COVID-19 hospitalizations in the US are on the rise again, but not like before

BY CARLA K. JOHNSON Here we go again: COVID-19 hospital admissions have inched upward in the United States since early July in a small-scale echo of the three previous summers. With an updated vaccine still months away, this summer bump in new hospitalizations might be concerning, but the number of patients is far lower than before. A look at what we know: HOW BAD IS THE SPIKE? For the week ending

UNC is appealing to the NCAA for immediate eligibility for transfer WR Devontez Walker

BY AARON BEARD North Carolina coach Mack Brown said Tuesday the school is appealing to the NCAA for immediate eligibility for transfer Devontez Walker, the Tar Heels' presumed No. 1 receiver whose status is in question weeks before the opener. The NCAA denied the waiver for Walker to play immediately after his transfer from Kent State, where he played two seasons. NCAA rules generally allow players to transfer freely once, but

5 white nationalists sue Seattle man for allegedly leaking their identities

SEATTLE (AP) - Five people affiliated with white nationalist hate group Patriot Front are suing a Seattle-area man who they say infiltrated the group and disclosed their identities online, leading them to lose their jobs and face harassment. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for Western Washington, The Seattle Times reported on Tuesday. The suit accuses David Capito, 37, also known as Vyacheslav Arkhangelskiy, of using a false

Special counsel got a search warrant for Twitter to turn over info on Trump’s account, documents say

BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Special counsel Jack Smith's team obtained a search warrant in January for records related to former President Donald Trump's Twitter account, and a judge levied a $350,000 fine on the company for missing the deadline to comply, according to court documents released Wednesday. The new details were included in a ruling from the federal appeals court in Washington over a legal battle surrounding the warrant that has

Severe storms lead to unprecedented $34 billion in US insured losses so far this year, Swiss Re says

BY MICHELLE CHAPMAN Waves of severe thunderstorms in the U.S. during the first half of this year led to $34 billion in insured losses, an unprecedented level of financial damage in such a short time, according to Swiss Re Group, as climate change contributes to the frequency and severity of violent meteorological events. Damages from convective storms in the U.S., those that can come with hail, lightning, heavy rain, and high

Florida Gov. DeSantis suspends another Democratic prosecutor as he seeks GOP presidential nomination

BY BRENDAN FARRINGTON AND FREIDA FRISARO TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday suspended the top prosecutor in Orlando, wielding his executive again power over local government in taking on a contentious issue in the 2024 presidential race. It's the second time DeSantis, a Republican, has removed a Democratic state attorney and follows an investigation that began when a teenager was charged with fatally shooting a television reporter

Riverfront brawl brings unwelcome attention to historic civil rights city in Alabama

BY KIM CHANDLER MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Three white boaters in Alabama's capital city will be charged with misdemeanor assault for a riverfront brawl with a Black boat captain that drew nationwide attention, with more charges likely to come, police said. Videos of the incident, which circulated widely on social media, have proven crucial in investigating what happened, Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert said. One person has turned himself in and

Trump vows to keep talking about criminal cases despite prosecutors pushing for protective order

BY MICHELLE L. PRICE AND HOLLY RAMER WINDHAM, N.H. (AP) - Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday kept up his attacks on special counsel Jack Smith and vowed to continue talking about his criminal cases even as prosecutors sought a protective order to limit the evidence that Trump and his team could share. In the early-voting state of New Hampshire, Trump assailed Smith as a "thug prosecutor" and a "deranged guy"

A Mega Millions ticket sold in Florida wins $1.58 billion jackpot, the third-largest in US history

NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. (AP) A single ticket sold in Florida is good for a $1.58 billion Mega Millions jackpot, ending a stretch of lottery futility that had stretched for nearly four months. A Publix grocery store in Neptune Beach sold the winning ticket, according to the Florida Lottery. The winning numbers drawn Tuesday night were: 13, 19, 20, 32, 33 and the yellow ball 14. A message was left seeking

Boston man files lawsuit seeking to bankrupt white supremacist group he says assaulted him

BY MARK PRATT BOSTON (AP) - A Black teacher and musician who says members of a white nationalist hate group punched, kicked and beat him with metal shields during a march through Boston last year sued the organization on Tuesday. Charles Murrell III, of Boston, was in the area of the Boston Public Library to play his saxophone on July 2, 2022, when he was surrounded by members of the Patriot