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...
Well-timed bets on Polymarket tied to the Iran war draw calls for investigations from lawmakers
NEW YORK — Calls are increasing inside Congress for investigations into the prediction market platform Polymarket after the latest instance where groups of anonymous traders made strategic, well-timed bets on a major geopolitical event hours before it occurred. On Wednesday, The Associated Press reported that at least 50 brand new...
Federal judge finds Pentagon violating court order to restore access to reporters
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday ruled that the Defense Department is violating his earlier order to restore access to the Pentagon for reporters, a setback in the administration’s efforts to impede the work of journalists. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman sided with The New York Times for the...
Attorney for man shot by ICE in California says his client denies being a gang member
The attorney for a man shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during an arrest in central California said Thursday that his client was recovering after three surgeries for multiple gunshot wounds and that he denies being a gang member. Attorney Patrick Kolasinski said federal prosecutors have told him...
Date set for special election in Butler County state House district
A special election to replace former state Rep. Stephenie Scialabba, R-Cranberry, has been scheduled for August, but voters in the Butler County state House district could remain without a representative until late September. State House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, on Wednesday scheduled the 12th District special election for Aug. 18....
Former NYPD officer gets 3 to 9 years in prison for throwing a cooler that caused fatal crashVideo
NEW YORK — A former New York City police sergeant was sentenced Thursday to three to nine years in prison for tossing a picnic cooler full of ice and drinks at a fleeing suspect, who then crashed his motorized scooter and died. Erik Duran, 38, was convicted of manslaughter in...
