Associated Press stories, Page 593
U.S. loosens some electric vehicle battery rules, potentially making more EVs eligible for tax credits
DETROIT — The U.S. government has loosened some rules governing electric vehicle tax credits a bit, potentially making more EVs eligible for credits of up to $7,500. The Treasury Department announced final regulations for the credits under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act on Friday, giving automakers more time to comply...
China sends a probe to get samples from the less-explored far side of the moon
TAIPEI, Taiwan — China on Friday launched a lunar probe to land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side. It is the latest advance in China’s increasingly sophisticated space exploration program,...
Kenya president postpones reopening of schools as flood-related deaths pass 200
NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan President William Ruto has postponed next week’s planned reopening of schools until further notice, as heavy rains and floods that have killed more than 200 people continue. The president in his state of the nation address on Friday said that “meteorological reports paint a dire picture,”...
U.S. employers scaled back hiring in April but still added 175,000 jobs in the face of higher rates
WASHINGTON — The nation’s employers pulled back on their hiring in April but still added a decent 175,000 jobs in a sign that persistently high interest rates may be starting to slow the robust U.S. job market. Friday’s government report showed that last month’s hiring gain was down sharply from...
Police move in to clear NYU encampment as U.S. campus arrests grow to 2,200 in pro-Palestinian protests
LOS ANGELES — Police moved in to clear an encampment at New York University on Friday at the request of school officials, the latest development in weeks of pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses nationwide that have resulted in nearly 2,200 arrests with police sometimes using riot gear, tactical vehicles and...
U.K.’s governing Conservatives set for historic losses in local polls as Labour urges general election
LONDON — Britain’s governing Conservative Party suffered heavy losses in local election results Friday, further cementing expectations that the Labour Party will return to power after 14 years in a U.K. general election that will take place in the coming months. Labour won control of councils in England it hasn’t...
French police peacefully remove pro-Palestinian students occupying a university building in Paris
PARIS — French police on Friday peacefully removed dozens of students from a building at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, known as Sciences Po, who had gathered in support of Palestinians, echoing similar encampments and solidarity demonstrations across the United States. Students waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans in...
German foreign minister says Russia will face consequences for cyberattack — NATO, EU show support
BRUSSELS — Germany’s top diplomat on Friday said Russia will face consequences after accusing its military intelligence service of masterminding an “absolutely intolerable” cyberattack, as NATO and European Union member countries said they will not let Russia’s “malicious” behavior in cyberspace go unanswered. Relations between Russia and Germany were already...
A bus plunges into a rocky ravine in northern Pakistan, killing 20 people and injuring 30 others
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A bus plunged into a rocky ravine in northern Pakistan on Friday after its driver lost control, killing 20 people and injuring 30 others, officials said. The bus was traveling to Hunza on the Karakoram Highway in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district when the accident occurred, senior police officer...
Matt Wallace takes 1-shot lead at Byron Nelson
McKINNEY, Texas — Matt Wallace was relegated to watching the Masters amid a self-described “terrible” season when he found himself pondering what makes some of the best golfers in the world so good. Asked if Scottie Scheffler was among the players he was watching, Wallace stumbled over his words just...
Captain sentenced to 4 years for criminal negligence in fiery deaths of 34 aboard scuba boat
LOS ANGELES — A federal judge in Los Angeles on Thursday sentenced a scuba dive boat captain to four years in prison and three years supervised release for criminal negligence after 34 people died in a fire aboard the vessel. The Sept. 2, 2019, blaze was the deadliest maritime disaster...
Tiger Woods gets special exemption to U.S. Open at Pinehurst
Tiger Woods accepted a special exemption for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, the first time the three-time champion has needed an exemption to play. Woods has been exempt for every U.S. Open since he first played in 1995 as the reigning U.S. Amateur champion. His five-year exemption from...
