Stories by The Associated Press

AP Exclusive: Footage of collapsed dam shows no evidence to back Russian claims KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) -- Exclusive drone footage of the collapsed Ukrainian dam and surrounding villages under Russian occupation showed the ruined structure falling into the flooded river, hundreds o... June 9, 2023

Smoke from wildfires, a fact of life in the West, catches outdoor workers off guard in the East NEW YORK (AP) -- The hazardous haze from Canada's wildfires is taking its toll on people whose jobs have forced them outdoors along the U.S. East Coast even as a dystopian orange hue led to the cancel... June 9, 2023

Russia shells Ukrainian city inundated by dam collapse KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) -- Russian forces Thursday shelled a southern Ukrainian city inundated by flooding in a catastrophic dam collapse, Ukrainian officials said, forcing a suspension of some rescue e... June 9, 2023

Air quality alerts hit third day as Canadian wildfire smoke pushes south NEW YORK (AP) -- Officials warned residents to stay inside and limit outdoor activities Thursday as a thick, hazardous haze of wildfire smoke loomed over daily life for millions of people across the U... June 9, 2023

Oklahoma City man finds swastika cut into grass in front of his home OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- An Oklahoma City man who found a swastika cut into the grass in front of his home said Thursday he believes it was done by a neighbor with whom he has had a long-running dispute.... June 9, 2023

Van der Sloot arrives in US from Peru to face charges BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- Joran van der Sloot, the chief suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway, arrived Thursday in the United States from Peru to face charges that he attempted to exto... June 9, 2023

23 freight cars heavily damaged in Arizona train derailment WILLIAMS, Ariz. (AP) -- Authorities are trying to determine the cause of a freight train derailment in northern Arizona that heavily damaged 23 cars and a load of new vehicles. Coconino County Emergen... June 9, 2023

Trump, aides bracing for possible federal charges MIAMI (AP) -- Former President Donald Trump and his aides are bracing for a potential indictment in the classified documents investigation as prosecutors handling the probe were spotted Thursday at a ... June 9, 2023

Teen accused of providing gift cards to support terrorist group BOSTON (AP) -- An 18-year-old Massachusetts man sent gift cards worth a total of $1,670 to someone he thought was a supporter of the Islamic State group that he intended to be used to fund a war on no... June 9, 2023

Knife attack at park in French Alps critically wounds 4 young children PARIS (AP) -- As bystanders screamed for help, a man with a knife stabbed four young children Thursday at a lakeside park in the French Alps, assaulting at least one in a stroller repeatedly. Authorit... June 9, 2023

Colorado’s worst wildfire caused by embers from old fire, sparks from power line BOULDER, Colo. (AP) -- Embers from a smoldering scrap wood fire set days earlier outside a home used by a Christian religious communal group along with a sparking power line caused a 2021 Colorado wil... June 9, 2023

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson dies at 93 VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) -- Pat Robertson, a religious broadcaster who turned a tiny Virginia station into the global Christian Broadcasting Network, tried a run for president, and helped make religio... June 9, 2023

Russian mauled to death by tiger shark off Egyptian coast CAIRO (AP) -- A Russian man died after being mauled by a shark Thursday off one of Egypt's Red Sea resorts, Egyptian and Russian authorities said. Egypt's Environment Ministry said the man was killed ... June 9, 2023

Republicans set to push mail ballots, voting methods they blasted as fraud ATLANTA (AP) -- After years of criticizing mail voting and so-called ballot harvesting as ripe for fraud, Republicans at the top of the party want to change course. They are poised to launch aggressiv... June 9, 2023

Senate confirms highest-ranking Muslim in government WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate on Thursday confirmed Dilawar Syed as deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration, ending more than two years of delays after a blockade by Republicans in t... June 9, 2023

Pope drinks liquids, makes brief call after surgery ROME (AP) -- Pope Francis drank liquids, received the Eucharist and even made a brief phone call Thursday on his first full day recovering from a three-hour operation to remove intestinal scar tissue ... June 9, 2023

As winter warms, farmers in southern US find ways to adapt When Pam Knox walked into the peach orchard at the University of Georgia horticulture farm this spring, there was nothing on the trees except leaves and a couple of brown fruits -- the result of one o... June 9, 2023

Ruff day in court: Supreme Court sides with Jack Daniel’s in dispute with makers of dog toy WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court on Thursday gave whiskey maker Jack Daniel's reason to raise a glass, handing the company a new chance to win a trademark dispute with the makers of the Bad Spanie... June 9, 2023

Applications for jobless benefits highest since October 2021 The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week rose to its highest level since October 2021, but the labor market remains one of the healthiest parts of the U.S. economy. The Lab... June 9, 2023

Average long-term US mortgage rate eases to 6.71 percent LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate eased back from a seven-month high this week, a welcome change for homebuyers navigating high borrowing costs and heightened competition fo... June 9, 2023

Richard Snyder, ‘warrior-king’ of publishing, dead at 90 NEW YORK (AP) -- Richard Snyder, a visionary and imperious executive at Simon & Schuster who in bold-faced style presided over the publisher's exponential rise during the second half of the 20th c... June 9, 2023

