Associated Press stories, Page 934
Debt ceiling explained: Why it’s a struggle in Washington and how the impasse could end
WASHINGTON — Pushing to strike a debt ceiling deal, the Republican negotiating team headed Wednesday to the White House for more discussions with the sides still far apart. Time is short: There are just days left before the government could run out of cash to pay its bills. The White...
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton likely broke laws, Republican investigation findsVideo
AUSTIN — A Republican-led investigation on Wednesday accused Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of committing multiple crimes in office — including felonies — during an extraordinary public airing of scandal and alleged lawbreaking that plunged one of the GOP’s conservative stars into new political and legal risk. For more than...
Haley commits to federal abortion ban but says it’s unlikely without more Republicans in Congress
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Wednesday pledged to sign a federal ban on abortion but noted that passing one would be highly unlikely without more Republicans in Congress. Although Haley didn’t say how many weeks a federal ban should encompass, her commitment to signing one is...
1st seditious conspiracy sentences in Jan. 6 attack to be handed down
WASHINGTON — Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and members of his antigovernment group will be the first Jan. 6 defendants sentenced for seditious conspiracy in a series of hearings beginning this week that will set the standard for more punishments of far-right extremists to follow. Prosecutors will urge the judge...
Nadal’s absence changes complexion of Roland Garros
There’s a reason a statue of Rafael Nadal stands outside Court Philippe Chatrier on the southwest outskirts of Paris. No player ever lorded over any Grand Slam tennis tournament the way Nadal has ruled the French Open, winning it year after year after year for a read-it-again-to-make-sure total of 14...
Montana 1st to ban those in drag from reading to children in schools, libraries
HELENA, Mont. — Montana has become the first state to specifically ban people dressed in drag from reading books to children at public schools and libraries, part of a host of legislation aimed at the rights the LGBTQ+ community in Montana and other states. Bills in Florida and Tennessee also...
How to make Caramelized Shallot-Cheese Fondue while camping
This recipe for Instant Caramelized Shallot-Cheese Fondue by Chris Nuttall-Smith is exactly the dish you pull from your pack at 7,500 feet as a pre-winter storm blows past. It’s also exactly the dish you want while car camping on a crisp fall day when everybody’s got rosy cheeks and ridiculous...
On Memorial Day, will you eat like a king or go camping?
NEW YORK — If your idea of a meal while camping is something quick and bland — maybe a power bar, a can of beans or some instant noodles — food writer and critic Chris Nuttall-Smith suggests something else, just as quick but also tasty. An avid backpacker, hunter, skier...
Abortion debates happening this week in U.S. courts and statehouses
Lawmakers in South Carolina passed an abortion ban while a judge in Montana was weighing restrictions there in the latest developments in the shifting landscape of law since the U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned Roe v. Wade and the nationwide right to abortion. Here’s what to know. Back to...
U.S. gay rights group issues Florida travel advisory for anti-LGBTQ+ laws
ORLANDO, Fla. — The largest LGBTQ+ rights organization in the U.S. joined other civil rights organizations Tuesday in issuing a travel advisory for Florida, warning that newly passed laws and policies may pose risks to minorities, immigrants and gay travelers. The Human Rights Campaign joined the NAACP, the League of...
Do not call: States sue telecom company over billions of robocalls
PHOENIX — Attorneys general across the U.S. joined in a lawsuit against a telecommunications company accused of making more than 7.5 billion robocalls to people on the national Do Not Call Registry. The 141-page lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Phoenix against Avid Telecom, its owner Michael...
Germany cracks down on climate activists after Scholz calls protest group ‘nutty’
BERLIN — German police raided 15 properties linked to the Last Generation climate activist group Wednesday, seizing assets as part of an investigation into its finances in a sign of growing impatience with disruptive protest tactics also seen in other European countries. Members of the group have repeatedly blocked roads...
Debt ceiling talks stuck on classic problem: Republicans demand spending cuts and Democrats resist
WASHINGTON — Debt ceiling negotiations are locked on a classic problem that has vexed, divided and disrupted Washington before: Republicans led by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy want to roll back federal government spending, while President Joe Biden and other Democrats do not. Time is short to strike a deal before...
