Powerball jackpot rises to $635M due to ticket-buying surge
The giant Powerball jackpot got even bigger Friday as officials raised the estimated payout to $635 million ahead of Saturday night's drawing.
Merck says experimental pill cuts worst effects of COVID-19
Drugmaker Merck said Friday that its experimental COVID-19 pill reduced hospitalizations and deaths by half in people recently infected with the coronavirus and that it would soon ask health officials in the U.S. and around the world to authorize its use.
Former President Jimmy Carter quietly marks 97th birthday
Ex-President Jimmy Carter, the oldest former U.S. chief executive ever, will quietly mark his 97th birthday at home in southwest Georgia on Friday, an aide said.
Facebook exec defends policies toward teens on Instagram
Facing outrage over its handling of internal research on harm to teens from Instagram, a Facebook executive is telling Congress that the company is working to protect young people on its platforms. And she disputes the way a recent newspaper story describes what the research shows.
NLRB memo: College football players are employees
College athletes who earn millions for their schools are employees, the National Labor Relations Board's top lawyer said in guidance released Wednesday that would allow players at private universities to unionize and negotiate over their working conditions.
Powerball jackpot rises to $620 million, 10th largest in US
After nearly four months without a big winner, the Powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $620 million, making it the 10th largest U.S. lottery prize ahead of Saturday night's drawing.
US unemployment claims rise third straight week to 362,000
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose for the third straight week, a sign that the highly contagious delta variant may be slowing a recovery in the job market.
It's flu vaccine time, even if you've had your COVID shots
Amid all the focus on COVID-19 vaccinations, U.S. health experts have another plea: Don’t skip your flu shot.
Lava from La Palma eruption finally reaches the Atlantic
A bright red river of lava from the volcano on Spain’s La Palma island finally tumbled over a cliff and into the Atlantic Ocean, setting off huge plumes of steam and possibly toxic gases that forced local residents outside the evacuation zone to remain indoors on Wednesday.
Fighting wave of misinfo, YouTube bans false vaccine claims
YouTube is wiping vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories from its popular video-sharing platform.
US says ivory-billed woodpecker, 22 other species extinct
Death’s come knocking a last time for the splendid ivory-billed woodpecker and 22 more birds, fish and other species: The U.S. government on Wednesday declared them extinct.
Dollar Tree breaks the $1 barrier as costs take a bite
After expanding nationwide from only a handful of stores in Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia, Dollar Tree is breaking the mold and will sell items in some locations that exceed the tantalizing $1 grab-n-go price.
US military leaders favored keeping troops in Afghanistan
Top U.S. military officers on Tuesday acknowledged misjudging the fragility of Afghanistan's army and said they believed the U.S. should have kept at least several thousand troops in the country to prevent a rapid takeover by the Taliban.
R&B superstar R. Kelly convicted in sex trafficking trial
By TOM HAYS and LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — R. Kelly, the R&B superstar known for his anthem “I Believe I Can Fly,” was convicted Monday in a sex trafficking…
Facebook puts Instagram for kids on hold after pushback
Facebook is putting a hold on the development of a kids' version of Instagram, geared toward children under 13, to address concerns that have been raised about the vulnerability of younger users.
John Hinckley, who shot Reagan, to be freed from oversight
A federal judge said Monday that John Hinckley Jr., who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan four decades ago, can be freed from all remaining restrictions next year if he continues to follow those rules and remains mentally stable.
Investigators seek cause of deadly Montana train derailment
Federal investigators are seeking the cause of an Amtrak train derailment near a switch on tracks in the middle of vast farmland in far northern Montana that killed three people and left seven hospitalized over the weekend.
Multiple injuries after Amtrak train derails in Montana
JOPLIN, Mont. (AP) — Multiple people were injured after an Amtrak train that runs between Seattle and Chicago derailed Saturday afternoon in north-central Montana, the train agency said. Five cars of the Empire Builder train, which runs from Seattle…
UK looks abroad to ease trucker shortage amid run on gas
LONDON (AP) — In a U-turn, Britain said Saturday it will issue thousands of emergency visas to foreign truck drivers to help fix supply-chain problems that have caused empty supermarket shelves, long lines at gas stations and shuttered pumps.…
Bonus checks bounce for 50 Florida teachers due to error
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A banking error has caused dozens of Florida teachers to see their state-issued $1,000 bonus checks bounce, officials said Friday. Disaster relief payments issued to about 50 of the 176,000 educators who received checks were…
Federal judge delays vaccine mandate for NYC teachers
New York City schools have been temporarily blocked from enforcing a vaccine mandate for its teachers and other workers by a federal appeals judge just days before it was to take effect. Workers in the nation’s largest school system…
Lawyers to urge no restrictions for Reagan shooter Hinckley
Lawyers for John Hinckley Jr., the man who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan, are scheduled to argue in court Monday that the 66-year-old should be freed from restrictions placed on him after he moved out of a Washington hospital…
Petito case renews call to spotlight missing people of color
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — In the three months since 62-year-old Navajo rug weaver Ella Mae Begay vanished, the haunting unanswered questions sometimes threaten to overwhelm her niece. Seraphine Warren has organized searches of the vast Navajo Nation landscape near…
COVID-19 vaccine boosters could mean billions for drugmakers
Billions more in profits are at stake for some vaccine makers as the U.S. moves toward dispensing COVID-19 booster shots to shore up Americans' protection against the virus. How much the manufacturers stand to gain depends on how big the…