'Protected them to death': Elder-care COVID rules under fire
Pandemic restrictions are falling away almost everywhere — except inside many of America’s nursing homes.
Amid reform movement, some GOP states give police more power
After a year of protests over police brutality, some Republican-controlled states have ignored or blocked police-reform proposals and moved instead in the other direction.
Memphis erases Confederate general from its public spaces
Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest’s polarizing presence has hung over Memphis, Tennessee, since he moved there in 1852 with his family.
Democrats see springboard for health care in high court win
The Affordable Care Act is now secure in the framework of the nation’s health care programs, and Democrats are eager to leap above and beyond.
EXPLAINER: What is the Catholic Communion controversy?
A committee of U.S. Catholic bishops is getting to work on a policy document that has stirred controversy among their colleagues before a word of it has even been written.
11 U.S. mayors commit to develop reparations pilot projects
A group of 11 U.S. mayors has pledged to pay reparations for slavery to a small group of Black residents in their cities.
Judge rules for Florida on CDC order blocking cruise ships
A federal judge has ruled for Florida in a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order making it difficult for cruise ships to sail due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Federal holiday pressures companies to give Juneteenth off
The declaration of Juneteenth as a federal holiday is putting the pressure on more U.S. companies to give their employees the day off, accelerating a movement that took off last year in response to the racial justice protests that swept the country.
Biden objects to raising gas tax to pay for infrastructure
The White House is making clear that President Joe Biden is opposed to letting the federal gasoline tax rise at the rate of inflation to help pay for an infrastructure package that a bipartisan group of 21 senators is trying to craft.
Sharpton condemns Honolulu police shooting of Black man
Civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton is condemning the Honolulu Police Department in the fatal shooting of a Black man as various versions of what led to his death emerge.
Western heat wave threatens health in vulnerable communities
Extreme temperatures like the ones blistering the American West this week aren’t just annoying, they’re deadly.
Judge: No bail for man accused of road rage murder of boy
A Southern California man charged with the murder of a 6-year-old boy in a road rage incident has been ordered held without bail.
19-year-old accused of firing at people across Phoenix area
An Arizona teenager suspected of killing one person and injuring a dozen others during a 90-minute string of drive-by shootings in metropolitan Phoenix told police he believed people were after him because of his involvement in another shooting.
Iowa Supreme Court bars warrantless police searches of trash
A divided Iowa Supreme Court has banned police from searching people’s uncollected trash without a warrant.
US Catholic bishops OK steps toward possible rebuke of Biden
U.S. Catholic bishops have overwhelmingly approved the drafting of a “teaching document” that many of them hope will rebuke Catholic politicians, including President Joe Biden, for receiving Communion despite their support for abortion rights.
Declaration of Juneteenth holiday sparks scramble in states
Congress and President Joe Biden acted with unusual swiftness this week in approving Juneteenth as a national holiday.
Father gives daughter life-saving gift as living organ donor
Mississippi dad Rhett Shaffette says he’s already had the best Father’s Day gift: His daughter is thriving, eight months after getting part of his liver.
AI-powered Mayflower, beset with glitch, returns to England
The Mayflower had a few false starts before its trailblazing sea voyage to America more than 400 years ago.
Study: Texas bases lead Army posts in risk of sexual assault
A new study finds that female soldiers at Army bases in Texas, Colorado, Kansas and Kentucky face a greater risk of sexual assault and harassment than those at other posts, accounting for more than a third of all active duty Army women sexually assaulted in 2018.
Lawmakers mark Juneteenth by reviving ‘abolition amendment’
As the nation this week made Juneteenth a federal holiday, lawmakers revived calls to end a loophole in the Constitution that has allowed another form of slavery to endure.
Searchers comb river after 3 tubers die, 2 disappear at dam
A search has resumed for two missing tubers on a North Carolina river after three others were found dead and four were pulled from the water.
AP-NORC poll: Many Americans resuming pre-virus activities
Many Americans are relaxing precautions taken during the COVID-19 pandemic and resuming everyday activities, even as some worry that coronavirus-related restrictions were hastily lifted.
Virginia marijuana legalization timetable has many confused
The date for legalizing marijuana possession is drawing near in Virginia, and people have questions.
Biden's silence on executions adds to death penalty disarray
Activists widely expected Joe Biden to take swift action against the death penalty as the first sitting president to oppose capital punishment, but the White House has been mostly silent.
Back home: Biden has daunting to-do list after European tour
President Joe Biden is facing a formidable to-do list now that he’s back from his eight-day trip to Europe.
