Stories by Associated Press

What’s in Democrats’ Big Bill? Climate, Health Care, Savings

The estimated $740 billion package is full of party priorities. Those include capping prescription drug costs at $2,000 out of pocket for seniors, helping Americans pay for private health insurance and what Democrats are calling the most substantial investment in history to fight climate change, some $375 billion over the decade.

Senate Democrats Approve Big Biden Economic Package Deal; House to Vote Next

The estimated $740 billion package heads next to the House, where lawmakers are poised to deliver on Biden’s priorities, a stunning turnaround of what had seemed a lost and doomed effort that suddenly roared back to political life. Democrats held united, 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote.

GOP Seeking Power Over Elections in Wisconsin, Minnesota

All three GOP candidates for secretary of state competing for the nomination in Tuesday’s primary in Wisconsin support the shift and echo former President Donald Trump’s false claims that fraud cost him the 2020 election.

Alex Jones Ordered to Pay $49.3M Total Over Sandy Hook Lies

A Texas jury on Friday ordered Infowars’ Alex Jones to pay $49.3 million in total damages to the parents of a first-grader killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, which the conspiracy theorist falsely called a hoax orchestrated by the government in order to tighten U.S. gun laws.

‘What Recession?’: US Employers Add 528,000 Jobs in July

Unemployment dropped another notch, from 3.6% to 3.5%, matching the more than 50-year low reached just before the pandemic took hold.

Republicans Pick Milwaukee to Host 2024 National Convention

Republicans on Friday unanimously chose Milwaukee in swing state Wisconsin to host the 2024 national convention, beating out Nashville in deep-red Tennessee.

WNBA’s Brittney Griner Convicted at Drug Trial in Russia, Sentenced to 9 Years

U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner was convicted Thursday in Russia of drug possession and sentenced to nine years in prison. U.S. President Joe Biden denounced the verdict and sentence as “unacceptable.”

US Declares Health Emergency Over Monkeypox Outbreak

The announcement will free up money and other resources to fight the virus, which may cause fever, body aches, chills, fatigue and pimple-like bumps on many parts of the body.

Police Change Account of Crash Killing Indiana Rep. Walorski

Police have changed their description of the crash that killed Indiana Republican U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski, saying Thursday that it was the SUV in which she was a passenger that crossed a state highway’s centerline and caused the head-on collision.

London Calling: Cubs-Cardinals Set for London in June 2023

Major League Baseball announced Thursday that the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs will play a two-game series on June 24-25, 2023, at London Stadium. The NL Central rivals were supposed to play in London in 2020, but the games were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump-Aligned Challengers Ousting GOP Legislative Incumbents

With more than half the state legislative primaries concluded, Republican incumbents this year have been losing at nearly twice the average rate of the past decade, according to data compiled for The Associated Press by the election tracking organization Ballotpedia.

After Supreme Court Ruling, It’s Open Season on US Gun Laws

The first major gun decision in more than a decade, the ruling could dramatically reshape gun laws in the U.S. even as a series of horrific mass shootings pushes the issue back into the headlines.

Conspiracy Theorist Alex Jones Concedes Sandy Hook Attack Was ‘100% Real’

Speaking a day after the parents of a 6-year-old boy who was killed in the 2012 attack testified about the suffering, death threats and harassment they’ve endured because of what Alex Jones has trumpeted on his media platforms, the Infowars host told a Texas courtroom that he definitely thinks the attack happened.

Highland Park July 4 Parade Attack Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

The man accused of killing seven people and wounding dozens more in a shooting at an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, a week after prosecutors announced he faces 117 felony counts in the attack.

Indiana US Rep. Jackie Walorski Killed in Car Crash, Her Office Says

Republican U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski was killed Wednesday in a car accident in her northern Indiana District, according to her office.

How the Climate Deal Would Help Farmers Aid the Environment

The climate deal reached last week by Senate Democrats could reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that American farmers produce by expanding programs that help accumulate carbon in soil, fund climate-focused research and lower the abundant methane emissions that come from cows.

US House Speaker Pelosi Arrives in Taiwan, Defying Beijing

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday night despite threats from Beijing of serious consequences, becoming the highest-ranking American official in 25 years to visit the self-ruled island claimed by China.

After Stalemate, Senate Approves Bill to Aid Veterans Exposed to Toxic Burn Pits

The Senate approved the bill by a vote of 86-11. It now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law. Biden described the legislation as the biggest expansion of benefits for service-connected health issues in 30 years and the largest single bill ever to address exposure to burn pits.

Number of Uninsured Americans Drops to Record Low

The findings come days after Democrats hammered out a 725-page climate, health care and tax deal that would extend generous federal subsidies for people who buy private health insurance that are credited with driving down the uninsured rates. Democrats have proposed spending $64 billion to extend those price breaks for three more years.

8-Year-Old Boy Wounded in Highland Park Parade Attack Moves to Rehab-Focused Hospital

Cooper Roberts’ family said the boy was moved Sunday to the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab from the University of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital. The family’s statement released Monday said Cooper’s medical team will focus on physical and occupational therapy along with other rehabilitation and mental health services.

Even Simple Exercise May Help Aging Brain, Study Hints

New research hints that even a simple exercise routine just might help older Americans with mild memory problems.

Biden: Killing of al-Qaida Leader is Long-Sought ‘Justice’

The president said in an evening address from the White House that U.S. intelligence officials tracked al-Zawahri to a home in downtown Kabul where he was hiding out with his family. The president approved the operation last week and it was carried out Sunday.

Brittney Griner’s Russian Trial Resumes Amid Intensified Diplomacy

The WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist is to return to court on Tuesday, a month after the beginning of the trial in which she could face 10 years in prison if convicted. As the trial has progressed, the Biden Administration has faced rising calls for action to win her release.

Cities Face Crisis as Fewer Kids Enroll and Schools Shrink

More than one in five New York City elementary schools had fewer than 300 students last school year. In Los Angeles, that figure was over one in four. In Chicago it has grown to nearly one in three, and in Boston it’s approaching one in two, according to a Chalkbeat/AP analysis.

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin Demurs on Biden in 2024 and Dem Majorities This Year

Sen. Joe Manchin, one of the Democrats’ most conservative and contrarian members, declined on Sunday to endorse Joe Biden if the president seeks a second term in 2024 and refused to say whether he wants Democrats to retain control of Congress after the November elections.

Nichelle Nichols, Lt. Uhura on ‘Star Trek,’ Has Died at 89

Born Grace Dell Nichols in suburban Robbins, Nichelle Nichols first worked professionally as a singer and dancer in Chicago at age 14, moving on to New York nightclubs and working for a time with the Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton bands before coming to Hollywood.
 

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