New Jersey house explosion hospitalizes 5 people, police say

WEST MILFORD, N.J. (AP) — Five people were transported to hospitals after an explosion at a New Jersey home on Friday night, police said. The house in West Milford was heavily damaged by the explosion around 9 p.m., the West Milford Police Department said in a statement. ...

Nikki Haley's approach to abortion is rooted in her earliest days in South Carolina politics

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — As a state representative running a longshot campaign for South Carolina governor, Nikki Haley would often explain her opposition to abortion with a story about her family. “I’m strongly pro-life, very pro-life, and not because my party tells me to be, but...

Medicaid expansion to begin soon in North Carolina as governor decides to let budget bill become law

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced Friday he would let the state budget bill that's now reached his desk become law without his signature, opening the way for Medicaid coverage for 600,000 low-income adults, with some receiving the government health insurance soon. ...

Arizona's sweltering summer could set new record for most heat-associated deaths in big metro

PHOENIX (AP) — America's hottest metro area is on track to set an annual record for heat-associated deaths after a sweltering summer, particularly in Phoenix. Public health officials in Maricopa County, home to Phoenix and Arizona's most populous county, said Friday that 289 heat...

RSV vaccine recommended during pregnancy as a second option to protect newborns

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Friday recommended RSV vaccinations for moms-to-be, a second new option to protect newborns from serious lung infections. The shots should be given late in pregnancy but only during RSV season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

Some providers are dropping gender-affirming care for kids even in cases where it's legal

ST. LOUIS (AP) — As Republican-led states have rushed to ban gender-affirming for minors, some families with transgender children found a bit of solace: At least they lived in states that would allow those already receiving puberty blockers or hormone therapy to continue. But in...

Surgeons perform second pig heart transplant, trying to save a dying man

WASHINGTON (AP) — Surgeons have transplanted a pig’s heart into a dying man in a bid to prolong his life – only the second patient to ever undergo such an experimental feat. Two days later, the man was cracking jokes and able to sit in a chair, Maryland doctors said Friday. The...

North Carolina legislature cracks down on pornography sites with new age verification requirements

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's legislature has passed a bill requiring age verification on websites that publish material considered harmful to minors as lawmakers worked long hours this week to approve a state budget and other proposals. The legislation, which passed the...

Minneapolis plans to transfer city property to Native American tribe for treatment center

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis officials intend to transfer two city-owned properties to the Red Lake Band of Chippewa, which plans to build an addiction treatment center at the site. Mayor Jacob Frey announced the plan Thursday to sell the two parcels to the Red Lake Band for $1...

Maryland surgeons for the second time have transplanted a pig’s heart into a dying man