U.S. and Iran hold historic talks in Pakistan on war’s fragile ceasefire
ISLAMABAD — The United States and Iran began historic face-to-face negotiations Saturday in Pakistan, days after a fragile, two-week ceasefire was announced, as the war that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets entered its seventh week. The White House confirmed the direct nature of the talks, a...
Democrats embrace DEI as ‘American values’ at National Action Network
NEW YORK — Ever since President Donald Trump started purging diversity initiatives last year, the letters “DEI” have faded from corporate boardrooms and Democratic stump speeches. But that wasn’t the case for the past few days at the annual National Action Network conference in New York, where Democratic politicians and...
Officials: Stabbings on New York subway leave 3 hurt as officers shoot and kill knife-wielding man
NEW YORK — A man with a machete who attacked three people randomly at a major New York City subway station Saturday morning was shot and killed by police, authorities said. Officers responding to a 9:40 a.m. emergency call of an assault at the 42nd Street-Grand Central station encountered the...
Unsettled and uncertain: What the Iran war means around the world as U.S. and Iran enter talks
The long-term fallout of the war in Iran is only beginning to take shape, but this much is clear: The conflict has left the Middle East unsettled, alliances strained and the world facing uncertain shifts in the balance of economic and military power. Iran’s theocracy is tattered but alive, with...
Buyers fret as the average cost of a new car nears $50K
DETROIT — After a few years of sharing a 2019 Chevrolet Trax, Dana Eble and Tyler Marcus are finally looking for a second car. But as they jump into the market, the young married couple isn’t sure what they can afford. “I just keep seeing a lot of different aspects...
Undeterred by past setbacks, perennial political candidates set sights on primary
If at first — or the second, third or fourth time — you don’t succeed, try, try again. Some people seeking office this year are known in political circles as perennial candidates. They’ve appeared on ballots several times before but typically came up far short in bids for the same...
Michigan couple at center of Bahamas disappearance chronicled sailing adventures on social media
Lynette Hooker bounced around the deck of the docked Soul Mate, smiled into the camera and proclaimed: “We’re finally leaving Kemah,” referring to a Texas port town. “It’s only been four months,” she said as her husband, Brian, tugged on some rigging as they got ready to set sail. The...
Melania Trump denied ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The question remains: Why now?
WASHINGTON — First lady Melania Trump’s seemingly out-of-the-blue statement Thursday denying affiliation with disgraced sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein left people still wondering Friday what prompted the public declaration at a time when the case had receded from the spotlight. Reading prepared remarks at the White House on Thursday, Melania Trump...
From ‘BuddhaBot’ to $1.99 chats with AI Jesus, the faith-based tech boom is here
CAMARILLO, Calif. — For some evangelical Christians, faith is about having a personal relationship with Jesus. At $1.99 per minute, the tech company Just Like Me is taking that concept to a new level. Users of the platform can join video calls with an avatar of Jesus generated by artificial...
Artemis II’s record-breaking journey around the moon ends with dramatic splashdownVideo
AP-US-SCI-NASA-Artemis-Moonshot, 19th Ld-Writethru19th Ld-Writethru HOUSTON — Artemis II’s astronauts closed out humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than half a century with a Pacific splashdown on Friday, blazing new records near the moon with grace and joy. It was a dramatic grand finale to a mission that revealed not only...
Trump shares video of a brutal Florida killing allegedly by Haitian immigrant
MIAMI — President Donald Trump shared a video of a deadly attack allegedly by a Haitian immigrant accused of bludgeoning a woman with a hammer at a Florida gas station, portraying the killing as justification for his administration’s mass deportation agenda. Rolbert Joachin, 40, was arrested and charged with killing...
Shapiro, Garrity spar over Iran
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Treasurer Stacy Garrity are sparring this week over the war in Iran. Garrity, who is unopposed for the Republican nomination in this year’s race for governor, took exception Thursday to Shapiro describing the conflict as “the president’s war of choice.” In response to a reporter’s...
