Mexican authorities say three bodies have been recovered in an area of Baja California near where two Australians and an American went missing last weekend. The state prosecutors office did not say Friday night whether the bodies were those of the foreigners, but it said the bodies were discovered during the search for the missing men. The site was near the remote seaside area where the surfersÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ tents and truck were found Thursday. Brothers Jake and Callum Robinson from Australia and American Jack Carter Rhoad went missing Saturday in the area. The bodies were found near the township of Santo Tomás, south of Ensenada.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” As a record crowd cheered, American Pharoah rallied from behind and took aim at his remaining two rivals in the stretch. The bay colt and jockey Victor Espinoza surged to the lead with a furlong to go and thundered across the finish line a length ahead in the 2015 Kent…
Demonstrations have ceased at a small number of U.S. universities after school leaders struck deals with pro-Palestinian protesters. The agreements this week have fended off possible disruptions of final exams and graduation ceremonies. The negotiations at schools including Northwestern and Rutgers stand out amid the chaotic scenes playing out on campuses nationwide. More than 2,400 people have been arrested since April 17. Deals have included commitments by universities to review their investments in Israel, a longtime U.S. ally. Protesters have also focused on university ties to the Israeli military as the war grinds on in Gaza.
Former longtime Donald Trump adviser Hope Hicks testified about how his 2016 presidential campaign became embroiled in a political firestorm over a tape in which he boasted about grabbing women sexually without their permission. The infamous ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œAccess HollywoodÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ tape is central to the case. Prosecutors say it hastened his then-lawyer Michael CohenÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s hush money deal with porn actor Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about claims she had a sexual encounter with Trump years earlier. Hicks testified Friday that after learning of the tape's existence, she knew it was a ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œdamaging development.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
A late-season storm is expected to hit the Sierra Nevada this weekend, bringing rain and mountain snow to Northern and Central California. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for the mountain range from 11 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday for elevations above 5,000 feet. Rain is likely to hit lower elevations. Heavy snowfall is expected to accumulate from 5 to 10 inches at 5,000-foot elevations. Above 9,000 feet, the snow could reach 1 to 2 feet, with wind gusts in the area of up to about 55 mph.
A top U.N. official says hard-hit northern Gaza is now in ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œfull-blown famineÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ after more than six months of war between Israel and Hamas and severe Israeli restrictions on food deliveries to the Palestinian territory. Cindy McCain, the American director of the U.N. World Food Program, is the most prominent international official so far to declare that trapped civilians in the most cut-off part of Gaza had gone over the brink into famine. She says a cease-fire and a greatly increased flow of aid through land and sea routes is essential to confronting the growing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, home to 2.3 million people. McCain spoke to NBCÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œMeet the PressÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ in an interview to air Sunday.
An experimental F-16 fighter jet has taken Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on a history-making flight controlled by artificial intelligence and not a human pilot. Kendall said he came out of Thursday's flight in California, witnessed by The Associated Press, confident enough in AI's capabilities that he would trust it to fire weapons. The flight is serving as a public statement of confidence in the future role of AI in air combat. The military is planning to use the technology to operate an unmanned fleet of 1,000 aircraft. Arms control experts and humanitarian groups are concerned that AI might one day be able to take lives autonomously and are seeking greater restrictions on its use.
The United Nations humanitarian aid agency says hundreds of thousands of people would be ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œat imminent risk of deathÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ if Israel carries out a military assault in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The border city is a critical entry point for humanitarian aid and is filled with displaced Palest…
The NCAA and major college conferences are considering a possible settlement of an antitrust lawsuit that could cost them billions in damages and force schools to share athletics-related revenue with their athletes. But even if college sports leaders create a new, more professional model for collegiate athletics they likely would need help from Congress if athletes are not classified as employees. Two people familiar with settlement discussions related to House vs. the NCAA told AP the association could pay out $2.9 billion in damages over 10 years to resolve the class-action case.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” Caitlin Clark will make her preseason home debut a day earlier than initially scheduled, Indiana Fever officials announced Friday.
A former government employee has been charged with repeatedly submitting fake tips to the FBI reporting that several of his co-workers in the intelligence community were part of a mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Court records unsealed on Friday say that Miguel Eugenio Zapata was arrested in Chantilly, Virginia, on Thursday on a charge that he made false statements to law enforcement. A charging document says Zapata submitted at least seven anonymous tips to the FBIÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s website claiming that seven government employees and contractors were involved in the riot at the Capitol. Court records donÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t identify which government agency employed Zapata.
