Jury gets closing arguments in Copperfield negligence case

LAS VEGAS (AP) " A Nevada jury is due to hear closing arguments in a British tourist's lawsuit blaming Las Vegas Strip headliner David Copperfield for injuries the tourist suffered while taking part in a 2013 vanishing.Gavin Cox and his wife are suing Copperfield, the MGM Grand hotel and several business entities for negligence and monetary damages. Closing arguments are set for Wednesday.Cox testified he suffered brain and body injuries in a fall while stagehands urged him and [...]

Pompeo: US will fight Russian interference in 2018 elections

WASHINGTON (AP) " Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday the Trump administration will not tolerate Russian interference in the 2018 congressional midterm elections.Pompeo told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the administration will take "appropriate countermeasures" to fight what he called "continued efforts" by Russia to meddle in November's vote. He did not elaborate on the Russian interference or say what the countermeasures would be but said there was much more [...]

Pence speaks at Coast Guard Academy graduation

NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) " Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to deliver the commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy's graduation ceremony.Pence will deliver the keynote address at the Wednesday ceremony at the campus in New London, Connecticut.President Donald Trump was the speaker at last year's ceremony. The president and vice present typically each address the graduating class at one of the federal service academies on a rotating basis.The ceremony [...]

Hawaii geothermal plant plugs wells as lava flows nearby

PAHOA, Hawaii (AP) " Production wells at a geothermal plant under threat by lava flowing from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano have been plugged to prevent toxic gases from seeping out.Lava from a nearby, new volcanic vent entered, then stalled, on the 815-acre (330-hectare) property where the Puna Geothermal Venture wells occupy about 40 acres (16 hectares). Residents have been concerned about hazards if the lava flowed over the plant's facilities, or if heat generated would interact with [...]

Comcast v. Disney: a fight for Twenty-First Century Fox

PHILADELPHIA (AP) " Comcast may make an offer for Twenty-First Century Fox, potentially putting it in a head-to-head bidding war with Disney.Comcast Corp. on Wednesday did not provide specific details on a bid, other than to say that it would be all cash and at a premium to the value of Disney's current all-stock offer.The Wall Street Journal and others reported earlier this month that Comcast had $60 billion to challenge Disney.Disney's $52.4 billion bid would go a long [...]

City looks for answers after zombie alert sent to residents

LAKE WORTH, Fla. (AP) " Officials say they still don't know who sent a "zombie alert" to residents of a Florida city following a power outage.Lake Worth spokesman Ben Kerr says an independent investigation is underway to determine who was behind the message sent to some 7,880 customers during a 27-minute power outage Sunday.During the city's own investigation, Kerr says officials determined that no current or former employees edited the pre-prepared message to include the [...]

Comcast prepares to move in on Twenty-First Century Fox

PHILADELPHIA (AP) " Comcast may make an offer for Twenty-First Century Fox, potentially putting it in a head-to-head bidding war with Disney.Comcast Corp. on Wednesday did not provide specific details on a bid, other than to say that it would be all cash and at a premium to the value of Disney's current all-stock offer.Disney's $52.4 billion bid would go a long way in allowing it to better compete with technology companies in the entertainment business. Any tie-up would put in [...]

Trump: US may need new 'structure' for China trade deal

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump says the U.S. will probably need a "different structure" when it comes to trade with China.His tweet Wednesday comes after the two countries agreed to suspend plans to impose tariffs on as much as $200 billion in each other's goods, pulling back from the brink of a trade war.Trump tweeted: "Our Trade Deal with China is moving along nicely, but in the end we will probably have to use a different structure in that this will be too hard to [...]

Establishment Democrats relieved after Texas House runoff

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) " National Democrats breathed a sigh of relief after a liberal outsider lost her runoff in a high stakes U.S. House race for one of three Republican-held seats they hope to flip this November in the deep red state.The most-watched race of Tuesday's Texas primary runoffs saw liberal activist Laura Moser defeated by Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, a former Planned Parenthood board member. The result was cheered by the party establishment, who saw Moser as an unelectable drag [...]

Trump eager to sign bill rolling back Dodd-Frank regulations

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump indicated Wednesday that he's eager to sign a bill that would dismantle a chunk of the rules framework for banks, installed to prevent recurrence of the 2008 financial crisis that brought millions of lots jobs and foreclosed homes.The House voted 258-159 on Tuesday to approve legislation rolling back the Dodd-Frank law, notching a legislative win for Trump, who made gutting the landmark law a campaign promise.The Republican-led [...]

Trump seethes over Russia probe, calls for end to 'SPYGATE'

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump escalated his efforts to discredit the Russia investigation Wednesday, saying the FBI has been caught in a "MAJOR spy scandal" over their use of a secret informant to determine whether some of Trump's campaign aides were working with Russia ahead of the 2016 election."SPYGATE could be one of the biggest political scandals in history!" Trump said in an early morning Twitter tirade.Trump and his GOP supporters in Congress are now demanding [...]

Trump to address gang violence in Long Island speech

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump will speak on immigration and gang violence in a speech on Long Island in New York.The president is expected to discuss efforts to eradicate MS-13, the violent Salvadoran-based street gang.Last week, Trump used the word "animals" to describe some people who enter the country illegally, in response to a comment about MS-13. The president says he will continue to use the term in referring to the gang.The White House also released a [...]

Philip Roth, fearless and celebrated author, dies at 85

NEW YORK (AP) " Philip Roth, the prize-winning novelist and fearless narrator of sex, death, assimilation and fate, from the comic madness of "Portnoy's Complaint" to the elegiac lyricism of "American Pastoral," died Tuesday night at age 85.Roth's literary agent, Andrew Wylie, said that the author died in a New York City hospital of congestive heart failure.Author of more than 25 books, Roth was a fierce satirist and uncompromising realist, confronting readers in a bold, direct [...]

Loose horses tie up rush-hour traffic in Massachusetts

ACTON, Mass. (AP) " Two horses that got loose on a Massachusetts highway and tied up rush-hour traffic have been safely corralled and returned to their owners.State police found the horses on Route 2 in Acton after receiving 911 calls from drivers shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday.The Boston Globe reports that state police worked with local police to locate the owners, who walked the horses to safety in the breakdown lane.State police Sgt. Paul Sullivan joked that the horses [...]

Southern Baptist leader removed after controversial remarks about abused women

 FORT WORTH, Texas - Prominent Southern Baptist leader Paige Patterson was removed from his job as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary amid an evangelical #MeToo moment: a massive backlash from women upset over comments he made in the past that are being newly perceived as sexist and demeaning. Seminary leaders were unspecific about why they made the dramatic move, issuing a statement that didn't mention the controversial comments and saying they were moving [...]

Georgia Dems give Abrams chance to be 1st black woman gov

ATLANTA (AP) " Georgia Democrats gave Atlanta lawyer Stacey Abrams a chance to become the first black female governor in American history on a primary night that ended well for several women seeking office.Abrams set new historical marks with a primary victory Tuesday that made her the first black nominee and first female nominee for governor of either majority party in Georgia.Voters also picked nominees in Kentucky, Arkansas and Texas ahead of the November midterms. A closer [...]

Trump boosts pressure on Justice Department in Russia probe

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump is increasing the pressure on the Justice Department, declining to say whether he has confidence in Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein after the White House negotiated rare access to classified documents for Trump's congressional allies.Asked before a private meeting Tuesday with the president of South Korea if he has confidence in Rosenstein, who is overseeing the special counsel's Russia investigation, he told reporters to move on to [...]

Teachers show strength in Kentucky primary elections

LANCASTER, Ky. (AP) " Teachers in Kentucky could soon be taking politicians to school.Following weeks of protests at the state Capitol, Republican voters in central Kentucky ousted House Majority Floor Leader Jonathan Shell on Tuesday in favor of Travis Brenda, a high school math teacher who has never run for public office.Brenda won the GOP nomination and will face Democrat Mary Renfro in the November general election. His victory on Tuesday sent perhaps the loudest signal in [...]

France's Macron takes on Facebook's Zuckerberg in tech push

PARIS (AP) " Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg may finally find a friendly face when he meets French President Emmanuel Macron. Or not.Macron is courting Zuckerberg and the leaders of Microsoft, Uber, IBM and dozens of other tech bosses at a conference Wednesday aimed at persuading them to use their global influence for the public good " things like protecting worker rights and privacy, and investing in tech literacy for the masses.But the meeting comes as Facebook, Google and other [...]

Wyoming makes rush for hyped new tech, results still virtual

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) " Block Chain Gang LLC, Crypto Cowboy, Something Something Blockchain LLC: Based on the names of dozens of new companies registering to set up shop in Wyoming, the state's effort to lure the latest tech craze appears to be paying off.Proponents say blockchain " the ledger where transactions of digital currencies, like bitcoin, are recorded " could be the kick in the pants Wyoming needs to attract tech businesses and diversify its economy beyond fossil fuels. [...]

Wyoming to vote on biggest grizzly hunt in lower 48 states

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) " Wyoming could allow grizzly bear hunting for the first time in decades when state officials vote Wednesday whether to allow as many as 22 grizzlies to be killed this fall outside Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.Environmental groups including the Sierra Club and Native American tribes say the hunt would undermine decades of work to restore grizzlies in the Yellowstone ecosystem. About 700 grizzlies now inhabit the region including parts of Idaho and [...]

A first for Georgia: Democrats pick black woman for governor

ATLANTA (AP) " Georgia Democrats gave Atlanta lawyer Stacey Abrams a chance to become the first black female governor in American history on a primary night that ended well for several women seeking office.Abrams set new historical marks with a primary victory Tuesday that made her the first black nominee and first female nominee for governor of either majority party in Georgia.Voters also picked nominees in Kentucky, Arkansas and Texas ahead of the November midterms. A closer [...]

Drought on tap to intensify over US Southwest

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) " Rivers are drying up, popular mountain recreation spots are closing and water restrictions are in full swing as a persistent drought intensifies its grip on pockets of the American Southwest.Climatologists and other experts are scheduled Wednesday to provide an update on the situation in the Four Corners region " where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah meet.The area is dealing with exceptional drought " the worst category. That has left farmers, [...]

Energy wells plugged as Hawaii's volcano sends lava nearby

PAHOA, Hawaii (AP) " Production wells at a geothermal plant under threat by lava flowing from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano have been plugged to prevent toxic gases from seeping out.Lava from a nearby, new volcanic vent entered, then stalled, on the 815-acre (329.8 hectare) property where the Puna Geothermal Venture wells occupy around 40 acres (16 hectares). Residents have been concerned about hazards if the lava flowed over the plant's facilities, or if heat generated would interact with [...]

Democrats relieved after Texas candidate loses House runoff

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) " National Democrats breathed a sigh of relief after a liberal outsider lost her runoff in a high stakes U.S. House race for one of three Republican-held seats they hope to flip this November in the deep red state.The most-watched race of Tuesday's Texas primary runoffs saw liberal activist Laura Moser defeated by Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, a former Planned Parenthood board member. The result was cheered by the party establishment, who saw Moser's as an unelectable [...]