‘I am thinking about it,’ Kamala Harris says of 2028 presidential bid
NEW YORK — After chants of “run again!” filled the room, former Vice President Kamala Harris told African American activists on Friday that she’s actively considering another presidential bid. “I might. I am thinking about it,” Harris told Rev. Al Sharpton after he asked directly whether she was going to...
Trump’s Washington arch plan includes golden-winged figure, eagles, lions and ‘One Nation Under God’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s plans for a new triumphal arch in the capital, unveiled on Friday, include a towering winged figure with a Lady Liberty-like torch and crown, flanked by two eagles and guarded by four lions — all gilded. The 12-page plan released by the U.S. Commission on...
Five people charged with murder in deadly Northern California fireworks warehouse explosion
WOODLAND, Calif. — Five people have been charged with murder in a deadly Northern California explosion at a fireworks warehouse that killed seven people, authorities said. Yolo County Deputy District Attorney Clara Nabity said Friday the charges stem from a grand jury indictment that found five people, including a former...
Federal court hears new case against Trump’s latest global tariffs
NEW YORK — The centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s economic policy — sweeping taxes on global imports — is under legal assault again. The U.S. Court of International Trade, a specialized court in New York, heard oral arguments Friday in an attempt to overturn the temporary tariffs Trump turned to...
Former Russian deputy defense minister is sentenced to 19 years for corruption
MOSCOW — Former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov was sentenced to 19 years in prison for corruption by a military court in Moscow, Russian state media said Friday. The case against Popov, who was arrested in 2024, relates to business activities at a sprawling park in Moscow sometimes called...
Abusive husband gets 8 years in prison in Scotland for wife’s suicide in landmark case
LONDON — Kimberley Milne jumped to her death in Scotland in July 2023, but prosecutors in a landmark case said Friday that she was driven to do it by her husband’s physical abuse. Lee Milne, 40, was sentenced to eight years in prison following his conviction in Glasgow’s High Court...
Vance warns Iran not to ‘play’ the U.S. as he departs for negotiations aimed at ending the war
WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance on Friday warned Iran not to “play” the U.S. as he headed overseas for negotiations aimed at ending the war. President Donald Trump has tasked the member of his inner circle who has seemed to be the most reluctant defender of the 6-week-old conflict...
AP reporter describes intense Israeli attacks that stunned Beirut
BEIRUT — It was 2:14 in the afternoon when the first bomb fell, and the sudden sound of crashing metal was like a heavy truck had overturned outside our office. The Israeli strike had hit somewhere nearby. Within seconds, plumes of smoke were rising across Beirut’s skyline, from the coastal...
U.S. and Iran prepare for ceasefire talks as Netanyahu authorizes negotiations with Lebanon
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — With the ceasefire in Iran still shaky, Vice President JD Vance headed Friday to Pakistan for high-level talks with Iranian officials, as Israel and Hezbollah traded fire and Tehran maintained its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz. Many issues could derail the truce and the...
A president and a pope: The world’s most influential Americans are at odds over Iran
President Donald Trump is accustomed to criticism from coast to coast — Democrats, disaffected Republicans, late-night comedians, massive protests. Yet in his second presidency, Trump’s most influential American critic doesn’t live in the country but at the Vatican. It’s an unprecedented situation, with the first American pope directly assailing the...
Hungary’s election could end Orbán’s journey from liberal firebrand to far-right leader
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the European Union’s longest-serving leader and one of its biggest antagonists, has taken a long road from his early days as a liberal, anti-Soviet firebrand to the Russia-friendly nationalist admired by the global far-right today. After dominating Hungarian politics for more than...
Updated rules for CDC vaccine advisory panel reflect Kennedy skepticism
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has updated the charter of a key federal vaccine advisory committee in ways that may increase the voices of anti-vaccine activists, the latest in a series of moves that critics say are undermining confidence in life-saving shots. The changes published Thursday come after a recent...
Pentagon plays down rift with Vatican despite pope’s criticism
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon and the Vatican denied allegations of a rift as a result of Pope Leo XIV’s criticism of the Trump administration and a news report of a contentious meeting between a papal envoy and a top U.S. defense official. In separate statements, the two sides professed an...
