US & World News

China Announces Equal Penalties to Retaliate for US Tariffs

China Said it Will Impose Penalties of “Equal Strength” on U.S.

(AP Photo/Andy Wong)BEIJING (AP) — China’s government responded quickly to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff hike on Chinese goods by announcing Friday it will immediately impose penalties of “equal strength” on U.S. products. The Commerce Ministry said it also was scrapping deals to buy more American farm goods and other exports as part of efforts to defuse a sprawling dispute…

New York Attorney General Sues Trump Foundation

Schneiderman Ordered the Foundation to Stop Fundraising in New York

AP Photo/Evan Vucci/newsfileNEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s foundation served as a personal piggy bank for his businesses, legal bills and presidential campaign, New York’s attorney general said Wednesday as she sued the charity, Trump and three of his children. The Donald J. Trump Foundation “was little more than a checkbook for payments from Mr. Trump or his businesses…

Nevada Pimp Dennis Hof Wins GOP Primary, Ousts Incumbent

Owner of Legal Brothels Wins Republican Primary for State Legislature

(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File) LAS VEGAS (AP) — Pimp Dennis Hof, the owner of half a dozen legal brothels in Nevada and star of the HBO adult reality series “Cathouse,” won a Republican primary for the state Legislature on Tuesday, ousting a three-term lawmaker. Hof defeated hospital executive James Oscarson. He’ll face Democrat Lesia Romanov in November, and will be…

Judge Approves AT&T-Time Warner Merger

The $85 Billion Merge is one of the Biggest Media Deals Ever

(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said the government failed to meet its burden of proof in its antitrust suit against the AT&T-Time Warner merger. Leon said the government had “taken its best shot” to oppose the merger. But, he added, “the government’s evidence is too thin a reed for this court to rely on.”…

Police Sergeant Rescues Child From Busy Chicago Roadway

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (AP) — A police sergeant is being honored for his quick actions in rescuing a young child from a busy roadway in suburban Chicago. The Naperville Police Department posted dashcam video of last month’s rescue by Sgt. Anthony Mannino on its Facebook page Monday. The department’s post says the child “escaped his mother’s watchful eye” and wandered along…

Sexual Harassment Seen as Threat to new Female Scientists

The Report Suggests Ways to Change the Culture in Universities

WASHINGTON (AP) – A new report is urging a culture change in U.S. colleges and universities that train scientists so women won’t be bullied out of the field. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine says science should treat sexual harassment as seriously as research misconduct. Tuesday’s report cites one university system survey that found 20 percent of female…

Trump’s vow to end Military Drills With Seoul Stuns a Region

Trump Announced he was Halting U.S-South Korean Military Drills

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) SINGAPORE (AP) — President Donald Trump rocked the region with the stunning announcement Tuesday that he was halting annual U.S.-South Korean military drills — and wants to remove the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in the South as a deterrent against North Korea. Trump’s surprise, almost offhand comments, made during a news conference after his summit with North…

US Launches bid to Find Citizenship Cheaters

Several Dozen Lawyers and Immigratoin Officers Have Been Hired

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)LOS ANGELES (AP) – The U.S. government agency that oversees immigration applications is launching an office that will focus on identifying Americans suspected of cheating to get their citizenship and seek to strip them of it. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director L. Francis Cissna told The Associated Press his agency is hiring several dozen lawyers and…

Hawaii Volcano Unleashes More Small Blasts, Snaking Lava

The Big Island Volcano has Been Erupting for More Than a Month

(U.S. Geological Survey via AP)HONOLULU (AP) – Small explosions at the summit of an erupting Hawaii volcano could send ash into communities. Scientists say the blasts happened Monday, including one after a magnitude-5.4 earthquake. Ash expelled from the Kilauea volcano may cause poor visibility and slippery conditions for drivers. The Big Island volcano has been erupting for more than a…