The Latest: Moon tells Trump fate, future hinge on NK talks

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Latest on President Donald Trump's planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (all times local):12:20 p.m.South Korean President Moon Jae-in has opened talks with President Donald Trump on the U.S.-North Korea summit, saying the "fate and the future" of the Korean Peninsula hinges on it.Trump welcomed Moon to the White House on Tuesday as they seek to coordinate strategy for Trump's upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. [...]

Congress nears dismantling of post-crisis bank rules

WASHINGTON (AP) " Congress is hurtling toward dismantling a chunk of the rules framework for banks installed to prevent a recurrence of the 2008 financial crisis that brought millions of lost jobs and foreclosed homes.The House planned Tuesday to approve legislation to roll back the Dodd-Frank law, easing rules for banks and notching a legislative win for President Donald Trump, who made gutting the landmark law a campaign promise.The Republican legislation, pushed by Wall [...]

Navarro clashes with State Department over UAE airline deal

WASHINGTON (AP) " After striking a delicate deal with the United Arab Emirates on rules for airline competition, the Trump administration went to war with itself about what the agreement actually said.President Donald Trump's trade adviser Peter Navarro repeatedly contradicted the State Department's carefully crafted script. He insisted the deal includes a "freeze" on so-called Fifth Freedom flights by the Emirati airlines that are loathed by U.S. carriers like Delta Air Lines. [...]

Prep school says ex-teacher engaged in sexual misconduct

ANDOVER, Mass. (AP) " A prestigious Massachusetts boarding school said an investigation has uncovered sexual misconduct by a Russian language teacher decades ago.John Palfrey, head of school at Phillip's Academy in Andover, said in a letter to students and faculty Monday that an independent law firm concluded that Victor Svec engaged in sexual misconduct toward a student in the 1980s.No further details about the misconduct were provided, and a spokeswoman for the Andover school [...]

The Latest: Commemorative coin issued of Kim-Trump meeting

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Latest on President Donald Trump's planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (all times local):10:20 a.m.President Donald Trump's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is still weeks away, but a colorful commemorative coin of the two leaders is ready to go.The red-white-and-blue coin shows the two men in profile set against their countries' flags. Printed along the edges are their names and countries, with the words "Peace Talks" [...]

Ohio State president seeks info about alleged misconduct

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) " The president of Ohio State University has asked alumni for help involving reports of alleged sexual misconduct by a former university doctor.At issue are allegations against Richard Strauss, who died in 2005. The university says it has received reports about alleged misconduct by male student-athletes in eight sports.President Michael Drake on Monday sent an email request to alumni who attended Ohio State from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s, asking they [...]

ACLU: Amazon shouldn't sell face-recognition tech to police

SEATTLE (AP) " The American Civil Liberties Union and other privacy activists are asking Amazon to stop marketing a powerful facial recognition tool to police, saying law enforcement agencies could use the technology to "easily build a system to automate the identification and tracking of anyone."The tool, called Rekognition, is already being used by at least one agency " the Washington County Sheriff's Office in Oregon " to check photographs of unidentified suspects against a [...]

The Latest: EPA bars AP, CNN from summit on contaminants

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Latest on a hearing with EPA chief Scott Pruitt on a widespread contaminant in drinking water (all times local):9:55 a.m.The Environmental Protection Agency is barring The Associated Press, CNN and the environmental-focused news organization E&E from a national summit on harmful water contaminants.The EPA blocked the news organizations from attending Tuesday's Washington meeting, convened by EPA chief Scott Pruitt.EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox [...]

South Carolina grocery censors graduation cake inscription

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) " A South Carolina woman isn't happy a grocery store censored her honor graduate son's cake, which was supposed to include the Latin phrase "Summa Cum Laude."Cara Koscinski told The Post and Courier of Charleston she ordered a cake online from Publix that was supposed to say "Congrats Jacob! Summa Cum Laude class of 2018."She says the online message box did not like the word "cum," the Latin word for "with." The computer marked it as a naughty word and [...]

Pruitt: Dealing with water contaminant a 'national priority'

WASHINGTON (AP) " Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt says dealing with a widespread contaminant in drinking water is a "national priority."Pruitt spoke Tuesday as he opened a hearing on the contaminants, known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl. The chemicals were used in items like nonstick coating and firefighting foam and have contaminated some water systems nationwide. The compounds are linked to developmental defects and other health problems.Pruitt has [...]

Dems want to scrap tax cut for rich to fund teachers' raises

WASHINGTON (AP) " Congressional Democrats want to give a big salary bump to teachers and pay for it by canceling the tax cut for the nation's top 1 percent of earners.Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday are expected to propose giving states and school districts $50 billion over a decade for teacher raises and recruitment.The Democrats' plan is an election-year slam at the tax cuts passed by the Republican-controlled [...]

Congressional leaders to review information on Russia probe

WASHINGTON (AP) " Ratcheting up pressure on the Russia investigation, the White House announced that top FBI and Justice Department officials have agreed to meet with congressional leaders and "review" highly classified information the lawmakers have been seeking on the handling of the probe.The agreement came after President Donald Trump made an extraordinary demand that the Justice Department investigate whether the FBI infiltrated his presidential campaign. It's unclear exactly [...]

Sony buys most of EMI Music, to spend $9B on image sensors

TOKYO (AP) " Electronics and entertainment company Sony Corp. said Tuesday it plans to spend $2.3 billion acquiring an additional 60 percent stake in EMI Music Publishing, home to the Motown catalog and contemporary artists like Kanye West, Alicia Keys and Pharrell Williams.Sony already owns 30 percent of EMI so once the purchase from Mubadala Investment Co. is finalized, it will own 90 percent of the company, CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said in a news conference at Sony's headquarters. [...]

Women cite 'grass ceiling' in male-dominated weed industry

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) " When Danielle Schumacher attended her first convention of marijuana activists about 15 years ago, she could count on one hand all the women in a room of older men.The lack of diversity struck the then-college student, who remembers feeling out of place but also determined to make her mark."That feeling just really stuck with me that this isn't going to last. This is going to shift in my lifetime, and I want to be part of that," said the San Francisco-based [...]

School shooting not likely to decide Texas runoff races

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) " A key Texas runoff for a U.S. House seat will test whether the national Democratic Party's establishment can overcome an insurgent wing more openly hostile to President Donald Trump.Others will set up November contests where Democrats hope to flip three Republican-held congressional districts, a once unthinkable total in such a conservative state. And the party will choose its nominee for governor, even if Republican Gov. Greg Abbott looks unbeatable.But [...]

Voters choose nominees in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Texas

ATLANTA (AP) " Four states cast ballots Tuesday as the 2018 midterm elections take shape. Voters in Arkansas, Georgia and Kentucky hold primaries, while Texans settle several primary runoffs after their first round of voting in March. Some noteworthy story lines:IN THIS #METOO MIDTERM, A BIG DAY FOR WOMENTexans will settle an all-female congressional runoff between liberal activist Laura Moser and Houston attorney Lizzie Fletcher in a Houston-area House race that has become a [...]

Olympian sues USA Swimming to allege sexual abuse cover-up

SEATTLE (AP) " Olympic swimmer Ariana Kukors Smith sued USA Swimming on Monday, alleging the sport's national governing body knew her former coach sexually abused her as a minor and covered it up.Kukors Smith filed the lawsuit in Superior Court in Orange County, California. She alleges Sean Hutchison, who began coaching her at a swim club near Seattle, groomed her for sexual abuse when she was 13, started touching and kissing her when she was 16 and engaging in sexual activity with [...]

The Latest: Trump meets with Rosenstein, Wray

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Latest on President Donald Trump and the Russia investigation (all times local):2 p.m.President Donald Trump is meeting with the deputy attorney general and FBI director, a day after promising to "demand" that the Justice Department investigate whether his presidential campaign was "infiltrated or surveilled" for political purposes.Press secretary Sarah Sanders confirms that Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general overseeing the Russia probe, [...]

The Latest: Trump signs new action against Venezuela

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Latest on U.S. policy toward Venezuela (all times local):2:10 p.m.President Donald Trump has signed an order restricting the Venezuelan government's ability to liquidate assets in the aftermath of an election that the White House is calling a "sham."Senior administration officials are announcing new action aimed at preventing the government from selling off public assets in return for kickbacks.It comes after Venezuelan officials declared [...]

Survey asks why young people stay in, leave New Hampshire

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) " Fewer than half of New Hampshire residents ages 20 to 40 say they probably or definitely will remain in the state for the next two years, according to a survey released Monday.The survey was conducted for Stay Work Play, a nonprofit that promotes the state to young workers and recent graduates, and Eversource, a utility that like many businesses has struggled to attract and retain workers at a time when the state has one of the nation's lowest unemployment rates [...]

'Don't be mad at Claire': McCaskill courts black voters

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) " The African-American community's frustration with Sen. Claire McCaskill is real.The perception that the Missouri Democrat has ignored black constituents haunts the corners of her campaign receptions in Ferguson, it looms near rallies in Kansas City, and it even sneaks into sermons from the church pulpit.Across the nation, African-American voter enthusiasm will help determine whether Democrats can reclaim the House and Senate majorities from President [...]

US demands wholesale changes in Iran policies post-nuke deal

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Trump administration on Monday demanded that Iran make wholesale changes in its military and regional policies or face "the strongest sanctions in history," as it sought to turn up heat on Tehran after President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from a landmark nuclear deal.In speech that called Iran out for a wide range of "malign activities" apart from its nuclear program, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for the negotiation of a new deal that would go [...]

Barack and Michelle Obama ink deal with Netflix

NEW YORK — Barack and Michelle Obama are getting into the television business with Monday's announcement that they had signed a multi-year deal with Netflix.The former president and first lady have formed their own production company, Higher Ground Productions, for the material. In announcing a deal that had been rumored since March, Netflix offered no specifics on what shows they would make.Netflix said the Obamas would make "a diverse mix of content," potentially [...]

Crews find wreckage of small plane that crashed in Vermont

BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) " Authorities say search crews have found the wreckage of a small plane that crashed into the woods on Bald Mountain in Vermont's Green Mountains, killing the pilot.The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday the pilot was the only person on board the twin engine propeller plane. His identity is being withheld.State police say they began the search at about 6 p.m. Sunday after the FAA reported it had lost radar contact with the twin-engine Piper PA-34 [...]

Official placed on leave over Afghanistan bombing claim

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) " The State University of New York has placed a high-ranking official on leave after a newspaper questioned a story he told about surviving a bombing in Afghanistan and other claims.The Times Union reports SUNY Upstate Medical University senior vice president Sergio Garcia said in a videotaped speech last fall that he was at the scene of a 2011 bombing in Afghanistan, and that former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is his close friend.The newspaper [...]

High court to hear challenge to Virginia uranium mining ban

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear a challenge to Virginia's decades-old ban on uranium mining.The state has had a ban on uranium mining in place since 1982, soon after the discovery of a massive uranium deposit in the state's Pittsylvania County. It's the largest known deposit in the United States and one of the largest in the world.The owners of the deposit put its value at $6 billion and said it would be enough uranium to power all of the United [...]