Heated debate before US Catholic bishops vote on Communion
U.S. Catholic bishops have debated heatedly over how to address concerns about Catholic politicians, including President Joe Biden, who continue to receive Communion despite supporting abortion rights.
Court: If bias rules have exceptions, faith groups qualify
A new ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court has put governmental entities on notice: If they want to ban discrimination against LGBTQ people or anyone else, they must not allow for any exceptions or else religious groups will have the right to ask for them.
Voting bill showdown looms as GOP rejects Manchin plan
The Senate will take a key vote next week on a sweeping rewrite of voting and election law, setting up a dramatic test of Democratic unity on a top priority that Republicans are vowing to block.
EPA chief reinstates science advisory board he dismantled
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency says he has fully reinstated one of two key advisory boards he dismantled earlier this year in a push for “scientific integrity” at the agency.
EXPLAINER: What's behind the heat wave in the American West?
Much of the American West has been blasted with sweltering heat this week as a high pressure dome combines with the worst drought in modern history to launch temperatures into the triple digits.
US Mint to issue quarters honoring notable American women
A string of notable American women will appear on the U.S. quarter under a four-year program that begins in 2022.
R. Kelly nears OK for new legal team for upcoming trial
A judge has signaled that jailed R&B singer R. Kelly will likely get to keep his new defense team for a sex-trafficking trial.
St. Louis gun-waving couple pleads guilty to misdemeanors
A St. Louis couple who gained notoriety for pointing guns at social justice demonstrators last year have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges.
Weird 'living fossil' fish lives 100 years, pregnant for 5
Scientists have calculated that the coelacanth, a giant weird fish from the time of dinosaurs, can live to be 100 years old.
Janet Malcolm, provocative author-journalist, dies at 86
The author and journalist Janet Malcolm has died at age 86.
Austin: Al-Qaida could regroup in Afghanistan in 2 years
Top Pentagon leaders say there is a “medium” chance that extremist groups in Afghanistan will present a threat to the U.S. homeland within two years of the American military departure.
As COVID-19 crisis ebbs, some seeking 9/11-style commission
A push is underway on Capitol Hill and beyond for a full-blown investigation of the coronavirus outbreak by a national commission like the one that looked into 9/11.
EXPLAINER: The story of Juneteenth, the new federal holiday
The United States government is catching up with Black people who have been commemorating the end of slavery in the United States for generations with a day called “Juneteenth.”.
Officers resign from Portland, Oregon, protest response unit
Officers who serve on a specialized crowd-control unit in Portland, Oregon, and have responded to the city’s ongoing, often violent protests have resigned en masse after criminal charges were filed against a team member.
Reports detail tense moments with Georgia election monitors
Reports from an independent monitor who observed election operations in Georgia's most populous county during the 2020 election cycle detail tense encounters with party election monitors.
Catholic foster care agency wins Supreme Court verdict
It's another victory for religious groups at the Supreme Court.
Can you mix and match COVID-19 vaccines?
Experts say mixing and matching different two-dose COVID-19 vaccines is likely safe and effective, but data still needs to be collected to be sure.
Biden signs bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday
President Joe Biden has signed legislation Thursday establishing a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery, saying he believes it will go down as one of the greatest honors he has as president.
House votes to repeal 2002 Iraq War authorization
The Democratic-led House has passed legislation to repeal the 2002 authorization for use of military force in Iraq.
Hispanic group sues Santa Fe mayor over destroyed obelisk
A Hispanic heritage group in Santa Fe is suing the mayor over the destruction of a U.S. veterans memorial by activists during a demonstration on Indigenous People’s Day.
Prosecutors seek 'very substantial' prison time for Avenatti
Prosecutors are urging a judge to impose a “very substantial” prison sentence on Michael Avenatti for trying to extort millions of dollars from Nike.
Black community has new option for health care: The church
Members of Black communities across the U.S. have disproportionately fallen sick or died from the virus, so some church leaders are using their influence and trusted reputations to fight back.
Rift on Communion policy as US Catholic bishops open meeting
Divisions have flared up among U.S. Catholic bishops as they opened a national meeting highlighted by a sensitive agenda item: a possible rebuke of Catholic politicians, including President Joe Biden, who receive Communion while supporting abortion rights.
Baker fined for refusing to make transgender transition cake
A Denver judge says a baker who won a partial victory at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 for refusing to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple violated Colorado's anti-discrimination law by refusing to make a birthday cake for a transgender woman.