Associated Press stories, Page 951
Webb Space Telescope reveals moment of stellar birth, dramatic close-up of 50 baby starsVideo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The Webb Space Telescope is marking one year of cosmic photographs with one of its best yet: the dramatic close-up of dozens of stars at the moment of birth. NASA unveiled the latest snapshot Wednesday, revealing 50 baby stars in a cloud complex 390 light-years away....
U.S. inflation falls to 3%, lowest level in over 2 years, as price pressures ease
WASHINGTON — After two years of painfully high prices, inflation in the U.S. has reached its lowest point in more than two years — 3% in June compared with 12 months earlier — a sign that the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes have steadily slowed price increases across the economy....
FBI Director Chris Wray defends the ‘real FBI’ against criticism from House RepublicansVideo
WASHINGTON — FBI Director Chris Wray defended the “real FBI” during a contentious congressional hearing Wednesday, rejecting a litany of grievances from angry Republicans who are harshly critical of the bureau, threatening to defund some operations and claiming the Justice Department is unfair to political conservatives, including Donald Trump. Wray...
3 dead, 14 injured in Illinois crash of Greyhound bus and commercial vehicles
HIGHLAND, Ill. — Three people were killed and 14 others injured, some seriously, early Wednesday when a Greyhound bus crashed into three commercial motor vehicles along a highway in southern Illinois, state police said. Illinois State Police said an initial investigation indicates a Greyhound passenger bus and three commercial vehicles...
3 tax prep firms shared ‘extraordinarily sensitive’ data about taxpayers with Meta, lawmakers say
WASHINGTON — Three large tax preparation firms sent “extraordinarily sensitive” information on tens of millions of taxpayers to Facebook parent company Meta over the course of at least two years, a group of congressional Democrats reported on Wednesday. They say some of that data was then used by Meta to...
Few U.S. adults support full abortion bans, even in states that have them, an AP-NORC poll finds
The majority of U.S. adults, including those living in states with the strictest limits on abortion, want it to be legal at least through the initial stages of pregnancy, a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds. The poll was conducted in late June, one...
Pence would ban abortions when pregnancies aren’t viable. His GOP rivals won’t say if they agree
NEW YORK — In a Republican presidential field full of candidates opposed to abortion rights, Mike Pence stands out in his embrace of the cause. The former vice president, who is seeking the White House in 2024, is the only major candidate who supports a federal ban on abortion at...
Queen Camilla attends Wimbledon, a week after Princess Kate made an appearance
WIMBLEDON, England — A week after Princess Kate graced Centre Court at Wimbledon by taking a seat in the Royal Box, Queen Camilla made an appearance at the Grand Slam tennis tournament on Wednesday. The queen, the wife of King Charles III, was wearing a white dress at the All...
Senators call for Supreme Court to follow ethics code like other branches of government
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, responding to Associated Press investigative stories on the Supreme Court, said Tuesday it was time for the justices to bring their conduct in line with the ethical standards of other branches of government. “If they just establish the basic standards of every other...
National League snaps All-Star Game losing streak, tops AL behind Elias Díaz homerVideo
SEATTLE — Elias Díaz hit a two-run homer off Félix Bautista in the eighth inning, and the National League snapped a nine-game losing streak in the All-Star Game with a 3-2 win over the American League on Tuesday night. The NL won for the first time since an 8-0 victory...
World Cup showcases inequity within women’s soccer
As the Women’s World Cup approached, Jamaican players started to panic. They were uncertain about training camps, accommodations and even pay heading into what for many would be the biggest tournament of their careers. So they took to social media. A number of the Reggae Girlz, as they are affectionately...
MLB experimenting with pearl white baseballs to rid sticky stuff problem
SEATTLE — Pristine white baseballs that would not require rubbing are under consideration by Major League Baseball as a way to solve the issue of pitchers using sticky substances for better grip. “We continue to work with the people at Dow Chemical on developing a tacky ball,” Commissioner Ron Manfred...
