Associated Press stories, Page 586
U.S. consumer sentiment drops to 6-month low on inflation, unemployment fears
WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer sentiment fell sharply in May to the lowest level in six months as Americans cited stubbornly high inflation and interest rates, as well as fears that unemployment could rise. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index, released Friday in a preliminary version, dropped to 67.4 this...
Biden White House highlights a coming showdown with GOP over 2017 tax cuts that are due to expire
WASHINGTON — The winner of November’s presidential election will face an epic challenge next year with the coming expiration of nearly $4 trillion in tax cuts — an issue that the Biden White House is highlighting in the runup to November. Lael Brainard, director of the White House National Economic...
Biden administration won’t conclude Israel violated terms of U.S. weapons agreement, AP sources say
WASHINGTON — A soon-to-be released Biden administration report does not conclude that Israel has violated the terms for its use of U.S. weapons, according three people who have been briefed on the matter. The report is expected to be sharply critical of Israel even though it didn’t conclude that Israel...
Technology crushing human creativity? Apple’s new iPad ad has struck a nerve onlineVideo
NEW YORK — A newly released ad promoting Apple’s new iPad Pro has struck quite a nerve online. The ad, which was released by the tech giant Tuesday, shows a hydraulic press crushing just about every creative instrument artists and consumers have used over the years — from a piano...
Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber are expecting a baby, renew their vows
NEW YORK — Cue up his 2010 megahit “Baby.” Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber (nee Baldwin) are expecting their first child together — and have renewed their vows. A representative for Hailey Bieber confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday that the model is just over six months pregnant. The...
Education board in Virginia votes to restore Confederate names to 2 schools
WOODSTOCK, Va. — A Virginia school board voted Friday to restore the names of Confederate military leaders to a high school and an elementary school, four years after the names had been removed. Shenandoah County’s school board voted 5-1 to rename Mountain View High School as Stonewall Jackson High School,...
Scottie Scheffler takes aim at another major at Valhalla course favorable to No. 1
Only 31 days separate that moment from when Scottie Scheffler slipped on the Masters green jacket to when the world’s No. 1 player embarks on the second leg of the Grand Slam at the PGA Championship. And yet it seems so much has transpired in such a short period of...
One man was a Capitol Police officer. The other rioted on Jan. 6. They’re both running for Congress
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — For Derrick Evans, being part of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol wasn’t enough. The former West Virginia lawmaker wants to make his path to the halls of Congress permanent. On the other side of the metal barricades that day, Police Officer Harry Dunn couldn’t stand...
WNBA set to tip off with spotlight on rookie class led by Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Aces’ quest for 3-peat
While conversations about the WNBA’s growth may start with Caitlin Clark, any talk about the 2024 championship begins with the star-studded Las Vegas Aces led by A’ja Wilson and their quest to three-peat. The Aces have been dominant on the court the past two seasons, becoming the first team to...
Heavy fighting in Gaza’s Rafah keeps aid crossings closed, sends 100,000 civilians fleeing
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Heavy fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants on the outskirts of the southern Gaza city of Rafah has left crucial nearby aid crossings inaccessible and caused over 100,000 people to flee north, a United Nations official said Friday. Israel’s plans for a full-scale invasion of...
Ukraine says Russia trying to break through its defenses in northeastern Kharkiv region
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine rushed reinforcements to its northeastern Kharkiv region to hold off a Russian attempt to breach local defenses, authorities said, a tactical switch in the war by Moscow that Ukrainian officials have been expecting for weeks. Intense nighttime shelling targeted Vovchansk, in the Kharkiv region and less...
Schauffele shoots 67 to take Wells Fargo lead. McIlroy in contention again at Quail HollowVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Rory McIlroy hoped his victory with Shane Lowry two weeks ago in the Zurich Classic team event would serve as a springboard for the remainder of the season. He’s off to a good start. McIlroy positioned himself for a run at a record fourth Wells Fargo Championship...
