Associated Press stories, Page 28
Savannah Guthrie to return to ‘Today’ on April 6 after mother’s disappearance
After a two-month absence sparked by her 84-year-old mother’s apparent abduction, Savannah Guthrie will return to NBC’s “Today” show next month, saying in an interview that aired Friday “joy will be my protest.” Hoda Kotb said after her emotional interview with her former co-host aired that Guthrie will return April...
A Build America, Buy America law is causing construction delays amid the U.S. housing crisis
It has a catchy name — Build America, Buy America — and the lauded goal of bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States. But the law has spurred a bottleneck for affordable housing. Nearly everything from HVACs and lighting to sink hooks and ceiling fans in affordable housing projects...
Austria plans to ban social media use for under-14s, joining a string of other countries
VIENNA — Austria’s governing coalition on Friday announced plans to ban social media use for children under 14, joining a string of other countries in drawing up restrictions for young people. Alexander Pröll, the official in Chancellor Christian Stocker’s office responsible for digitization, said that draft legislation will be drawn...
House weighs next steps for bill to fund most of Homeland Security but not immigration enforcement
WASHINGTON — The Senate early Friday approved Department of Homeland Security funds to pay Transportation Security Administration agents and most other agencies but not the immigration enforcement operations at the heart of the budget impasse that has jammed airports, disrupted travel and imposed financial hardship on workers. The deal, which...
Trump administration opens investigations into race in admissions at 3 medical schools
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has opened investigations into how race is considered in admissions at three medical schools, ratcheting up its pressure campaign against colleges and universities. The Justice Department opened the investigations Wednesday into possible discrimination at the medical schools of Stanford University, Ohio State and the University...
9th-seeded Iowa continues improbable March run, beating Nebraska to reach Elite 8
HOUSTON — Alvaro Folgueiras converted a critical three-point play when Nebraska only had four defenders on the floor, and ninth-seeded Iowa continued its unpredictable NCAA Tournament run under first-year coach Ben McCollum, beating Nebraska 77-71 in a South Region semifinal on Thursday night. Bennett Stirtz scored 20 points and Folgueiras...
Kaufman-Renn tips in game-winner to send No. 2 seed Purdue past 11th-seeded Texas in Sweet 16
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Trey Kaufman-Renn has heard coach Matt Painter remind the Boilermakers so many times during his four years at Purdue that it’s not always the first shot of a possession that matters most. “It’s those tip-ins at the end of the games,” Kaufman-Renn recalled of the message....
Paul Waring trying to get his game on track and leads in Houston by 1 shot over Woodland
HOUSTON — Paul Waring felt he had been giving away shots, and he was in position to do that again Thursday in the Houston Open. Instead, the Englishman made a great escape for par and opened with a 7-under-par 63 for a one-shot lead over Gary Woodland. Waring and Woodland...
Longtime coaching friends Dusty May of Michigan and Nate Oats of Alabama to meet in Sweet 16
CHICAGO — Michigan coach Dusty May remembered when he was an assistant at Eastern Michigan watching 6 a.m. practices at Romulus High near Detroit. At the time, Nate Oats was coaching boys basketball and teaching physical education at the school. The two forged a friendship that’s going strong 20 years...
Federal judge temporarily blocks Pentagon from branding AI firm Anthropic a supply chain risk
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge has ruled in favor of artificial intelligence company Anthropic in temporarily blocking the Pentagon from labeling the company as a supply chain risk. U.S. District Judge Rita Lin on Thursday said she was also blocking President Donald Trump’s directive ordering all federal agencies to...
U.S. Treasury working to put Trump’s signature on new paper currency in 1st for sitting president
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury Department plans to put President Donald Trump’s signature on all new U.S. paper currency, the agency announced on Thursday. The move would be a first for a sitting president, since traditionally, U.S. paper currency carries the signatures of the Treasury Secretary and the Treasurer, not...
Trump interrupts Cabinet meeting dealing with the Iran war and rising prices to talk SharpiesVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump may believe the adage that the pen is mightier than the sword — as long as it’s a Sharpie. During a Cabinet meeting Thursday that discussed the war in Iran, record-long security lines at many of the nation’s top airports, rising oil prices and skittish...
