Associated Press stories, Page 579
Wisconsin Supreme Court says an order against an anti-abortion protester violated 1st Amendment
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Thursday that an order barring an anti-abortion protester from coming close to a Planned Parenthood nurse violated his First Amendment free speech rights and must be overturned. The court, controlled 4-3 by liberals, ruled unanimously in ordering that the injunction be dismissed....
Oklahoma executes man convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing 7-year-old girl in 1984
McALESTER, Okla. — Oklahoma executed a man Thursday who was convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing his 7-year-old former stepdaughter in 1984. Richard Rojem, 66, received a three-drug lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester and was declared dead at 10:16 a.m., prison officials said. Rojem, who had...
What it means for the Supreme Court to block enforcement of the EPA’s ‘good neighbor’ pollution rule
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency will not be able to enforce a key rule limiting air pollution in nearly a dozen states while separate legal challenges proceed around the country, under a Supreme Court decision Thursday. The EPA’s “good neighbor” rule is intended to restrict smokestack emissions from power...
Free speech and digital rights groups argue TikTok law would infringe on 1st Amendment
A group of nonprofits argued in a legal filing that the federal law requiring TikTok’s parent company to sell the platform, or face a ban, is an unconstitutional measure that restricts speech and makes it impossible for users to associate on the app. The legal brief, submitted late Wednesday to...
Steve Gleason to receive Arthur Ashe Courage Award at The ESPYS for his work on ALS awareness
LOS ANGELES — Retired NFL safety Steve Gleason, who has been fighting ALS since 2011, will receive the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at The ESPYS on July 11. The 47-year-old Gleason spent eight years in the NFL before retiring in 2008. Three years later, he went public with his...
Supreme Court allows emergency abortions in Idaho — for now — in limited ruling
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court cleared the way Thursday for Idaho hospitals to provide emergency abortions, for now, in a procedural ruling that left key questions unanswered and could mean the issue ends up before the conservative-majority court again soon. The ruling came a day after an opinion was briefly...
Supreme Court rejects nationwide opioid settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would have shielded members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids but also would have provided billions of dollars to combat the opioid epidemic....
Supreme Court strips the SEC of a critical enforcement tool in fraud cases
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday stripped the Securities and Exchange Commission of a major tool in fighting securities fraud in a decision that also could have far-reaching effects on other regulatory agencies. The justices ruled that people accused of fraud by the SEC, which regulates securities markets, have...
Supreme Court halts enforcement of EPA’s plan to limit downwind pollution from power plants
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is putting the Environmental Protection Agency’s air pollution-fighting “good neighbor” plan on hold while legal challenges continue, the conservative-led court’s latest blow to federal regulations. The justices in a 5-4 vote on Thursday rejected arguments by the Biden administration and Democratic-controlled states that the plan...
3 killed and dozens injured in northern Russia when a passenger train derails
MOSCOW — A passenger train derailment in northern Russia killed three people and injured dozens, officials said Thursday. The 14-carriage train derailed Wednesday night in Russia’s northern republic of Komi, state rail company Russian Railways said in a statement, with nine carriages coming off the tracks. About 40 people were...
Back to Woodstock, with Wi-Fi: Women return after 55 years to glamp and relive the famous festival
BETHEL, N.Y. — Beverly “Cookie” Grant hitchhiked to the Woodstock music festival in 1969 without a ticket and slept on straw. Ellen Shelburne arrived in a VW microbus and pitched a pup tent. Fifty-five years later, the two longtime friends finally got back to the garden, but this time in...
U.S. weekly jobless claims fall, but the total number collecting benefits is the most since 2021
Fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week but the total number of Americans collecting jobless benefits rose to the highest level in more than two years. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims for the week ending June 22 fell by 6,000 to 233,000 from 239,000 the previous...
Walgreens woes continue with earnings miss; plans to shutter significant number of stores
Walgreens shares tumbled early Thursday after the drugstore chain signaled that more store closings are on the way, missed earnings expectations for its third quarter and cut its annual forecast. The company said a quarter of U.S. stores are underperforming and it plans to shutter a significant number of them...
