US & World News

In A Nod To JFK, Biden Pushing ‘Moonshot’ To Fight Cancer

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to channel John F. Kennedy on the 60th anniversary of JFK’s moonshot speech, highlighting Biden administration efforts aimed at “ending cancer as we know it.” The president was traveling to Boston on Monday to draw attention to a new federally backed study that seeks to validate using blood tests to screen against multiple cancers…

King Charles III, In First Address, Vows `Lifelong Service’

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III vowed in his first speech to the nation as monarch Friday to carry on Queen Elizabeth II’s “lifelong service,” as Britain entered a new age under a new sovereign. Around the world, the queen’s exceptional reign was commemorated, celebrated and debated. Charles, who spent much of his 73 years preparing for the role of…

What To Know About U.K. Accession Rules After Queen’s Death

(AP) — The British monarchy’s rules state that “a new sovereign succeeds to the throne as soon as his or her predecessor dies.” That means Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest son, Prince Charles, became king immediately upon her death. However, it may be months or even longer before Charles’ formal coronation. In Elizabeth’s case, her coronation came on June 2, 1953…

Blinken, In Kyiv, Unveils $2B In US Military Aid For Europe

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Thursday as the Biden administration announced major new military aid worth more than $2.8 billion for Ukraine and other European countries threatened by Russia. In meetings with senior Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Blinken said the Biden administration had notified Congress of…

Juul To Pay Nearly $440M To Settle States’ Teen Vaping Probe

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Electronic cigarette maker Juul Labs will pay nearly $440 million to settle a two-year investigation by 33 states into the marketing of its high-nicotine vaping products, which have long been blamed for sparking a national surge in teen vaping. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced the deal Tuesday on behalf of the states plus Puerto Rico,…

Biden Seeks $47B For Ukraine, COVID-19, Monkeypox, Disasters

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is asking Congress to provide more than $47 billion in emergency dollars that would go toward the war in Ukraine, the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing monkeypox outbreak and help for recent natural disasters in Kentucky and other states. The request, which comes as lawmakers are preparing to return to Washington and…

Lower US Job Gain In August Could Aid Fed’s Inflation Fight

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers added a healthy number of jobs last month, yet slowed their hiring enough to potentially help the Federal Reserve in its fight to reduce raging inflation. The economy gained 315,000 jobs in August, a still-solid figure that pointed to an economy that remains resilient despite rising interest rates, high inflation and sluggish consumer spending. Friday’s report from the government also…

Biden’s Prime-Time Speech: Trumpism Threatens Democracy

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will sound an alarm Thursday night about what he views as “extremist” threats to American democracy from the restive forces of Trumpism, aiming to reframe the November elections as part of an unceasing battle for the “soul of the nation.” Nearly two years after he defeated Donald Trump, it’s a reprise of Biden’s 2020 campaign…

US Clears Updated COVID Boosters Targeting Newest Variants

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Wednesday authorized its first update to COVID-19 vaccines, booster doses that target today’s most common omicron strain. Shots could begin within days. The move by the Food and Drug Administration tweaks the recipe of shots made by Pfizer and rival Moderna that already have saved millions of lives. The hope is that the modified boosters will blunt yet…

US Consumers More Confident In August As Gas Prices Dip

WASHINGTON (AP) — Following three straight monthly declines, U.S. consumer confidence rebounded in August as inflation moderated and gas prices fell. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose in August to 103.2 from 95.3 in July. The business research group’s present situation index — which measures consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions —…

Student Loan Relief Limited For Many By US Drug War’s Legacy

(AP) — President Joe Biden says he hopes his proposal to forgive federal student loans will narrow the nation’s racial wealth gap. But a generation of Black and Hispanic Americans was disproportionately shut out of one of the keys to Biden’s plan: the Pell Grant program. As part of the “war on drugs” — a consequential, anti-crime legislative agenda that Biden championed as…

US: Review Of Possibly Privileged Trump Papers Already Over

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has completed its review of potentially privileged documents seized from former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate this month and has identified “a limited set of materials that potentially contain attorney-client privileged information,” according to a court filing Monday. The filing from the department follows a judge’s weekend order indicating that she was inclined to grant the Trump legal team’s…

NASA Scrubs Launch Of New Moon Rocket After Engine Problem

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA called off the launch of its mighty new moon rocket on its debut flight with three test dummies aboard Monday after a last-minute cascade of problems culminating in unexplained engine trouble. The next launch attempt will not take place until Friday at the earliest and could be off until mid-September or later. The mission,…

FBI Affidavit Shows Concerns About Documents At Trump Estate

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fourteen of the 15 boxes recovered from former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate early this year contained documents with classification markings, including at the top secret level, according to an FBI affidavit released Friday explaining the justification for this month’s search of the property. The 32-page affidavit, even in its heavily redacted form, offers the most detailed description to…

Biden Calls Abortion Restrictions ‘Beyond The Pale’