Your Internet use Could Change as ‘Net Neutrality’ Ends

The FCC Reversed its Stance and Proceeded to Kill net Neutrality

NEW YORK (AP) — Your ability to watch and use your favorite apps and services could start to change — though not right away — following the official demise Monday of Obama-era internet protections. Any changes are likely to happen slowly, as companies assess how much consumers will tolerate. The repeal of “net neutrality” took effect six months after the…

Starbucks Raising Price of a Brewed Coffee in Most US Stores

Lattes and Iced Coffees Remain Unchanged

NEW YORK (AP) – That Starbucks habit just got a little more expensive. Starbucks says it’s raising the price of a regular drip coffee by 10 cents to 20 cents this week in most U.S. stores. It says a small brewed coffee is now $1.95 to $2.15 in a majority of locations. The company said Thursday prices remain unchanged on…

Celebrity Chef Anthony Bourdain Found Dead in France at 61

His Death has Been Called a Suicide

(Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP, File)PARIS (AP) — American TV celebrity and food writer Anthony Bourdain was found dead in his hotel room Friday in France while working on his CNN series on culinary traditions around the world. He was 61. CNN confirmed the death, saying that Bourdain was found unresponsive Friday morning by friend and chef Eric Ripert in…

Bison Gores Woman in Yellowstone’s Third Recent Animal Attack

The Woman was Listed in Good Condition

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) – A bison has gored a woman for the third animal attack in Yellowstone National Park this week. Yellowstone officials say a crowd got too close to the bison Wednesday in the Lower Geyser Basin. The bison charged the crowd, goring 59-year-old Kim Hancock of Santa Rosa, California. Hancock was taken to a hospital with…

Germany’s Bayer Completes Purchase of Monsanto

The Deal Cost $63 Billion Including Debt

(AP photo/Markus Schreiber, archive)BERLIN (AP) – German pharmaceutical company Bayer AG says it has completed its purchase of U.S. seed and weed-killer maker Monsanto Co. Bayer said Thursday that it is now the sole owner of the company and Monsanto shares will no longer trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Bayer has put the cost of the deal at…

Kentucky District Where two Died Adds Officers, Bans Backpacks

Only Backpacks Made out of See-Through Material Will be Allowed

BENTON, Ky. (AP) – A Kentucky district where two students were killed and 21 others were hurt in a school shooting will add police officers, install metal detectors and ban backpacks at middle and high schools. News outlets report a district safety committee approved the measures Monday in response to the Jan. 23 shooting at Marshall County High School, where…

Military Base Calls Immigration Agents on Pizza Delivery man

ICE Spokeswoman Said Villavicencio Failed to Depart by July as Ordered

(Villavicencio Family Photo via AP)NEW YORK (AP) — He went from delivering pizza to being detained by immigration officers. An Ecuadorean restaurant worker making a delivery to an Army garrison in Brooklyn wound up being detained June 1 after a routine background check at the gate revealed there was a warrant for his arrest for immigration law violations, officials said….

The Heat is Back on High: May Smashes US Temperature Records

Six of the U.S. Monthly Record Highs Have Been set Since 2006

(AP Photo/Seth Wenig) WASHINGTON (AP) — Record heat returned to the United States with a vengeance in May. May warmed to a record average 65.4 degrees in the Lower 48 states, breaking the high of 64.7 set in 1934, according to federal weather figures released Wednesday. May was 5.2 degrees above the 20th century’s average for the month. Weather stations…

For Miss America, Goals, not Swimsuits

The Swimsuit Elimination Came Tuesday

Carlson, a former Miss America who is head of the organization’s board of trustees, made the announcement Tuesday, June 5, 2018, on “Good Morning America.” (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File)ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) -The Miss America pageant says it is dropping the swimsuit competition in favor of an interactive session between judges and contestants. The group announced Tuesday it is…

Justices Side With Colorado Baker on Same-sex Wedding Cake

The Justices Voted 7-2 the Commission Violated Phillips’ First Amendment Rights

(AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled narrowly Monday for a Colorado baker who wouldn’t make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. But the court is not deciding the big issue in the case, whether a business can invoke religious objections to refuse service to gay and lesbian people. The justices’ limited ruling turned on what…

