AP National

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — A man who dove into a southern New Jersey river and rescued two children who were struggling to stay afloat has died after he disappeared underneath the water. Pablo Hernandez Cruz was at the Weymouth Furnace park in Hamilton Township on Wednesday when he saw two boys, ages 8 and

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Five climate activists who planned a protest to cause gridlock and block traffic over four days on a major highway circling London have been sentenced to as much as five years in prison. Judge Christopher Hehir on Thursday gave Just Stop Oil co-founder Roger Hallam the longest sentence and four-year

NEW YORK (AP) — Some 3.3 million steam cleaners are being recalled across North America due to a burn hazard that has resulted in consumers reporting more than 150 injuries. Select models of Bissell-branded “Steam Shot Handheld Steam Cleaners” can spew hot water or steam while the products are in use or being heated up,

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — An inquiry into the U.K. government’s response to COVID-19 found it was ill-prepared for a pandemic and serious errors in planning failed its citizens. Retired judge Heather Hallett has led the inquiry. She said Thursday that the government mistakenly believed in 2019 that it was one of the best-prepared countries

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — The founder and owner of the iconic West Virginia chain Gino’s Pizza and Spaghetti House has died. William “Kenney” Grant was 94. That is according to his obituary. He died Wednesday. A native of Huntington, Grant founded Gino’s in 1961. He gradually expanded the business, which currently has around 40 locations

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The 20-year-old Pennsylvania man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump had photos on his phone of the former Republican president, President Joe Biden and other officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Chris Wray, according to two people familiar with the matter. Investigators searching Thomas Matthew Crooks’ devices

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department has slapped sanctions on a man from Sierra Leone for smuggling thousands of migrants from Asia and Africa into the United States. The ring allegedly run by Abdul Karim Conteh provided false documents and drove migrants to the border. His customers came from a dozen countries, including

Associated Press CHILLICOTHE, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Supreme Court has cleared the way for the release of a Missouri woman whose murder conviction was overturned after she served 43 years in prison, but she still remained in custody as of Thursday evening. A circuit court judge ruled last month that Sandra Hemme’s attorneys showed

WASHINGTON The Biden administration is cancelling an additional $1.2 billion in student loans for borrowers who work in public service through changes to an existing forgiveness program. The relief for roughly 35,000 borrowers was announced Thursday by the Education Department and made through changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which benefits workers such

AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials on Thursday authorized sales of the best-selling e-cigarette in the U.S., Vuse Alto, allowing manufacturer Reynolds American to keep the vaping brand on the market for years to come. The Food and Drug Administration decision only applies to several tobacco-flavored versions of the reusable product, which

ROME (AP) — The Vatican is insisting at the close of a trial in London that it was the victim of a years-long fraud over its investment in a London property. The Vatican submitted a final concluding statement on Thursday at the close of the trial brought by British-Italian broker Raffaele Mincione. Mincione is seeking

Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. government says $325 million in federal funds will be available for solar and battery storage installations across Puerto Rico as the U.S. territory struggles with chronic power outages. The U.S. Department of Energy program will target community centers and healthcare facilities, as well as common

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says apps that allow workers to access their paychecks in advance, often for a fee, are providing loans and therefore subject to the Truth in Lending Act. If enacted, a rule proposed by the agency could provide clarity to a fast-growing industry known as

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — France’s divided National Assembly has kept a centrist member of President Emmanuel Macron’s party as speaker. Speaker Yaël Braun-Pivet has been the speaker of the National Assembly since 2022 and retained her post Thursday after three rounds of vote in the lower house of parliament. The 53-year-old Braun-Pivet received the

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The African Development Bank says it has approved a $1 billion loan to South Africa’s state-owned rail and ports company, Transnet. The 25-year loan is wholly guaranteed by the South African government and will help finance the first phase of a $8.1 billion investment plan to improve the country’s

Associated Press GARDNERVILLE, Nev. (AP) — A grand experiment is underway in Nevada where an endangered desert wildflower stands in the way of a mining company’s plans to dig for lithium to help speed production of batteries for electric cars and other green energy projects. Australia-based Ioneer says the mine it wants to dig in

AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of U.S. homes to foreign nationals have fallen to the lowest level in more than a decade, hampered by a strong dollar and many of the hurdles that have kept the housing market in a deep sales slump for over two years. Some 54,300 previously occupied U.S.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish media reports say Greek pop star Despina Vandi has refused to perform on a stage in Turkey adorned with its flag and portrait of the country’s founding father, prompting the local mayor to ask her to leave her town. The 54-year-old singer was due to perform at a charity concert