Trump praises new CIA director

LANGLEY, Va. (AP) " President Donald Trump praised new CIA Director Gina Haspel at her swearing-in ceremony Monday, saying there was "no one in this country better qualified" for the job.Striking a different tone than in his previous visit to the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Northern Virginia, Trump hailed the agency staffers, calling them the "most elite intelligence professionals on the planet" and promised them the "the tools, the resources and the support they need. [...]

Divided Supreme Court rules for businesses over workers

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Supreme Court says employers can prohibit their workers from banding together to complain about pay and conditions in the workplace.The justices ruled 5-4 Monday, with the court's conservative members in the majority, that businesses can force employees to individually use arbitration to resolve disputes. The outcome is an important victory for business interests.An estimated 25 million employees work under contracts that prohibit collective action by [...]

Trump pulls back from brink of trade war with China

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump on Monday hailed his administration's temporary truce with China on trade, even as his Treasury secretary and China struck a note of caution on the latest agreement.After high-level talks in Washington last week, Beijing has agreed to "substantially reduce" America's trade deficit with China."On China, Barriers and Tariffs to come down for first time," Trump tweeted.Farmers, he promises, will come out on top."Under our [...]

Ex-coal exec chases US Senate seat despite GOP primary loss

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) " Despite losing the Republican primary in a distant third-place, convicted ex-coal baron Don Blankenship announced Monday that he will continue his bid for U.S. Senate as a third-party candidate, though it's unclear if the move violates West Virginia's "sore loser" law.Blankenship will run as a member of the Constitution Party, which nominated him by a unanimous vote, his campaign said in a news release.West Virginia secretary of state spokesman Steve [...]

UK government does not intend to block Comcast-Sky deal

LONDON (AP) " Britain's government says it does not intend to refer U.S. media conglomerate Comcast's  22 billion pound ($30.7 billion) takeover offer for London-based Sky to competition authorities, saying the proposed merger doesn't raise concerns on public interest grounds.Culture Secretary Matt Hancock says he's "reviewed the relevant evidence" and that he is "minded not to issue" an intervention notice.He says the "proposed merger does not raise concerns in relation to [...]

Jupiter's backward-flying asteroid from another star system

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) " Just months after the discovery of our first known interstellar visitor, it turns out there's another asteroid from yet another star system residing here in plain view.Scientists reported Monday that this interstellar resident is an asteroid sharing Jupiter's orbit but circling in the opposite direction.They say the asteroid, known as 2015 BZ509, has been in this peculiar backward orbit around the sun ever since getting sucked into our solar system. [...]

Economic talks between US and China lead to trade war truce

WASHINGTON (AP) " The United States and China are pulling back from the brink of a trade war after the world's two biggest economies reported progress in talks aimed at bringing down America's massive trade deficit with Beijing."We are putting the trade war on hold," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Sunday.After high-level talks Thursday and Friday in Washington, Beijing agreed in a joint statement with the U.S. to "substantially reduce" America's trade deficit with China, [...]

Man walking home from train station followed by pig

NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio (AP) " Police in a Cleveland suburb thought they had a drunk on their hands when a man called to report a pig following him home from a train station.A North Ridgeville, Ohio, officer arrived on the scene early Saturday to find the man was very sober and a pig was in fact following him.The officer managed to get the pig in his patrol car and transported it to the station. It was eventually reunited with its owner.Writing on Facebook, police [...]

Australian state government proposes protecting wild horses

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) " An Australian state government has decided to legally protect rather than kill thousands of wild horses, infuriating scientists who argue the feral species is doing severe environmental damage to the country's iconic Snowy Mountains alpine region.New South Wales Deputy Premier John Barilaro said Monday that his government had struck a balanced response to ecological concerns about the impact of the horses, known as brumbies, on Kosciuszko National Park. [...]

Trials for violent protest framed as Trump vs the resistance

WASHINGTON (AP) " When police arrested more than 200 anti-Trump protesters on Inauguration Day 2017, it touched off a long-term battle of wits and wills.On one side: a Justice Department that has sought to incarcerate scores of people over a violent protest that smashed downtown storefront windows and set a limousine ablaze.On the other side: an intensely coordinated grassroots political opposition network that has made Washington the focus of a nationwide support campaign, [...]

Texas mom marched after Parkland, then her town was next

SANTA FE, Texas (AP) " She stood at her bedroom door for five minutes Saturday morning trying to work up the courage to turn the knob and re-enter a world she worried would never feel safe or whole again. Then she crept down the hallway, toward the front porch where she stood the morning before to watch police cars screaming down the highway toward the high school, and imagined she'd never forget the screech of their sirens.Christina Delgado had been dreading the next school shooting [...]

Trump to DOJ: Investigate whether FBI infiltrated campaign

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump said he will "demand" that the Justice Department investigate whether the FBI infiltrated his presidential campaign, an extraordinary order that came hours before his legal team said the special counsel indicated the investigation into the president could be concluded by September.Trump tweeted Sunday: "I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or [...]

Zuckerberg meeting with EU parliament leaders to be webcast

BRUSSELS (AP) " Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to have his meeting Tuesday with the leaders of the European parliament about data privacy be broadcast publicly through web streaming.The evening meeting with leaders of the political groups and a justice and civil rights expert was long expected to be private. But many in the European Parliament had been calling for an on-air grilling for Zuckerberg to explain his company's role in a scandal about the misuse of customer data. [...]

NASA shipper Orbital ATK launches space station supplies

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) " One of NASA's prime shippers, Orbital ATK, launched a fresh load of supplies to the International Space Station from Virginia on Monday.The Antares rocket blasted off from Wallops Island before dawn, treating early risers along the East Coast to a cosmic light show, at least where skies were clear. The area of visibility stretched from New England to the Carolinas, and as far inland as Pittsburgh and Charlotte, North Carolina.The 7,400-pound shipment [...]

China launches relay satellite for far side moon landing

BEIJING (AP) " China launched a relay satellite on Monday as part of a groundbreaking program to land a probe on the far side of the moon later this year.The satellite lofted into space aboard a Long March-4C rocket will facilitate communication between controllers on Earth and the Chang'e 4 mission, the China National Space Administration said on its website.China hopes to become the first country to soft-land a probe on the moon's far side, also known as the dark side because [...]

Trump to attend swearing-in of CIA's 1st female director

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump is attending the swearing-in of the CIA's first female director.The ceremony for Gina Haspel is taking place Monday morning at agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia.A veteran spy, Haspel won Senate confirmation last week after overcoming concerns about her role in the agency's use of harsh interrogation techniques after 9/11.The 33-year CIA employee was backed by many in the CIA rank and file and senior intelligence officials, [...]

Economic talks between US-China result in truce in trade war

WASHINGTON (AP) " The United States and China are pulling back from the brink of a trade war after the world's two biggest economies reported progress in talks aimed at bringing down America's massive trade deficit with Beijing."We are putting the trade war on hold," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Sunday.After high-level talks Thursday and Friday in Washington, Beijing agreed in a joint statement with the U.S. to "substantially reduce" America's trade deficit with China, [...]

Black women look to flex power in Georgia governor's race

ATLANTA (AP) " This week's primary election in Georgia presents black women voters with a rare opportunity: To give a Democrat who looks like them a chance at occupying the governor's mansion in a Republican-controlled state.A Democratic primary win Tuesday for Stacey Abrams or Stacey Evans " both lawyers and former state lawmakers " means Georgia could elect its first woman governor later this year.If Abrams wins the primary and the general election, America would get its [...]

Police: Suspect faces 2 murder charges in restaurant plowing

BESSEMER CITY, N.C. (AP) " A man intentionally rammed a vehicle into a North Carolina restaurant busy serving Sunday lunch, killing his daughter and another person and injuring several others, authorities said.Bessemer City Police said in a statement that preliminary evidence indicates Roger Self, 62, purposely smashed his way into the Surf and Turf Lodge where reports say families were eating a relaxed midday meal.Footage from the scene showed emergency responders treating [...]

As Trump pressures DOJ, Giuliani says probe may end by Sept

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump said Sunday that he will "demand" that the Justice Department open an investigation into whether the FBI infiltrated his presidential campaign, an extraordinary order that came hours before his legal team said that the special counsel indicated its investigation into the president could be concluded by September.Trump tweeted: "I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the [...]

The Latest: Trump orders FBI probe - and IG to widen query

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Latest on the special counsel's probe into Russian election meddling (all times local):7:20 p.m.President Donald Trump says that he will "demand" that the Justice Department open an investigation into whether the FBI infiltrated his presidential campaign.The extraordinary order on Sunday came hours before his legal team said that the special counsel indicated its investigation into the president could be concluded by September.The Justice [...]

The Latest: Prosecutor wont' release autopsies during probe

SANTA FE, Texas (AP) " The Latest on the Texas school shooting (all times local):7:20 p.m.The Texas prosecutor handling a high school shooting that killed 10 people says autopsies won't be released while the investigation is underway.Galveston County District Attorney Jack Roady declined to answer questions Sunday about the investigation or the shooting last week at Santa Fe High School outside Houston.That included declining to answer questions over whether [...]

Clinton ribs Trump with Russian cap at Yale's Class Day

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) " Hillary Clinton returned to Yale University this weekend, warning the graduating class of the "tumultuous times" that await them and using the school's tradition of over-the-top headwear to rib President Donald Trump with her own unusual hat: a Russian fur cap.The audience laughed as she said, "If you can't beat them, join them."Clinton says she's concerned about the country's political polarization but believes the current crop of graduates is prepared [...]

Faster-moving Hawaii lava gushes into sea, spews new danger

PAHOA, Hawaii (AP) " A volcano that is oozing, spewing and exploding on Hawaii's Big Island has gotten more hazardous, sending rivers of molten rock pouring into the ocean Sunday and launching lava skyward that caused the first major injury.Kilauea volcano began erupting more than two weeks ago and has burned dozens of homes, forced thousands of people to flee and shot up ash clouds from its summit that led officials to distribute face masks.Lava flows have picked up speed in [...]

93-year-old ex-president Bush arrives in Maine for summer

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine (AP) " Former President George H.W. Bush is in Maine for the summer.The 93-year-old arrived Sunday evening at his seaside home in Kennebunkport. Dozens of residents greeted his motorcade at the town's Dock Square, with some waving flags and holding signs.Friends say the nation's 41st president was eager to get to Maine after enduring the death of his wife, Barbara, and then falling ill with a blood infection.Bush has spent part of every summer in [...]

Hawaii lava evacuees grow weary as uncertainty drags on

PAHOA, Hawaii (AP) " Hawaii residents forced to evacuate their homes because of lava oozing from cracks in their neighborhoods are growing weary.Many of them have been displaced for more than two weeks, and it's not clear when they'll be able to return.Hawaii County mayor's spokeswoman Janet Snyder says that as of Saturday, there were more than 300 people at three shelters on the Big Island.Some 2,000 people live in subdivisions ordered to evacuate after fissures began [...]

Trump to demand DOJ review claims of FBI spy on campaign

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump says he'll demand that the Justice Department review whether it or the FBI infiltrated his presidential campaign for political purposes and whether any demands or requests came from the Obama administration.Trump tweeted Sunday: "I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes - and if any such demands or [...]