Sam Reinhart wants Stanley Cup more than place in Panthers history
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — It has become a running joke with the Florida Panthers. Ask coach Paul Maurice about Sam Reinhart, and he will say something less than glowing about his team’s top goal scorer. These are actual examples: “He’s hard to deal with.” “He’s got a terrible attitude.” “He’s...
Hurricanes’ Rod Brind’Amour feels ‘really good’ about reaching new contract
RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Thursday he feels “really good” that he will reach a new contract with the team, mirroring optimism from president and general manager Don Waddell a day earlier. Brind’Amour — considered by many the face of the franchise with his long-running ties...
Paying college football players could reverse trend of opt-outs in bowl games
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — With the expanded College Football Playoff locked in through 2031, questions still remain about what the rest of the postseason will look like. One thing is certain, there will still be bowls. “College football cannot have a postseason that only provides 12 opportunities,” Nick Carparelli, executive director...
Georgia’s Kirby Smart becomes highest-paid college football coach at $13M annually
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia’s Kirby Smart agreed to a contract extension Thursday that makes him the highest-paid coach in college football with an annual salary of $13 million. Smart got a bump in salary of $1.75 million annually as part of the deal, which ties him to the Bulldogs through...
For ex-Derby winner Silver Charm, it’s a life of leisure at Kentucky retirement farm
GEORGETOWN, Ky. — Michael Blowen can step outside his house any day of the week and visit retired racehorses at Old Friends, the thoroughbred retirement farm he founded in Kentucky two decades ago that attentively cares for former winners and losers alike. From his home’s backdoor, Blowen can watch one...
Maternal deaths have fallen to pre-pandemic levels, new U.S. data says
NEW YORK — U.S. deaths of moms around the time of childbirth have fallen back to pre-pandemic levels, new government data suggests. About 680 women died last year during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth, according to provisional CDC data. That’s down from 817 deaths in 2022 and 1,205 in 2021,...
Ohio launches effort to clean up voter rolls ahead of November’s presidential election
COLUMBUS — Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose directed county election directors on Thursday to begin a “routine but enhanced” hunt through the voter rolls ahead of November’s election, in an effort he says is legally mandated to remove inactive registrations. “Every state is required to have an ongoing...
NHL players refining art of bank shots off goalie masks
Off the goaltender’s mask, off a defenseman’s back, nothing but net. Well, at least in the net. That is how Colorado’s Casey Mittelstadt got his first goal of the NHL playoffs this year, and it is not the only one. Several players have scored by ricocheting the puck in off...
The Fed indicated rates will remain higher for longer. What does that mean for you?
NEW YORK — Mortgage rates, credit card rates, auto loan rates, and business loans with variable rates will all likely maintain their highs, with consequences for consumer spending, after the Federal Reserve indicated Wednesday that it doesn’t plan to cut interest rates until it has “greater confidence” that price increases...
Judge declares mistrial after jury deadlocks in lawsuit filed by former Abu Ghraib prisoners
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A judge declared a mistrial Thursday after a jury said it was deadlocked and could not reach a verdict in the trial of a military contractor accused of contributing to the abuse of detainees at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq two decades ago. The mistrial came...
Remains of child found in duffel bag in Philadelphia neighborhood identified as missing boy
A decomposed body found earlier this year in a duffel bag in Philadelphia has been identified as a 4-year-old boy who authorities say was beaten to death. The body of Damari Carter was found March 18 in the city’s Mantua neighborhood by a worker who was cleaning out an alleyway....
Report: Non-white pedestrians more often end up in the ER for vehicle-related injuries
Pedestrians who are not white ended up in the emergency room for traffic-related injuries at higher rates than white people, according to a new federal report published Thursday. There were more than 137,000 emergency room visits involving a pedestrian injury between January 2021 and December 2023. Asian pedestrians went to...
Maryland officials say rebuilding bridge will cost up to $1.9 billion, take over 4 years
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland plans to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in just over four years at an estimated cost between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion, a state transportation official said Thursday. As salvage efforts continue, authorities also announced late Wednesday they had recovered the body of a fifth...
