The Supreme Court’s biggest decisions are coming. Here’s what they could say about Affirmative Action, Student Loans, Voting Rights and more

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court is getting ready to decide some of its biggest cases of the term. The high court has 10 opinions left to release over the next week before the justices begin their summer break. As is typical, the last opinions to be released cover some of the most contentious issues the court has wrestled with this term including affirmative action, student loans and gay rights.

At International African American Museum opening, a reclaiming of sacred ground for enslaved kin

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - When the International African American Museum opens to the public Tuesday in South Carolina, it becomes a new site of homecoming and pilgrimage for descendants of enslaved Africans whose arrival in the Western Hemisphere begins on the docks of the lowcountry coast. Overlooking the old wharf in Charleston at which nearly half of the enslaved population first entered North America, the 150,000-square-foot (14,000-square-meter) museum houses exhibits

North Carolina prosecutor won’t charge officers involved in death of Darryl Williams during arrest

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A local prosecutor revealed Wednesday that she won't seek charges against officers in North Carolina's capital city who repeatedly used stun guns on a man who subsequently died, saying evidence reviewed fails to show the use of force was unreasonable, as stated in a three page letter. Several Raleigh police officers were placed on administrative leave following the Jan. 17 death of 32-year-old Darryl Tyree Williams. They

Amazon is accused of enrolling consumers into Prime without consent and making it hard to cancel

NEW YORK (AP) - Amazon was sued Wednesday by Federal Trade Commission for what it called a yearslong effort to enroll consumers without consent into its Prime program and making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions. In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, the agency accused Amazon of using deceptive designs, known as "dark patterns," to deceive consumers into enrolling

Explosion hits a building in Paris, injuring 24. Police are trying to determine the cause

PARIS (AP) - A strong explosion hit a building in Paris' Left Bank on Wednesday, leaving 24 injured and igniting a fire that sent smoke soaring over city monuments and prompted the evacuation of surrounding buildings, police said. The cause of the blast was not immediately known. The facade of a building in the 5th arrondissement, or district, collapsed, and emergency services were working to determine if anyone was still

Eviction filings are 50% higher than they were pre-pandemic in some cities as rent rises

ATLANTA (AP) - Entering court using a walker, a doctor's note clutched in his hand, 70-year-old Dana Williams, who suffers serious heart problems, hypertension and asthma, pleaded to delay eviction from his two-bedroom apartment in Atlanta. Although sympathetic, the judge said state law required him to evict Williams and his 25-year-old daughter De'mai Williams in April because they owed $8,348 in unpaid rent and fees on their $940-a-month apartment. They

China says Biden comments likening leader Xi to a dictator are ‘extremely absurd and irresponsible’

BEIJING (AP) - China on Wednesday called comments by U.S. President Joe Biden referring to Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a dictator "extremely absurd and irresponsible," as a new rift threatened to upset tentative efforts to stabilize the relationship between the two countries. The clash of words comes just over a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a visit to Beijing that sought to break the ice in

Democrats downplay Hunter Biden’s plea deal, while Republicans see opportunity to deflect from Trump

NEW YORK (AP) - Democrats, already anxious about President Joe Biden's reelection prospects, are seeking to downplay - or ignore altogether - revelations that the president's son has entered into a plea deal with federal prosecutors over tax offenses and a gun charge. And as Democrats dodge, former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies seized on the extraordinary legal development to tighten his grip on the GOP and deflect

Actor Jonathan Majors domestic violence trial scheduled for Aug. 3

NEW YORK (AP) - Actor Jonathan Majors' domestic violence case will go to trial Aug. 3, a Manhattan judge said Tuesday, casting him in a real-life courtroom drama as his idled Hollywood career hangs in the balance. Judge Rachel Pauley wished Majors' "best of luck" as she scheduled his trial. "Yes, ma'am," Majors said, standing with his lawyers in front of Pauley's bench in Manhattan's domestic violence court. Majors, 33,