Associated Press DAMASCUS (AP) — Results of Syria’s parliamentary elections show that President Bashar Assad’s Baath Party has won a majority of seats, as expected. The elections for 250 parliamentary seats were held Monday in government-held areas of the country. All 185 candidates from the Baath Party and its allies won seats, an increase from

BANGKOK (AP) — Should visitors to Thailand be concerned about their safety after six people were found dead in a locked hotel room in Bangkok? Thai authorities were quick to stress they believed the incident involved a personal dispute and did not reflect any threat to foreign visitors. Thai police believe the six — four

Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain is sweating under its first official heatwave of the year with temperatures expected to reach 40 degrees C (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in a large swathe of the country. The worst-off area will be the southern Guadalquivir river basin where thermometers could reach 44C (111F). Six regions are under

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A filmmaking legend and one of the world’s most enduring musical acts headline this year’s crop of Kennedy Center Honors recipients. Director Francis Ford Coppola and the Grateful Dead will be honored for lifetime achievement in the arts. Coppola says he’s delighted to be honored with fellow northern California recipient

Associated Press NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A Chinese-led consortium has pulled out of its contract with Cyprus to build the island nation’s first natural gas import terminal over what it says was the Cypriot government’s failure to pay what it owed for work completed this year. The CPP-Metron Consortium said in a statement Thursday that

MADRID (AP) — Three people have been arrested in Spain and one in Germany on suspicion of belonging to a network that obtained key parts to build kamikaze drones for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Authorities believe Hezbollah may have used the components to build several hundred drones that have been identified in attacks against

Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — This week’s attack on a Shiite mosque in the capital stunned Oman, a quiet nation long spared militant violence. It underscores how the Islamic State group has turned to a strategy of surprise, dramatic strikes outside its usual battlegrounds — a way to show its resilience and

PNOMH PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Officials in Cambodia say conservationists have found 106 eggs of rare Siamese crocodile species in a western Cambodian wildlife sanctuary. They say it was the biggest discovery in the last 20 years, giving new hope for the world’s rarest crocodile species’ survival in the wild. The group discovered the species

Associated Press MILWAUKEE (AP) — Donald Trump, somber and bandaged, accepted the GOP presidential nomination on Thursday at the Republican National Convention in a speech that described in detail the assassination attempt that could have ended his life just five days earlier before laying out a sweeping populist agenda, particularly on immigration. The 78-year-old former

Associated Press CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is due to open a new parliamentary term to mark the official start of business for his 11-party coalition government. It was brought together by an historic election result and has extensive problems to solve in Africa’s most industrialized country. The priorities

Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has visited Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site, a move that could threaten the delicate Gaza cease-fire talks. The visit was the latest act of defiance by an ultranationalist settler leader who has transformed himself over the decades from an outlaw and

Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A Kenyan court has suspended a police ban on protests in the capital. The high court said Thursday that that citizens have a right to demonstrate peacefully. Police had barred protests in Nairobi indefinitely before the court decision. They said that the protests lacked leadership that would ensure peaceful

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — State media say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a major tourism site being constructed on the country’s eastern coast and discussed steps to open the zone by next year. Kim’s visit to the Wonsan-Kalma zone earlier this week comes as North Korea continues to block

Associated Press STRASBOURG, France (AP) — Lawmakers at the European Parliament have reelected Ursula von der Leyen to a second 5-year term as president of the European Union’s executive commission. The reelection ensures leadership continuity for the 27-nation bloc as it wrestles with crises ranging from the war in Ukraine to climate change, migration and

Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — China’s ruling Communist Party has ended a top-level meeting by endorsing policies aimed at building the country’s technological power and fortifying its national security. A statement released when the meeting ended provided only a broad-brush summary of any decisions. More details are likely to emerge days later. The meeting’s agenda

Associated Press An influential Philippine governor is the subject of controversy following an Associated Press investigation into his links to the expanding natural gas industry in his province. Articles in two leading newspapers called the connections unethical and said any wrongdoing must be corrected. An umbrella group that claims to have 150 environmental organizations as

AP Business Writer Asian shares retreated Friday after a broad washout across Wall Street dragged U.S. stocks lower, and Hong Kong’s benchmark fell more than 2% as investors remained wary over China’s plans for helping its ailing property sector. U.S. futures rose while oil prices declined. Chinese officials briefed reporters in Beijing on the outcome

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats at the highest levels are making a critical push for President Joe Biden to rethink his election bid, with former President Barack Obama expressing concerns to allies and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi privately telling Biden the party could lose the ability to seize control of the House if he

ROME (AP) — The U.S. military is celebrating an all-Japanese U.S. Army unit that was key in liberating Italy’s central Tuscan region from Nazi-Fascist forces in July 1944, even while their family members were interned at home as enemies of the state following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. Descendants of the Nisei soldiers traveled from

