Stories by Associated Press

Hunter Biden Indicted on Federal Gun Charges in Long-Running Probe After Plea Deal Failed

Hunter Biden is accused of lying about his drug use when he bought a firearm in October 2018, a period when he has acknowledged struggling with addiction to crack cocaine, according to the indictment filed in federal court in Delaware by a special counsel overseeing the case.

Federal Judge Again Declares That DACA is Illegal With Issue Likely to Be Decided by Supreme Court

A federal judge declared illegal a revised version of a federal policy that prevents the deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. He declined, however, to order an immediate end to the program and the protections it offers to recipients.

High Gas Prices Push Up Inflation, But Prices Overall Are Slowly Moving in the Right Direction

In a set of conflicting data, the Labor Department said the consumer price index rose 3.7% in August from a year ago, up from a 3.2% annual pace in July. Yet excluding the volatile food and energy categories, so-called core prices rose 4.3%, a step back from 4.7% in July and the smallest increase in nearly two years. 

Illinois Appeals Court Hears Arguments on Jussie Smollett Request to Toss Convictions

If the appeal before the Chicago-based First District Appellate Court fails, Smollett will have to finish a 150-day stint in jail that his trial judge ordered during his 2022 sentencing. 

Popular Nasal Decongestant Doesn’t Actually Relieve Congestion, FDA Advisers Say

The leading decongestant used by millions of Americans is likely no better than a dummy pill, according to government experts who reviewed the latest research on the long-questioned drug ingredient.

Child Poverty in the US Jumped and Income Declined in 2022 as COVID-19 Pandemic Benefits Ended

Child poverty in the U.S. more than doubled and median household income declined last year when coronavirus pandemic-era benefits expired and inflation kept rising, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Speaker McCarthy Directs a House Panel to Open an Impeachment Inquiry Into President Biden

The announcement comes as Speaker Kevin McCarthy faces mounting pressure from his right flank to take action against Biden while he also is struggling to pass legislation needed to avoid a federal government shutdown at the end of the month.

The US Marks 22 Years Since 9/11 With Tributes and Tears, From Ground Zero to Alaska

From ground zero to small towns, Americans looked back Monday on 9/11 with moments of silence, tearful words and appeals to teach younger generations about the terror attacks 22 years before.

Explosion, Fire at Archer Daniels Midland Facility in Decatur Injures 8 Employees

An explosion and fire at an Archer Daniels Midland facility in Decatur injured eight employees and sent a tower of smoke into the air Sunday evening, officials said Monday.

3-Year-Old Girl on Chicago-Bound Bus From Texas Died From Infection, Other Factors, Coroner Says

An autopsy shows a bacterial infection and other factors caused the death of a 3-year-old girl on a bus carrying immigrants from Texas to Chicago last month, an Illinois coroner said Thursday.

Trump White House Official Navarro Convicted of Contempt After Defying House Jan. 6 Subpoena

The verdict came after a short trial for Peter Navarro, who served as a White House trade adviser under President Donald Trump and later promoted the Republican’s baseless claims of mass voter fraud in the 2020 election he lost.

Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh Predicts ‘Concrete Steps Soon’ to Address Ethics Concerns

Public trust in the court is at a 50-year low following a series of divisive rulings, including the overturning of Roe v. Wade federal abortion protections last year, and published reports about the justices’ undisclosed paid trips and other ethical concerns.

This Summer Was a Global Record Breaker for the Highest Heat Ever Measured, Meteorologists Say

Last month was not only the hottest August scientists ever recorded by far with modern equipment, it was also the second hottest month measured, behind only July 2023, WMO and the European climate service Copernicus announced Wednesday.

Legal Fights Over Voting Districts Could Play Role in Control of Congress for 2024

Legal challenges to congressional districts also are ongoing in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. And new districts seem likely in New York and North Carolina, based on previous court actions.

Arrivals of West Coast Schools Could Cause Big Ten to Depart From Its Traditional Smashmouth Football Style

No Power Five conference has tended to rely more on defense and the running game than the Big Ten. The arrival of Southern California, UCLA, Oregon and Washington next year just might change that.

Conservative Book Ban Push Fuels Library Exodus From Chicago-Based American Library Association

This summer, the state libraries in Montana, Missouri and Texas and the local library in Midland, Texas, announced they’re leaving the ALA, with possibly more to come. Right-wing lawmakers in at least nine other states demand similar action.

Congress Returns to Try to Prevent a Government Shutdown While GOP Weighs Biden Impeachment Inquiry

A short-term funding measure to keep government offices fully functioning will dominate the September agenda, along with emergency funding for Ukraine, federal disaster funds and the Republican-driven probe into Hunter Biden’s overseas business dealings.

From Strikes to New Union Contracts, Labor Day’s Organizing Roots Are Especially Strong Across the Country This Year

The early-September tribute to workers has been an official holiday for almost 130 years — but an emboldened labor movement has created an environment closer to the era from which Labor Day was born. 

Children Hit Hardest by the Pandemic Are Now the Big Kids at School. Many Still Need Reading Help

Nationally, students suffered deep learning setbacks in reading and math during the pandemic. Last year’s third-graders, the kids who were in kindergarten when the pandemic started, lost more ground in reading than kids in older grades and were slower to catch up.

‘Margaritaville’ Singer Jimmy Buffett, Who Turned Beach-Bum Life Into an Empire, Dies at 76

Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, who popularized beach bum soft rock with the escapist Caribbean-flavored song “Margaritaville” and turned that celebration of loafing into a billion-dollar empire of restaurants, resorts and frozen concoctions, has died.

White Sox Owner Jerry Reinsdorf Says He Doesn’t See How Shooting Could Have Occurred Inside Ballpark

Two women were injured in a shooting during the team’s 12-4 loss to Oakland last week. Chicago police are investigating what happened, including whether the gun was fired inside or outside of the facility.

5 People Shot and Wounded, 2 Critically, in Peoria

The shooting happened at around 9 p.m. Wednesday, police said in a news release, noting that 29 shots were fired. 

Hurricane Idalia Unleashes Fury on Georgia and Florida, Swamping the Coast and Closing Highways

As the eye moved inland, high winds shredded signs, blew off roofs, sent sheet metal flying and snapped tall trees. One person was killed in Georgia. No hurricane-related deaths were officially confirmed in Florida, but the Florida Highway Patrol reported two people dying in separate weather-related crashes just hours before Idalia made landfall.

3.6 Million More Workers Would Be Entitled to Overtime Pay Under Proposed Biden Administration Rule

The new rule would require employers to pay overtime to so-called white collar workers who make less than $55,000 a year. That’s up from the current threshold of $35,568. 

After Supreme Court Curtails Federal Power, Biden Administration Weakens Clean Water Protections

The Biden administration weakened regulations protecting millions of acres of wetlands, saying it had no choice after the Supreme Court sharply limited the federal government’s jurisdiction over them. It’s a policy shift that departs from a half-century of federal rules governing the nation’s waterways.

US Marines Killed in Australian Aircraft Crash Were From Illinois, Virginia and Colorado

The Marine V-22B Osprey with 23 Marines on board crashed Sunday in tropical forest on Melville Island while taking part in Exercise Predators Run, a drill that includes the militaries of Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and East Timor.
 

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