US, China putting trade war on hold after progress in talks

WASHINGTON (AP) " The world's two biggest economies are pulling back from the brink of a trade war after making progress in talks aimed at bringing down America's massive trade deficit with China."We are putting the trade war on hold," U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on "Fox News Sunday."After high-level talks Thursday and Friday, Beijing agreed in a joint statement with the U.S. to "substantially reduce" America's trade deficit with China " but didn't commit to cut [...]

'World of uncertainty': Hawaii lava reaches sea, injures man

PAHOA, Hawaii (AP) " A volcano that is oozing, spewing and exploding on Hawaii's Big Island has gotten more hazardous in recent days, with rivers of molten rock flowing into the ocean and flying lava causing the first major injury.Kilauea volcano began erupting more than two weeks ago and has burned dozens of homes, forced people to flee and shot up plumes of steam from its summit that led officials to distribute face masks to protect against ash particles.Lava flows have grown [...]

Hillary Clinton to receive prestigious Harvard medal

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) " Hillary Clinton is being honored with a medal during Harvard University's graduation week.The former First Lady, U.S. Senator, Secretary of State and Democratic candidate for president will be awarded Friday in Cambridge with the Radcliffe Medal, which the university says honors individuals whose life and work have had a "transformative impact on society."Organizers say Clinton was chosen because she's a "champion for human rights," a "skilled [...]

'Jurassic Park' dinosaur expert's next big thing: holograms

HELENA, Mont. (AP) " Forget the gray, green and brown dinosaurs in the "Jurassic Park" movies. Paleontologist Jack Horner wants to transport people back in time to see a feathered Tyrannosaurus rex colored bright red and a blue triceratops with red fringe similar to a rooster's comb.Horner, who consulted with director Steven Spielberg on the "Jurassic Park" films, is developing a three-dimensional hologram exhibit that will showcase the latest theories on what dinosaurs looked like. [...]

Investigators finally get look at materials from Cohen raid

NEW YORK (AP) " Criminal investigators are getting their first look at materials gathered from raids on the home and office of President Donald Trump's personal lawyer as a process to separate items subject to attorney-client privilege appears to be meeting a judge's demand that it occur speedily and efficiently.The progress comes just days before U.S. District Judge Kimba M. Wood will preside over a fourth hearing resulting from Michael Cohen's efforts to gain influence over what [...]

Mnuchin says US and China putting trade war on hold

WASHINGTON (AP) " Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Sunday that the United States and China are stepping back from a possible trade war after two days of talks that produced "meaningful progress."Despite not getting China to agree to trim its overall trade surplus with America by a specific amount, Mnuchin said the U.S. team did get a number of commitments on a framework for reducing the deficit over time, including big increases in purchases of farm products and a doubling of [...]

The Latest: 1st funeral set for Texas school shooting victim

SANTA FE, Texas (AP) " The Latest on the school shooting in Texas (all times local):9:20 a.m.The first funeral for one of the 10 people fatally shot at a high school outside Houston is set for Sunday afternoon.The Islamic Society for Greater Houston says services for 17-year-old Pakistani exchange student Sabika Sheikh are scheduled for a mosque in suburban Houston.She'd been attending classes at Santa Fe High School since last August when she was killed Friday. [...]

The Latest: Mnuchin says US-China putting trade war on hold

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Latest on U.S.-China trade talks (all times local):10:05 a.m.Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says the United States and China are "putting the trade war on hold" after two days of talks that he says produced meaningful progress.Despite not getting China to agree to trim its overall trade surplus with America by a specific amount, Mnuchin said the U.S. team did get a number of commitments on a framework for reducing the deficit over time, including [...]

Mnuchin says NAFTA negotiations could spill into 2019

WASHINGTON (AP) " Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says efforts to renegotiate a trade agreement with Canada and Mexico could spill into next year.The Trump administration missed an informal deadline last Thursday that had been set by House Speaker Paul Ryan to get a revamped North American Free Trade Agreement to Congress in time for lawmakers to vote on it in a midterm election year.Mnuchin says on "Fox News Sunday" that the negotiators are "still far apart" but continue to [...]

Attorney-client privilege review in Cohen raid is on track

NEW YORK (AP) " Criminal investigators are getting their first look at materials gathered from raids on the home and office of President Donald Trump's personal lawyer as a process to separate items subject to attorney-client privilege appears to be meeting a judge's demand that it occur speedily and efficiently.The progress comes just days before U.S. District Judge Kimba M. Wood will preside over a fourth hearing resulting from Michael Cohen's efforts to gain influence over what [...]

2018 midterms: An early heat for 2020 Democrats?

ATLANTA (AP) " Look closely enough at the 2018 midterm campaign and you'll see the stirrings of a Democratic scramble to reclaim the White House from President Donald Trump.The leading players " from established national figures such as former Vice President Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren to up-and-comers including California Sen. Kamala Harris " don't necessarily put it that way. But the potential 2020 candidates are making the rounds, raising and distributing [...]

Rural Hawaii communities face various volcano threats

PAHOA, Hawaii (AP) " In the weeks since Hawaii's Kilauea volcano began erupting, dozens of homes have burned from oozing lava, people have fled their homes and plumes of steam from the summit have shot skyward, prompting officials to distribute face masks to protect against ash particles.Lava flows have grown more vigorous in recent days and there's concern more homes may burn and more evacuations may be ordered. Still, scientists can't say whether lava flows from nearly two dozen [...]

The Latest: Students allowed into Texas school to get keys

SANTA FE, Texas (AP) " The Latest on the mass shooting at a Texas high school (all times local):1:20 p.m.Students at a Texas high school where a gunman killed 10 people are being allowed inside the building to get car keys and other belongings they left behind.Walter Braun, the school district's chief of police, said at a news conference Saturday that the students will be allowed inside Santa Fe High School in groups of no more than 10 and would be accompanied by [...]

US, China say Beijing commits to buying more American goods

WASHINGTON (AP) " Just-ended U.S.-China trade talks in Washington have produced a commitment by Beijing to "significantly increase" its purchases of Americans goods and services.And both countries have agreed on "meaningful increases" in U.S. exports of agriculture and energy products.That's according to a joint statement from the world's two biggest economic powers. But it provides no dollar amounts and doesn't say what it might mean in terms of reducing America's massive [...]

Immigration a fraught issue for GOP as midterms approach

WASHINGTON (AP) " The chaos among House Republicans this past week on immigration shows just how problematic and risky the issue is for a party that badly needs unity heading into the elections in November that will decide control of Congress.GOP leaders thought they had found a way by Friday morning to make the party's warring conservative and moderate wings happy on an issue that has bedeviled them for years.Conservatives would get a vote by late June on an immigration bill [...]

The Latest: Slain exchange student's family devastated

SANTA FE, Texas (AP) " The Latest on the mass shooting at a Texas high school (all times local):11 a.m.Pakistani businessman Abdul Aziz Sheikh says he learned of the tragedy unfolding at a high school in Texas when he turned on the TV after iftar, the fast-breaking meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.Realizing it was the school where his 18-year-old daughter, Sabika, was an exchange student, he flipped through channels trying to learn more and left her messages, [...]

First lady returns to White House after kidney treatment

WASHINGTON (AP) " Melania Trump returned to the White House on Saturday from a weeklong hospitalization after kidney treatment, a lengthy stay that raised questions about whether the first lady's condition may have been more complicated than initially revealed.Her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, has declined to release additional details, citing Mrs. Trump's right to privacy."The First Lady returned home to the White House this morning," Grisham said in a statement emailed [...]

Arizona 'Dreamers' struggle after losing cheaper tuition

PHOENIX (AP) " Immigrant college students in Arizona say the recent loss of their lower in-state tuition is creating hardships, but they are scrambling to piece together private funding before the fall semester begins so they can stay in school.More than 2,300 public college students around Arizona with deferred deportation status will have to pay thousands more in annual tuition this autumn under a state Supreme Court decision that rules them ineligible for in-state tuition. [...]

Not all GOP candidates want Trump to stump

NEW YORK (AP) " He is the Republican Party's most powerful political weapon. Yet as the GOP fights to defend its delicate House and Senate majorities, President Donald Trump is not welcome everywhere.Some Republican candidates fear that the unscripted and relatively unpopular president could do more harm than good should he campaign on their behalf. Leading party strategists want Trump to focus his time and energy on a handful of Senate contests in deep-red states where Democratic [...]

Americans fete royal wedding in pubs, hotels and homes

NEW YORK (AP) " From pubgoers in pajamas to merrymakers in finery at a posh hotel, Americans cheered and teared up Saturday as they watched Meghan Markle marry Prince Harry in a royal wedding with trans-Atlantic resonance.People gathered at wedding watch parties " some before dawn " at a Hollywood pub and New York's swanky Plaza hotel, in oceanfront towns in Florida and spots in the Rocky Mountains, to see an American of mixed race heritage become part of Britain's royal family. [...]

The Latest: Hospital says 2 school attack victims critical

SANTA FE, Texas (AP) " The Latest on the mass shooting at a Texas high school (all times local):8:40 a.m.A hospital treating three of the people injured in the mass shooting at a Texas high school says one patient, who is a minor, is in good condition and the other two patients are in critical condition.The University of Texas Medical Branch tweeted the update Saturday.Hospitals on Friday reported treating a total of 14 people for injuries related to the shooting. [...]

CIA's Haspel can tap undercover work in Russian operations

WASHINGTON (AP) " Scrutiny of the 33-year spy career of new CIA director Gina Haspel has focused on her undercover role in the harsh interrogation of suspected terrorists, but she cut her teeth in intelligence operations against Russia.She's sure to tap that latter experience as she takes over at the nation's premier intelligence agency at a time of rising tension with Moscow. President Donald Trump has characterized it as worse than during the Cold War, and it's been aggravated by [...]

Substitute teacher, Pakistani exchange student among victims

SANTA FE, Texas (AP) " A substitute teacher who relatives say had a "lust for life" and a foreign exchange student from Pakistan are among the first confirmed victims of mass shooting at a Texas high school.Among those injured Friday are a school resource officer and a sophomore baseball player.Seventeen-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis was being held on a capital murder charge after authorities say he fatally shot 10 people and wounded at least 10 others at his high school in [...]

Trump plans aggressive role in midterms, but is he welcome?

NEW YORK (AP) " He is the Republican Party's most powerful political weapon. Yet as the GOP fights to defend its delicate House and Senate majorities, President Donald Trump is not welcome everywhere.Some Republican candidates fear that the unscripted and relatively unpopular president could do more harm than good should he campaign on their behalf. Leading party strategists want Trump to focus his time and energy on a handful of Senate contests in deep-red states where Democratic [...]

Manafort's ex-son-in-law busy with Mueller's investigation

WASHINGTON (AP) " Paul Manafort's former son-in-law says he has been so busy with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation that he's been unable to keep up with his other legal issues, according to a court filing and a lawyer involved in a civil lawsuit against him.The confirmation of Jeffrey Yohai's extensive involvement with Mueller's ongoing investigation comes as he has been caught up in another investigation in New York and has cut a plea deal with federal prosecutors in [...]

