Associated Press stories, Page 154
Heat dome will blanket much of U.S., with worrisome temperatures in Midwest
Summer will make a dramatic entrance in the U.S. this week with a heat dome that will bring stifling temperatures and uncomfortable humidity to millions. The heat will be particularly worrisome this weekend across wide stretches of Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa, where forecasters are warning of extreme temperature impacts....
The world’s only twice-a-year shot to prevent HIV could stop transmission — if people can get it
WASHINGTON — The U.S. has approved the world’s only twice-a-year shot to prevent HIV, the first step in an anticipated global rollout that could protect millions – although it’s unclear how many in the U.S. and abroad will get access to the powerful new option. While a vaccine to prevent...
Ravens sign Jaire Alexander following the cornerback’s release by the Packers
Jaire Alexander has signed with the Baltimore Ravens less than two weeks after the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback was released by the Green Bay Packers. The Ravens posted video Wednesday of star quarterback Lamar Jackson enthusiastically greeting Alexander after he signed with the two-time defending AFC North champions. Jackson and...
Hegseth says the Pentagon has given Trump options for Israel-Iran conflict
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers Wednesday that the Pentagon was providing options to President Donald Trump as he decides next steps on Iran but would not say whether the military was planning to assist with Israeli strikes, an action that could risk dragging America into a wider...
Trump says he’s ‘not looking for a fight’ with Iran but stands ready to act if necessary
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump would not say Wednesday whether he has decided to order a U.S. strike on Iran, a move that Tehran warned anew would be greeted with stiff retaliation if it happens. “I may do it, I may not do it,” Trump said in an exchange with...
Medicare and Social Security go-broke dates pushed up due to rising health care costs, new SSA law
WASHINGTON — The go-broke dates for Medicare and Social Security ‘s trust funds have moved up as rising health care costs and new legislation affecting Social Security benefits have contributed to earlier projected depletion dates, according to an annual report released Wednesday. The go-broke date — or the date at...
Student loan payments have restarted. Here’s how to manage the impact to your credit score
NEW YORK — Millions of Americans are seeing their credit scores drop now that the U.S. government has resumed referring missed student loan payments for debt collection. But there are things you can do to help your score rebound. Courtney Alev, consumer advocate at Credit Karma, said it’s understandable that...
Pete Crow-Armstrong dazzles once again as Cubs add to NL Central lead
CHICAGO — Pete Crow-Armstrong heard more thunderous chants of “P-C-A!” and “M-V-P!” He is still getting used to the adulation. “I’m still kind of new to the ovations and whatnot. I don’t quite know how to respond all the time,” a sheepish Crow-Armstrong said. Looks like he might get some...
‘A well-oiled machine’: How the Florida Panthers’ team-first mentality led to another Stanley Cup
SUNRISE, Fla. — Aleksander Barkov hoisted the Stanley Cup, skated with it for a few moments and then handed it to a grinning Nate Schmidt, in his first year with the Florida Panthers and raising hockey’s hallowed trophy for the first time. Before any repeat winner touched it, every Panther...
List of the top summer movies since ‘Jaws’ turned it into blockbuster season in 1975
LOS ANGELES — “Jaws” turns 50 this week, and its legacy of the summer movie blockbuster remains strong. The titles that have packed the most summer moviegoers into theaters since 1975 represent some of the best known films of the last half century, including five “Star Wars” movies, Pixar favorites...
Air India faces turbulence as plane crash prompts deeper checks and disruptions
NEW DELHI — Air India is facing fresh turbulence following last week’s fatal crash as additional safety inspections on its Dreamliner fleet have led to flight delays, cancellations and growing passenger anxiety. India’s aviation safety regulator ordered deeper checks on Boeing 787 aircrafts operated by the airline soon after its...
Kyiv rescuers find more bodies as death toll from latest Russian aerial attack climbs to 28
KYIV, Ukraine — Emergency workers pulled more bodies Wednesday from the rubble of a nine-story Kyiv apartment building demolished by a Russian missile, raising the death toll from the latest attack on the Ukrainian capital to 28. The building in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district took a direct hit and collapsed during...
