Bursting ice dam in Alaska highlights risks of glacial flooding around the globe

BY BECKY BOHRER AND MARK THIESSEN UNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The gray, two-story home with white trim toppled and slid, crashing into the river below as rushing waters carried off a bobbing chunk of its roof. Next door, a condo building teetered on the edge of the bank, its foundation already having fallen away as erosion undercut it. The destruction came over the weekend as a glacial dam burst in Alaska's

Powerful storm kills 2 people and leaves 1.1 million without power in eastern US

BY ASHRAF KHALIL AND JEFFREY COLLINS WASHINGTON (AP) - At least two people died, thousands of U.S. flights were canceled or delayed, and more than 1.1 million homes and businesses lost power Monday as severe storms, including hail and lightning, moved through the eastern U.S. The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for the greater D.C. area, lasting until 9 p.m. A special Weather Service statement warned, "There is a

US inflation has steadily cooled. Getting it down to the Fed’s target rate will be the toughest mile

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER WASHINGTON (AP) - Over the past year, inflation in the United States has tumbled from 9% all the way to 3%, softening most of the price pressures that have gripped the nation for more than two years. Now comes the hard part. Squeezing out the last bit of excess inflation and reducing it to the Federal Reserve's 2% target rate is expected to be a much harder and

Trucking giant Yellow Corp. declares bankruptcy after years of financial struggles

BY WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS NEW YORK (AP) - Trucking company Yellow Corp. has declared bankruptcy after years of financial struggles and growing debt, marking a significant shift for the U.S. transportation industry and shippers nationwide. The Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which was filed Sunday, comes just three years after Yellow received $700 million in pandemic-era loans from the federal government. While a Chapter 11 filing is used to restructure debt while operations continue,

North Carolina state budget won’t become law until September, House leader says

BY GARY D. ROBERTSON RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A final North Carolina state budget won't be enacted until September, the House's top leader said Monday. That could scuttle efforts by Gov. Roy Cooper's administration for Medicaid expansion to begin in early fall. House and Senate Republicans are whittling down dozens of outstanding spending and policy issues within a two-year spending plan that was supposed to take effect July 1. While some

Cost of federal census recounts push growing towns to do it themselves

BY MIKE SCHNEIDER Officials in the city of Lebanon worried that the amount of state money distributed from Tennessee agencies based on 2020 census figures wasn't keeping pace with their explosive growth. So they reached out to the U.S. Census Bureau to ask about conducting another head count, or "special census," for the city on the edge of metro Nashville. But Lebanon officials balked at the $880,000 price tag and decided

US Rep. Dan Bishop announces a run for North Carolina attorney general

BY GARY D. ROBERTSON RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina Rep. Dan Bishop, a vocal member of the Freedom Caucus that's become a foil to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, announced on Thursday that he would run for state attorney general next year rather than seek to remain in Congress. The Republican lawyer revealed his decision in a radio interview in his hometown of Charlotte. Bishop joined Congress in 2019 by narrowly

Why are gas prices rising? Experts point to extreme heat and oil production cuts

BY WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS NEW YORK (AP) - Drivers are in for another headache at the pump as U.S. gas prices continue to rise. The national average for gas prices stood at about $3.78 a gallon on Tuesday - about 25 cents higher than that seen one month ago, according to motor club AAA. While today's prices at the pump remain far lower than they were last year, when energy costs soared

It’s Kamala Harris vs. Ron DeSantis in the fight over Florida’s new teachings on slavery

BY SEUNG MIN KIM, WILL WEISSERT, AND STEVE PEOPLES WASHINGTON (AP) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, facing heavy criticism for defending "anti-woke" teaching in Florida, this week teed up an unusual proposal to the nation's first Black vice president: Come debate the merits of the state's new curriculum on African-American history. Less than 24 hours later, Kamala Harris was in an African Methodist Episcopal church in Orlando, firing back. "I'm here