LYPIVKA, Ukraine (AP) ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” This Orthodox Easter season, an extraordinary new church is bringing spiritual comfort to war-weary residents of the Ukrainian village of Lypivka. Two years ago, it also provided physical refuge from the horrors outside.
Canadian police say they arrested three suspects in the slaying of a Sikh separatist leader last June that become the center of a diplomatic spat with India, and are investigating possible ties between the detainees and the Indian government.  Police say the three suspects are Indian nationals in their 20s who were arrested in Edmonton, Alberta on Friday morning.  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sparked a diplomatic feud with India in September when he said that there were ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œcredible allegationsÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ of Indian involvement in the slaying of Nijjar. India had accused Nijjar of links to terrorism, but angrily denied involvement in the slaying.
Heavy storms have continued to slam the Houston area. Already dangerous flooding has widened as first responders launch numerous high-water rescues, including some from the roofs of flooded homes. The National Weather Service on Friday reported more than 11 inches of rain during the past 24 hours in the Houston suburb of Spring. The agency has issued a flood warning until Tuesday for the region. No injuries or deaths have been reported. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Thursday issued a mandatory evacuation order for people along a portion of the San Jacinto River in northern Harris County. She said Friday some in the area had been rescued from their rooftops.
Workers have begun removing a bridge over a Connecticut highway that was damaged in a fiery crash involving a gasoline tanker truck. The demolition that began Friday is expected to keep both sides of Interstate 95 in Norwalk closed through the weekend and extend a traffic nightmare on the major artery linking New England and New York. Gov. Ned Lamont says the plan is still to reopen the highway on Monday morning. Crews are expected to finish removing the bridge by Sunday morning, and road repairs will be made. The tanker truck burst into flames under the overpass after colliding with two other vehicles Thursday. The cause remains under investigation.
LONDON (AP) ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” German tennis legend Boris Becker was discharged from bankruptcy court in London after a judge found Wednesday he had done ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œall that he reasonably could doÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ to repay creditors tens of millions of pounds.
Leaders of GeorgiaÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Fulton County say they had no legal power to control District Attorney Fani WillisÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ spending or her hiring of former special prosecutor Nathan Wade. The leaders made the remarks Friday in testimony before a Republican-led Georgia state Senate committee probing Willis' hiring of Wade to prosecute Donald Trump and others. Willis and Wade have acknowledged a romantic relationship with each other. But Willis says that she has done nothing illegal. Willis is running for reelection this year and faces a Democratic opponent in a May 21 primary. Early voting for that election is ongoing. Also Friday, federal prosecutors announced a California man was indicted on April 24 on charges of transmitting interstate threats against Willis.
BRENTWOOD, N.H. (AP) ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” A New Hampshire jury awarded $38 million to the man who blew the lid off abuse allegations at the stateÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s youth detention center Friday, finding in a landmark case that the stateÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s negligence allowed him to be beaten, raped and held in solitary confinement as a teen.
United Methodist delegates have repealed their churchÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s longstanding ban on the celebrations of same-sex marriages or unions by its clergy. The action marked the final major repeal of a half-centuryÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s collection of LGBTQ bans and disapprovals that were embedded in the laws and social teachings of the United Methodist Church. The 447-233 vote by the UMCÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s General Conference came one day after delegates overwhelmingly voted to repeal a 52-year-old declaration that the practice of homosexuality is ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œincompatible with Christian teachingÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ and two days after they repealed the denominationÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s ban on LGBTQ clergy.
Stocks closed sharply higher on Wall Street, erasing their losses for the week, after the government reported a cooldown in hiring last month. For markets that was a welcome sign that the Federal Reserve's efforts to fight inflation by slowing the economy with high interest rates might be making some progress. The S&P 500 rose 1.3% Friday, its biggest gain since February. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.2%. and the Nasdaq composite climbed 2%. U.S. employers added 175,000 jobs last month, down sharply from a big increase in March. Apple jumped after announcing a mammoth $110 billion stock buyback.
TBILISI, Georgia (AP) ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” Georgia has been engulfed by huge protests triggered by a proposed law that critics see as a threat to media freedom and the countryÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s aspirations to join the European Union.
LONDON (AP) ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” Britain's governing Conservative Party suffered heavy losses in local election results Friday, further cementing expectations that the Labour Party will return to power after 14 years in a U.K. general election that will take place in the coming months.