Barron Trump, 18, to make political debut as Florida delegate to the Republican conventionVideo
MIAMI — Former President Donald Trump’s youngest son, Barron Trump, has been chosen to serve as a Florida delegate to the Republican National Convention, the state party chairman said Wednesday. Republican Party of Florida chairman Evan Power said the 18-year-old high school senior will serve as one of 41 at-large...
Court rejects Hunter Biden’s appeal in gun case, setting stage for trial to begin next month
WASHINGTON — Hunter Biden’s federal gun case should move forward, an appeals court ruled Thursday, setting the stage for the president’s son to stand trial on criminal charges next month in Delaware. Hunter Biden’s lawyers went to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after the judge overseeing the case...
From 1 goal to 3, no lead is safe in these NHL playoffs
If you went to sleep midway through either of the Western Conference NHL playoff games the past two nights, there’s a good chance you woke up to a different winner than you thought. On Tuesday night, Dallas led Colorado, 3-0, after the first period and lost 4-3 in overtime. Roughly...
Pennsylvania to ban cellphone use while driving and require police to collect traffic stop data
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania will join the majority of states that ban motorists from handling a cellphone for almost any purpose while driving, as backers of the legislation hope to reduce distracted driving accidents and deaths after nearly two decades of pressing the measure. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office said Thursday that...
Homeless encampment cleared from drug-plagued Philadelphia neighborhood
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia police have cleared out a homeless encampment in a city neighborhood where drug use has been pervasive for years, but homeless advocates and others have raised concerns about how it was done. The effort, which the city called an “encampment resolution,” started around 7 a.m. Wednesday in...
Former Steelers WR Allen Robinson signs free-agent contract with Giants
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants signed wide receiver Allen Robinson to a free-agent contract with the hope he can help boost the team’s struggling offense. The Giants announced the signing Thursday, two months after Robinson was cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers in a cost-cutting move. The 30-year-old...
TikTok to start labeling AI-generated content as technology becomes more universal
TikTok will begin labeling content created using artificial intelligence when it’s been uploaded from outside its own platform in an attempt to combat misinformation. “AI enables incredible creative opportunities, but can confuse or mislead viewers if they don’t know content was AI-generated,” the company said in a prepared statement Thursday....
Netanyahu on U.S. threat to withhold arms: Israel will fight with its ‘fingernails’ if needed
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a U.S. threat to withhold some arms would not prevent Israel from continuing its offensive in Gaza, indicating it might proceed with an invasion of the packed city of Rafah against the wishes of its closest ally. President Joe Biden has...
Homeless woman was living inside Michigan rooftop store sign with computer, coffee maker
Contractors curious about an extension cord on the roof of a Michigan grocery store made a startling discovery: A 34-year-old woman was living inside the business sign, with enough space for a computer, printer and coffee maker, police said. “She was homeless,” Officer Brennon Warren of the Midland Police Department...
Nikki Haley will meet with donors to her shuttered presidential campaign; no Trump endorsement expected
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Nikki Haley is meeting next week with donors who supported her now-abandoned Republican presidential campaign, a reentry into public life that comes as the former South Carolina governor keeps drawing notable support in some state primaries despite Donald Trump’s status as the presumptive nominee. Haley will appear...
10 injured as Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport
DAKAR, Senegal — A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal’s capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire. “Our plane just caught fire,” wrote...
Toronto Maple Leafs fire coach Sheldon Keefe after another early playoff exit
TORONTO — Sheldon Keefe is out as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, fired Thursday after another early exit from the NHL playoffs. The move had been expected after Toronto lost to rival Boston in Game 7 last weekend, the fourth time in five years under Keefe the team has...
Trump’s hush money trial hinges on business transactions, not on Stormy Daniels’ shocking testimony
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s defense attorney on Thursday accused Stormy Daniels of slowly altering the details of an alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump, trying to persuade jurors that a key prosecution witness in the former president’s hush money trial cannot be believed. “You made all this up, right?”...