Suburbanites embrace anti-Trump resistance before No Kings protests, saying, ‘This is our fight’
MONTCLAIR, N.J. — A few years ago, Allison Posner was barely involved in politics. Now the 42-year-old mother of two from Maplewood, New Jersey, hands out food and diapers to immigrant families outside a nearby detention facility. She waves signs on a highway overpass between school pickups and orthodontist appointments....
Wall Street has its worst day since the war with Iran started and crude oil prices rise
NEW YORK — Stocks fell sharply Thursday, and oil prices rose as doubt took over again from hope on Wall Street about a possible end to the war with Iran. The S&P 500 slumped 1.7% for its worst day since January and is back on track for a fifth straight...
Brother and sister are charged after an explosive device found outside a Florida Air Force base
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A man who fled to China after leaving an explosive device outside MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa has been indicted along with his sister in Florida on federal charges, and their mother has been detained pending deportation for overstaying her visa, a federal prosecutor said...
California lawmakers pass bill to rename César Chavez Day following sexual abuse allegations
SACRAMENTO, Calif — California lawmakers voted Thursday to rename César Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day in an effort to reconcile the Latino labor icon’s legacy with explosive sexual abuse allegations before the state holiday on March 31. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to quickly sign the bill. The change...
U.S. eases Belarus sanctions as Trump says he’ll help U.S. farmers impacted by Iran war
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday announced it had eased restrictions on a group of Belarus-linked financial and potash companies in the latest sign of improving ties between the country’s autocratic leader, Alexander Lukashenko, and Washington. The war with Iran has largely stopped the export of nitrogen fertilizers manufactured...
Nicolás Maduro’s lawyer argues against U.S. blocking funding for drug trafficking case defense
NEW YORK — Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were back in a New York courtroom Thursday as they seek to have their drug trafficking indictments thrown out over a geopolitical dispute over legal fees. The hearing opened with the defense and prosecution arguing over whether Maduro should...
Trump says he’ll sign order to pay TSA agents as Congress struggles to reach funding deal
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday he would sign an order instructing the Homeland Security secretary to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration agents as Congress struggles to reach a deal to end the budget impasse that has jammed airports and left workers without paychecks. Trump announced his decision in...
Average U.S. long-term mortgage rate leaps to 6.38%, the highest level in more than 6 months
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed this week to its highest level in more than six months, driving up borrowing costs during what’s typically the busiest time of the year for prospective home buyers. The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.38% from 6.22% last week, mortgage...
Alabama QB Ty Simpson says he’s ‘absolutely’ a 1st-round pick after his pro day workout
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Ty Simpson felt like he made a final impression at Alabama’s pro day in front of NFL scouts. The quarterback went through a 40-plus-minute throwing session Wednesday for dozens of the league’s key decision makers. He previously threw at the NFL combine in February but elected to...
EU lawmakers approve trade deal with U.S. but add safeguards
BRUSSELS — The European Parliament voted Thursday to approve a trade deal between the European Union and the United States but with amendments added to protect European interests should the U.S. fail to hold up its end of the bargain. The deal was negotiated last July in Turnberry, Scotland, by...
Iran war deflects attention from Ukraine as an emboldened Russia starts spring offensive
The Iran war has deflected global attention from Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor Ukraine as Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II enters its fifth year and an emboldened Kremlin undertakes a spring offensive. The past week showed that neither side is easing up. Russia on Tuesday fired almost...
U.S. filings for jobless aid tick up last week to 210,000 but remain at historically healthy levels
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for jobless aid inched up last week as employers continue to retain workers despite a labor market that has weakened considerably in the past year. U.S. applications for jobless aid for the week ending March 21 rose by 5,000 to 210,000 from the...
Italy seizes millions in assets allegedly stolen from Bond co-star Ursula Andress
MILAN — Italian authorities have impounded 20 million euros ($23 million) worth of property, artworks and financial assets in and around Florence that were allegedly purchased with money stolen from original Bond girl Ursula Andress, Italy’s financial police said in a statement on Thursday. The seizures were the result of...