Prospect of low-priced Chinese EVs reaching U.S. from Mexico poses threat to automakers
WASHINGTON — It’s a scenario that terrifies America’s auto industry. Chinese carmakers set up shop in Mexico to exploit North American trade rules. Once in place, they send ultra-low-priced electric vehicles streaming into the United States. As the Chinese EVs go on sale across the country, America’s homegrown EVs —...
Starting your 1st post-graduation job? Here’s how to organize your finances
NEW YORK — With graduation season over, many college grads are embarking on summer internships or their first full-time jobs. Navigating your finances when you start adult life can be challenging, from understanding your health insurance and benefits to managing a budget. Finding a job is often the first hurdle,...
Bolivia reels from short-lived coup attempt as apparent calm returns
LA PAZ, Bolivia — Calm returned to Bolivia’s capital on Thursday after troops led by a top general stormed the presidential palace, then quickly retreated, tumultuous scenes that threatened to pitch the long-troubled South American democracy into chaos. The nation of 12 million watched in shock and bewilderment Wednesday as...
7 in 10 Americans think Supreme Court justices put ideology over impartiality: AP-NORC poll
WASHINGTON — A solid majority of Americans say Supreme Court justices are more likely to be guided by their own ideology rather than serving as neutral arbiters of government authority, a new poll finds, as the high court is poised to rule on major cases involving former President Donald Trump...
How the Biden-Trump debate could change the trajectory of the 2024 campaign
ATLANTA — President Joe Biden and his Republican rival, Donald Trump, will meet for a debate on Thursday that offers an unparalleled opportunity for both candidates to try to reshape the political narrative. Biden, the Democratic incumbent, gets the chance to reassure voters that, at 81, he’s capable of guiding...
Biden and Trump go head to head: How to watch the 1st general election presidential debate
ATLANTA — The first general election debate of the 2024 election season is here, and it’s a historic moment no matter what happens on stage. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are taking part in Thursday night’s debate in Atlanta. Not only is it the first-ever matchup between...
Americans favored to finish 1st in overall medal count at Paris Olympics
The United States is strongly favored to win the most overall medals when the Paris Olympics open in a month. The big question is this: will the Americans also top the gold-medal tally in a close race with China? The United States is projected to win 123 medals overall —...
Bill Cobbs, the prolific and sage character actor, dies at 90
NEW YORK — Bill Cobbs, the veteran character actor who became a ubiquitous and sage screen presence as an older man, has died. He was 90. Cobbs died Tuesday at his home in the Inland Empire, California, surrounded by family and friends, his publicist Chuck I. Jones said. Natural causes...
Sha’Carri Richardson back on track in 200 as Olympic trials enter homestretch
EUGENE, Ore. — Sha’Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles are coming back for Part II. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Gabby Thomas are joining the show. The second half of U.S. Olympic trials for track and field kick off Thursday, and the final four days at Hayward Field will feature the full complement...
Increased transparency and golden retrievers: How USA Gymnastics came back from brink
MINNEAPOLIS — USA Gymnastics was a house afire five years ago, the massive fallout surrounding the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal rendering one of the U.S. Olympic movement’s marquee programs radioactive. Lawsuits. Bankruptcy. Potential decertification. A revolving door at the top as CEOs incapable or unwilling to find a path...
Baby cousin with cancer inspires girls to sew hospital gowns for sick kids across U.S., Africa
FREEHOLD, N.J. — Fighting brain cancer, little Giada Demma was lying in her pediatric hospital bed, her tiny body virtually swimming in a drab green hospital gown. Her cousin Giuliana Demma remembers looking at the 1-year-old and thinking how sad the scene was: a small child awash in an ugly...
Hawks take Zaccharie Risacher with No. 1 NBA Draft pick
First, Victor Wembanyama, now Zaccharie Risacher. These days, American college players have to wait their turn in the NBA Draft. It’s someone else’s time at the top. Vive la France! The Atlanta Hawks took Risacher with the No. 1 pick Wednesday night, and France landed three players in the top...
