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‘God willing, we will meet again in Libya.’ A migrant family’s tale shows chaos at the Tunisian border

BY RENATA BRITO, ELAINE GANLEY AND SAMY MAGDY When Mbengue Nyimbilo Crepin regained consciousness after collapsing in the desert, the sun had already set. Tunisian authorities had violently forced him, his wife and their 6-year-old daughter across the border to Libya by foot without water, in the blazing heat, he said. Nyimbilo crumpled to the ground, exhausted and dehydrated, but urged his wife to carry on with little Marie and catch

The Biden administration proposes new rules to push insurers to boost mental health coverage

BY ZEKE MILLER AND CHRIS MEGERIAN WASHINGTON (AP) - President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced that his administration is moving forward with new rules meant to push insurance companies to increase their coverage of mental health treatments. The new regulations, which still need to go through a public comment period, would require insurers to study whether their customers have equal access to medical and mental health benefits and to take remedial action, if necessary. The Mental Health

With affirmative action out, North Carolina’s flagship school bars use of race, sex in admissions

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - Weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down their school's race-conscious admissions plan as violating the Constitution, the board of North Carolina's flagship public university has voted to strictly bar the use of "race, sex, color or ethnicity" in admissions and hiring decisions. The Board of Trustees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill approved the resolution Thursday, The News & Observer of

Biles, Ledecky, McLaughlin-Levrone all look for Olympic encores in Paris

BY EDDIE PELLS The city itself will be one of the brightest stars at the Paris Olympics, with ceremonies on the Seine, beach volleyball by the Eiffel Tower, and a marathon route that passes through Versailles. In the end, though, it will be the 10,500 athletes who will grab the spotlight once the festivities begin one year from Wednesday (July 26). Simone Biles is on a comeback, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone never left. A

Car buyers bear a heavy burden as Federal Reserve keeps raising rates: Auto-loan rejections are up

BY CORA LEWIS AND TOM KRISHER NEW YORK (AP) - The Federal Reserve's expected move Wednesday to raise interest rates for the 11th time could once again send ripple effects across the economy. Mortgage rates, which have surged since the Fed began lifting rates in March 2022, could rise further. So could rates on credit cards and some business loans. Perhaps no one has felt the pain more than car buyers. It's not just that sticker prices are

Medicaid expansion in North Carolina will begin Oct. 1, if lawmakers can enact a budget

BY GARY D. ROBERTSON RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Gov. Roy Cooper's administration is aiming to extend Medicaid coverage to hundreds of thousands of low-income adults starting Oct. 1, but that date depends on lawmakers completing the last step necessary to implement the expansion legislation he signed into law months ago. The state Department of Health and Human Services revealed on Wednesday that it's got an agreement with federal Medicaid regulators to

Federal Reserve raises its key rate for 11th time by a quarter-point in its drive to slow inflation

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate Wednesday for the 11th time in 17 months, a streak of hikes that are intended to curb inflation but that also carry the risk of going too far and triggering a recession. The move lifted the Fed's benchmark short-term rate from roughly 5.1% to 5.3% - its highest level since 2001. Coming on top of its previous

Cigna health giant accused of improperly rejecting thousands of patient claims using an algorithm

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A federal lawsuit alleges that health insurance giant Cigna used a computer algorithm to automatically reject hundreds of thousands of patient claims without examining them individually, as California law requires. The class-action lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Sacramento, says Cigna Corp. and Cigna Health and Life Insurance Co. rejected more than 300,000 payment claims in just two months last year. The company used an

Adding to the candidate list, ex-North Carolina Sen. Ballard is running for lieutenant governor

BLOWING ROCK, N.C. (AP) - Deanna Ballard, a former North Carolina state senator who helped assemble the Republicans' education policy in her legislative chamber, announced on Monday her candidacy for lieutenant governor next year. Ballard, who served over six years in the Senate representing multiple northwestern counties through 2022, adds another veteran state government politician to the field. Current GOP Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is running for governor. A longtime employee