Associated Press ATMORE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama man has been executed for the fatal shooting of a delivery driver during a 1998 robbery attempt. Sixty-four-year-old Keith Edmund Gavin received a chemical injection Thursday evening at a prison in southwest Alabama. Gavin was convicted of capital murder in the March 6, 1998, shooting death of

Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Democrats in the state legislative majority have rebuffed calls by New Mexico’s governor to address the “dangerous intersection” of crime and homelessness. At a special legislative session Thursday, they shunned Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s proposals to enhance criminal penalties, restrict panhandling and expand involuntary detention and treatment for

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Discontented, economically squeezed voters have turned against sitting governments on both right and left during many of the dozens of elections held this year, as global power blocs shift and political certainties crumble. From India to South Africa to Britain, voters dealt blows to long-governing parties. Elections to the European

Associated Press MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Republican National Convention culminates with former President Donald Trump expected to accept the party’s presidential nomination. He will achieve a comeback four years in the making and anticipated even more in the past week in light of Saturday’s assassination attempt. Trump is expected to accept his third consecutive party

Associated Press FREEPORT, Maine (AP) — The sturdy canvas bag made by L.L. Bean and called the Boat and Tote was created to haul heavy blocks of ice but now has become a must-have fashion accessory. It is having an extended moment that’s driven by social media like Stanley’s tumblers were. New Yorker Gracie Wiener

Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A key city council vote could pave the way to give the Tampa Bay Rays a new 30,000-seat ballpark as part of a $6.5 billion redevelopment project in St. Petersburg, Florida. The new park would guarantee the team stays for at least 30 years. Supporters say the overall

AP Golf Writer TROON, Scotland (AP) — Scottie Scheffler might not be the biggest draw in golf but he’s the center of attention at every major. The world’s No. 1 player is a heavy favorite again going into the British Open at Royal Troon. Scheffler says he never sought this kind of attention. He only

Associated Press MILWAUKEE (AP) — Republicans were welcoming JD Vance as Donald Trump’s running mate on the same night devoted to blasting President Joe Biden’s leadership on the world stage. But even as Republicans talked of Vance as a potential heir to the “Make America Great Again” movement, Day 3 programming at the Republican National

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Oregon authorities have recovered the body of award-winning chef Naomi Pomeroy following her drowning in a river accident. The Benton County Sheriff’s Office says it located her body Wednesday morning in the Willamette River between Corvallis and Albany after canoers saw it and called 911. Pomeroy died Saturday evening after the

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will be the first state to receive federal funds under a program to create regional networks, or “hubs,” that produce hydrogen as an energy source for vehicles, manufacturing and generating electricity. The Energy Department said Wednesday that the California Hydrogen Hub will receive an initial $30 million to begin its

Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A federal appeals court has refused to lift a judge’s order temporarily blocking the Biden administration’s new Title IX rule expanding protections for LGBTQ+ students. The ruling on Wednesday comes from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A panel of judges kept in place a preliminary injunction issued

ATLANTA (AP) — Delta Air Lines is celebrating members of Team USA as the athletes head off to Paris for the Summer Olympic Games. The airline organized a send-off Wednesday for archers, fencers and other U.S. athletes at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The airline had T-shirts and water bottles at the gate where archers, fencers,

NEW YORK (AP) — Paul Skenes, Shohei Ohtani, Jarren Duran and the rest of this year’s All-Stars drew 7,443,000 viewers on Fox, up 6% from the 2023 game but the second lowest for the event. The American League’s 5-3 victory at Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday night saw an increase from the 7,006,000 viewers for the

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has demanded the self-governed island of Taiwan pay for U.S. protection. He also dodged a question if he would defend the island from Beijing’s military action and accused the island of taking the semiconductor industry away from the United States. Trump made such remarks in

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Thousands of Republican delegates have officially made Donald Trump their party’s presidential nominee just days after he survived an assassination attempt. The shooting hung over the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where prominent GOP officials and everyday citizens from around the country spoke to the party faithful. They made their case

Associated Press TANQUA, Brazil (AP) — Several tons of fish have died along one of the main rivers in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state after an alleged illegal dumping of industrial waste from a sugar and ethanol plant, environmental authorities and prosecutors said Wednesday. A preliminary analysis estimates that between 10 and 20 tons of fish

Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — Texas death row inmate Ruben Gutierrez was only 20 minutes away from being executed when the U.S. Supreme Court granted his request to stay his lethal injection at the state prison in Huntsville. Tuesday’s decision by the Supreme Court to grant an 11th hour reprieve for Gutierrez, convicted of fatally