to Earth a half-century after its failed launch to Venus
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A Soviet-era spacecraft meant to land on Venus in the 1970s is expected to soon plunge uncontrolled back to Earth, possibly within the first two weeks of May. It’s too early to know where the half-ton mass of metal might come down or how much of...
Brunson scores 40, Knicks top Pistons 116-113 in Game 6, advance to 2nd-round series with CelticsVideo
DETROIT — Jalen Brunson scored 40 points, Mikal Bridges had 25 points and OG Anunoby added 22 to lead the New York Knicks to a 116-113 win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night and into the second round of the NBA playoffs. The third-seeded Knicks will face second-seeded Boston,...
Defense Department designates 2nd military zone on U.S. border, extending into Texas
EL PASO, Texas — The Defense Department said Thursday that it has designated a second stretch on the U.S. border with Mexico as a military zone to enforce immigration laws. The newest area is in Texas and is attached to the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso. Like the...
Vegas moves on with 3-2 win in series clincher, as Wild go 1-and-done yet againVideo
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Jack Eichel scored his first goal of the series to give the Vegas the lead late in the second period, and Adin Hill held it up on a 29-save night to spur the Golden Knights onto the second round with a 3-2 victory in Game 6...
Jill Sobule, the singer-songwriter known for ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ dies in a fire
Jill Sobule, the award-winning singer-songwriter whose witty and poignant writing first attracted widespread attention with the gay-themed song “I Kissed a Girl,” died in a house fire Thursday. She was 66. Her death was confirmed by her publicist, David Elkin, in an email Thursday afternoon. It was not immediately clear...
Maple Leafs advance to the 2nd round of NHL playoffs by eliminating Senators 4-2 in Game 6Video
OTTAWA, Ontario — Max Pacioretty scored a tiebreaking goal with less than six minutes remaining in the third period, leading the Toronto Maple Leafs to a series-clinching 4-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night in Game 6 of the first-round matchup. William Nylander had two goals — including...
Scottie Scheffler returns to hometown Byron Nelson, takes 1st-round lead with 10-under 61Video
McKINNEY, Texas — Scottie Scheffler is happy to be back at his hometown event and showed it. Cameron Champ isn’t far from familiar territory, either, which is a good thing considering he got the call that he was in the Byron Nelson as an alternate about 18 hours before his...
Army plans for a potential parade on Trump’s birthday call for 6,600 soldiers, 50 helicopters
WASHINGTON — Detailed Army plans for a potential military parade on President Donald Trump’s birthday in June call for more than 6,600 soldiers, at least 150 vehicles, 50 helicopters, seven bands and possibly a couple thousand civilians, The Associated Press has learned. The planning documents, obtained by the AP, are...
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to strip legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelan migrants
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to strip temporary legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelans, potentially exposing them to being deported. The Justice Department asked the high court to put on hold a ruling from a federal judge in San Francisco that kept in place Temporary...
Trump says it’s Biden’s economy, but businesses, economists beg to differ
WASHINGTON — When the stock market was climbing in January 2024, Donald Trump knew exactly who deserved credit: Himself. Nearly a year before his return to the White House, he declared on his Truth Social platform that investors were celebrating his lead in the polls against President Joe Biden. When...
Lightning helped Panthers learn how to win
Winning in the Stanley Cup playoffs and becoming a championship-capable team, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said, is an art. It’s something that has to be learned. Turns out, the Lightning were good teachers. And the Florida Panthers were really good students. The Lightning, unbeknownst to them at the time,...
Judge bars deportations of Venezuelans from South Texas under Alien Enemies Act
A federal judge on Thursday barred the Trump administration from deporting any Venezuelans from South Texas under an 18th-century wartime law and said President Donald Trump’s invocation of it was “unlawful.” U.S. District Court Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. is the first judge to rule that the Alien Enemies Act cannot...
Apple posts stronger-than-expected Q2 results, says majority of U.S. iPhones sold will come from India
Apple CEO Tim Cook said Thursday that the majority of iPhones sold in the U.S. in the current fiscal quarter will be sourced from India, while iPads and other devices will come from Vietnam as the company works to avoid the impact of President Trump’s tariffs on its business. Apple’s...
LeBron: ‘I don’t have the answer’ to questions about his future after Lakers’ exit from NBA playoffsVideo
LOS ANGELES — LeBron James wasn’t ready to make any decisions about his future in the painful moments immediately after his 22nd NBA season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round playoff exit. “I don’t have the answer to that,” James said Wednesday night when asked how long he will...
Ian Wilkes has helped train 2 Kentucky Derby winners, seeks first on his own with Burnham SquareVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Ian Wilkes viewed the reporters outside his barn as a sign he must be doing something right. The veteran trainer is thoroughly embracing the attention that Burnham Square has brought him as a Kentucky Derby starter. Even better, he is the points leader heading into Saturday’s 151st...
Capitals stay even-keeled to eliminate Canadiens in 5, win 1st series since 2018
WASHINGTON — Just like during the season when they were the top team in the Eastern Conference and one of the best in the NHL, the Washington Capitals got goals from Alex Ovechkin, superb play in net from Logan Thompson and scoring up and down their lineup in the first...
Once a teen phenom, NASCAR champ Kyle Busch turns 40
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kyle Busch was hyped for NASCAR greatness long before he was a teenager by his Hall of Fame nominee brother, who vowed “if you think I’m good, wait until you see my little brother.” Busch’s debut in a NASCAR national series race was delayed, though, when he...
Driver who killed 4 by smashing through an Illinois after-school camp may have had health emergency
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The driver of a car that barreled through a building used for a popular after-school camp in central Illinois, killing three children and a teenager, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and may have had a medical emergency, police said Thursday. No decisions have...
Kohl’s ousts CEO Ashley Buchanan after investigation into conflicts of interest
Kohl’s said it has terminated its new CEO Ashley Buchanan after an investigation determined that he directed the retailer to engage in vendor transactions that involved undisclosed conflicts of interest. Kohl’s named Chairman Michael Bender as interim CEO, effective immediately. In connection with the appointment, Bender will step down as...