Trump urges Congress to overhaul nation's prison system

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump on Friday urged Congress to overhaul the nation's prison system and help more former inmates re-enter society, hoping to jump-start legislation that's facing fresh opposition from Democrats.Trump said at a White House forum that a prison overhaul "unites people from across the political spectrum" and that lawmakers need to "work out their differences, get a bill to my desk " I will sign it.""It's going to be strong, it's going to be good, [...]

Conservative revolt over immigration sinks House farm bill

WASHINGTON (AP) " In an embarrassment for House Republican leaders, conservatives on Friday scuttled a bill that combines stricter work and job training requirements for food stamp recipients with a renewal of farm subsidies popular in GOP-leaning farm country.Hard-right conservatives upset over the party's stalled immigration agenda opposed the measure, which failed by a 213-198 vote. Some 30 Republicans joined with every chamber Democrat in opposition.The vote was a blow to [...]

Man sentenced to 15 years in prison for hacker sabotage

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) " A New Mexico man accused of paying hackers to sabotage websites affiliated with his former employers and state agencies has been sentenced in Minnesota to 15 years in prison.John Kelsey Gammell earlier pleaded guilty to federal hacking conspiracy charges. The FBI says the case represents a growing form of cybercrime in which professional hackers are paid to inflict damage on individuals, businesses and others who rely on digital devices.Gammell admitted in [...]

The Latest: House defeats farm bill as conservatives revolt

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Latest on the House food and farm bill (all times local):12:10 p.m.Conservatives rebuffed on immigration have sunk a bill that combined stricter work and job training requirements for food stamp recipients with a renewal of farm subsidies popular in Republican-leaning farm country.The 213-198 vote is an embarrassing blow to House GOP leaders, who had hoped to tout its new work requirements for recipients of food stamps. The work initiative polls [...]

Trump's pick to head Veterans Affairs: Robert Wilkie

WASHINGTON (AP) " Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie is President Donald Trump's pick to permanently lead the beleaguered department.Wilkie is a former Pentagon undersecretary for personnel and readiness. He's led the agency for two months, ever since Trump fired David Shulkin amid an internal revolt and questions about his compliance with ethics rules.Wilkie appeared in the White House press briefing room Thursday to accept a check for the amount of Trump's first- [...]

Trudeau touts Canada's AI credentials at MIT tech gathering

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) " Canadian computer scientists helped pioneer the field of artificial intelligence before it was a buzzword, and now Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is hoping to capitalize on their intellectual lead."We've been investing massively in AI," Trudeau told a conference of tech entrepreneurs Friday at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, before name-dropping several of the Canadian academics he said provided the "modern underpinnings" of the technology during an [...]

The Latest: Trudeau touts Canada's AI potential at MIT

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) " The Latest on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's visit to MIT (all times local):10:30 a.m.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (troo-DOH') says Canada is "investing massively in AI," building on decades of research by Canadian computer scientists who helped provide the "modern underpinnings" advancing the field of artificial intelligence.Trudeau spoke at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus on Friday, during an annual meeting of the [...]

GOP farm bill heads toward showdown vote

WASHINGTON (AP) " The House is pressing toward a showdown vote on a bill that combines stricter work and job training requirements for food stamp recipients with a renewal of farm subsidies popular in Republican-leaning farm country, but the measure's chances are iffy because of an unrelated scrap over immigration.The food and farm measure promises greater job training opportunities for recipients of food stamps, a top priority for House leaders like Speaker Paul Ryan. Democrats are [...]

Gunman arrested after police shootout at Trump resort

DORAL, Fla. (AP) " Gunfire erupted early Friday at President Donald Trump's golf resort, as a man shouting anti-Trump rhetoric draped a flag over a lobby counter and exchanged fire with officers in what one official called an "ambush" before being arrested, police said.One officer broke an arm and the suspect was wounded by gunfire in the incident, which began around 1:30 a.m. at the Trump-owned Trump National Doral Golf Club near Miami.Trump was not at the club at the time. [...]

Trump's attorney says special counsel has narrowed questions

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump's attorney said Friday the special counsel in the Russia probe has narrowed the scope of potential questions for the president, even as Trump advanced an unverified theory that the Justice Department planted a spy in his 2016 campaign and is now "out to frame him."Rudy Giuliani said on CNN Friday that special counsel Robert Mueller has narrowed his question subject areas from five to two, as negotiations continue over whether the president will [...]

The Latest: Giuliani says Mueller narrows Trump questions

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Latest on President Donald Trump and the special counsel's Russia investigation (all times local):8:20 a.m.Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's attorney, says the special counsel in the Russia probe has narrowed the scope of potential questions for the president.Giuliani said on CNN Friday that the questions have been narrowed from five subject areas to two. He said they had received communication from the special counsel's office Wednesday. [...]

Trump to deny funds to clinics that refer for abortion

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Trump administration will resurrect a Reagan-era rule that would ban federally funded family planning clinics from referring women for abortions, or sharing space with abortion providers.The Department of Health and Human Services will announce its proposal Friday, a senior White House official said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to confirm the plans before the announcement.The policy has been derided [...]

Gunfire erupts at Trump resort; police arrest man with flag

  DORAL, Fla.  — A man shouting about Donald Trump entered the president's south Florida golf resort early Friday, draped a flag over a lobby counter and exchanged fire with police before being arrested, police said.One officer received an unspecified injury, officials said.Police were notified of an "active shooter" in the Trump-owned Trump National Doral Golf Club near Miami about 1:30 a.m., Doral Police Chief Hernan Organvidez told news [...]

Gunfire erupts at Trump resort; police arrest man with flag

DORAL, Fla. (AP) " A man shouting about Donald Trump entered the president's south Florida golf resort early Friday, draped a flag over a lobby counter and exchanged fire with police before being arrested, police said.One officer received an unspecified injury, officials said.Police were notified of an "active shooter" in the Trump-owned Trump National Doral Golf Club near Miami about 1:30 a.m., Doral Police Chief Hernan Organvidez told news reporters. He said officers from [...]

Trump says in tweet Justice Dept is 'out to frame' him

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump on Friday used his Twitter account to advance an unverified theory circulating among conservatives that the Justice Department planted a spy in his 2016 campaign and is now "out to frame him."Trump's early morning tweet seemed intended to undercut the ongoing Russia investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller, which he has repeatedly called a "witch hunt.""Really bad stuff!" he tweeted.Last week, the National Review raised the [...]

Investigators probe cause of school bus crash that killed 2

MOUNT OLIVE, N.J.  — First, a scraping sound. Then, chaos and panic as a bus taking a group of fifth-graders on a field trip collided with a dump truck and toppled over on a busy highway, killing a student and a teacher and injuring dozens of others. First responders arrived in minutes to find students and adults strewn across the highway and median, with others still inside the bus."It was a rough scene to see," Jeff Paul, director of the Morris County [...]

Roo-ting out trouble: Rogue S Carolina kangaroo nabbed again

CLARKS HILL, S.C. (AP) " South Carolina's most talented escape artist may be a kangaroo.News outlets report the McCormick County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday that a mischievous marsupial was roaming the county for the second time in three days. Maj. Robert Christie says authorities have yet to discern how it escaped, but it's likely the kangaroo found a weak spot in the fence or a gate left open.The kangaroo's Houdini act first was noticed Tuesday, when Sheriff Clark [...]

The Latest: Trump defends 'animals' comment in tweet

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Latest on President Donald Trump and immigration (all times local):6:55 a.m.President Donald Trump is tweeting that he only used the word "animals" to describe immigrants who are gang members.Trump has been under fire for comments he made Wednesday while railing against California for its immigration policies. Trump was speaking at a roundtable with local California officials when he responded to a comment that had referenced MS-13.Trump had [...]

Ammo box falls from military chopper, crashes into school

EL PASO, Texas (AP) " Authorities are trying to determine how a box of ammunition fell from a military helicopter and crashed through the roof of an elementary school in Texas.The Ysleta Independent School District says no one was injured when the ammo box hit Parkland Elementary School in El Paso on Thursday afternoon. The ammo box left a hole in the roof and caused a power outage in part of the building.Officials at nearby Fort Bliss say they'll reassess flight patterns as [...]

Police: Person arrested after shots fired at Trump golf club

DORAL, Fla. (AP) " South Florida authorities say a person is in custody after police responded to a call of shots fired at the Trump National Doral Golf Club near Miami that's owned by President Donald Trump.The Doral Police Department says on its website Friday there are "no known victims at this point" and there is "no further threat."No further details were immediately available. A message seeking more information was left by The Associated Press with police officials. [...]

Democrats get giddy about a perennial target: Arizona

SUN LAKES, Ariz. (AP) " Shortly before the raffle for a handgun, top Arizona Republicans gave a warning to the crowd gathered at a conservative group's meeting in a retirement community at the edge of Phoenix's sprawl: The Democrats are coming."To say they're energized is a gross understatement," House Speaker J.D. Mesnard told the Sun Lakes Republican Club, citing last month's special election for a congressional seat in a suburban district that the GOP only won by 5 percentage [...]

Trump to deny funds to clinics that discuss abortion

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Trump administration will resurrect a Reagan-era rule that would ban federally funded family planning clinics from discussing abortion with women, or sharing space with abortion providers.The Department of Health and Human Services will announce its proposal Friday, a senior White House official said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to confirm the plans before the announcement.The policy has been derided [...]

'Animals'? Trump says he'll keep using term for gang members

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump is defending his use of the word "animals" to describe some immigrants who enter the country illegally, saying he would continue to use the term to refer to violent gang members despite a sharp rebuke from Democratic leaders.Answering a reporter's question during a meeting Thursday with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Trump said his comment a day earlier had clearly been directed at members of the MS-13 gang."MS-13, these are [...]

White House threatens firings after McCain remark gets out

WASHINGTON (AP) " A West Wing aide's morbid remark about gravely ill Sen. John McCain has not yielded widespread White House soul-searching. Instead, it has led to a push to fire those responsible for leaking that story and others that have bedeviled President Donald Trump's administration.Nearly a week after Kelly Sadler dismissed McCain's opinion on Trump's CIA nominee during a closed-door meeting by saying "he's dying anyway," a torrent of criticism has rained down on the White [...]

Multiple deaths after school bus collides with dump truck

MOUNT OLIVE, N.J. — A school bus taking children on a field trip to a New Jersey historic site collided with a dump truck Thursday, ripping the bus apart, knocking it on its side and killing multiple people, officials said. The front end of the school bus appeared to be ripped off as it sat on the median of Interstate 80 in Mount Olive. It was sheared off its undercarriage and a piece of the front end of the bus with the steering wheel visible was lying on top of [...]

Senate set to vote on Trump's nomination for CIA director

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Senate is set to vote Thursday on President Donald Trump's nomination of Gina Haspel as the first female director at the CIA.Haspel's nomination to lead the spy agency revived a debate on its now-banned torture program. She is expected to be confirmed after several Democrats joined most Republicans in saying they would back Trump's nominee.Republican Sen. John Cornyn, the majority whip, said in a floor speech Thursday afternoon that the Senate would be [...]

