Stories by Associated Press

Second Federal Judge Extends Block Preventing Trump Administration From Freezing Funding

U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island granted the preliminary injunction in the lawsuit filed by nearly two dozen Democratic states after a Trump administration plan for a sweeping pause on federal spending stirred up a wave of confusion and anxiety across the United States.

Trump Grants One-Month Exemption for US Automakers From New Tariffs on Imports From Mexico, Canada

The pause comes after Trump spoke with leaders of the “big 3” automakers, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, on Wednesday, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Trump Administration Plans to Cut 80,000 Employees From Veterans Affairs, According to Internal Memo

Veterans have already been speaking out against the cuts at the VA that so far had included a few thousand employees and hundreds of contracts. More than 25% of the VA’s workforce is comprised of veterans.

These Chicago Nuns Advocated for Immigrant Rights for 40 years — Now in Their 90s, They’re Not Slowing Down

At age 90 and 95, this Catholic nun dynamic duo have been “peacefully and respectfully” fighting for immigrant rights for over 40 years. And they never take no for an answer.

Divided Supreme Court Rejects Donald Trump Administration’s Push to Rebuke Judge Over Foreign Aid Freeze

By a 5-4 vote, the court told U.S. District Judge Amir Ali to clarify his earlier order that required the Republican administration to release nearly $2 billion in aid for work that had already been done.

Donald Trump Vows to Press Ahead on Reshaping America in Speech to Congress as Democrats Dissent

Trump’s prime-time speech Tuesday was the latest marker in his takeover of the nation’s capital, where the Republican-led House and Senate have done little to restrain the president as he and his allies work to slash the size of the federal government and remake America’s place in the world.

US Tariffs Take Effect and Mexico, Canada and China All Retaliate With Their Own Tariffs on the US

President Donald Trump launched a trade war Tuesday against America’s three biggest trading partners, drawing immediate retaliation from Mexico, Canada and China and sending financial markets into a tailspin as the U.S. faced the threat of rekindled inflation and paralyzing uncertainty for business.

On a Cold Northern Island, a Mantra Rises: ‘Greenland is Not for Sale’

Most of those 57,000 Greenlanders are Indigenous Inuit. They take pride in a culture and traditions that have helped them survive for centuries in exceptionally rugged conditions. In their close link to nature. In belonging to one of the most beautiful, remote, untouched places on Earth.

What Are Tariffs? Here’s a Look at How They Work

Tariffs are in the news at the moment. Here’s what they are and what you need to know about them.

Trump Hits ‘Pause’ on US Aid to Ukraine After Oval Dustup, Pressuring Zelenskyy on Russia Talks

The moment comes some five years after President Donald Trump held up congressionally authorized assistance to Ukraine in 2019 as he sought to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to launch investigations into Joe Biden, then a Democratic presidential candidate.

Republicans Once Maligned Medicaid. Now Some See a Program Too Big to Touch

States and the federal government jointly pay for Medicaid, which offers nearly-free health care coverage for roughly 80 million poor and disabled Americans, including millions of children. It cost $880 billion to operate in 2023.

Wisconsin Audit of Donald Trump Win Finds Not a Single Voting Machine Error

An audit of the November election won by President Donald Trump in swing-state Wisconsin found that not a single vote was counted incorrectly, altered or missed by tabulating machines.

Jury Finds Illinois Landlord Guilty of Murder, Hate Crime in 2023 Attack on Palestinian American Boy

Jurors deliberated less than 90 minutes over the crime that renewed fears of anti-Muslim discrimination in the Chicago area’s large and established Palestinian community.

Trump Shouts at Zelenskyy as He and Vance Berate Ukrainian Leader as ‘Disrespectful’

The last 10 minutes of the nearly 45-minute engagement devolved into a tense back and forth between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelenskyy — who had urged skepticism about Russia’s commitment to diplomacy, citing Moscow’s years of broken commitments on the global stage.

Economic Blackout: Will a 24-Hour Boycott Make a Difference?

NEW YORK (AP) — A grassroots organization is encouraging U.S. residents not to spend any money Friday as an act of “economic resistance” to protest what the group’s founder sees as the malign influence of billionaires, big corporations and both major political parties on the lives of working Americans.

Actor Gene Hackman, Prolific Oscar Winner, Found Dead at Home at 95 Years Old

Gene Hackman, the prolific Oscar-winning actor whose studied portraits ranged from reluctant heroes to conniving villains and made him one of the industry’s most respected and honored performers, has been found dead along with his wife at their home. He was 95.

MacArthur Foundation to Increase Giving for Two Years in Response to 'Crisis'

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation will increase its giving in response to what it calls a “crisis" prompted by the Trump administration’s freeze on federal foreign aid and the now- suspended freeze on federal grants.

Michelle Trachtenberg, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Harriet the Spy’ Star, Dies at 39

Michelle Trachtenberg, a former child star who appeared in the 1996 “Harriet the Spy” hit movie and went on to co-star in two buzzy millennial-era TV shows — “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Gossip Girl” — has died. She was 39.

Nearly 40% of Contracts Canceled by Musk’s DOGE Are Expected to Produce No Savings

The Department of Government Efficiency, run by Trump adviser Elon Musk, published an updated list Monday of nearly 2,300 contracts that agencies terminated in recent weeks across the federal government.

Mother of Palestinian American Boy Slain in Suburban Chicago Hate Crime Testifies at Trial

Joseph Czuba is charged in the fatal stabbing of six-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi and the wounding of Hanan Shaheen. Authorities said the family was targeted because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas.

FDA Moves to Rehire Medical Device, Food Safety and Other Staffers Fired Days Earlier

The reversal is the latest example of President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s chaotic approach to cost-cutting, which has resulted in several agencies firing, and then scrambling to rehire, employees responsible for nuclear weapons, national parks and other government services.

Roberta Flack, Grammy-Winning ‘Killing Me Softly’ Singer, Dies at 88

Roberta Flack, the Grammy-winning singer and pianist whose intimate vocal and musical style made her one of the top recordings artists of the 1970s and an influential performer long after, died Monday. She was 88.

Supreme Court Turns Back Challenges to Laws Keeping Abortion Opponents Away From Clinics, Patients

The Supreme Court refused Monday to hear a pair of cases from abortion opponents who say laws limiting anti-abortion demonstrations near clinics violate their First Amendment rights.

Federal Workers Sue Over Elon Musk's Threat to Fire Them if They Don't Explain Their Accomplishments

The updated lawsuit is trying to block mass layoffs pursued by Musk and President Donald Trump, including any connected to the email distributed by the Office of Personnel Management on Saturday.

Judge Extends Temporary Block to Huge Cuts in National Institutes of Health Research Funding

The new National Institutes of Health policy would strip research groups of hundreds of millions of dollars to cover so-called indirect expenses of studying Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease and a host of other illnesses.

Jerry ‘Iceman’ Butler, Soul Singer Whose Hits Included ‘Only the Strong Survive,’ Dies at 85

Jerry Butler was a former Cook County board commissioner who would still perform on weekends and identify himself as Jerry “Iceman” Butler, a show business nickname given for his understated style.
 

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