NEW YORK (AP) ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” Hope Hicks took the stand Friday in Donald Trump's hush money case, recounting in her morning testimony how she followed Trump from the real estate world to politics and how his 2016 presidential campaign was turned upside down following a leak of a video recording in which h…
SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” Just like the Olympic athletes, the cyberwarriors that will be crucial for the success of the Paris Games are deep into training for the big event.
Student journalists on the Columbia University campus knew what was coming long before police with riot shields arrived to begin arresting the pro-Palestinian protesters.
The Los Angeles Lakers fired coach Darvin Ham after just two seasons in charge. The Lakers announced on social media that they were dismissing Ham four days after their season ended with a first-round playoff loss to Denver in five games. Ham led Los Angeles to the Western Conference finals less than a year ago in his first season as an NBA head coach. Ham presided over a disappointing year for the Lakers, who went 47-35 in the regular season and won the NBAÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s inaugural In-Season Tournament. General manager Rob Pelinka says the move ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œis the best course of action following a full review of the season.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
San FranciscoÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s famed FishermanÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Wharf district is seeing a surge in sea lions. First appearing at Pier 39 after the 1989 earthquake, the sea lions have become a well known tourist attraction. The number of sea lions crashing at the pier fluctuates over the seasons. On most days more than a hundred can be seen. But this week, Pier 39 has counted more than 1,000 sea lions, the most seen there in 15 years. A large school of anchovies has drawn the animals to the pier as they fuel up for migration. The spike in sea lions is only expected to be temporary.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs' signing of the repeal of a Civil War-era ban on nearly all abortions was a stirring occasion for the women working to ensure the 19th century law remains in the past. Current and former state lawmakers, and reproductive rights advocates crowded into the 9th floor rotunda outside HobbsÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ office at the Capitol on Thursday afternoon, hugging and taking selfies to capture the moment. Hobbs says the move is just the beginning of a fight to protect reproductive health care in Arizona. A repeal won't take effect until 90 days after the current legislative session ends.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” Lawyers for a teenager who is suing two-time NBA All-Star Ja Morant over a fight during an offseason pickup game can withdraw from the case after citing irreconcilable conflicts with their client, a Tennessee judge ruled Friday.
Some U.S. universities with weekend graduation ceremonies are taking steps to contain any disruptions amid tension over the Israel-Hamas war. The University of Michigan says staff and security officers are ready to respond. It says interfering with commencement will not be considered free speech. Indiana University is designating protest zones outside graduation venues. Northeastern University in Boston is holding its commencement at Fenway Park a week after a pro-Palestinian encampment was removed and nearly 100 protesters were arrested. Students booed and yelled ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œfree PalestineÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ while the University of Utah president spoke at Thursday night's commencement.
Larry Demeritte has run horses on Kentucky Derby day in the past, just never in the big race. The 74-year-old trainer says it was all practice for Saturday, when he will saddle West Saratoga in the Derby. The gray colt cost just $11,000 and is the pride of DemeritteÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s 11-horse stable in Lexington, Kentucky. HeÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s just the second Black trainer since 1951 with a horse in the Derby, a race that was dominated in its early years by winning Black trainers. Demeritte was diagnosed with cancer in 1996 and undergoes chemotherapy. HeÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s from the Bahamas, where his father was a trainer.
Social media users shared a range of false claims this week. Here are the facts: A video clip of actor Robert De Niro yelling in a crowd shows him rehearsing for a Netflix series, not confronting anti-Israel protesters in New York. Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein did not say the Jewish people have homeland in Poland, an autogenerated video caption erroneously captured her words. The New York Post did not publish a story saying Congress was considering a bill that would ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œcriminalize questioning the events surrounding 9/11.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ The story was fabricated and shared online.
NEW YORK (AP) ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” In a story published May 2, 2024, about Donald TrumpÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s hush money trial, The Associated Press erroneously reported the name of a forensic analyst who testified. He is Douglas Daus, not Douglas Daul.
Colombia has become the latest Latin American country to announce it will break diplomatic relations with Israel over its military campaign in Gaza. But the repercussions for the South American nation could be broader than for other countries because of longstanding bilateral agreements over security matters. Colombian President Gustavo Petro has described IsraelÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s actions in Gaza as ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œgenocideÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ and announced his government would end diplomatic relations with Israel effective Thursday. But he didn't address how his decision could affect ColombiaÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s military and a free trade agreement between both countries that went into effect in 2020. The country's armed forces use Israeli-built warplanes and machine guns to fight drug cartels and rebel groups.