Apple set to Preview Updates for iPhones, Siri and More

Software Updates Should be Available in a few Months

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) – Apple is expected to preview new capabilities for its Siri digital assistant and showcase other upcoming software features. The peek at the new software will come Monday at a gathering in San Jose, California, for thousands of app developers and other computer programmers looking to create their own features that could in turn make iPhones,…

5 dead, nearly 200 sickened in romaine lettuce outbreak

Four More Deaths Linked to Food Poisoning Outbreak

NEW YORK (AP) — Four more deaths have been linked to a national food poisoning outbreak blamed on tainted lettuce, bringing the total to five. Health officials have tied the E. coli outbreak to romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, Arizona. The growing season there ended six weeks ago, and it’s unlikely any tainted lettuce is still in stores or people’s…

Trump Says June 12 Summit With Kim Back on

Singapore Summit is Back on

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is back on for June 12. Trump says after an Oval Office meeting Friday with North Korea’s Kim Yong Chol that he’d be making a mistake not to go forward with the on-again, off-again nuclear summit in Singapore. Trump says his meeting…

Political Parties to Meet to Endorse for Minnesota Governor

Endorsing Conventions Will Begin Friday Afternoon

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Democratic and Republican activists are preparing to gather to answer one major question: Who will the two major parties endorse in the wide-open race for governor? Endorsing conventions were set to begin Friday afternoon, with Republicans meeting in Duluth and Democrats set to gather in Rochester. The parties will also endorse candidates for a pair…

US Gains 223K Jobs; Unemployment at 18-Year low of 3.8 pct.

Wage Gains Remain Below Typical Levels

(Jeff Morehead/The Chronicle-Tribune via AP, File)WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. employers extended a streak of solid hiring in May, adding 223,000 jobs and pushing the unemployment to an 18-year low of 3.8 percent. The Labor Department says average hourly pay rose 2.7 percent from a year earlier, a slightly faster annual rate than the previous month. But wage gains remain below…

Eagles fan Accused of Punching Police Horse Sues Team, Cops

The Eagles Wont Comment on Pending Legal Action

(Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger via AP, File) PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A Philadelphia Eagles fan accused of punching a police horse and a mounted officer before the Eagles’ NFC championship victory is suing the team and police, claiming he didn’t strike the horse and he was beaten for no reason. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the lawsuit Andrew Tornetta filed Wednesday alleges assault…

Trump Says he’s Giving Full Pardon to Dinesh D’Souza

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he will pardon conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance fraud. Trump tweeted Thursday: “Will be giving a Full Pardon to Dinesh D’Souza today. He was treated very unfairly by our government!” D’Souza was sentenced in 2014 to five years of probation after he pleaded guilty to violating federal election…

Sears to Close Another 72 Stores as Sales Plunge

The List of Stores is Expected to be Announced Thursday Afternoon

NEW YORK (AP) – Sears is closing another 72 stores after reporting a first-quarter losses and plunging sales. The struggling retailer said Thursday that it has identified about 100 stores that are no longer turning profits, and 72 of those locations will be shuttered soon. The list of store closings is due to be announced mid-day Thursday. Sears Holdings Corp.,…

US Going Ahead With Steel, Aluminum Tariffs on EU, Canada and Mexico

The Move Sure to Raise Worries of Trade war

(AP Photo/Francois Mori)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is announcing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the European Union, Canada and Mexico. The move is sure to raise worries of a trade war with American allies. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says there will be a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum….

