AAA predicts that nearly 48 million people will travel at least 50 miles or more from home over the weekend, slightly fewer than in 2019. AAA says car travel will set a record even with the national average price for gasoline hovering near $5.
Stories by Associated Press
Lawsuits Filed Days After Deadly Missouri Amtrak Crash
Associated Press | Jul 1, 2022
The first lawsuits have been filed only days after an Amtrak train collision and derailment in rural Missouri that left four people dead and injured up to 150 others.
Supreme Court Limits EPA in Curbing Power Plant Emissions
Associated Press | Jun 30, 2022
By a 6-3 vote, with conservatives in the majority, the court said that the Clean Air Act does not give the Environmental Protection Agency broad authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that contribute to global warming.
Ketanji Brown Jackson Sworn In, Becomes 1st Black Woman on Supreme Court
Associated Press | Jun 30, 2022
Ketanji Brown Jackson, a federal judge since 2013, is joining three other women — the first time four women will serve together on the nine-member court. President Joe Biden nominated Jackson in February, a month after Stephen Breyer, 83, announced he would retire.
Supreme Court: Biden Properly Ended Trump-Era ‘Remain in Mexico’ Asylum Policy
Associated Press | Jun 30, 2022
President Joe Biden suspended the program on his first day in office in January 2021. But lower courts ordered it reinstated in response to a lawsuit from Republican-led Texas and Missouri. The current administration has sent far fewer people back to Mexico than did the Trump administration.
1955 Warrant in Emmett Till Case Found, Family Seeks Arrest
Associated Press | Jun 29, 2022
A warrant for the arrest of Carolyn Bryant Donham — identified as “Mrs. Roy Bryant” on the document — was discovered last week by searchers inside a file folder that had been placed in a box, Leflore County Circuit Clerk Elmus Stockstill told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
R. Kelly Sentenced to 30 Years in New York Sex Trafficking Case
Associated Press | Jun 29, 2022
R. Kelly has been jailed without bail since in 2019. He’s still facing child pornography and obstruction of justice charges in Chicago, where a trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 15.
Aide: Trump Dismissed Jan. 6 Threats, Wanted to Join Crowd
Associated Press | Jun 28, 2022
Cassidy Hutchinson quoted Trump as directing his staff, in profane terms, to take away the magnetometers that he thought would slow down supporters who’d gathered in Washington. In videotaped testimony played before the committee, she recalled the former president saying words to the effect of: “I don’t f-in’ care that they have weapons.”
FDA Advisers Recommend Updating COVID Booster Shots for Fall
Associated Press | Jun 28, 2022
Pfizer and Moderna tested shots updated to better match the omicron that surged over the winter, but that first mutant has disappeared — replaced by its genetically distinct relatives. The two newest omicron cousins, called BA.4 and BA.5, together now make up half of U.S. cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Election 2022: Abortion Is Central in 1st Post-Roe Primaries
Associated Press | Jun 28, 2022
In the Republican race for governor in Illinois, Darren Bailey, a farmer endorsed by former President Donald Trump, wants to end the state’s right to abortion except for instances in which the mother’s life is in danger. He doesn’t support exceptions for rape or incest. His opponent, Richard Irvin, has said he would allow abortions in instances of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is at risk.
Roe Ruling Shows Complex Relationship Between Court, Public
Associated Press | Jun 27, 2022
The relationship between the public and the judiciary has been studied and debated by legal and political scholars. The short answer: it’s complicated. There’s evidence that the public has an indirect role in the judiciary, but that might be changing.
Supreme Court Backs Public School Coach in Praying on Field After Games
Associated Press | Jun 27, 2022
The court ruled 6-3 for the coach with the court’s conservative justices in the majority and its liberals in dissent. The case forced the justices to wrestle with how to balance the religious and free speech rights of teachers and coaches with the rights of students not to feel pressured into participating in religious practices.
Jan. 6 Panel Calls Surprise Tuesday Hearing to Present New Evidence
Associated Press | Jun 27, 2022
The committee’s investigation has been ongoing during the hearings that started three weeks ago, and the panel has continued to probe the attack by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. Among other investigative evidence, the committee recently obtained new footage of Trump and his inner circle taken both before and after Jan. 6, 2021 from British filmmaker Alex Holder.