Hamas says it's sending a delegation to Egypt as soon as possible to continue talks in the latest sign of progress in the fragile cease-fire process. The groupÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s supreme leader Ismail Haniyeh said Thursday he had spoken to EgyptÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s intelligence chief and Hamas negotiators would travel to Cairo "to complete the ongoing discussions with the aim of working forward for an agreement.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ But chances for the deal are entangled with the question of whether Israel can accept an end to the war without reaching its stated goal of destroying Hamas. The stakes in the cease-fire negotiations were made clear in a new U.N. report that said if the war in Gaza stops today it will still take until 2040 to rebuild.
Maui County is suing major cellular carriers for failing to properly inform police of widespread service outages during the height of last summerÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s deadly wildfire. The county is suing Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA, Spectrum Mobile and AT&T. The county says it sent at least 14 alert messages to cellphones, warning residents to evacuate. But the county didn't know those messages weren't received because of cell tower failures across the island. The lawsuit says the county would have used other warning methods if the carriers reported the service outages as required by federal law.
The historic Kashan bazaar in central Iran once sat on a major caravan route, its silk carpets known the world over. But for the weavers trying to sell their rugs under its ancient arches, their world has only unraveled since the collapse of IranÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s nuclear deal with world powers and wider tensions with the West. Two decades ago, rug exports were worth more than $2 billion a year. They have plummeted to less than $50 million in the 12 months that ended in March. With fewer tourists and more difficulties in making international transactions, Iranian carpet weavers find their rugs unsold as some work for as little as $4 a day.
In 2018, the censors who oversee Chinese media issued a directive to the nationÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s entertainment industry. They barred  artists with tattoos and those who represent hip-hop or any other subculture. For months, no rappers appeared on the dozens of variety shows and singing competitions on Chinese TV. But what had looked like the end for Chinese hip-hop was just the beginning. It has managed to thrive by carving out a space for itself while staying clear of the governmentÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s red lines. And it's balancing genuine creative expression with something palatable in a country with powerful censors. Today, musicians say theyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re looking forward to an arriving golden age.
Asian shares are mostly higher ahead of a report on the U.S. jobs market. Several markets, including Tokyo and Shanghai, were closed for holidays. Oil prices and U.S. futures were higher. The Japanese yen strengthened slightly against the U.S. dollar amid signs of heavy central bank intervention to tamp down the U.S. dollar's advance. On Thursday, U.S. stocks closed higher and trimmed their losses for the week. The S&P 500 climbed 0.9%, a day after swinging sharply when the Federal Reserve said itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s likely delaying cuts to interest rates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also rose 0.9%, and the Nasdaq composite added 1.5%.
From its earliest days, the Soviet UnionÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s intelligence services ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” whether known as the Cheka or the names of any of its successor agencies like the KGB ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” kept the government in power by pursuing its opponents no matter where they lived. The Cheka secret police, founded by Felix Dzherzhinsky, often used assassins to hunt down enemies of the Bolshevik Revolution. Intelligence experts say that policy is still followed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who does not disguise his scorn for perceived traitors, defectors and other political enemies, although the Kremlin has either denied involvement or refused to respond to allegations about such attacks.
After a years-long breakup with his hometown, former President Donald Trump is back in New York, this time as a criminal defendant. The Queens-born presumptive GOP nominee has been conjuring images of his old days as a celebrity real estate developer, reality TV star and tabloid fixture. It's a shift borne of necessity. The felony trial has curtailed TrumpÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s ability to campaign across the country and to make fundraising calls. But it also means Trump is often spending four days a week in the nationÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s media capital, with access to ready-made locations for campaign events that can reach specific demographics heÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s courting in November.
Police have arrested more than 2,100 people during pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses across the United States in recent weeks. They have sometimes used riot gear, tactical vehicles and flash-bang devices to clear tent encampments and occupied buildings. At Columbia University, one officer accidentally discharged his gun inside an administration building while clearing out protesters camped inside. That's according to the NYPD. No one was injured by the officer's actions. A tally by The Associated Press found at least 50 incidents of arrests at 40 different U.S. colleges or universities since April 18 stemming from recent campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war.
