Stories by Associated Press

Never before has the relationship between Washington and the Vatican revolved around two Americans — specifically, a 79-year-old politician from Queens and a 70-year-old pontiff from Chicago.

As they deflected questions about their 2028 intentions, the high-profile Democrats pointed to what they described as an imminent threat from the Trump administration heading into the November midterm elections.

Aadam Jacobs has recorded more than 10,000 concerts, with increasingly sophisticated equipment, over four decades in Chicago and other cities. Now a group of devoted volunteers in the U.S. and Europe is methodically cataloging, digitizing and uploading them one by one.

Route 66 marks its 100th anniversary this year. Despite losing its status decades ago as one of the nation’s main arteries, people from around the world still flock to it to take perhaps the quintessential American road trip and soak in its neon lights, kitschy motels and attractions, and culinary offerings.

U.S. President Donald Trump said late Tuesday he’s pulling back on his threats to attack Iranian bridges, power plants and other civilian targets, subject to Iran agreeing to a two-week ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Moline, Illinois-based manufacturer, which does business under the John Deere brand, has faced a handful of “right to repair” complaints over the years.

Hall of Famer Steve McMichael, a key member of the dominating defense that helped the 1985 Chicago Bears win the Super Bowl, has been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the Concussion & CTE Foundation said.

The Chicago Bulls fired executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley on Monday, ending a six-year run that produced just one playoff appearance.

Iran on Monday rejected the latest ceasefire proposal and instead said it wants a permanent end to the war, even as U.S. President Donald Trump’s ultimatum loomed for progress to avoid a major escalation in attacks against power plants and bridges.

The Atlanta Dream acquired two-time WNBA All-Star Angel Reese from the Chicago Sky on Monday in exchange for first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2028.

NASA released the crew’s first downlinked images Friday, 1 1/2 days into the first astronaut moonshot in more than half a century.

“It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare — all these individual things,” President Donald Trump said. “They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal.”

Conservative and liberal justices on Wednesday questioned whether Trump’s order declaring that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens comports with either the Constitution or federal law.

The announcement follows months of scrutiny over the Justice Department’s handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation that made Bondi the target of angry conservatives even with her close relationship with Trump.

There was no legislative resolution Thursday after both the House and Senate met for just a few minutes in pro forma sessions.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced Wednesday what they are calling a path forward to fully funding the Department of Homeland Security and ending a record partial government shutdown.

Democrats are demanding that ICE agents wear cameras, identify themselves and operate without masks. Republicans and the White House have been willing to negotiate on some points, but a final agreement remains elusive.

According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now $4.02 — over a dollar more expensive than it was before the war began on Feb. 28. That’s the largest monthly jump the motor club has seen on record.

Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the court, said the law “censors speech based on viewpoint.” The First Amendment, he wrote, “stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country.”

The Trump administration on Tuesday exempted oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said environmentalists’ lawsuits against the industry threatened to hobble domestic energy supplies.

The Chicago Bulls waived guard Jaden Ivey on Monday in the wake of anti-LGBTQ+ comments and remarks about religion he made in videos on his Instagram account.

The case presents another test for a high court that has allowed some anti-immigration efforts to continue, even after lower courts had blocked them.

Murakami signed a two-year, $34 million contract with the White Sox in December after hitting 246 homers over eight seasons with the Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Central League — including a 56-homer season in 2022.

The deal, which the Senate approved unanimously without a roll call, next goes to the House, which could consider it Friday, though Speaker Mike Johnson said he would need to meet with his fellow Republicans first.

Democrats have been refusing to fund the Department of Homeland Security as they demand changes to rein in Trump’s immigration enforcement operations.

“Eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females,” the International Olympic Committee said, to be determined by a mandatory gene test once in an athlete’s career.