Stories by Associated Press

Death Toll From Catastrophic Flooding in Texas Surpasses 100

Operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, said Monday that they lost 27 campers and counselors, confirming their worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River.

What to Know About a Potential Deal to Keep TikTok Running in US

Less than a month after extending a deadline to ban TikTok for the third time, President Donald Trump told reporters late Friday night that, “We pretty much have a deal,” on TikTok — but he did not offer details.

Donald Trump to Put 25% Tariffs on Japan and South Korea

President Donald Trump on Monday placed a 25% tax on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, citing persistent trade imbalances with the two crucial U.S. allies in Asia.

Michael Madsen, Chicago-Born ‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Star, Dies

Michael Madsen, whose menacing characters in “Reservoir Dogs” and “Kill Bill” made him a standout in Quentin Tarantino’s films, has died.

U.S. Labor Market Surprises With 147,000 New Jobs Last Month. Here Are the Big Takeaways

The U.S. labor market delivered another upside surprise last month, churning out a surprisingly strong 147,000 jobs. The unemployment rate ticked down unexpectedly, too.

What’s in Trump’s Big Bill That Passed Congress and Will Soon Become Law

At nearly 900 pages, the legislation is a sprawling collection of tax breaks, spending cuts and other Republican priorities, including new money for national defense and deportations.

Supreme Court Will Take Up a New Case About Which School Sports Teams Transgender Students Can Join

Just two weeks after upholding a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, the justices said they will review lower court rulings in favor of transgender athletes in Idaho and West Virginia. The case will be argued in the fall.

Wisconsin Supreme Court’s Liberal Majority Strikes Down 176-Year-Old Abortion Ban

The statute Wisconsin legislators adopted in 1849, widely interpreted as a near-total ban on abortions, made it a felony for anyone other than the mother or a doctor in a medical emergency to destroy “an unborn child.”

Illinois, 19 Other States Sue After Trump Administration Releases Private Medicaid Data to Deportation Officials

Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s advisers ordered the release of a dataset that includes the private health information of people living in California, Illinois, Washington state, and Washington, D.C., to the Department of Homeland Security, The Associated Press first reported last month.

Senate Passes Trump’s Tax Breaks and Spending Cuts Bill as Vance Breaks 50-50 Tie

Vice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 tie to push it over the top. The three Republicans opposing the bill were Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Musk Proposes a New Political Party, Trump Suggests DOGE ‘Might Have to Go Back and Eat Elon’

The dispute has laid bare not only the differences between the Republican president and one of his most vociferous one-time advocates, but also has reignited the possibility that the world’s richest man will — along with his billions — reenter the political spending arena.

Donald Trump Says Migrants Would Need to Know ‘How to Run Away From an Alligator’ to Flee Florida Detention Facility

Assembled on a remote airstrip with tents and trailers that are normally used after a natural disaster, the detention center has been nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” a moniker that has alarmed immigrant activists but appeals to the Republican president’s aggressive approach to deportations.

Future of NASCAR’s Downtown Chicago Weekend is Unclear Heading Into the Third Year of Contract

The future of NASCAR in Chicago is murky going into its third edition on the first weekend in July. The three-year contract between the motorsports organization and the city that was announced in 2022 has two mutual options, and their fate is unclear.

EPA Employees Put Names to ‘Declaration of Dissent’ Over Agency Moves Under Trump

More than 170 EPA employees put their names to the document, with about 100 more signing anonymously out of fear of retaliation.

Trump Administration Finds Harvard Failed to Protect Jewish Students, Threatens to Cut All Funding

The finding from the administration is the latest intensification in the White House’s battle with Harvard, which lost more than $2.6 billion in federal research grants after rejecting a list of federal demands calling for sweeping changes to campus governance, hiring and admissions.

Supreme Court Takes Up a Republican Appeal to End Limits on Party Spending in Federal Elections

Without the limits on party spending, large donors would be able to skirt caps on individual contributions to a candidate by directing unlimited sums to the party with the understanding that the money will be spent on behalf of the candidate, supporters of the law say.

Supreme Court Limits Nationwide Injunctions, but Fate of Trump Birthright Citizenship Order Unclear

A conservative majority left open the possibility that the birthright citizenship changes could remain blocked nationwide. Trump’s order would deny citizenship to U.S.-born children of people who are in the country illegally.

Supreme Court Preserves Key Part of Obamacare Coverage Requirements

The 6-3 ruling comes in a lawsuit over how the government decides which health care medications and services must be fully covered by private insurance under former President Barack Obama’s signature law, often referred to as Obamacare.

Supreme Court Says Maryland Parents Can Pull Their Kids From Public School Lessons Using LGBTQ Books

The decision was not a final ruling in the case, but the justices strongly suggested that the parents will win in the end.

Bill Moyers, Acclaimed Journalist Who Created Wide-Ranging Programs at PBS, Dead at 91

Bill Moyers, the former White House press secretary who became one of television’s most honored journalists with hundreds of hours of programming at PBS, masterfully using a visual medium to illuminate a world of ideas, died Thursday at age 91.

Families and Businesses Are Concerned About the Effect of Tariffs on Youth Sports

Nike, Adidas, Under Armour and Puma were among 76 companies that signed an April 29 letter to Trump asking for a footwear exemption from reciprocal tariffs. The Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America letter warned tariffs would “become a major impact at the cash register for every family.”

Kennedy’s Vaccine Committee Endorses Preservative-Free Fall Flu Shots. Here’s What to Know

The preservative, thimerosal, has long been used in certain vaccines that come in multi-dose vials, to prevent contamination as each dose is withdrawn.

Kennedy Says US is Pulling Funding From Global Vaccine Group Gavi

Gavi is a public-private partnership including WHO, UNICEF, the Gates Foundation and the World Bank, and it is estimated that the vaccination programs have saved 18 million lives. The United States has long been one of its biggest supporters.

Key Medicaid Provision in Trump’s Tax Cut and Spending Bill is Found to Violate Senate Rules

The Senate parliamentarian has advised that a Medicaid provider tax overhaul central to President Donald Trump’s tax cut and spending bill does not adhere to the chamber’s procedural rules, delivering a crucial blow as Republicans rush to finish the package this week.

Kennedy’s New Vaccine Panel Alarms Pediatricians With Inquiries Into Long-Settled Questions

The American Academy of Pediatrics announced Wednesday that it would continue publishing its own vaccine schedule for children but now will do so independently of the ACIP, calling it “no longer a credible process.”

Lawsuit Joined by Illinois, Other States Challenges Billions of Dollars in Trump Administration Funding Cuts

Attorneys general from more than 20 states and Washington, D.C. filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging billions of dollars in funding cuts made by the Trump administration that would fund everything from crime prevention to food security to scientific research
 

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