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Republican-led states continue to ban nearly all abortions, President Joe Biden said Friday that such restrictions were “beyond the pale.” Biden and Democrats are trying to harness outrage over the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide, in this year’s midterm elections. “You’re going to hear women roar on this issue, and it’s going…

Moderna Sues Pfizer Over Patents Behind COVID-19 Vaccine

(AP) — COVID-19 vaccine maker Moderna is suing Pfizer and the German drugmaker BioNTech, accusing its main competitors of copying Moderna’s technology in order to make their own vaccine. Moderna said Friday that Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine Comirnaty infringes on patents Moderna filed several years ago protecting the technology behind its preventive shot, Spikevax. The company filed patent infringement lawsuits…

Student Loan Forgiveness Could Help More Than 40 Million

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 40 million Americans could see their student loan debt reduced — and in many cases eliminated — under the long-awaited forgiveness plan President Joe Biden announced Wednesday, a historic but politically divisive move in the run-up to the midterm elections. Fulfilling a campaign promise, Biden is erasing $10,000 in federal student loan debt for those with incomes…

Biden Announces Long-Awaited Student Debt Forgiveness Plan

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced his long-awaited plan to deliver on his campaign promise to provide $10,000 in debt cancellation for millions of Americans — and up to $10,000 more for those with the greatest financial need. Borrowers who earn less than $125,000 a year, or families earning less than $250,000, would be eligible for the…

Panel: Trump Staffers Pushed Unproven COVID Treatment At FDA

WASHINGTON (AP) — Officials in the Trump White House tried to pressure U.S. health experts into reauthorizing a discredited COVID-19 treatment, according to a congressional investigation that provides new evidence of that administration’s efforts to override Food and Drug Administration decisions early in the pandemic. The report Wednesday by the Democratic-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis also sheds new light on the role that…

Biden To Make Long-Awaited Student Loan Debt Announcement On Wednesday, Reports Say

WASHINGTON – With the freeze on student loan payments set to expire soon, President Joe Biden is planning an announcement on Wednesday amid pressure from Democratic lawmakers to forgive more than $10,000 in student loan debt, according to multiple reports. Payments for federally backed student loans have been suspended since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. The federal pause has been extended several times, and they’re finally set…

US To Send $3 Billion In Aid To Ukraine As War Hits 6 Months

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Russia’s war on Ukraine drags on, U.S. security assistance is shifting to a longer-term campaign that will likely keep more American military troops in Europe into the future, including imminent plans to announce an additional roughly $3 billion in aid to train and equip Ukrainian forces to fight for years to come, U.S. officials said. U.S….

Trump Seeks Special Master To Review Mar-A-Lago Documents

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump asked a federal judge Monday to halt the FBI’s review of documents recovered from his Florida estate earlier this month until a neutral special master can be appointed to inspect the records. The request was included in a federal lawsuit, the first filing by Trump’s legal team in the two weeks since the…

Pfizer Seeks OK Of Updated COVID Vaccine Booster For Fall

(AP) — Pfizer asked U.S. regulators Monday to authorize its combination COVID-19 vaccine that adds protection against the newest omicron relatives — a key step toward opening a fall booster campaign. The Food and Drug Administration ordered vaccine makers to tweak their shots to target BA.4 and BA.5 that are better than ever at dodging immunity from earlier vaccination or infection….

Fauci, Top Infectious Disease Expert, To Retire In December

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert who became a household name — and the subject of partisan attacks — during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Monday he will depart the federal government in December after more than five decades of service. Fauci, who serves as President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, has been the director of the…

Jill Biden Rejoins President After Negative COVID-19 Tests

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) — First lady Jill Biden left COVID-19 isolation on Sunday after twice testing negative for the coronavirus and reunited with President Joe Biden at their Delaware beach home. She had been isolating in South Carolina, where she tested positive for the virus as the couple wrapped up a vacation there last week. The president made a brief stop at the White House before going…

Walmart Expands Abortion Coverage For Employees

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart, the nation’s largest employer, is expanding its abortion coverage for employees after staying largely mum on the issue for months following the Supreme Court ruling that scrapped a nationwide right to abortion. In a memo sent to employees on Friday, the company said its health care plans will now cover abortion for employees “when there is a…

US Announces New Military Aid, Drones For Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. for the first time Friday said it will give Ukraine Scan Eagle surveillance drones, mine-resistant vehicles, anti-armor rounds and howitzer weapons to help Ukrainian forces regain territory and mount a counteroffensive against Russian invaders. A senior defense official told reporters that a new $775 million aid package will include 15 Scan Eagles, 40 mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles…

Judge: Prosecutors Cannot Enforce Michigan’s Abortion Ban

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan judge on Friday blocked county prosecutors from enforcing the state’s 1931 ban on abortion for the foreseeable future after two days of witness testimony from abortion experts, providers and the state’s chief medical officer. The ruling comes after the state Court of Appeals said earlier this month that county prosecutors were not covered by…

