Stories by Associated Press

Lithuanians Bid Farewell to 4 US Soldiers Who Died During Training Exercise, Including 25-Year-Old From Joliet

President Gitanas Nausėda and other dignitaries were among those who stood in respect as hearses carried the bodies of the four young Americans to Vilnius airport before being flown to the United States for burial.

Donald Trump Announces Sweeping New Tariffs, Risking Inflation and Trade Wars

President Donald Trump declared on Wednesday a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries and higher tariff rates on dozens of nations that run trade surpluses with the United States, threatening to upend much of the architecture of the global economy and trigger broader trade wars.

The Shingles Vaccine Prevents a Painful Virus. It Also May Fight Dementia

A new study found shingles vaccination cut older adults’ risk of developing dementia over the next seven years by 20%. The research is part of growing understanding about how many factors influence brain health as we age – and what we can do about it.

Tesla Sales Tumble 13% as Elon Musk Faces Backlash, Competition and an Aging Lineup of Cars

The double-digit drop is likely due to a combination of factors, including its aging lineup, competition from rivals and a backlash from Musk’s embrace of right wing politics. It also is a warning that the company’s first-quarter earnings report later this month could disappoint investors.

Val Kilmer, ‘Top Gun’ and Batman Star With an Intense Approach, Dies at 65

Val Kilmer, the brooding, versatile actor who played fan favorite Iceman in “Top Gun,” donned a voluminous cape as Batman in “Batman Forever” and portrayed Jim Morrison in “The Doors,” has died. He was 65.

Wisconsin Supreme Court, Florida Congressional Elections Provide Early Warning Signs to Trump and Republicans

In the marquee race for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat, the conservative judge endorsed by Trump and backed by Musk and his groups to the tune of $21 million lost by a significant margin in a state Trump won in November.

Cory Booker Sets a Record With Marathon Senate Speech. Will It Rally Anti-Trump Resistance?

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker took to the Senate floor on Monday evening, saying he would remain there as long as he was “physically able.” More than 24 hours later, the 55-year-old senator, a former football tight end, was still going.

Layoffs Begin at US Health Agencies Responsible for Research, Tracking Disease and Regulating Food

Employees across the massive U.S. Health and Human Services Department began receiving notices of dismissal on Tuesday in an overhaul ultimately expected to lay off up to 10,000 people.

In Recruiting Battle, Illinois Lawmakers Consider Giving College Athletes a Tax Break on NIL Earnings

Lawmakers see the legislation they are proposing as a way to level the hyper-competitive recruiting field if not gain an advantage. Their universities are going against schools from Florida, Tennessee and Texas, states where income is not taxed.

Carson Kelly Becomes 1st Chicago Cubs Player to Hit for the Cycle in 32 Years

Carson Kelly homered in the fourth inning, had a two-run single in the fifth, doubled and walked in the sixth, and tripled in the eighth. The previous Cubs player to hit for the cycle was Mark Grace on May 9, 1993, against San Diego — before Kelly was even born in 1994.

Scientists Shielding Farming From Climate Change Need More Public Funding. But They’re Getting Less

The U.S. needs more publicly funded research and development on agriculture to offset the effects of climate change, according to a paper out in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this month. But instead the U.S. has been investing less. 

Elon Musk-Funded Political Group Spends Big and Goes Door to Door in Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

Elon Musk and his political operatives have tried to shape the closely watched Wisconsin Supreme Court race in ways that are not immediately obvious but could be critical to Tuesday’s outcome.

Donald Trump Plans to Roll Out More Tariffs on Wednesday. Here’s What It Could Mean for You

Most economic analyses say average U.S. families would have to absorb the cost of his tariffs in the form of higher prices and lower incomes. But an undeterred Trump is inviting CEOs to the White House to say they are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in new projects to avoid the import taxes.

Immigration Officials Propose Expanding Social Media Data Collection

U.S. immigration officials are asking the public and federal agencies to comment on a proposal to collect social media handles from people applying for benefits such as green cards or citizenship.

Transgender People Are About 1% of the US Population. Why Have They Become a Political Lightning Rod?

It’s a contradiction of numbers that reveals a deep cultural divide: Transgender people make up less than 1% of the U.S. population, but they have become a major piece on the political chess board — particularly Trump’s.

Wall Street Tumbles, and S&P 500 Drops 2% on Worries About Slower Economy and Higher Inflation

The S&P 500 dropped 2% for one of its worst days in the last two years. It thudded to its fifth losing week in the last six after wiping out what had been a big gain to start the week.

Trump Asks Supreme Court for Permission to Resume Deporting Venezuelan Migrants Under Wartime Law

The emergency appeal to the high court follows a rejection of the Republican administration’s plea to the federal appeals court in Washington. By a 2-1 vote, a panel of appellate judges left in place an order temporarily prohibiting deportations of the migrants under the rarely used Alien Enemies Act

Federal Judge in Chicago Temporarily Blocks Parts of Donald Trump’s Anti-DEI Executive Orders

Judge Matthew Kennelly of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois halted the Labor Department from requiring federal contractors or grant recipients from certifying that they don’t operate any programs in violation of Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders.

Betty White, TV’s Golden Girl, Celebrated With Postal Stamp

The beloved actor of “The Golden Girls” fame was celebrated with a new U.S. Postal Service stamp at a first-day-of-issue ceremony at the Los Angeles Zoo on Thursday.

Federal Judge Struggles With Scope of Relief for Fired Workers in Lawsuit Filed by Illinois, Other States

U.S. District Judge James Bredar said he had “great reluctance” to issue a sweeping national preliminary injunction in the case, where 19 states and the District of Columbia contend they have been harmed by a large-scale reduction in the federal workforce without warning as required by law.

Republican and Democratic Senators Overseeing the Military Request Investigation Into Use of the Signal App

Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chair of the committee, and Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat, signed onto a letter to the acting inspector general at the Department of Defense for an inquiry into the potential “use of unclassified networks to discuss sensitive and classified information, as well as the sharing of such information with those who do not have proper clearance and need to know.”

Dept. of Health and Human Services to Lay Off 10,000; Agency Overseeing Funds for Addiction Services to Shutter

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticized the department he oversees as an inefficient “sprawling bureaucracy” in a video announcing the restructuring Thursday. He faulted the department’s 82,000 workers for a decline in Americans’ health.

Supreme Court Upholds Biden Rule Requiring Serial Numbers, Background Checks for Ghost Guns

Sales of the homemade firearms known as ghost guns grew exponentially after kits came onto the market that let people easily build them at home, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion. “Some home hobbyists enjoy assembling them. But criminals also find them attractive,” he said.

The Atlantic Releases the Entire Signal Chat Showing Pete Hegseth’s Detailed Attack Plans Against Houthis

The disclosure follows two intense days during which leaders of President Donald Trump’s intelligence and defense agencies have struggled to explain how details that current and former U.S. officials have said would have been classified wound up on an unclassified Signal chat that included Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg,

What is Signal, the Chat App Used by US Officials to Share Attack Plans?

A magazine journalist’s account of being added to a group chat of U.S. national security officials coordinating plans for airstrikes has raised questions about how highly sensitive information is supposed to be handled.

Trump Administration Cancels at Least 68 Grants Focused on LGBTQ Health Questions

Most were in some way related to sexual minorities, including research focused on HIV prevention. Other canceled studies centered on cancer, youth suicide and bone health.
 

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