Farmers pulls out of Florida property insurance despite efforts to stabilize the market
TALLAHASSEE — Farmers Insurance became the latest property insurance company to pull out of Florida on Tuesday despite repeated efforts by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature have made to try to calm the volatile market that is making homeownership less affordable. Farmers informed the state that it is...
Mikala Jones, Hawaii surfer known for filming inside waves, dies in surfing accidentVideo
HONOLULU — Mikala Jones, a Hawaii surfer known for shooting awe-inspiring photos and videos from the inside of massive, curling waves, died after a surfing accident in Indonesia. He was 44. Jones had gone out into the ocean Sunday morning during a trip to the Mentawai Islands off the western...
Trump can be held liable in writer’s defamation lawsuit after Justice Department reverses course
NEW YORK — The Justice Department on Tuesday said that Donald Trump can be held personally liable for remarks he made about a woman who accused him of rape — a reversal of its position that Trump was protected because he was president when he made the remarks. In a...
Police: Items believed connected to Pa. jail escapee still being found; reward increasesVideo
WARREN — Authorities searching for a homicide suspect who used bedsheets to escape from a northwestern Pennsylvania jail last week say items found in the last 24 hours lead them to believe he is still in the area. Authorities added that reward money in the case has more than doubled....
Man who stormed Capitol while free on attempted murder charge gets over 3 years in prison for riot
A North Carolina man who stormed the U.S. Capitol while awaiting trial for shooting a teenager in the head was sentenced on Tuesday to more than three years in prison for attacking police officers with a flagpole during the riot. Matthew Jason Beddingfield, 22, was free on pretrial release for...
Leslie Van Houten, follower of cult leader Charles Manson, released from California prison
LOS ANGELES — Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten walked out of a California prison Tuesday after serving more than 50 years of a life sentence for her participation in two infamous murders. Van Houten “was released to parole supervision,” the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a...
Saints RB Alvin Kamara pleads no contest to misdemeanor charge in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS — New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara pleaded no contest Tuesday to a misdemeanor and agreed to pay medical costs for a man who was beaten into unconsciousness at a Las Vegas nightclub the weekend before the 2022 NFL Pro Bowl, authorities said. Three other men, including...
A surging river floods Vermont’s capital as crews rescue more than 100 peopleVideo
ANDOVER, Vt. — A storm that dumped up to two months of rain in two days in Vermont and other parts of the Northeast brought more flooding Tuesday to communities marooned by water, including the state capital, where officials kept watch on a dam just upstream. There were signs of...
DeAndre Hopkins, Dalvin Cook among remaining NFL free agents as camps nearVideo
DeAndre Hopkins and Dalvin Cook lead a list of accomplished players who are still available a week before several NFL teams open training camp. Hopkins, the three-time All-Pro wide receiver, became a free agent when Arizona released him in May. He visited the Tennessee Titans and has talked to the...
Column: How far golf has come in a year, how far it still has to go
GULLANE, Scotland — So much consternation about the fracture in the professional world of golf. So much speculation about where it all will lead. That wasn’t just Tuesday at a Senate hearing on how the about-face agreement between the PGA Tour and the Saudis came together. That was last year...
BofA hit with $250 million in fines and customer refunds for ‘double-dipping’ fees, fake accounts
NEW YORK — Bank of America will reimburse customers more than $100 million and pay $150 million in fines for “double-dipping” on overdraft fees, withholding reward bonuses on credit cards and opening accounts without customer consent. Combined, it is one of the highest financial penalties in years against Bank of...
Wisconsin boy killed in sawmill accident was doing work allowed by state law, records suggest
MADISON, Wis. — A 16-year-old boy killed in an accident at a Wisconsin sawmill appears to have been doing work allowed by state child labor laws when he was injured, police records obtained Tuesday show. Michael Schuls was attempting to unjam a wood-stacking machine at Florence Hardwoods on June 29...
MLB open to consider increasing time on pitch clock in postseasonVideo
SEATTLE — Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred will consider increasing time on the pitch clock for the postseason but is reluctant to adjust an innovation the sport considers a great success. In the first season of the clock, the average time of a nine-inning game is 2 hours, 38 minutes, on...
