Stories by Associated Press

FDA Approves Much-Debated Alzheimer’s Drug Panned by Experts

Plus: “Chicago Tonight” gets into the controversy behind the drug’s approval

The Food and Drug Administration said it granted approval to the drug from Biogen based on results that seemed “reasonably likely” to benefit Alzheimer’s patients. It’s the only drug that U.S. regulators have said can likely treat the underlying disease, rather than manage symptoms like anxiety and insomnia.

US Increasingly Unlikely to Meet Biden’s July 4 Vax Goal

The White House has launched a monthlong blitz to combat vaccine hesitancy and a lack of urgency to get shots, particularly in the South and Midwest, but it is increasingly resigned to missing the president’s vaccination target. 

Harris Engages Mexico on Complexities of Migration

The visit to Mexico capped off Harris’ first foreign trip as vice president, a brief foray focused on dealing with the root causes of migration that brought her first to Guatemala on Monday.

ProPublica: Many of the Uber-Rich Pay Next to No Income Tax

Overall, the richest 25 Americans pay less in tax — an average of 15.8% of adjusted gross income — than many ordinary workers do, once you include taxes for Social Security and Medicare, ProPublica found. 

Global Sting: Secure FBI-Run Messaging Network Tricks Crooks

An operation known as Trojan Shield led to police raids in 16 nations. More than 800 suspects were arrested and more than 32 tons of drugs — including cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines and methamphetamines — were seized along with 250 firearms, 55 luxury cars and more than $148 million in cash and cryptocurrencies.

US Identifies 3,900 Children Separated at Border Under Trump

Of the 3,913 children, 1,786 have been reunified with a parent, mostly during Trump’s tenure, parents of another 1,695 have been contacted and the whereabouts of 391 have not been established.

Senate Report Details Broad Failures Around Jan. 6 Attack

The Senate report released Tuesday is the first — and could be the last — bipartisan review of how hundreds of former President Donald Trump’s supporters were able to violently push past security lines and break into the Capitol that day, interrupting the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.

All Roads — Blocked Off Roads — Lead to Tokyo Olympics

This is a clear sign that Tokyo Olympic planners and the International Olympic Committee are moving forward despite public opposition, warnings about the risks of the games becoming a spreader event, and Tokyo and other parts of Japan being under a state of emergency until June 20.

‘Do Not Come’: Harris Seeks ‘Hope at Home’ for Guatemalans

“I want to emphasize that the goal of our work is to help Guatemalans find hope at home,” Vice President Kamala Harris said. “At the same time, I want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border: Do not come, do not come.”

To the Beach! Spain Opens Borders to Tourists, Cruise Ships

The Spanish government hopes to welcome 14.5 million to 15.5 million visitors between July and September. That’s about 40% of the tourists in the same period of 2019 but twice as many as last summer, when only EU visitors could enter Spain.

Another COVID-19 Side Effect: Many Kids Head to Summer School

Across the U.S., more children than ever before could be in classrooms for summer school this year to make up for lost learning during the outbreak, which caused monumental disruptions in education.

Cleared Chicago Priest Holds First Mass Since Reinstatement

The Rev. Michael Pfleger, cleared by an Archdiocese of Chicago investigation into claims that he sexually abused several boys decades ago, returned to the pulpit of his longtime church on Sunday for the first time in five months. 

Meghan and Harry Welcome Second Child, Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana

The second baby for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex is officially here: Meghan gave birth to a healthy girl on Friday. Her first name, Lilibet, is a nod to Her Majesty The Queen’s nickname.

Justice Department Says It’ll No Longer Seize Reporters’ Records

The Justice Department said Saturday that it no longer will secretly obtain reporters’ records during leak investigations, a policy shift that abandons a practice decried by news organizations and press freedom groups.

Trump to GOP: Support Candidates Who ‘Stand for Our Values’

Donald Trump on Saturday pushed Republicans to support candidates who are loyal to him in next year’s midterm elections as the former president launched a new more active phase of his post presidency.

G-7 Back Steps to Deter Tax Dodging by Multinational Firms

The Group of Seven wealthy democracies agreed Saturday to support a global minimum corporate tax of at least 15% to deter multinational companies from avoiding taxes by stashing profits in low-rate countries.

New England’s Success Against COVID-19 Could Be a Model

Massachusetts and the rest of New England — the most heavily vaccinated region in the U.S. — are giving the rest of the country a possible glimpse of the future if more Americans get their shots.

Global War on Ransomware? Hurdles Hinder the US Response

The escalating havoc caused by ransomware gangs raises an obvious question: Why has the United States, believed to have the world’s greatest cyber capabilities, looked so powerless to protect its citizens from these kind of criminals operating with near impunity out of Russia and allied countries?

Biden Rebuffs GOP Infrastructure Offer, Citing Broader Goals

President Joe Biden on Friday dismissed a fresh Republican infrastructure proposal that offered modestly more spending but fell short of “his objectives to grow the economy,” the White House said.

Facebook Suspends Trump for 2 Years, Then Will Reassess

Facebook says it will suspend former President Donald Trump’s accounts for two years following its finding that he stoked violence ahead of the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection.

US Businesses Struggle to Fill Jobs Even as Hiring Picks Up

Hiring in the United States picked up in May yet was slowed again by the struggles of many companies to find enough workers to keep up with the economy’s swift recovery from the pandemic recession.

Bonjour! France Welcoming Back (Vaccinated) Tourists

The French government announced Friday that it is removing the need for coronavirus tests for vaccinated Europeans. It also is allowing vaccinated tourists from most of the rest of the world, if they have a negative test.

United Airlines Sees a Supersonic Future

United Airlines aims to bring back supersonic travel before the decade is over with a plane that has yet to be built.

Explainer: Why and When Do COVID-19 Vaccines Expire?

How long do vaccines last? That’s now a critical question as the Biden administration prepares to send tens of millions of unused COVID-19 doses abroad to help curb the pandemic. 

Hundreds of Lakes in US, Europe Are Losing Oxygen

Oxygen levels have dropped in hundreds of lakes in the United States and Europe over the last four decades, a new study found. And the authors said declining oxygen could lead to increased fish kills, algal blooms and methane emissions.

Beer is Latest Vaccine Incentive for Biden ‘Month of Action’

Dangling everything from sports tickets to a free beer, President Joe Biden is looking for that extra something — anything — that will get people to roll up their sleeves for COVID-19 shots when the promise of a life-saving vaccine by itself hasn’t been enough. 
 

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