AP: DeSantis to announce 2024 presidential bid Wednesday on Twitter with Elon Musk
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will announce his 2024 presidential campaign in a Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk on Wednesday, according to two people with knowledge of his plans. DeSantis, who has long been seen as Donald Trump’s leading rival for the Republican nomination, will reveal his plans in an...
Recent shark attacks are worrying beach-goers, yet experts say they’re very rare
PORTLAND, Maine — Recent shark bites in Florida and Hawaii and a suspected case in New Jersey have piqued interest in an age-old summer question for beachgoers — is it safe to go in the water? Scientists and researchers who study sharks said the overwhelming answer to that question is...
A lifetime of racism makes Alzheimer’s more prevalent in Black Americans
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Constance Guthrie is not yet dead, but her daughter has begun to plan her funeral. It will be, Jessica Guthrie says, in a Black-owned funeral home, with the songs of her ancestors. She envisions a celebration of her mother’s life, not a tragic recitation of her long...
Guyana girls dorm fire that killed 19 was deliberately set by student, official says
GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Investigators in Guyana believe a fire that killed 19 mostly girls trapped in a school dormitory was deliberately set by a student who was upset that her mobile phone was confiscated, a top official said Tuesday. The suspect in the fire late Sunday, who is among several...
Russia extends detention of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich by 3 months
MOSCOW — A Russian court has extended the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich by three months, Russian news agencies reported Tuesday. Gershkovich, an American citizen, was ordered held until Aug. 30. He had been arrested in March on espionage charges on a reporting trip in Russia. He,...
UPS strike looms in a world grown reliant on everything delivered everywhere all the time
WASHINGTON — Living in New York City, working full time and without a car, Jessica Ray and her husband have come to rely on deliveries of food and just about everything else for their home. It has meant more free time on weekends with their young son, rather than standing...
Fans need to pre-register for free tickets to Paris’ 2024 Olympic opening ceremony
PARIS — To pull off the most audacious opening ceremony in Olympic history, French organizers are now — literally — on the same page. France’s government, the organizing committee president for the 2024 Paris Games and the French capital’s mayor signed an 11-page security protocol Tuesday that for the first...
Some United Methodist worshippers switching congregations over LGBTQ issues
The Rev. Bill Farmer reached the point where he couldn’t stay in the United Methodist Church anymore — but the congregation he attended was staying. Michael Hahn always wanted to stay in the UMC — but his congregation was leaving it. Each has found new church homes, and they’re not...
Prince Harry’s effort to pay for British police protection fails in court
LONDON — A London judge ruled Tuesday against Prince Harry in his efforts to pay for police protection when he visits Britain. A High Court judge rejected the Duke of Sussex’s assertion that the British government exceeded its authority when it denied him the right to hire police to provide...
Climate protesters dragged from Shell shareholder meeting as they rush stage
LONDON — Climate change protesters were dragged away as they tried to storm the stage at Shell’s shareholder meeting Tuesday, while activist investors added pressure with a resolution demanding the global oil and gas giant beef up its emissions strategy. Shell Chairman Andrew Mackenzie could not start the meeting for...
8 tips for parents and teens on social media use
Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. surgeon general, is calling for “immediate action” by tech companies and lawmakers to protect kids’ and adolescents’ mental health on social media. But after years of middling and insufficient action by both social media platforms and policymakers, parents and young people still bear most of...
Car seats and baby formula are regulated. Is social media next?
The U.S. surgeon general is warning there is not enough evidence to show that social media is safe for children and teens — and is calling on tech companies, parents and caregivers to take “immediate action to protect kids now.” With young people’s social media use “near universal” but its...
Trump makes video appearance in New York criminal case, trial date set for March primary seasonVideo
NEW YORK — Donald Trump threw up his hands in frustration Tuesday as a judge scheduled his criminal trial for March 25, putting the former president and current candidate in a Manhattan courtroom in the heat of next year’s presidential primary season. Trump, appearing by video conference at a pretrial...