Saudi Doctoral Student Gets 34 Years In Prison For Tweets

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Saudi court has sentenced a doctoral student to 34 years in prison for spreading “rumors” and retweeting dissidents, according to court documents obtained Thursday, a decision that has drawn growing global condemnation. Activists and lawyers consider the sentence against Salma al-Shehab, a mother of two and a researcher at Leeds University in Britain,…

Judge Appears Willing To Unveil Some Of Mar-A-Lago Affidavit

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Justice Department to put forward proposed redactions as he committed to making public at least part of the affidavit supporting the search warrant for former President Donald Trump’s estate in Florida. U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart gave prosecutors a week to submit a copy of the affidavit with…

Trump Supporters’ Threats To Judge Spur Democracy Concerns

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hundreds of federal judges face the same task every day: review an affidavit submitted by federal agents and approve requests for a search warrant. But for U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, the fallout from his decision to approve a search warrant has been far from routine. He has faced a storm of death threats since his signature…

Monkeypox Can Spread To Pet Dogs, Doctors Report

NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials are warning people who are infected with monkeypox to stay away from household pets, since the animals could be at risk of catching the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for months has had the advice in place as monkeypox spreads in the U.S. But it gained new attention after a report from France, published…

US Retail Sales Were Flat In July As Inflation Takes A Toll

WASHINGTON (AP) — The pace of sales at U.S. retailers was unchanged last month as persistently high inflation and rising interest rates forced many Americans to spend more cautiously. Retail purchases were flat after having risen 0.8% in June, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. Economists had expected a slight increase. Still, Wednesday’s report contained some positive signs: Excluding autos and…

Trump Foe Cheney Loses Wyoming GOP Primary, Ponders 2024 Bid

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, Donald Trump’s fiercest Republican adversary in Congress, soundly lost a GOP primary, falling to a rival backed by the former president in a rout that reinforced his grip on the party’s base. The third-term congresswoman and her allies entered Tuesday downbeat about her prospects, aware that Trump’s backing gave Harriet Hageman considerable lift in…

Biden Signs Massive Climate And Health Care Legislation

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden signed Democrats’ landmark climate change and health care bill into law on Tuesday, delivering what he has called the “final piece” of his pared-down domestic agenda, as he aims to boost his party’s standing with voters less than three months before the midterm elections. The legislation includes the most substantial federal investment in history to fight climate change…

Over-The-Counter Hearing Aids Expected This Fall In US

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of Americans will be able to buy hearing aids without a prescription later this fall, under a long-awaited rule finalized Tuesday. The Food and Drug Administration said the new regulation cuts red tape by creating a new class of hearing aids that don’t require a medical exam, a prescription and other specialty evaluations. The devices will…

Jill Biden Tests Positive For COVID-19, Has ‘Mild’ Symptoms

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — First lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing “mild symptoms,” the White House announced Tuesday. President Joe Biden continues to test negative after recently recovering from the virus but will wear a mask indoors for 10 days as a precaution. The Bidens have been vacationing in South Carolina since Aug. 10, and the 71-year-old…

Justice Dept. Seeks To Unseal Search Warrant Of Trump Home

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has asked a court to unseal the warrant the FBI received before searching the Florida estate of former President Donald Trump, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday, acknowledging the extraordinary public interest in the case. The request was striking because such documents traditionally remain sealed during a pending investigation. But the Justice Department appeared to…

US Wholesale Inflation Fell In July For 1st Time In 2 Years

WASHINGTON (AP) — Prices at the wholesale level fell from June to July, the first month-to-month drop in more than two years and a sign that some of the U.S. economy’s inflationary pressures cooled last month. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that the producer price index — which measures inflation before it reaches consumers — declined 0.5% in July. It…

Lower Prices Offer Americans Slight Reprieve From Inflation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Falling prices for gas, airline tickets and clothes helped give Americans a slight break from the pain of high inflation last month, though overall price increases slowed only modestly from the four-decade high that was reached in June. Consumer prices jumped 8.5% in July compared with a year earlier, the government said Wednesday, down from a 9.1% year-over-year increase…

Biden Signs ‘Burn Pits’ Help For Vets, A Personal Win, Too

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden, whose elder son Beau died of cancer years after deploying to Iraq, signed legislation on Wednesday expanding federal health care services for millions of veterans who served at military bases where toxic smoke billowed from huge “burn pits.” “We owe you,” Biden said. “You’re the backbone. You’re the steel. You’re the sinew. You’re the…

Trump Says He Took The Fifth In NY Civil Investigation

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination as he testified under oath Wednesday in the New York attorney general’s long-running civil investigation into his business dealings, the former president said in a statement. Trump arrived at Attorney General Letitia James’ Manhattan offices in a motorcade shortly before 9 a.m., before announcing more than an hour later that he…

US Will Stretch Monkeypox Vaccine Supply With Smaller Doses

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials on Tuesday authorized a plan to stretch the nation’s limited supply of monkeypox vaccine by giving people just one-fifth the usual dose, citing research suggesting that the reduced amount is about as effective. The so-called dose-sparing approach also calls for administering the Jynneos vaccine with an injection just under the skin rather than into…