Stories by Associated Press

A New Reason to Swipe Right? Dating Apps Adding Vax Badges

Apps like Hinge, Tinder, Match and Bumble are offering special incentives to people who roll up their sleeves, including badges showing vaccination status and free access to premium content. 

Attorneys: Rittenhouse Trial in November Could Take 2 Weeks

The November trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, an Illinois man charged with killing two people during chaotic protests that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin last year, will take up to two weeks, attorneys said Friday.

Israel, Hamas Agree to Cease-Fire to End Bloody 11-Day War

Israel and Hamas announced a cease-fire Thursday, ending a bruising 11-day war that caused widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip and brought life in much of Israel to a standstill.

Big Gaps in Vaccine Rates Across the US Worry Health Experts

A month after every adult in the U.S. became eligible for the vaccine, a distinct geographic pattern has emerged: The highest vaccination rates are concentrated in the Northeast, while the lowest ones are mostly in the South.

Explainer: Do I Still Have to Wear a Mask? What About Kids?

Plus: Our Spotlight Politics team takes a look at mixed mask messaging on “Chicago Tonight”

The government’s new guidance on masks for vaccinated people has left some Americans confused and sent businesses and states scrambling to adjust their rules. 

88% of Children Covered by Monthly Payments Starting in July

Plus: “Chicago Tonight” discusses the child tax credit expansion

The Treasury Department said Monday that 39 million families are set to receive monthly child payments beginning on July 15.

Biden and Netanyahu Face Rough Early Test of Relationship

President Joe Biden’s efforts to persuade Benjamin Netanyahu to halt military strikes against Hamas in Gaza are plunging the two leaders into a difficult early test of the U.S.-Israeli relationship.

Republican Leaders Turn Against Bipartisan Jan. 6 Commission

Top Republicans in Congress are working to stop the formation of an independent commission into the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, aligning themselves with former President Donald Trump ahead of a Wednesday House vote on the proposal.

Police: Illinois Officer and Suspect, 24, Die in Shootout

A gunman killed one central Illinois police officer and wounded another before he was fatally shot during a shootout at an apartment complex early Wednesday, authorities said.

Medicare for 60-Year-Olds Not Guaranteed to Be a Better Deal

President Joe Biden and progressive Democrats have proposed to lower Medicare’s eligibility age to 60, to help older adults get affordable coverage. But a new study finds that Medicare can be more expensive than other options, particularly for many people of modest means.

Conservatives Push Big Issues to Fore at Supreme Court

Abortion. Guns. Religion. A Trump-fortified conservative majority is making its presence felt at the Supreme Court by quickly wading into high-profile social issues that have been a goal of the right for decades.

Lawmakers Quiz Boeing, FAA About Recent Issues With Planes

House Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., said Tuesday there are “new and ongoing issues (at Boeing) that point to problems in maintaining quality control and appropriate FAA oversight of production issues.”

ABC’s New ‘Women of the Movement’ About Emmett Till’s Mother

ABC will air a short-run series “Women of the Movement” next season about Mamie Till-Mobley, whose son Emmett Till became a symbol of the civil rights movement after he was lynched in Mississippi in 1955.

EXPLAINER: How Worrying is the Variant First Seen in India?

The COVID-19 variant first identified in India has been classified as a “variant of concern” by Britain and the World Health Organization, meaning there is some evidence that it spreads more easily between people, causes more severe disease, or might be less responsive to treatments and vaccines. 

Biden Expresses ‘Support’ for Cease-Fire in Netanyahu Call

President Joe Biden expressed support for a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers in a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, the eighth day of air strikes and rocket barrages that have killed at least 200 people, most of them Palestinians in Gaza. 

Supreme Court to Weigh Rollback of Abortion Rights

The Supreme Court agreed Monday to a showdown over abortion in a case that could dramatically alter nearly 50 years of rulings on abortion rights.

Israeli Strikes Hit Gaza Tunnels as Diplomats Work for Truce

The Israeli military unleashed a wave of heavy airstrikes on the Gaza Strip early Monday, saying it destroyed 9 miles of militant tunnels and the homes of nine Hamas commanders, as international diplomats worked to end the week of fighting that has killed hundreds of people.

Downtown Stores, Businesses Await Their Customers’ Return

In many downtown areas where companies closed their offices and commuting ground to a halt, sandwich shops, bakeries and other small businesses are waiting with guarded optimism for their customers to return.

Israel Kills 42 in Gaza as Netanyahu Warns War Will Go On

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City flattened three buildings and killed at least 42 people Sunday, Palestinian medics said, in the deadliest single attack in the latest round of violence. 

CDC Director Defends Decision to Ditch Masks

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday defended the decision to ease mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people, stressing that increasing political pressure had nothing to do with the abrupt shift in guidelines.

Sharks Use Earth’s Magnetic Field as a GPS, Scientists Say

Researchers said their marine laboratory experiments with a small species of shark confirm long-held speculation that sharks use magnetic fields as aids to navigation — behavior observed in other marine animals such as sea turtles.

Fauci Says Pandemic Exposed ‘Undeniable Effects of Racism’

The immunologist who leads the COVID-19 response in the United States said Sunday that “the undeniable effects of racism” have led to unacceptable health disparities that especially hurt African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans during the pandemic.

Israel Strikes Gaza Home of Hamas Leader, AP Office

Israel slammed the Gaza Strip with airstrikes on Saturday, in a dramatic escalation that included bombing the home of a senior Hamas leader, killing a family of 10 in a refugee camp — most of them children — and pulverizing a high-rise that housed The Associated Press and other media.

Pipeline Operator Says ‘Normal Operations’ Have Resumed

The operator of the nation’s largest gasoline pipeline — hit on May 7 by a ransomware attack — announced Saturday that it has resumed “normal operations,” delivering fuel to its markets, including a large swath of the East Coast.

Colleges Pushed Anew for Reparations for Slavery, Racism

Student and community activists from New England to the Deep South are demanding institutions take more ambitious steps to atone for past sins — from colonial-era slavery to more recent campus expansion projects that have pushed out entire communities of color.

McDonald’s Raising US Workers’ Pay in Company-Owned Stores

McDonald’s follows other chains including Chipotle, which said Monday that it will raise workers’ pay to an average of $15 per hour by the end of June. 
 

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