In stressful times, our anxiety can rub off on pets. Causes and cures for pet anxiety
In this age of heightened anxiety, many of us turn to our pets for emotional support. But is our behavior increasing our furry friends’ fears? The answer isn’t simple, says Frankie Jackson, a veterinary nurse and animal behavior consultant, and the owner of Canine Counseling in Smyrna, Georgia. She said...
U.S. unemployment claims dipped to 245,000 last week, hovering at historically low levels
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits dipped to 245,000 last week, hovering at historically low levels, the Labor Department said Wednesday. U.S. jobless claims ticked down from 250,000 the week before. Economists had expected last week’s claims to match that at 250,000. The four-week average of...
Iran’s leader rejects call to surrender, saying U.S. intervention would cause ‘irreparable damage’
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s supreme leader on Wednesday rejected U.S. calls for surrender in the face of more Israeli strikes and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause “irreparable damage to them.” European diplomats prepared to hold talks with Iran on Friday. The second public...
Fed leaves key rate unchanged as it awaits the impact of tariffs and Trump again scolds Jerome Powell
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve officials expect inflation to worsen in the coming months but they still foresee two interest rate cuts by the end of this year, the same as they projected in March. The Fed kept its key rate unchanged for the fourth straight meeting Wednesday, and said the...
Firms led by U.S. military veterans deliver aid in Africa and Gaza, alarming humanitarian groups
ON A PLANE OVER UPPER NILE STATE, South Sudan — Swooping low over the banks of a Nile River tributary, an aid flight run by retired American military officers released a stream of food-stuffed sacks over a town emptied by fighting in South Sudan, a country wracked by conflict. Last...
On brink of free agency, Florida’s Sam Bennett wins Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP
SUNRISE, Fla. — Sam Bennett won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP on Tuesday night after leading all players in goals scored to help the Florida Panthers win a second consecutive Stanley Cup championship. Bennett scored 15 goals during a postseason run that culminated with a victory in Game...
Panthers repeat as Stanley Cup champs by beating Oilers in 6 games
SUNRISE, Fla. — Stanley’s stay in South Florida is getting extended. The Florida Panthers repeated as Stanley Cup champions by beating the Edmonton Oilers, 5-1, in Game 6 of the final on Tuesday night, becoming the NHL’s first back-to-back winners since Tampa Bay in 2020-21 and the third team to...
Rafael Devers ready to put Boston situation behind, start fresh in San FranciscoVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — Rafael Devers strolled into the clubhouse side-by-side with home run king Barry Bonds, a fellow left-handed slugger who San Francisco’s new big hitter has long admired from afar. “I think just looking at him my game has already improved a lot,” Devers joked as he was formally...
U.S. spies said Iran wasn’t building a nuclear weapon. Trump dismisses that assessment
WASHINGTON — Tulsi Gabbard left no doubt when she testified to Congress about Iran’s nuclear program earlier this year. The country was not building a nuclear weapon, the national intelligence director told lawmakers, and its supreme leader had not reauthorized the dormant program even though it had enriched uranium to...
Ravens’ Lamar Jackson defends Mark Andrews from online criticism after playoff drop
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson said he never gets over losses. And he also dislikes fans criticizing one of his teammates online. After the Baltimore Ravens’ first day of mandatory minicamp Tuesday, Jackson called out the social media criticism directed at tight end Mark Andrews following the tight end’s...
Stocks slump, oil prices jump as Trump urges Iran’s unconditional surrenderVideo
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks slumped on Tuesday under the weight of another jump for the price of oil. It was a return to form for financial markets after Wall Street’s worries about Israel’s fighting with Iran had seemed to calm a bit on Monday. The S&P 500 fell 0.8%...
Judge says government can’t limit passport sex markers for many transgender, nonbinary people
BOSTON — A federal judge expanded a ruling Tuesday that blocked the Trump administration from enacting policy changes to sex markers on passports for many transgender and nonbinary Americans. In an executive order signed in January, the president used a narrow definition of the sexes instead of a broader conception...
Giants’ Kayvon Thibodeaux wants T.J. Watt’s sack record
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Kayvon Thibodeaux expects a lot more from himself this season. Especially sacks. The New York Giants edge rusher had just 5 1/2 of them last season after setting a career best with 11 1/2 in 2023. Thibodeaux, who missed five games with a broken bone in...