Mom of Illinois school shooting suspect says he was bullied

DIXON, Ill. (AP) " The mother of a teenager charged with firing shots at a northern Illinois high school says he had been bullied by classmates but must take responsibility for his actions.Classes were canceled Thursday at Dixon High School, a day after authorities say 19-year-old Matthew Milby showed up in the morning as seniors met for a graduation rehearsal and fired several shots on school grounds.Milby, who was wounded in an exchange of gunfire with a school resource [...]

Connecticut officer stabbed in neck, suspect in custody

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) " A Hartford police officer responding to a downtown disturbance was stabbed repeatedly in the neck and critically injured Thursday morning by a woman who was being evicted from an apartment building, authorities said.The veteran female officer was in critical condition and undergoing surgery at Hartford Hospital, Deputy Police Chief Brian Foley said.The suspect, a 39-year-old woman, was in custody at a hospital, where she was being treated for a stab wound [...]

The Latest: Trump cites 'protections' if Kim denuclearizes

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Latest on U.S.-North Korea (all times local):2:15 p.m.President Donald Trump is trying to address North Korea's concerns ahead of his potential summit with Kim Jong Un.Trump says that if the North Korean leader agrees to denuclearize, he will get what Trump is calling "protections."Here are Trump's words: "He'll get protections that would be very strong."The North has argued that it needs its nuclear weapons to preserve its security, [...]

The Latest: Senate to vote Thursday on CIA nominee Haspel

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Latest on a vote to confirm Gina Haspel as CIA director (all times local):2:10 p.m.The Senate is set to vote Thursday to confirm Gina Haspel as the first female director at the CIA.Haspel's nomination to lead the spy agency revived a debate on its now-banned torture program. She is expected to be confirmed after several Democrats joined most Republicans in saying they would back President Donald Trump's nominee.Republican Sen. John Cornyn [...]

The Latest: WH says Trump referring to MS-13, not immigrants

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Latest on President Trump and his remarks at an immigration roundtable at the White House (all times local):1:50 p.m.White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says she doesn't think President Donald Trump went far enough when he described some people who enter the country illegally as "animals."Sanders was responding to the fury raised by Trump's comments during an immigration roundtable at the White House on Wednesday.She says the [...]

93-year-old makes first hole-in-one in 65 years of golfing

ZANESVILLE, Ohio (AP) " A 93-year-old Ohio man wrapped up his nearly seven decades of golfing with his first hole-in-one.Ben Bender told The Zanesville Times Recorder "the Lord knew" this was his last round and gave him a hole-in-one.Bender aced the 152-yard third hole last month at Green Valley Golf Course in Zanesville with a 5-wood.He says he was in awe watching it, but then his hip started bothering him, forcing him to stop after a few more holes. He headed to the [...]

Clocks may go a little cuckoo with power grid change

WASHINGTON (AP) " Running late for work or just miss that bus? You could have a good excuse: Your electric clock might be running a bit cuckoo.Because of a change in federal energy regulations, some scientists say your trusty, older plug-in clock may be losing or gaining a few ticks over time.Electric clocks keep time based on the usually stable and precise pulses of the electric current that powers them. In the U.S., that's 60 hertz (cycles per second). In the past, regulators [...]

Person in Spider-Man costume hangs out on Boston train

BOSTON (AP) " A person sporting a Spider-Man costume joined commuters on a Boston subway train " dangling from a handrail.Twitter user Ashley Armstrong tweeted a video Wednesday of the masked superhero checking a smartphone while hanging upside down on a Green Line train. Armstrong tweeted: "Just another day on the #MBTA."The Boston Globe reports that eager fans took to Reddit to share pictures and stories of the nimble web-slinger, who was obviously surfing the web.

6 young squirrels rescued from ordeal of tangled tails

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) " Six young squirrels whose tails were stuck together by tree sap are recovering after a Nebraska wildlife expert untangled them.A Nebraska Humane Society worker rescued the squirrels from a pine tree in Omaha last week. Nebraska Wildlife Rehab executive director Laura Stastny told the Omaha World-Herald that the sap-covered tails became knotted as the youngsters wrestled in their nest. Stastny says they are about 8 weeks old.Resident Craig Luttman spotted the [...]

Plans for news conference with Trump, NATO leader scuttled

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump is meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (yehnz STOHL'-tehn-burg) at the White House, but the two leaders aren't expected to hold a joint news conference.A press conference Thursday wasn't announced by the White House. NATO had publicized plans for one but cautioned the schedule was subject to change.The White House didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. But a person familiar with the president's thinking says [...]

Senate turns back attempt by Paul to force budget debate

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Senate has rejected an attempt by Sen. Rand Paul to force a debate on sweeping budget cuts and on federal deficits that are growing despite a strong economy.After last year's tax cuts and a two-year agreement on agency budget levels, Republicans controlling Congress aren't trying to pass a budget blueprint this year. There's no appetite to cut popular programs in such a difficult political environment.Paul offered a budget with a draconian $13 trillion [...]

Ethics director forwards concerns to DOJ over Cohen payment

NEW YORK (AP) " President Donald Trump revealed in his financial disclosure that he reimbursed personal attorney Michael Cohen as much as $250,000 for unspecified "expenses," with no mention of a $130,000 payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about a sexual tryst she said they had.The head of the nation's ethics office on Wednesday questioned why Trump didn't include this in his previous year's sworn disclosure and passed along his concerns to federal prosecutors. [...]

Hawaii volcano erupts from summit, sends huge plume into sky

HONOLULU (AP) " Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupted from its summit before dawn Thursday, shooting a dusty plume of ash about 30,000 feet (9,100 meters) into the sky.The explosion came after two weeks of volcanic activity and the opening of more than a dozen fissures east of the crater that spewed lava into neighborhoods, said Mike Poland, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey.The lava destroyed has destroyed at least 26 homes and 10 other structures.The crater [...]

Restored WWII bomber Memphis Belle makes public debut

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) " Hundreds of visitors turned out to at the Air Force Museum to see the World War II bomber Memphis Belle, and the legendary aircraft rarely has looked better.The plane went on public display at the museum near Dayton, Ohio, for the first time on Thursday morning after a restoration project that required 13 years and 55,000 hours of work.After a brief ceremony, visitors crowded around the plane trying to get the best photos with their phones.The B-17 [...]

Kroger, fending off online rivals, ups stake in UK's Ocado

CINCINNATI (AP) " Kroger is upping its investment in the British online grocer Ocado as it fends off Amazon.com and other online threats to traditional grocers.Kroger said Thursday that the subscription rights agreement will give it access to Ocado's online ordering, automated fulfillment and home delivery technology in the U.S.Kroger Co. and Ocado will choose three sites for development of new, automated warehouse facilities in the U.S. They'll identify up to 20 over the first [...]

Toshiba's chip sale to consortium wins regulatory approval

TOKYO (AP) " Japanese electronics company Toshiba Corp. said Thursday the sale of its computer memory chip business to a consortium led by Bain Capital Private Equity has cleared all anti-trust regulatory approval, including one it was awaiting from China.That means the deal, valued at 2 trillion yen ($18 billion), can now close by June 1, Tokyo-based Toshiba said.Toshiba, which also has railroad and nuclear energy units, was counting on the deal for a turnaround.Its U.S. [...]

Ethics director forwards

NEW YORK (AP) " President Donald Trump revealed in his financial disclosure that he reimbursed personal attorney Michael Cohen as much as $250,000 for unspecified "expenses," with no mention of a $130,000 payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about a sexual tryst she said they had.The head of the nation's ethics office on Wednesday questioned why Trump didn't include this in his previous year's sworn disclosure and passed along his concerns to federal prosecutors. [...]

Election hacking puts focus on paperless voting machines

ATLANTA (AP) " As the midterm congressional primaries heat up amid fears of Russian hacking, an estimated 1 in 5 Americans will be casting their ballots on machines that do not produce a paper record of their votes.That worries voting and cybersecurity experts, who say the lack of a hard copy makes it difficult to double-check the results for signs of manipulation."In the current system, after the election, if people worry it has been hacked, the best officials can do is say [...]

Kroger, fending off online rivals, ups stake in Ocado

CINCINNATI (AP) " Kroger is upping its investment in the British online grocer Ocado as it fends off Amazon.com and other online threats to traditional grocers.Kroger said Thursday that the subscription rights agreement will give it access to Ocado's online ordering, automated fulfillment and home delivery technology in the U.S.Kroger Co. and Ocado will choose three sites for development of new, automated warehouse facilities in the U.S. They'll identify up to 20 over the first [...]

Sea otters 'stuck' despite comeback in California

MOSS LANDING, Calif. (AP) " While threatened southern sea otters bob and sun in the gentle waves of this central California estuary, wildlife experts up and down the West Coast are struggling to figure out how to restore the crucial coastal predator to an undersea world that's falling apart in their absence.Southern sea otters, nearly wiped out by centuries of industrial-scale hunting for their fur pelts, have rebounded from as few as 50 survivors in the 1930s to more than 3,000 today, [...]

Trump draws rebuke for 'animal' remark at immigration talk

  WASHINGTON — While railing against California for its so-called sanctuary immigration policies, President Donald Trump referred to some people who cross the border illegally as "animals" — drawing a sharp rebuke from Democratic leaders for the harsh rhetoric.Trump's remark at meeting with local leaders was in response to a complaint about gang members."We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in -- and we're stopping a [...]

Trump draws rebuke for calling some immigrants 'animals'

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump is drawing criticism after referring to some people who cross the border illegally as "animals."During a White House roundtable discussion on immigration, Trump said, "You wouldn't believe how bad these people are. These aren't people. These are animals."Trump made the remark after a comment from law enforcement about trying to stop people at the border, including MS-13 gang members.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer responded [...]

US has a daunting to-do list to get ready for NKorea summit

WASHINGTON (AP) " Who sits where? What's on the agenda? Will they eat together? What's the security plan?President Donald Trump and his team have a daunting to-do list to work through as they prepare for next month's expected summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.Trump's plan to meet with Kim may have come as a surprise decision, but his team hopes to leave nothing to chance when they come together in Singapore. They're gaming out policy plans, negotiating tactics, even [...]

Owner of $85M apartment offers trip to space with purchase

NEW YORK (AP) " The owner for a New York City condominium is offering a trip to outer space included with the purchase of an $85 million dollar apartment.The condo is a 15,000 square-foot duplex located on the entirety of the 45th floor of the Atelier building on west 42nd street in Manhattan. WNBC-TV reports the steep price tag for the 10-bedroom, 11-bathroom apartment comes with a number of amenities, including two seats on a trip to outer space.Amenities included with the [...]

In Denmark, Airbnb to report hosts' rent to tax authorities

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) " Denmark says online room-rental platform Airbnb will start to automatically report its users' deals to taxation authorities, the first country to do so.Taxation minister Carsten Lauritzen says Airbnb "has committed to report data so their hosts pay taxes." He says Airbnb will inform Danish taxation authorities of the number of renting days and its users' total income.The deal announced Thursday closes a loophole in which hosts had to report to tax [...]

Study says China-backed dam would destroy Mekong

BANGKOK (AP) " A Chinese-backed plan for Cambodia to build the Mekong River's biggest dam would destroy fisheries that feed millions and worsen tensions with Vietnam, the downstream country with most to lose from dams on the waterway, according to a three-year study commissioned by the Cambodian government.The report, posted this month on the website of the U.S.-based organization that conducted the study, said the Sambor dam would "generate large power benefits to Cambodia, but at [...]