Jockey suicides bring attention to stress and mental health of the job
BALTIMORE — Eurico Rosa da Silva was in a dark place. On the track, the jockey in his early 30s was winning races and making money. At home, he was fighting suicidal thoughts every day. “I got to the point where I have no more choice but to go for...
Fake image of Pentagon explosion briefly sends jitters through stock market
An image of black smoke billowing next to a bureaucratic-looking building spread across social media Monday morning, with the claim that it showed an explosion near the Pentagon. The posts sent a brief shiver through the stock market and were quickly picked up by news outlets outside the U.S., before...
Kentucky sheriff’s deputy fatally shot during traffic stop
GEORGETOWN, Ky. — A Kentucky sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed during a traffic stop by someone who fled before being taken into custody, officials said. Scott County Sheriff’s Deputy Caleb Conley was shot Monday evening during a traffic stop on Interstate 75 near Georgetown just before 5 p.m., and...
Teen accused of deliberately crashing U-Haul truck into security barrier at park near White House
WASHINGTON — Police have arrested a Missouri man they believe intentionally crashed a U-Haul truck into a security barrier at a park across from the White House. The box truck’s driver smashed into the barrier near the north side of Lafayette Square on Monday around 10 p.m., the Secret Service...
Pa. Sen. Doug Mastriano on GOP opposition to his U.S. Senate bid: ‘It’s irrelevant to me’
Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano on Monday shrugged off calls from inside his party to oppose his potential U.S. Senate bid, including one from a current legislative colleague. “Of any of the detractors, none have had the cojones to look me in the eye and have a conversation,” Mastriano told...
Judge dismisses Kari Lake’s final claim in election loss for Arizona governor
PHOENIX — A judge on Monday dismissed the only remaining legal claim in Republican Kari Lake’s challenge of her loss in last year’s race for Arizona governor, affirming the election of Democrat Katie Hobbs. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter A. Thompson said Lake failed to prove her claim that...
No debt ceiling agreement in White House meeting, though Biden, McCarthy call talks productiveVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy both said they had a productive debt ceiling discussion late Monday at the White House, but there was no agreement as negotiators strained to raise the nation’s borrowing limit in time to avert a potentially chaotic federal default. It’s a...
Paul Whelan from Russia: ‘I have been told that I won’t be left behind’Video
DETROIT — Michigan’s Paul Whelan said that he has more confidence in U.S. efforts to bring him home from Russia than he did a few months ago in December, though he wishes the process would move faster. “I remain positive and confident on a daily basis that the wheels are...
E. Jean Carroll adds Trump’s post-verdict comments to pending defamation case
NEW YORK — E. Jean Carroll, the advice columnist who won a $5 million sexual abuse and defamation award against former President Donald Trump, is seeking at least $10 million more in a court filing Monday that seeks to hold him liable for remarks he made after the verdict. The...
Group accused of making up story about homeless vets being evicted to make room for migrantsVideo
NEW YORK — The founder of a nonprofit group has been accused of fabricating a story about homeless military veterans being evicted from a New York hotel to make room for migrants, a tale that stoked days of outrage on cable news networks. One Republican lawmaker in New York who...
Bill to boost funding for road and bridge project advances in Pa. House
HARRISBURG — Legislation designed use the state’s gas tax revenue in its entirety for road and bridge work is advancing in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The House Transportation Committee on Monday unanimously approved a bill that aligns with Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposal to gradually reduce the annual appropriation taken...
Breakthrough proposal would aid drought-stricken Colorado River as 3 Western states offer cutsVideo
LAS VEGAS — Arizona, California and Nevada on Monday proposed a plan to significantly reduce their water use from the drought-stricken Colorado River over the next three years, a potential breakthrough in a year-long stalemate that pitted Western states against one another. The plan would conserve an additional 3 million...