AP-National

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee will soon become the first state in the country to offer free diapers to families enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program after receiving federal approval, state officials have confirmed. Similarly, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also approved extending a pilot program in Delaware

BEIJING, China (AP) — China has sanctioned 12 defense-related U.S. companies and 10 executives over arms sales to Taiwan and to retaliate earlier American sanctions on Chinese companies tied to Russia. The entities include units of Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and General Dynamics. Senior executives of Northrop Grumman Corporation and General Dynamics were also targeted. The

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Two shipping companies agreed to pay $2 million in penalties after pleading guilty to federal charges related to the dumping of oil in the Atlantic Ocean by a ship bound for New Orleans. Prive Overseas Marine LLC and a related shipping corporation owned by the same holding company pleaded guilty Tuesday.

By KEVIN FREKING and SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed the 200th federal judge of President Joe Biden’s tenure, about a month earlier than when Donald Trump hit that mark in his term, though Trump still holds the edge when it comes to the most impactful confirmations —

By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Dozens of children suffered physical and sexual abuse including violent rapes inside juvenile detention centers and similar facilities in Pennsylvania, according to four related lawsuits filed Wednesday. The lawsuits describe how 66 people, now adults, say they were victimized by guards, nurses, supervisors and others. Some

By MARK STEVENSON Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — As she runs to replace outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Claudia Sheinbaum is struggling to construct her own image, leaving many wondering whether she can escape the shadow of the larger-than-life incumbent. It’s tough: What she’s come up with so far is a single graphic

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Fueled by its sensational rookie class of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Cameron Brink, the WNBA had a huge first week in terms of attendance, ratings and digital media. The league saw a 14% increase in attendance from last year with both New York and

By JONEL ALECCIA AP Health Writer At 17, Israel McKenzie was so burdened by obesity that he stopped going to high school in person and was embarrassed to speak to people at his restaurant job. “I was in a really dark place,” says McKenzie, whose weight had climbed to 335 pounds on his 6-foot-1 frame,

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — New research indicates the sun’s magnetic field originates much closer to the surface than previously thought, a finding that could help predict periods of extreme solar storms like the ones that slammed Earth earlier this month. The magnetic field appears to generate 20,000 miles

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Sarah Pidgeon is making her Broadway debut this season in a celebrated, thoughtful show about how art is created. And getting her first Tony Award nomination. And in a play that’s transformed her into a member of a rock band. And notching her first cast

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party has banned its top candidate for next month’s European election from making any more campaign appearances and said he would resign from the party’s board immediately. Wednesday’s public demotion came after Maximilian Krah told an Italian newspaper that not all members

By LISA MASCARO, MEG KINNARD and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican National Committee’s Washington headquarters was briefly evacuated as police investigated two vials of blood addressed to former President Donald Trump. The incident Wednesday comes after his takeover of the national party apparatus. Capitol Police say hazardous-materials teams were called

By KIM COOK Associated Press Recent toy and consumer goods shows have had plenty of digital diversions. But they’ve also included a lot of booths devoted to craft kits exploring art, science and more. It seems many people find that making something with their hands is a nice break from screens. And kits make it

By ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A judge on Wednesday said Elvis Presley’s estate could be successful in arguing that a company’s attempt to auction Graceland is fraudulent as he halted a foreclosure sale of the beloved Memphis tourist attraction. Later Wednesday, a statement from someone who appeared to be a representative

By MATT ROURKE Associated Press CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Authorities near Philadelphia say a disgruntled employee opened fire at a linen company on Wednesday, killing two coworkers and injuring three others. The shooting took place in Chester, a city south of Philadelphia in a neighborhood mixed with homes and small businesses. Delaware County District Attorney

By MAYSOON KHAN Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — State Sen. Kevin Parker, a Brooklyn Democrat, won’t face charges after he was accused of shoving an advocate twice in the state capitol building last week. Disability rights advocate Michael Carey tells The Associated Press that he spoke with Parker on Friday and that they “resolved

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes sank last month, pushed down by high mortgage rates and rising prices. The National Association of Realtors reported Wednesday that existing home sales fell 1.9% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.14 million from a revised 4.22 million in

By ELDAR EMRIC Associated Press SREBRENICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The leader of Bosnia’s Serb-controlled territory has reiterated a threat to secede from the Balkan country, a day ahead of a U.N. vote on establishing an annual day to commemorate the 1995 genocide of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims by Bosnian Serbs. Relatives of the victims,

By ALBERT STUMM Associated Press A typical spread at a Memorial Day barbecue might not scream “healthy,” but nutritionists see an opportunity in those gloppy, heavy side dishes. In short, it pays to be sneaky. Take classic potato salad, which often comes so sodden with mayonnaise you can barely taste the potato. Registered dietitian Patricia

By ALEXA ST. JOHN Associated Press At 16, Katya Kondragunta has already lived through two disasters amped by climate change. First came wildfires in California in 2020. Ash and smoke forced her family to stay inside their home in the Bay Area city of Fremont, for weeks. Then they moved to Prosper, Texas, where she

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer This French Open is expected to be the last one for Rafael Nadal. He has won the clay-court Grand Slam tournament a record 14 times but he is nearly 38 and hip and abdominal injuries have limited him to 20 matches over the past 20 months. He has indicated

By RAF CASERT and MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE (AP) — The parties that agreed to form a Dutch coalition dominated by the far right are struggling to find a prime minister. They warned Wednesday that the search might leave the Netherlands without a fully functional government for months. Anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders convincingly

By CARLA K. JOHNSON AP Medical Writer For the first time, the number of Americans who use marijuana just about every day has surpassed the number who drink that often, a shift some 40 years in the making as recreational pot use became more mainstream and legal in nearly half of U.S. states. In 2022,

By AAMER MADHANI and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has welcomed Kenyan President William Ruto to the White House to kick off a three-day state visit. Biden is set to designate the East African nation a major non-NATO ally as it prepares to send 1,000 police officers to Haiti as

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The former head of Britain’s Post Office Paula Vennells has broken down in tears on several occasions while giving evidence to an inquiry into one of the country’s biggest miscarriages of justice that saw hundreds of branch managers wrongly convicted of theft or fraud because of a

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Former Republican presidential candidate and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has purchased a minority stake in Buzzfeed, the digital publishing company that shut down its media outlet last year. Shares of the company skyrocketed more than 50% before the market open on Wednesday. Ramaswamy acquired a 7.7% stake in Buzzfeed,

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Let the debate begin. Who has the best music albums ever? Apple Music certainly has an idea. The music streaming giant announced on Wednesday their 10 greatest albums of all time with Lauryn Hill’s 1998 iconic “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” claiming the top

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was fined $75,000 by NASCAR on Wednesday for fighting with Kyle Busch after the All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Stenhouse’s father, who joined the fracas, was suspended indefinitely. The $75,000 fine was the largest ever handed down by NASCAR for fighting. Busch was not penalized for his

By THALIA BEATY Associated Press A climate philanthropy organization, Giving Green, received a $10 million anonymous donation in April and thinks that the same donor may have given even more. Giving Green researches and recommends donating to a handful of nonprofits they think have the potential to make a significant difference in preventing climate change.

By CLAIRE RUSH and JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press French President Emmanuel Macron has said on a visit to riot-hit New Caledonia that he won’t force through a contested voting reform that has sparked deadly unrest in the French Pacific territory and wants to leave time for local leaders to come up with an alternate agreement