ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A proposal to legalize sports betting survived a test Thursday amid lawmakers’ efforts to pull together the pieces of a package to spend the Minnesota’s enormous budget surplus with just days remaining in the legislative session. The bill, authored by Republican Sen. Roger Chamberlain, of Lino Lakes, would allow tribal casinos and the state’s two…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate overwhelmingly approved a $40 billion infusion of military and economic aid for Ukraine and its allies on Thursday as both parties rallied behind America’s latest, and quite possibly not last, financial salvo against Russia’s invasion. The 86-11 vote gave final congressional approval to the package, three weeks after President Joe Biden requested a smaller $33 billion version and after a…
WASHINGTON (AP) — A closely divided House approved legislation Thursday to crack down on alleged price gouging by oil companies and other energy producers as prices at the pump continue to soar. A bill backed by House Democrats would give President Joe Biden authority to declare an energy emergency that would make it unlawful to increase gasoline and home energy…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Food and Drug Administration told lawmakers Thursday that a shuttered baby formula factory could be up and running as soon as next week, though he sidestepped questions about whether his agency should have intervened earlier at the plant at the center of the national shortage. FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf faced a bipartisan grilling from House…
WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans applied for jobless aid last week, but the total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits is at a 53-year low. Applications for unemployment benefits rose by 21,000 to 218,000 for the week ending May 14, the Labor Department reported Thursday. First-time applications generally track the number of layoffs. The four-week average for claims, which smooths…
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The white man accused of killing 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket appeared briefly in court Thursday after a grand jury indicted him on a first-degree murder charge. Assistant district attorney Gary Hackbush said the indictment of Payton Gendron, 18, was handed up Wednesday. Gendron, wearing orange clothing and mask, was silent throughout the proceeding…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday invoked the Defense Production Act to speed production of infant formula and authorized flights to import supply from overseas, as he faces mounting political pressure over a domestic shortage caused by the safety-related closure of the country’s largest formula manufacturing plant. The Defense Production Act order requires suppliers of formula manufacturers to…
NEW YORK (AP) — The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank more than 1,000 points Wednesday, as big earnings misses by Target and other major retailers stoked investors’ fears that surging inflation could cut deeply into corporate profits. The broad sell-off erased gains from a solid rally a day earlier, the latest volatile day-to-day swing for stocks in recent weeks amid…
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Nearly 1,000 last-ditch Ukrainian fighters who had held out inside Mariupol’s pulverized steel plant have surrendered, Russia said Wednesday, as the battle that turned the city into a worldwide symbol of defiance and suffering drew toward a close. Meanwhile, the first captured Russian soldier to be put on trial by Ukraine on war-crimes charges pleaded guilty to killing…
(AP) — The U.S. Soccer Federation reached milestone agreements to pay its men’s and women’s teams equally, making the American national governing body the first in the sport to promise both sexes matching money. The federation announced separate collective bargaining agreements through December 2028 with the unions for both national teams on Wednesday, ending years of often acrimonious negotiations. The…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former Minneapolis police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to a state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd. As part of the plea deal, Thomas Lane will have a count of aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder dismissed. Lane, along with J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, has already been convicted on federal…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday underscored the Federal Reserve’s determination to keep raising interest rates until there is clear evidence inflation is steadily falling — a high-stakes effort that carries the risk of causing an eventual recession. The Fed’s increases in its benchmark short-term rate typically lead, in turn, to higher borrowing costs for consumers and businesses,…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis has agreed to pay $1.5 million to a man who said police used excessive force when he was arrested during the protests that followed George Floyd’s death in 2020, according to court documents filed Tuesday. Jaleel Stallings, 29, also alleged in his federal lawsuit that several of his constitutional rights were violated. The judgment accepted by Stallings states that the…
DETROIT (AP) — Nearly 43,000 people were killed on U.S. roads last year, the highest number in 16 years as Americans returned to the highways after the pandemic forced many to stay at home. The 10.5% jump over 2020 numbers was the largest percentage increase since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began its fatality data collection system in 1975. Transportation Secretary…
(AP) — U.S. regulators on Tuesday authorized a COVID-19 booster shot for healthy 5- to 11-year-olds, hoping an extra vaccine dose will enhance their protection as infections once again creep upward. Everyone 12 and older already was supposed to get one booster dose for the best protection against the newest coronavirus variants — and some people, including those 50 and…
BUFFALO (AP) — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden paid their respects Tuesday at a makeshift memorial to the 10 people killed in the white supremacist attack in Buffalo, confronting again the forces of hatred he once said called him back to seek the White House. Just off Air Force One, the first couple laid a bouquet of…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Baby formula maker Abbott said Monday it has reached an agreement with U.S. health regulators to restart production at its largest domestic factory, though it will be well over a month before any new products ship from the site to help alleviate the national shortage facing parents. Abbott did not immediately detail the terms of the agreement with the…