Minnesota Sues Arizona-Based Opioid Manufacturer

Multiple States Have Sued Insys

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson is suing an Arizona-based pharmaceutical company alleging that it illegally marketed a painkiller made from the synthetic opioid fentanyl. The lawsuit filed Wednesday accuses drugmaker Insys Therapeutics of encouraging physicians to prescribe the painkiller Subsys at higher doses than recommended. The drug is used to manage pain for cancer patients,…

Walmart Offers Employees new Perk: Cheap Access to College

Walmart is Subsidizing the Cost of Tuition, Books and Fees

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart is offering its employees a new perk: affordable access to a college degree. America’s largest private employer, which in the past has helped its workers get their high school or equivalency degrees, hopes the new benefit will help it recruit and retain higher quality entry-level employees in a tight U.S. labor market. The company is…

Weinstein Won’t Testify Before Grand Jury in Rape Case

Weinstein Declined to Testify Before the New York Grand Jury

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein declined Wednesday to testify before the New York grand jury that is weighing whether to indict him on rape and other sex charges, with his lawyers saying there wasn’t enough time to prepare and “political pressure” made an indictment unavoidable. A statement issued through a Weinstein spokesman said the former movie mogul…

Russian Journalist Reported Killed in Ukraine Shows up Alive

The Journalist was Scathingly Critical of the Kremlin

(AP Photo/Alexander Baroshin) MOSCOW (AP) — Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko turned up at a news conference in the Ukrainian capital Wednesday less than 24 hours after police reported he had been shot and killed at his Kiev apartment building. The country’s security services said Babchenko’s death was faked to foil a plot to take his life. Ukrainian police said Tuesday…

Trump Announces new Tariffs on Chinese Technology

The U.S. Will Impose a 25 Percent Tariff

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. is announcing that it will impose a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods containing “industrially significant technology.” The White House said Tuesday that the tariff will cover goods related to the “Made in China 2025” program. The full list of imports that will be covered will be…

Starbucks Closing Over 8,000 Stores for Anti-Bias Training

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)(AP) – Starbucks is closing more than 8,000 U.S. stores for a few hours Tuesday to conduct anti-bias training in the company’s latest effort to deal with the fallout over the arrest of two black men at one of its shops in Philadelphia. After the incident last month, the coffee chain’s leaders apologized and met with the men…

Trump Said to be ‘Actively Preparing’ for Summit

Last Week Trump Withdrew From the Planned Summit

(AP PHOTO)WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House says President Donald Trump “continues to actively prepare” for the president’s “expected summit” with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the White House on June 7. She says Kim Yong Chol, North Korea’s…

US Mint Prepares to Release Voyageurs National Park Quarter

This Will be the 43rd Coin in the America the Beautiful Series

INTERNATIONAL FALLS, Minn. (AP) – Voyageurs National Park and the U.S. Mint will hold festivities next month to mark the release of a commemorative quarter honoring the park on Minnesota’s northern border. The Voyageurs quarter is part of a series of 56 commemoratives highlighting America’s national parks. It shows a loon with a rock cliff in the background. The Mint…

Emails Show Collaboration Among EPA, Climate-Change Deniers

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)WASHINGTON (AP) – Newly released emails show senior Environmental Protection Agency officials collaborating with a conservative group that dismisses climate change to rally like-minded people for public hearings on science and global warming, counter negative news coverage and tout Administrator Scott Pruitt’s stewardship of the agency. The emails were obtained by the Environmental Defense Fund and the…

Newly Adopted 1-Year-old Dies After Being Left in hot Truck

The Parents had Recently Adopted the Girl

photo: twitterNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Authorities say a recently adopted 1-year-old girl has died after her father left her in a hot truck. News outlets cite a release from Metro Nashville police saying the adoptive father “reportedly forgot” about the child after dropping off her sibling at day care between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. Wednesday. The girl’s adoptive mother…

Fiat Chrysler Warns 4.8M Owners: Don’t use the Cruise

No Crashed or Injuries Have Been Reported

(AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)DETROIT (AP) – Fiat Chrysler is recalling 4.8 million vehicles in the U.S. because in rare circumstances, drivers may not be able to turn off the cruise control. The company is warning owners not to use cruise control until the cars, SUVs and trucks can be fixed with a software update. The recall includes 15 Jeep, Dodge,…

Gunman Shoots Three Inside Oklahoma Restaurant

The Gunman Entered Louie’s On The Lake Around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday

(Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman via AP)OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A gunman opened fire inside an Oklahoma City restaurant during the dinner rush, wounding a woman and two girls before two armed citizens shot him dead outside, police said Friday. The suspected gunman, 28-year-old Alexander Tilghman, was armed with a pistol when he entered Louie’s On The Lake around 6:30 p.m. on…

Explosion in Canadian Restaurant Wounds 15 People

Three People had to be Rushed to a Nearby Trauma Center

(Doug Ives/The Canadian Press via AP)TORONTO (AP) – Canadian police say an explosion set off deliberately in a restaurant has wounded at least 15 people, some of them critically. Peel region police said the explosion was caused by an “improvised explosive device” that was set off by two people who then fled the scene in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga….

Weinstein Faces sex Charges in Prosecution Amid #MeToo

The Fim Producer Vehemently Denies the Allegations

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)NEW YORK (AP) – A lawyer representing one of Harvey Weinstein’s alleged victims called his arraignment on criminal charges “an emotional moment.” Attorney Carrie Goldberg represents former actress Lucia Evans, who says Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex in his office in 2004. Weinstein was charged Friday with attacking Evans and raping another, unidentified woman at a…

Morgan Freeman Apologizes in Wake of Harassment Accusations

In Total 16 Women Have Spoken out About Freeman

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman apologized on Thursday to anyone who may have felt “uncomfortable or disrespected” by his behavior, after CNN reported that multiple women have accused the A-list actor of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior on movie sets and in other professional settings. “Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am…

Trump: Military Ready to Respond to North Korea

Trump Says U.S. Military is 'Ready if Necessary'

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says the U.S. military is “ready if necessary” to respond to “foolish or reckless acts” by North Korea. Trump also says he’s been in touch with South Korea and Japan and that both allies are willing to bear much of the financial burden “if such an unfortunate situation is forced upon us.” Trump on…

One Injured in Minnesota Police Shooting

No Officers Were Hurt

CRYSTAL, Minn. (AP) – A police shooting in a suburban Minneapolis neighborhood has sent one person to the hospital with nonlethal injuries. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says the shooting happened at a home in Crystal Wednesday night. The agency says the person is being treated at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale and is expected to live. The…

Trump Suggests NFL Players who Kneel Shouldn’t be in US

Trump: "Maybe you shouldn’t be in the country"

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump praised an NFL policy banning kneeling during the “The Star-Spangled Banner,” saying that “maybe you shouldn’t be in the country” if you don’t stand for the anthem. Trump spoke to “Fox & Friends” in an interview that aired Thursday. The policy forbids players from sitting or taking a knee on the field…

Trump Cancels North Korean Summit, Citing `Tremendous Anger’

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is canceling the planned June 12 summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, citing the “tremendous anger and open hostility” in a recent statement from North Korea. Trump says in a letter to Kim released Thursday by the White House that based on the statement, he felt it was “inappropriate, at this time, to…

North Korea Demolishes Nuclear Site Ahead of, now Canceled, Trump Summit

Trump Canceled the Planned June 12 Summit Thursday Morning

(Satellite Image ©2018 DigitalGlobe, a Maxar company via A, File) PUNGGYE-RI, North Korea (AP) — Just weeks ahead of a planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un made good on his promise to demolish North Korea’s nuclear test site, which was formally closed in a series of huge explosions Thursday as a group of foreign journalists looked…

New NFL Anthem Policy Announced

The Players Were not Part of the Discussions

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)ATLANTA (AP) – NFL owners have approved a new policy aimed at ending the firestorm over national anthem protests, permitting players to stay in the locker room during the “The Star-Spangled Banner” but requiring them to stand if they come to the field. The decision was announced Wednesday by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during the league’s…

Judge Says President Can’t Block Critics on Twitter

The Case was Brought Last July

(AP Photo/J. David Ake, File)NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump violates the First Amendment when he blocks critics on Twitter for political speech, a judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald in Manhattan stopped short in her written decision of ordering Trump or a subordinate to stop the practice of blocking critics from viewing his Twitter account,…