Stories by Associated Press

Cleared Chicago Priest Holds First Mass Since Reinstatement

The Rev. Michael Pfleger, cleared by an Archdiocese of Chicago investigation into claims that he sexually abused several boys decades ago, returned to the pulpit of his longtime church on Sunday for the first time in five months. 

Meghan and Harry Welcome Second Child, Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana

The second baby for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex is officially here: Meghan gave birth to a healthy girl on Friday. Her first name, Lilibet, is a nod to Her Majesty The Queen’s nickname.

Justice Department Says It’ll No Longer Seize Reporters’ Records

The Justice Department said Saturday that it no longer will secretly obtain reporters’ records during leak investigations, a policy shift that abandons a practice decried by news organizations and press freedom groups.

Trump to GOP: Support Candidates Who ‘Stand for Our Values’

Donald Trump on Saturday pushed Republicans to support candidates who are loyal to him in next year’s midterm elections as the former president launched a new more active phase of his post presidency.

G-7 Back Steps to Deter Tax Dodging by Multinational Firms

The Group of Seven wealthy democracies agreed Saturday to support a global minimum corporate tax of at least 15% to deter multinational companies from avoiding taxes by stashing profits in low-rate countries.

New England’s Success Against COVID-19 Could Be a Model

Massachusetts and the rest of New England — the most heavily vaccinated region in the U.S. — are giving the rest of the country a possible glimpse of the future if more Americans get their shots.

Global War on Ransomware? Hurdles Hinder the US Response

The escalating havoc caused by ransomware gangs raises an obvious question: Why has the United States, believed to have the world’s greatest cyber capabilities, looked so powerless to protect its citizens from these kind of criminals operating with near impunity out of Russia and allied countries?

Biden Rebuffs GOP Infrastructure Offer, Citing Broader Goals

President Joe Biden on Friday dismissed a fresh Republican infrastructure proposal that offered modestly more spending but fell short of “his objectives to grow the economy,” the White House said.

Facebook Suspends Trump for 2 Years, Then Will Reassess

Facebook says it will suspend former President Donald Trump’s accounts for two years following its finding that he stoked violence ahead of the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection.

US Businesses Struggle to Fill Jobs Even as Hiring Picks Up

Hiring in the United States picked up in May yet was slowed again by the struggles of many companies to find enough workers to keep up with the economy’s swift recovery from the pandemic recession.

Bonjour! France Welcoming Back (Vaccinated) Tourists

The French government announced Friday that it is removing the need for coronavirus tests for vaccinated Europeans. It also is allowing vaccinated tourists from most of the rest of the world, if they have a negative test.

United Airlines Sees a Supersonic Future

United Airlines aims to bring back supersonic travel before the decade is over with a plane that has yet to be built.

Explainer: Why and When Do COVID-19 Vaccines Expire?

How long do vaccines last? That’s now a critical question as the Biden administration prepares to send tens of millions of unused COVID-19 doses abroad to help curb the pandemic. 

Hundreds of Lakes in US, Europe Are Losing Oxygen

Oxygen levels have dropped in hundreds of lakes in the United States and Europe over the last four decades, a new study found. And the authors said declining oxygen could lead to increased fish kills, algal blooms and methane emissions.

Beer is Latest Vaccine Incentive for Biden ‘Month of Action’

Dangling everything from sports tickets to a free beer, President Joe Biden is looking for that extra something — anything — that will get people to roll up their sleeves for COVID-19 shots when the promise of a life-saving vaccine by itself hasn’t been enough. 

Yes. Tokyo Olympics Are ‘A Go’ Despite Opposition, Pandemic

Tokyo is under a COVID-19 state of emergency, but International Olympic Committee Vice President John Coates has said the games will open on July 23 — state of emergency, or no state of emergency.

Pot Users Welcome: Amazon Won’t Test Jobseekers for Cannabis

Amazon, the second-largest private employer in the U.S. behind Walmart, is making the change as states legalize cannabis or introduce laws banning employers from testing for it. 

Chauvin Makes Appearance on Federal Charges in Floyd’s Death

The former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murder in George Floyd’s death made his initial appearance Tuesday on federal charges alleging he violated Floyd’s civil rights by pinning the Black man to the pavement with his knee.

Justices Reject Johnson & Johnson Appeal of $2B Talc Verdict

The Supreme Court is leaving in place a $2 billion verdict in favor of women who claim they developed ovarian cancer from using Johnson & Johnson talc products.

How Tulsa Massacre Spent Most of Last Century Unremembered

U.S. history is filled with dark events — often involving racism and racial violence — that haven’t been made part of the national fabric. Many involved Black Americans, of which the Tulsa Race Massacre is considered among the most egregious in its absolute destruction.

Vietnam Finds New Virus Variant, Hybrid of India, UK Strains

Vietnam has discovered a new coronavirus variant that’s a hybrid of strains first found in India and the U.K., the Vietnamese health minister said Saturday.

Travel Numbers Climb as Americans Hit the Road for Holiday

More than 1.8 million people went through U.S. airports on Thursday, and the number was widely expected to cross the 2 million threshold over the long holiday weekend — that would be the highest mark since early March 2020.

Biden’s $6T Budget: Social Spending, Taxes on Business

President Joe Biden on Friday unveiled a $6 trillion budget for next year that’s piled high with new safety net programs for the poor and middle class, but his generosity depends on taxing corporations and the wealthy to keep the nation’s spiking debt from spiraling totally out of control.

GOP Blocks Bipartisan Probe of Deadly Jan. 6 Riot at Capitol

Senate Republicans on Friday blocked creation of a bipartisan panel to study the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Facebook Won’t Remove Posts Claiming COVID-19 is Human-Made

Facebook says it will no longer remove claims that COVID-19 is human-made or manufactured “in light of ongoing investigations into the origin of COVID-19 and in consultation with public health experts.”

Boeing to Pay $17 Million to Settle Plane Production Issues

The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that the settlement covers the installation of unapproved sensors and other parts on some Boeing 737 NG and 737 Max planes built between 2015 and 2019.
 

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