Rep. Mary Miller Calls Roe Decision ‘Victory for White Life’
Associated Press | Jun 26, 2022
Miller is running for reelection in the state’s newly redrawn 15th Congressional District against GOP Rep. Rodney Davis with the former president’s blessing. She had been invited on stage to speak by Trump, who held the rally in Mendon, Illinois, to turn out the vote ahead of the state’s Tuesday primary.
Abortion Foes, Supporters Map Next Moves After Roe Reversal
Associated Press | Jun 25, 2022
A day after the Supreme Court’s bombshell ruling overturning Roe v. Wade ended the constitutional right to abortion, emotional protests and prayer vigils turned to resolve as several states enacted bans and supporters and foes of abortion rights mapped out their next moves.
Biden Signs Landmark Gun Measure, Says ‘Lives Will Be Saved’
Associated Press | Jun 25, 2022
The legislation will toughen background checks for the youngest gun buyers, keep firearms from more domestic violence offenders and help states put in place red flag laws that make it easier for authorities to take weapons from people adjudged to be dangerous.
FDA Bans Juul E-Cigarettes Tied to Teen Vaping Surge
Associated Press | Jun 24, 2022
The FDA said Juul must stop selling its vaping device and its tobacco and menthol flavored cartridges. Those already on the market must be removed. Consumers aren’t restricted from having or using Juul’s products, the agency said.
Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade; States Can Ban Abortion
Associated Press | Jun 24, 2022
The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade.
EXPLAINER: What Is Title IX and What Impact Has It Had on Equality?
Associated Press | Jun 23, 2022
Title IX is turning 50. The law forbids discrimination based on sex in education, and despite its age remains a vital piece in the ongoing push for equality, including in the LGBTQ community.
Cement Carbon Dioxide Emissions Quietly Double in 20 Years
Associated Press | Jun 22, 2022
In 2021, worldwide emissions from making cement for buildings, roads and other infrastructure hit nearly 2.9 billion tons of carbon dioxide, which is more than 7% of the global carbon emissions. Twenty years ago, in 2002, cement emissions were some 1.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide.
Biden to Call for 3-Month Suspension of Gas and Diesel Taxes
Associated Press | Jun 22, 2022
At issue is the 18.4 cents-a-gallon federal tax on gas and the 24.4 cents-a-gallon federal tax on diesel fuel. If the gas savings were fully passed along to consumers, people would save roughly 3.6% at the pump when prices are averaging about $5 a gallon nationwide.
We Fought Donald Trump Pressure, GOP State Officials Tell Jan. 6 Panel
Associated Press | Jun 21, 2022
The panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol resumed with a focus on Trump’s efforts to undo Joe Biden’s victory in the most local way — by leaning on officials in key battleground states to reject ballots outright or to submit alternative electors for the final tally in Congress.
Texas Top Cop: Uvalde School Massacre Police Response an ‘Abject Failure’
Associated Press | Jun 21, 2022
Law enforcement authorities had enough officers on the scene of the Uvalde school massacre to have stopped the gunman three minutes after he entered the building, and they never checked a classroom door to see if it was locked, the Texas public safety chief testified.
Biden Signs Off on Hefty Pay Raise for Federal Firefighters
Associated Press | Jun 21, 2022
Pay raises for the federal firefighters had been included in last year’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill, but they had been held up as Biden administration officials studied recruitment and retention data to decide where to deliver them.
Kellogg to Split into 3 Companies; Corporate HQ for High-Growth Snacks Company Coming to Chicago
Associated Press | Jun 21, 2022
The cereal and plant-based meat companies will remain headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, where Kellogg was founded in 1906. The snack company will be headquartered in Chicago with a campus in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Arizona Wildfires Sweep Land Rich with Ancient Sites, Artifacts
Associated Press | Jun 20, 2022
As a pair of wildfires skirt Flagstaff, the flames are crossing land dense with reminders of human existence through centuries — multilevel stone homes, rock carvings and pieces of clay and ceramic pots that have been well-preserved in the arid climate since long before fire suppression became a tactic.