(AP) — The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 hit 1 million on Monday, a once-unimaginable figure that only hints at the multitudes of loved ones and friends staggered by grief and frustration. The confirmed number of dead is equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 336 days. It is roughly equal to how many Americans died in the Civil…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday signed an order to deploy U.S. troops to Somalia amid heightened concerns about the country’s Islamic extremist rebels, known as al-Shabab. The move is a reversal of President Donald Trump’s late-term decision to remove nearly all 700 special operations forces that had been operating there. Biden’s decision, confirmed by a senior administration official, comes after Defense Secretary…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Under fire from parents and politicians, President Joe Biden is offering formula manufacturers and retailers transportation and logistics support to ease the nationwide shortage of baby formula, as the administration works to bring the largest domestic plant back on line after it was shut down early this year due to safety issues. The White House said it…
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The white gunman accused of committing a racist massacre at a Buffalo supermarket made threatening comments that brought police to his high school last spring, but he was never charged with a crime and had no further contact with law enforcement after his release from a hospital, officials said. The revelation raised questions about whether his encounter with…
LUTSEN, Minn. (AP) — Communities in northeastern Minnesota are preparing to deal with more flooding and are calling for volunteers to help with sandbagging. Near Voyageurs National Park, most docks are under water at area lakes and some 200 homes and resorts are at risk. Kabetogama Township Supervisor John Stegmeir said his area is bracing for a record-breaking flood. Stegmeir…
LAGUNA WOODS, Calif. (AP) — One person was killed and four others were critically wounded in a shooting Sunday at a Southern California church, authorities said. Deputies detained one person and recovered a weapon following the shooting at Geneva Presbyterian Church in the city of Laguna Woods, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said on Twitter. A fifth injured person suffered minor…
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — More than 90% of Great Barrier Reef coral surveyed this year was bleached in the fourth such mass event in seven years in the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem, Australian government scientists said. Bleaching is caused by global warming, but this is the reef’s first bleaching event during a La Niña weather pattern, which is associated…
(AP Photo/Carolyn Thompson) UPDATE: BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP)- The gunman was identified as Payton Gendron of Conklin, a New York state community about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Buffalo, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The officials were not permitted to speak publicly on the matter and did so on the condition of anonymity. UPDATE: US attorney says FBI…
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Twenty people were injured in two shootings in downtown Milwaukee near an entertainment district where thousands had been watching the Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference semifinals, authorities said. None of the injuries from either shooting after Friday night’s game were believed to be life-threatening. The first shooting, involving…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — About 45,000 of the richest residents in Minnesota owe the state about $38 million because of a mistake by the state Department of Revenue. Authorities said the Legislature changed the standard income tax deduction during the 2019 session but it wasn’t reflected correctly in the worksheet used by tax preparers in 2019 and 2020. The…
The U.S. baby formula shortage has sparked a surge of interest at milk banks around the U.S. with some mothers offering to donate breast milk and desperate parents calling to see if it’s a solution to keep their babies fed. It’s a pathway that won’t work for every formula-fed baby, especially those with special dietary needs, and it comes with challenges because…
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A total lunar eclipse will grace the night skies this weekend, providing longer than usual thrills for stargazers across North and South America. The celestial action unfolds Sunday night into early Monday morning, with the moon bathed in the reflected red and orange hues of Earth’s sunsets and sunrises for about 1 1/2 hours, one…
DETROIT (AP) — Elon Musk said Friday that his plan to buy Twitter is “temporarily on hold,” raising fresh doubts about whether he’ll proceed with the $44 billion acquisition. Musk tweeted that he wanted to pinpoint the number of spam and fake accounts on the social media platform. Musk has been vocal about his desire to clean up Twitter’s problem with “spam…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Senate Democratic minority tried unsuccessfully to force consideration Thursday of nine abortion and health-related bills that the Republican majority has kept bottled up in committee, saying it was critical to take a stand even though they lacked the votes to prevail. The leak of a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion that would overturn the landmark…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Many parents are hunting for infant formula because of a combination of short- and long-term problems that has hit most of the biggest U.S. brands. Millions of babies in the U.S. rely on formula, which is the only source of nutrition recommended for infants who aren’t exclusively breastfed. Here’s a look at what’s behind the problem and what parents…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota lawmakers remain at odds over sports betting legalization as the House prepared to take up a proposal despite a lack of support in the Senate. The House bill, authored by Democratic Rep. Zack Stephenson, of Coon Rapids, would put Minnesota’s Native American tribes in control by allowing in-person wagering at tribal casinos and allowing tribes to…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The world’s first image of the chaotic supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy doesn’t portray a voracious cosmic destroyer but what astronomers Thursday called a “gentle giant” on a near-starvation diet. Astronomers believe nearly all galaxies, including our own, have these giant black holes at their bustling and crowded center, where light…