Just in case: Anxious retirees, social service groups among those making default contingency plans
WASHINGTON — Phoenix retiree Saundra Cole has been watching the news about the debt limit negotiations in Washington with dismay — and limiting her air conditioning use to save money just in case her monthly Social Security check is delayed due to a default. For her, air conditioning is no...
Super Typhoon Mawar passing over Guam as Category 4 storm with strong winds, rain
HONOLULU — Typhoon Mawar rumbled through Guam as a powerful Category 4 storm on Thursday, relentlessly lashing the U.S. Pacific island territory with heavy rain, powerful winds, and a dangerous storm surge and knocking out power to many communities where frightened residents hunkered down for the night in homes and...
Trump lawyers seek meeting with Garland as Mar-a-Lago investigation shows signs of winding downVideo
WASHINGTON — Lawyers for Donald Trump on Tuesday asked for a meeting with Attorney General Merrick Garland as a Justice Department investigation into the former president’s handling of classified documents shows signs of winding down. In the letter, which Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, attorneys John Rowley and...
Target removes some LGBTQ merchandise from stores ahead of June Pride month after threats to workers
NEW YORK — Target is removing certain items from its stores and making other changes to its LGBTQ merchandise nationwide ahead of Pride month, after an intense backlash from some customers including violent confrontations with its workers. “Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense...
Texas governor sent bill abolishing position of Harris County elections chief
AUSTIN — Shaking up elections in Texas’ largest county, the GOP-controlled Legislature on Tuesday approved abolishing a position in Harris County that oversees more than 2 million voters around Houston months before the city chooses a new mayor. At the same time, Republicans advanced a separate plan that would also...
Former Kansas police officer sentenced for sexual assaults, window peeping
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A former Kansas police officer has been sentenced to 23 1/2 years in prison for a series of sexual assaults committed while he was an officer. Todd W. Allen, 52, pleaded guilty in April to 12 felony sex crime charges and five breach of privacy charges. Prosecutors...
No. 2 pick Stroud competing for starting job with Houston Texans
HOUSTON — The Houston Texans aren’t simply handing C.J. Stroud the starting job despite drafting the quarterback second overall in this year’s draft. The Ohio State star worked with the second-team offense Tuesday while last year’s starter Davis Mills ran with the starters. “This team has been very accepting of...
Saints’ Foster Moreau gratefully returns to football field after cancer scareVideo
METAIRIE, La. — Saints newly acquired tight end Foster Moreau refers to his recent cancer diagnosis as “a life sentence.” He will always have to monitor it, he said. But at the moment, he no longer requires treatment and is returning to football “full steam ahead.” “I’ll continue to fight...
Lakers hoping LeBron James decides to continue career after playoff eliminationVideo
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers hope LeBron James will decide to continue his career after he recovers from the difficult end to their season. James didn’t meet with the media on the day after the top scorer in NBA history said he needed time to think about his...
Catholic clergy sexually abused Illinois kids far more often than church acknowledged, state findsVideo
CHICAGO — More than 450 Catholic clergy in Illinois sexually abused nearly 2,000 children since 1950, the state’s attorney general found in an investigation released Tuesday, revealing that the problem was far worse than the church had let on. Attorney General Kwame Raoul said at a news conference that investigators...
NFL, Roger Goodell close to finalizing 3-year contract extension through 2027Video
EAGAN, Minn. — Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL agreed on the framework of a three-year contract extension that will keep him in place until 2027, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay confirmed Tuesday at the league meetings. Goodell’s current deal expires in 2024. He has been commissioner of the league...
‘A sign of his compassion’: Man killed while helping ducklings safely cross busy California street
ROCKLIN, Calif. — His family says it’s no surprise that Casey Rivara’s final act was one of compassion. When he spotted a mama duck trying to guide her ducklings across a busy California intersection, Rivara stopped his car at a red light and got out to help them make it...