On eve of anniversary, Giuliani says time for probe to end

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani is urging special counsel Robert Mueller's team to wrap up its investigation on the eve of the probe's one-year anniversary.Giuliani told Fox News Channel's Laura Ingraham on Wednesday that Mueller "has all the facts to make a decision" after 12 months investigating Russian meddling in the election and possible collusion with Trump's campaign."Mueller should now bring this to a close," said Giuliani, the former [...]

Tickle Me, Fleury: Vegas goalie tickles Jets player's ear

LAS VEGAS (AP) " Marc-Andre Fleury gave Blake Wheeler quite an earful.During a scrum behind Vegas' net with 2:34 left in the second period of the Golden Knights' 4-2 victory over Winnipeg on Wednesday night, Fleury reached over with his left hand and tickled the left ear of the Jets' unsuspecting Blake Wheeler ."I did that?" said a playful Fleury, who also made 33 saves in the win. "There's cameras everywhere."There sure are " and video of the ear tickle quickly became a [...]

Confirmation vote for CIA nominee exposes Democratic rift

WASHINGTON (AP) " The political schism in the Democratic Party is playing out in the confirmation vote for Gina Haspel as CIA director, as support from red-state senators facing re-election bumps up against a more liberal flank eyeing potential 2020 presidential bids and rejecting the nominee over the agency's clouded history of torture.Haspel's confirmation became all but certain with a favorable 10-5 vote Wednesday by the Senate Intelligence Committee. Yet the division in the Senate [...]

US has daunting to-do list to prepare for NKorea summit

WASHINGTON (AP) " Who sits where? What's on the agenda? Will they eat together? What's the security plan?President Donald Trump and his team have a daunting to-do list to work through as they prepare for next month's expected summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.Trump's plan to meet with Kim may have come as a surprise decision, but his team hopes to leave nothing to chance when they come together in Singapore. They're gaming out policy plans, negotiating tactics, even [...]

Trump Jr: Can't recall discussing Russia probe with father

WASHINGTON (AP) " Donald Trump Jr. struck an unapologetic tone during hours of congressional questioning last year, saying he didn't think there was anything wrong with meeting a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower ahead of the 2016 presidential election or that the get-together might have been part of a Russian government effort to aid his father, according to transcripts released WednesdayThe president's eldest son also deflected multiple questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee, [...]

Amount of ash in plume above Hawaii volcano decreases

PAHO, Hawaii (AP) " A geophysicist says a plume that's rising from the Kilauea volcano summit on Hawaii's Big Island does not contain as much ash as it did on Tuesday.Mike Poland with the U.S. Geological Survey said Wednesday the plume seems to be made largely of rock dust.Because there's little wind, the plume for the most part is rising vertically over the summit.USGS scientists will not monitor the plume from a summit observatory because of fears of falling ash. [...]

Zuckerberg to meet EU officials _ dodging public grilling

BRUSSELS (AP) " Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to speak with leaders of the European parliament next week about the data protection scandal that has engulfed his company " but might avoid a public testimony like the one he endured in the U.S.The EU and British parliaments have been calling for Zuckerberg to submit to an on-air grilling since it emerged earlier this year that a company, political consultants Cambridge Analytica, had been allowed to misuse the data of millions [...]

Senate Democrats push to reinstate 'net neutrality' rules

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Senate is poised to approve legislation designed to reverse the Federal Communications Commission's effort to deregulate the internet.Back in December, the FCC repealed an Obama-era rule known as "net neutrality" rule, junking the principle of equal treatment for all web traffic.The rule had prevented providers such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon from interfering with internet traffic and favoring their own sites and apps.Telecommunications companies [...]

Virginia Republicans at odds - and throats - in Trump era

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) " The vicious tenor of the 2016 GOP presidential primary " which included attacks on a spouse's looks, demeaning nicknames and veiled talk of a candidate's ... ahem ... hand size " is being matched by Virginia's raucous congressional primaries.A GOP House candidate said he's been the target of fake stories about his advocacy for penis enlargement techniques.A Senate hopeful said his young daughter was brought to tears because of online taunts that their last [...]

Trump: US hasn't been notified about threat to cancel summit

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump says the U.S. hasn't been notified about North Korea's threat to cancel his planned summit with Kim Jong Un next month.But Trump says he'll still insist on the country's denuclearization.North Korea on Wednesday threatened to scrap the historic summit next month between Trump and Kim, saying it has no interest in a "one-sided" affair meant to pressure the North to abandon its nuclear weapons.Trump said Wednesday as he welcomed the [...]

Teachers seeking more resources fill North Carolina streets

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) " Teachers demanding better pay and more resources filled the streets of North Carolina's capital city Wednesday with loud chants and the color red, continuing the trend of educators around the country rising up to pressure lawmakers for change.Thousands of teachers from around the state marched through downtown to the Legislative Building, where the Republican-controlled legislature was starting its annual work session. Organizers' prior estimate of 15,000 [...]

The Latest: Pruitt denies aide shopped bad press about Zinke

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Latest on Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt (all times local):11:56 a.m.EPA chief Scott Pruitt is denying that a member of his press staff sought to plant negative media reports about Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in the hopes of deflecting attention from Pruitt's problems.Multiple media outlets reported that Pruitt press aide Michael Abboud shopped allegations about Zinke to Washington reporters. Asked about the issue by Democratic [...]

House poised to expand private care at VA, fix budget crisis

WASHINGTON (AP) " House approval Wednesday of legislation giving veterans more leeway to see doctors outside the Department of Veterans Affairs' health system would help fulfill President Donald Trump's promise of expanded private care.The long-awaited plan would mean a major change in how veterans receive their medical treatment. With approval from a VA health provider, they could see a private doctor when they felt dissatisfied with government-run VA care, whether the result of [...]

Facebook's Zuckerberg to talk to EU parliament on privacy

BRUSSELS (AP) " Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has accepted to visit the European Parliament to explain his company's recent privacy issues and allegations that it misused personal data.Parliament President Antonio Tajani said that Zuckerberg "will be in Brussels as soon as possible, hopefully already next week" and would meet with parliamentary leaders and experts on civil liberties and justice.Zuckerberg's visit next week comes as an aggressive new European data protection law [...]

Spacewalking astronauts tackle pump swap at space station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) " Spacewalking astronauts carried out a high-flying, high-tech version of musical chairs Wednesday, rearranging pumps outside the International Space Station.Popping out early, NASA astronauts Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold quickly swapped the positions of two spare ammonia pumps that are part of the space station's critical cooling system.One pump got too cold because of a power shutdown 17 years ago and is called Frosty; flight controllers plan to [...]

The Latest: Senate hearing focuses on EPA Pruitt's spending

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Latest on Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt (all times local):10:15 a.m.A top Republican senator worries that the ethical cloud hanging over President Donald Trump's top environmental official is overshadowing the administration's pro-business regulatory moves.Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt is appearing before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee, and lawmakers are raising questions about his spending habits, [...]

The Latest:

WASHINGTON (AP) " The Latest on transcripts of testimony to Senate panel about 2016 Trump Tower meeting (all times local):10:18 a.m.Donald Trump Jr. says he doesn't remember a lot when it comes to the circumstances around a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian attorney.Transcripts released Wednesday detail an interview the president's eldest son gave to the Senate Judiciary Committee last year. They show that Trump Jr. says he doesn't remember ever discussing [...]

CIA nominee wins Senate panel backing, confirmation expected

WASHINGTON (AP) " Gina Haspel, President Donald Trump's nominee to head the CIA, won the backing of the Senate intelligence committee on Wednesday, paving the way for her expected confirmation to lead the spy agency.The panel voted 10-5 to advise the full Senate to confirm Haspel, whose nomination has renewed debate over the harsh interrogation program the CIA conducted on terror suspects after 9/11. Haspel, who supervised a CIA detention site in Thailand in 2002, has told Congress [...]

Trump meeting with Uzbekistan president to talk Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump is welcoming the president of Uzbekistan to the White House to discuss strengthening their economic ties and cooperation in Afghanistan.President Shavkat Mirziyoyev (shak-vat mir-zee-vo-wave) is paying his first visit to the White House after a Tuesday evening stay at Blair House. The Trump administration hopes the visit will highlight warming relations between the two countries.Uzbekistan was the home of a U.S. air base in the early [...]

Trump says 'no folding' in trade negotiations with China

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump says there has been "no folding" in his trade negotiations with China, as he addresses his efforts to help a Chinese telecommunications company that violated U.S. sanctions.Trump tweeted on Wednesday, "Nothing has happened with ZTE except as it pertains to the larger trade deal."He added that "We have not seen China's demands yet." He also said: "There has been no folding as the media would love people to believe."Trump tweeted [...]

EU official insists nuclear deal with Iran must prevail

BRUSSELS (AP) " European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says that all efforts must be made to keep the Iran nuclear agreement alive despite the U.S. pullout because "to end the deal would gravely threaten the peace and security in this tumultuous region."Juncker was heading for Sofia, Bulgaria, for a summit with the 28 European Union leaders, hoping to forge a common stance on the agreement and the threat of U.S. sanctions which could hurt EU companies.Juncker said [...]

Cleanup underway a day after powerful storms pound Northeast

NEW YORK (AP) " Residents in the Northeast cleaned up Wednesday, a day after powerful storms pounded the region with torrential rain and marble-sized hail, leaving at least three people dead and more 200,000 homes and businesses without power.Connecticut officials said men in New Fairfield and Danbury were killed Tuesday in separate accidents when trees fell on their trucks. An 11-year-old New York girl was killed when a large tree toppled onto the car she was in.More than 148, [...]

It's checkmate for Baltimore's latest police commissioner

BALTIMORE (AP) " When Baltimore's mayor hand-picked Darryl De Sousa as her choice for police commissioner, heralding his experience and the respect he commanded in the city's force, he proudly described himself as a chess player who uses strategic thinking to avoid pitfalls.Now just a few months later, De Sousa is out of the game, resigning in embarrassment for failing to file his taxes, a key test of Adulthood 101.De Sousa's path from the corner office to the revolving door [...]

Bill Gates gives $44M to influence state education plans

SEATTLE (AP) " Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates saw an opportunity with a new federal education law that has widespread repercussions for American classrooms.His non-profit, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has given about $44 million to outside groups over the past two years to help shape new state education plans required under the 2015 law, according to an Associated Press analysis of its grants. The spending paid for research aligned with Gates interests, led to friendly [...]

Spacewalking astronauts tackle pump work at space station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) " NASA astronauts are taking a spacewalk to shuffle around a couple of space station pumps.Drew Feustel (FOY-stull) and Ricky Arnold emerged from the International Space Station on Wednesday. They need to rearrange the space station's external cooling system by swapping the positions of two spare ammonia pumps.NASA wants the best spare in the best spot. One pump got too cold because of a power shutdown 17 years ago and is called Frosty. The other [...]