WASHINGTON (AP) — A House panel issued subpoenas Thursday to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and four other GOP lawmakers in its probe into the violent Jan. 6 insurrection, an extraordinary step that has little precedent and is certain to further inflame partisan tensions over the 2021 attack. The panel is investigating McCarthy’s conversations with then-President Donald Trump the day of the attack…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A baby fox has tested positive for the bird flu in Minnesota, the first confirmed case in a wild mammal in the state, according to the Department of Natural Resources. The kit found in Anoka County died, as did two red fox kits in Ontario, Canada who tested positive for the avian flu last week, the first…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Severe storms brought damaging winds, heavy rain and a few reports of tornadoes to Minnesota, where one person died in a crash that authorities said was caused by downed power lines. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses were without power across southern Minnesota on Thursday morning after Wednesday night’s storms cut service to more than 75,000…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota lawmakers are considering a lifting a cap on growler sales, a high priority for the state’s craft brewers, and letting local distilleries sell normal-sized bottles of their spirits direct to drinkers. The bill slated for debate in the House on Wednesday would further chip away at a system that long required most beer, wine…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate fell far short Wednesday in a rushed effort toward enshrining Roe v. Wade abortion access as federal law, blocked by a Republican filibuster in a blunt display of the nation’s partisan divide over the landmark court decision and the limits of legislative action. The almost party-line tally promises to be the first of several efforts in Congress…
KANKAKEE, Ill. (AP) — President Joe Biden vowed to help American farmers try to ease a global spike in food prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as he visited a family farm Wednesday and unrolled policies meant to increase harvests in ways that the administration believes could also help to reduce grocery bills at home. “I stand here today to thank American…
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge said Wednesday he will lift his contempt of court order issued against Donald Trump if the former president meets certain conditions, including paying $110,000 in fines racked up for being slow to respond to a subpoena issued by the state’s attorney general. Judge Arthur Engoron said he will conditionally lift Trump’s contempt finding if,…
NEW YORK (AP) — More than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, setting another tragic record in the nation’s escalating overdose epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated Wednesday. The provisional 2021 total translates to roughly one U.S. overdose death every 5 minutes. It marked a 15% increase from the previous record, set the year before….
WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation slowed in April after seven months of relentless gains, a tentative sign that price increases may be peaking while still imposing a financial strain on American households. Consumer prices jumped 8.3% last month from 12 months earlier, the Labor Department said Wednesday. That was below the 8.5% year-over-year surge in March, which was the highest since 1981….
RED WING, Minn. (AP) — Unconditional bail was set at $1.5 million Tuesday for the Minnesota woman charged with leaving her newborn son to die beside a lake nearly 20 years ago and who authorities say abandoned another infant in the Mississippi River years earlier. Jennifer Matter, 50, appeared in court in Goodhue County via video on two counts of second-degree murder…
LONDON (AP) — Elon Musk said he will reverse Twitter’s permanent ban of former President Donald Trump if the Tesla CEO follows through with his plan to buy the social media company. Musk, speaking virtually at a Future of the Car summit hosted by the Financial Times, said Twitter’s Trump ban was a “morally bad decision” and “foolish in the…
ASSOCIATED PRESS — Testing for COVID-19 has plummeted across the globe, making it much tougher for scientists to track the course of the pandemic and spot new, worrisome viral mutants as they emerge and spread. Experts say testing has dropped by 70 to 90% worldwide from the first to the second quarter of this year — the opposite of what…
ASSOCIATED PRESS — A former Alabama jail official has died after shooting herself when she and the murder suspect she was accused of helping to escape were captured Monday in Indiana after more than a week on the run, according to officials. The capture ended the manhunt through three states but did not resolve the mystery of why Vicky White,…
ASSOCIATED PRESS — A former Alabama jail official and the murder suspect she is accused of helping escape from custody were apprehended Monday in Indiana after more than a week on the run, law enforcement officials said. Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton of Alabama said the two fugitives were caught near Evansville, Indiana, after U.S. Marshals pursued their pickup truck….
Constructed four generations ago, the massive rock and clay dam at El Capitan Reservoir is capable of storing over 36 billion gallons of water, enough to supply every resident in San Diego for most of a year. Today, it’s three-quarters empty, intentionally kept low because of concerns it could fail under the strain of too much water. During “a big…
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool) UZHHOROD, Ukraine (AP) – Jill Biden spent several hours in Ukraine on Sunday, driving from the border with Slovakia to a town 10 minutes away to see first lady Olena Zelenska on Mother’s Day. Biden is the latest high-profile American to enter Ukraine during the war, while Zelenska’s public appearance was her first since Russia invaded…
