Top General News

New details of Jeffrey Epstein's death and the frantic aftermath revealed in records obtained by AP
NEW YORK (AP) — Two weeks before ending his life, Jeffrey Epstein sat in the corner of his Manhattan jail cell with his hands over his ears, desperate to muffle the sound of a toilet that wouldn’t stop running. Epstein was agitated and unable to sleep, jail officials observed in...

Trump and DeSantis jab at each other on campaign trail in 1st dueling appearances as 2024 candidates
GRIMES, Iowa (AP) — Former President Donald Trump kept up a steady drumbeat of criticism of his chief rival Ron DeSantis on Thursday, jumping immediately on remarks by the Florida governor on the campaign trail to try to highlight his own strength as the leading GOP presidential candidate. ...

Biden says he got 'sandbagged' after he tripped and fell onstage at Air Force graduation
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — President Joe Biden quipped that he got “sandbagged” Thursday after he tripped and fell — but was uninjured — while onstage at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation. Biden had been greeting the graduates in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the...

'Do I have regrets? ... Hell yeah,' says Davenport mayor after partial collapse of Iowa building
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A structural engineer’s report issued last week indicated a wall of a century-old apartment building in Iowa was at imminent risk of crumbling, yet neither the owner nor city officials warned residents of the danger days before the building partially collapsed, leaving...

Former Playboy model accuses Bill Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulted her in 1969
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former Playboy model who alleges Bill Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her and another woman at his home in 1969 sued him Thursday under a new California law that suspends the statute of limitations on sex abuse claims. In her lawsuit, Victoria Valentino,...

Senate passes GOP bill overturning student loan cancellation, teeing it up for Biden veto
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican measure overturning President Joe Biden's student loan cancellation plan passed the Senate on Thursday and now awaits an expected veto. The vote was 52-46, with support from Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana as...

Family, attorneys criticize prosecutor's handling of case in Ralph Yarl's shooting
LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — The family of a Black Kansas City teenager who was shot by a white man after he mistakenly knocked on the man's door are frustrated with the prosecutor's handling of the case, attorneys for the family said Thursday. The complaints came after a preliminary...

Opponents hold 'day without immigrants' in Florida to protest new restrictions
IMMOKALEE, Fla. (AP) — Across Florida on Thursday, workers didn't show up at construction sites and tomato fields and scores of restaurants, shops and other small businesses never opened their doors to protest a new state law that imposes restrictions on undocumented immigrants. ...

Top speller in English to be crowned at Scripps National Spelling Bee finals
OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — The Scripps National Spelling Bee is set to crown a champion, with 11 finalists gathering Thursday night in a convention center ballroom outside Washington to demonstrate their mastery of Merriam-Webster's Unabridged dictionary. The bee has undergone many...

Jordan's crown prince weds scion of Saudi family in ceremony packed with stars and symbolism
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan's crown prince married the scion of a prominent Saudi family on Thursday in a palace ceremony attended by royals and other VIPs from around the world, as massive crowds gathered across the kingdom to celebrate the region's newest power couple. The...
Latest General News

Journalists to strike June 5 at the largest US newspaper chain
Journalists across the U.S. will walk off their jobs next week at roughly two dozen newsrooms run by Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in the U.S., their union said Thursday. The mostly one-day strike, which will start June 5, aims to protest Gannett’s leadership and...

Judge: Diamond Sports must pay full value of contracts to Diamondbacks, Guardians, Twins, Rangers
A federal bankruptcy judge has ordered Diamond Sports to pay the full value of its media contracts to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers. Judge Christopher Lopez made the ruling on Thursday in Houston. Diamond Sports, which owns 19...

Oregon youths’ climate lawsuit against US government can proceed to trial, judge rules
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge ruled on Thursday that a lawsuit brought by young Oregon-based climate activists can proceed to trial years after they first filed the lawsuit in an attempt to hold the nation’s leadership accountable for its role in climate change. U.S....

Bill to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youths in Louisiana resurrected
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Amid mounting pressure from Republicans, a bill banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender youths in Louisiana that was narrowly killed by a legislative committee last week has been resurrected. In a rare occurrence, the Senate voted to recommit...

Library cancels trans speaker after Montana bans drag readings
Montana's new law banning drag reading events at public libraries has led to the cancellation of a Native American transgender speaker in a southwestern Montana city on Friday. The Butte-Silver Bow Public Library canceled its “First Friday” speaker, Adria Jawort, at the...

Arizona to restrict some new construction in fast-growing areas of Phoenix reliant on groundwater
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona will not approve new housing construction on the fast-growing edges of metro Phoenix that rely on groundwater thanks to years of overuse and a multi-decade drought that is sapping its water supply. In a news conference Thursday, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced...

Audit finds National Highway Traffic Safety Administration auto safety defect probes take too long
DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government agency charged with keeping the roads safe is slow to investigate automobile safety defects, limiting its ability to handle rapidly changing or severe risks, an audit made public Thursday found. Problems at the National Highway Traffic Safety...

'Shrink the room': How Biden and McCarthy struck a debt-limit deal and staved off a catastrophe
WASHINGTON (AP) — It was advice that Mitch McConnell had offered to Joe Biden once already: To resolve the debt-limit standoff, he needed to strike a deal with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy — and McCarthy alone. But after a first meeting of the top four congressional leaders with the president...

Republicans reject funding for top University of Wisconsin building project
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — GOP lawmakers rejected funding Thursday for the University of Wisconsin's top priority, the replacement of an engineering building on its flagship Madison campus, approving allocations for about 60% of the state government and UW projects sought by Gov. Tony Evers. ...

New details of Jeffrey Epstein's death and the frantic aftermath revealed in records obtained by AP
NEW YORK (AP) — Two weeks before ending his life, Jeffrey Epstein sat in the corner of his Manhattan jail cell with his hands over his ears, desperate to muffle the sound of a toilet that wouldn’t stop running. Epstein was agitated and unable to sleep, jail officials observed in...