Police praise Wisconsin students for prank that was illusion

CUMBERLAND, Wis. (AP) " Police had praise for students who created an illusion for a senior class prank that appeared to show a car had crashed into the principal's office.Students at Cumberland High School in Wisconsin used a junk car, some bricks, some tape and a black tarp to make it look like the car had crashed into their school.Police arrived on the scene only to realize it wasn't really a wreck. The police department wrote on Facebook that it was "one of the best senior [...]

Trump files financial disclosure with ethics office

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump has submitted his annual financial disclosure to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, and it is expected to be released publicly in the coming days.Trump's disclosure, which includes all of 2017 and part of 2018, is being closely watched to see whether it will disclose the $130,000 paid to porn star Stormy Daniels on his behalf by his attorney Michael Cohen. Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said during a Fox News interview that the president had [...]

Bill Gates gives $44M to influence state education reform

SEATTLE (AP) " Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates saw an opportunity with a new federal education law that has widespread repercussions for American classrooms.His non-profit, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has given about $44 million to outside groups over the past two years to help shape new state education plans required under the 2015 law, according to an Associated Press analysis of its grant database.The grants illustrate how strategic and immersive the Microsoft [...]

Chinese tourists spark anger in Vietnam over map on shirts

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) " A group of Chinese tourists wearing T-shirts depicting the country's territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea has sparked anger in Vietnam.The tourists arrived at the Cam Ranh international airport and after going through the immigration took off their coats to reveal T-shirts featuring the so-called "nine-dash line" demarcating Beijing claims to nearly the entire South China Sea. Vietnam is one of the rival claimants.State-run Tuoi Tre newspaper [...]

Trump backs 2 successful US Senate nominees in primaries

President Donald Trump backed two successful U.S. Senate nominees in Pennsylvania and Nebraska, which were among four states holding primaries Tuesday.The primaries began to settle swing state Pennsylvania's chaotic congressional landscape after a court fight ended with redrawn districts just three months ago. Amid the redistricting, Republican Rick Saccone recorded his second loss in two months in two U.S. House districts.Among the more unusual results of Tuesday's primaries [...]

Trump administration preparing to shelter migrant children on military bases

   WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is making preparations to warehouse migrant children on military bases, according to Defense Department communications, the latest sign the government is moving forward with plans to split up families who cross the border illegally. According to an email notification sent to Pentagon staffers, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will make site visits at four military installations in [...]

Apology overdue? McCain flap overshadows Trump's GOP lunch

WASHINGTON (AP) " Last fall, when President Donald Trump headed to Capitol Hill for the Senate Republican lunch, he was feuding with the powerful chair of the foreign relations panel and tweeted that the man couldn't get elected dog catcher.On Tuesday, he dropped in on the weekly GOP lunch entangled in a controversy over an aide's comment disparaging ailing GOP Sen. John McCain. At least one attendee said the McCain flap never came up, but several of the GOP leaders have said it's [...]

US judge scraps Oakland, California, ban on coal shipments

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) " A federal judge in California has struck down the city of Oakland's ban on coal shipments through its port.U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria on Tuesday sided with a developer who wants to use a proposed marine terminal to transport coal from Utah to Asia.Chhabria said the City Council did not have enough evidence that the coal operations would pose a substantial health or safety danger.City leaders approved the rail and marine terminal in 2013 as [...]

Democrats seek counterweight to Trump's message in 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) " Grappling with the realities of President Donald Trump's reign, Democrats are trying to offer a counterweight to the president's message " without making it all about Trump.An annual conference organized by a prominent Democratic think tank Tuesday included an early glimpse at some of the Democrats plotting a challenge to Trump in 2020. But it also laid bare some of the challenges Democrats face in opposing a president whose presence has been all-consuming and in [...]

Baltimore's police commissioner resigns after tax charges

BALTIMORE (AP) " Even in a city accustomed to rapid turnover with its police commissioners, Darryl De Sousa's tenure as Baltimore's top cop was brief. Within days of being charged by federal prosecutors with failure to pay his taxes, he resigned Tuesday after just 116 days on the job.De Sousa was the third person to hold the post over the last three years and the ninth since 2000. His three misdemeanor charges are the latest embarrassment to rock the beleaguered Baltimore force, which [...]

Lawsuit filed against gunman's dad in Waffle House shooting

PEKIN, Ill. (AP) " The family of one of the four people killed in a shooting at a Waffle House restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee, is suing the suspected gunman's father, accusing him of negligence.The Peoria Star reports that the family of victim Joe Perez filed their lawsuit Monday in Tazewell County, Illinois, which is where defendant Travis Reinking lived before moving to Nashville and where his father, Jeffrey Reinking, still lives.Authorities say that Travis Reinking [...]

Stormy Daniels' crowdfunding raises transparency questions

LOS ANGELES (AP) " Stormy Daniels has raised nearly a half-million dollars to fund her lawsuit against President Donald Trump, relying on contributions from a crowdfunding site. Her lawyer has repeatedly pointed to the public site as evidence that he and his client aren't bankrolled by Trump's political foes.But the truth is, no one knows precisely who is funding the effort.The more than 14,000 donations have been made mostly anonymously in amounts ranging from $10 to $5,000. [...]

Trump pays tribute to fallen officers in emotional ceremony

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump paid emotional tribute Tuesday to fallen law enforcement officers and the loved ones who carry on without them, saying those who wore the uniform "were among the bravest Americans to ever live.""They made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could live in safety and in peace," Trump said.Trump made a rare showing of public empathy near the end of his speech by bringing onstage the elderly mother and other loved ones of a slain police [...]

California military base psychiatrist accused of rape

FAIRFIELD, Calif. (AP) " A psychiatrist hired by a U.S. Air Force base to help military veterans in California dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder has been charged with raping female service members who were in therapy for the crime he is now accused of committing " sexual assault.Dr. Heath J. Sommer was ordered Monday to stand trial on three felony sexual assault charges after authorities said he targeted female service members in 2014 and 2015 while working at Travis Air [...]

Mother arrested, child found safe after Tulsa stabbing

TULSA, Okla. (AP) " Tulsa police on Tuesday arrested a woman who they say bound and gagged her three daughters, stabbed the eldest repeatedly and set their house on fire.Police said a patrol officer found 39-year-old Taheerah Ahmad around midday in a vehicle in downtown Tulsa. Ahmad was taken into custody and her 7-year-old daughter who had been reported missing was found safe, police said.Tulsa Police Officer Jeanne MacKenzie said earlier that the 7-year-old girl helped her 9- [...]

Trump: first lady 'doing really well' after kidney procedure

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his wife, Melania, is "doing really well" although she remains hospitalized following a medical procedure to treat a kidney condition the White House described as benign. He said he expected the first lady back home at the White House before the end of the week.The president also praised her doctors for doing a "fantastic job.""Melania is doing really well. She's watching us right now," Trump said as he addressed an [...]

Trump pushes for secure borders at tribute to slain police

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump is using an annual tribute to law enforcement officers slain in the line of duty to press Congress to secure U.S. borders.Trump made the pitch to lawmakers Tuesday after speaking about a Border Patrol agent who was killed on the job in November.The law-and-order president says government's first duty is to protect its citizens. He adds that the Department of Homeland Security is on the "front lines of this incredible, heroic fight. [...]

Mexico acknowledges banks were hacked; losses unknown

MEXICO CITY (AP) " Mexico established a one-day waiting period on electronic money transfers of over $2,500 in the wake of a hacking attack that may have taken as much as $20 million from several Mexican banks.It was the latest in a string of embarrassments for the Mexican banking system, which has seen slowdowns in e-payment, debit card transactions and transfers since late April.The head of the country's central bank, Alejandro Diaz de Leon acknowledged late Monday that a [...]

Dutch researchers uncover dirty jokes in Anne Frank's diary

AMSTERDAM (AP) " Researchers using digital editing techniques deciphered the writing on two pages of Anne Frank's diary that she had covered over with brown masking paper, discovering four risque jokes and a candid explanation of sex, contraception and prostitution."Anyone who reads the passages that have now been discovered will be unable to suppress a smile," said Frank van Vree, director of the Netherlands Institute for War Holocaust and Genocide Studies. "The 'dirty' jokes are [...]

CIA nominee rejects harsh interrogation program

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump's pick to head the CIA says the agency's enhanced interrogation program "is not one the CIA should have undertaken."Gina Haspel's comments came in a letter Tuesday to senators as the Trump administration works to shore up support for her confirmation amid an intensifying public debate over torture.Haspel wrote that she has "learned the hard lessons since 9/11." She says, "With the benefit of hindsight and my experience as a senior Agency [...]

US hits head of Iran's central bank with terror sanctions

WASHINGTON (AP) " The United States designated the head of Iran's central bank as a terrorist on Tuesday and barred anyone around the world from doing business with him, escalating financial pressure on Iran in the wake of President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal.Valiollah Seif, the governor of the Iranian central bank, was named a "specially designated global terrorist" along with another senior official, Ali Tarzali, who works in the central bank's international [...]

Swiss police investigate fatal crash, fire involving Tesla

GENEVA (AP) " Police in southern Switzerland say they are investigating the death of a German man after a Tesla car he was driving crashed into a guardrail and burst into flames last week.The Bellinzona city fire brigade reportedly pulled from its Facebook page a comment that suggested the vehicle's lithium ion batteries could have triggered a phenomenon involving a "rapid and unstoppable increase in temperature" before Thursday's accident.Reached by phone on Tuesday, the fire [...]

Seattle OKs taxing companies like Amazon to aid the homeless

SEATTLE (AP) " Seattle's largest businesses such as Amazon and Starbucks will have to pay a new tax to help fund homeless services and affordable housing under a measure approved by city leaders.The City Council unanimously passed a compromise plan Monday that taxes businesses making at least $20 million in gross revenues about $275 per full-time worker each year " lower than the $500 per worker initially proposed. The so-called "head tax" would raise roughly $48 million a year to [...]

Woman fired after cops seize laxative-laced brownies

SALINE, Mich. (AP) " A Michigan engineering company employee has been fired after police determined she baked laxatives into brownies intended for a departing colleague's send-off.Saline police Chief Jerrod Hart says officers confiscated the tainted confections May 3 after another employee tipped off management. No one ate the brownies.The Ann Arbor News reports that Hart says the 47-year-old woman initially denied putting laxatives in the brownies, but after learning [...]

WH staff comment on McCain overshadows Trump-Senate lunch

WASHINGTON (AP) " The last time President Donald Trump headed to Capitol Hill for the weekly Senate Republican lunch he was feuding with the powerful chair of the foreign relations panel, and had tweeted that the man couldn't get elected dog catcher.Now Trump is embroiled in a controversy over an aide's comment disparaging ailing GOP Sen. John McCain, and the Senate GOP leadership is telling Trump it's past time for an apology from the White House."The smart thing to do would [...]

Swiss police investigate deadly crash, fire involving Tesla

GENEVA (AP) " Police in southern Switzerland say they are investigating the death of a German man after a Tesla car he was driving crashed into a guardrail and burst into flames.The Bellinzona city fire brigade reportedly pulled down from its Facebook page a comment a day earlier that had suggested that the vehicle's lithium-ion batteries could have triggered a phenomenon involving a "rapid and unstoppable increase in temperature" in the accident on Thursday.Reached by phone on [...]