Surfers at Amazon’s mouth ride some of world’s longest-lasting waves CHAVES, Brazil (AP) -- Surfers from all over Brazil gathered this week at the Amazon River's mouth to ride some of the world's longest-lasting waves, when the incoming tide roars upriver in a broad ba... June 9, 2023

Family of ‘Serial’ podcast murder victim demands right to take part in hearings ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- The family of the murder victim whose case is chronicled by the hit podcast "Serial" asked Maryland's highest court on Thursday to give crime victims a right to be heard and cha... June 9, 2023

Supreme Court rules in favor of Black Alabama voters in unexpected defense of Voting Rights Act By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a surprising 5-4 ruling in favor of Black voters in a congressional redistricting case from Alabama, with two c... June 9, 2023

Supreme Court rules in favor of Black voters in Alabama redistricting case WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a surprising 5-4 ruling in favor of Black voters in a congressional redistricting case, ordering the creation of a second district with a l... June 8, 2023

Ex-Trump aide testifies in investigation of Mar-a-Lago documents WASHINGTON (AP) -- A former top aide to Donald Trump appeared Wednesday in federal court in Miami for testimony to a grand jury investigating potential classified-document mishandling and obstruction ... June 8, 2023

Greek temple complex reveals offerings left by ancient worshippers ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Archaeologists excavating a hilltop sanctuary on the Aegean Sea island of Kythnos have discovered "countless" pottery offerings left by ancient worshippers over the centuries, G... June 8, 2023

Feud ends with Black mom dead and white neighbor arrested OCALA, Fla. (AP) -- A Florida woman accused of fatally shooting her neighbor last week in the violent culmination of what the sheriff described as a 2½-year feud was arrested Tuesday, the Marion Count... June 8, 2023

Ukraine rushes drinking water to flooded areas after dam break KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) -- Authorities rushed to rescue hundreds of people stranded on rooftops and supply drinking water to areas flooded by a collapsed dam in southern Ukraine on Wednesday, in a growi... June 8, 2023

Owner of funeral homes charged for conduct in Jan. 6 riot An owner of several funeral homes on Long Island was arrested Wednesday on charges that he sprayed wasp killer at police officers and attacked journalists -- including an Associated Press photographer... June 8, 2023

Canadian wildfire spreads hazardous haze at home, in the US NEW YORK (AP) -- Smoke from Canadian wildfires poured into the U.S. East Coast and Midwest on Wednesday, covering the capitals of both nations in an unhealthy haze, holding up flights at major airport... June 8, 2023

Indonesia to deport Australian surfer jailed for drunken rampage MEULABOH, Indonesia (AP) -- An Australian surfer who was jailed for attacking several people while drunk and naked in Indonesia's deeply conservative Muslim province of Aceh will be deported to his co... June 8, 2023

Pope Francis undergoes three-hour abdominal surgery ROME (AP) -- Pope Francis underwent successful surgery Wednesday to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall, the latest maladies to befall the 86-year-old pontiff who h... June 8, 2023

Why Republicans are clashing with FBI over confidential Biden document WASHINGTON (AP) -- The yearslong feud between congressional Republicans and the FBI is reaching a new level of rancor as lawmakers prepare a resolution to hold bureau director Christopher Wray in cont... June 8, 2023

Police: Gunman at Virginia high school graduation targeted graduate RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- A gunman who opened fire minutes after a high school graduation in Richmond, Virginia, targeted an 18-year-old graduate he had a long-running dispute with, police said Wednesday.... June 8, 2023

CNN ousts CEO Chris Licht after brief, tumultuous tenure NEW YORK (AP) -- CNN ousted chief executive Chris Licht after a tumultuous year leading the struggling news network that culminated in a damning magazine profile and the growing realization that he&#3... June 8, 2023

The Iron Sheik dies at age of 81 The Iron Sheik, a former pro wrestler who relished playing a burly, bombastic villain in 1980s battles with some of the sport's biggest stars and later became a popular Twitter personality, died W... June 8, 2023

New version of ‘The Wiz’ to be led by Brady, Mingo NEW YORK (AP) -- Two men who stepped into 6-inch heels for "Kinky Boots" on Broadway will play the title character behind the curtain when "The Wiz" tours the U.S. starting this fa... June 8, 2023

Missouri prosecutor Wesley Bell vies for GOP Sen. Hawley's seat JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Black Missouri prosecutor who stepped into leadership in the aftermath of protests over the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown is running for Republican U.S. Sen... June 7, 2023

Missouri man executed for killing 2 jailers in 2000 BONNE TERRE (AP) -- A Missouri man who shot and killed two jailers nearly 23 years ago during a failed bid to help an acquaintance escape from a rural jail was executed Tuesday evening.Michael Tisius,... June 7, 2023

Man pleads guilty to strangling Missouri woman 3 decades ago UNION, Mo. (AP) -- A 67-year-old man has pleaded guilty to strangling a woman in Missouri and leaving her bound body in the woods three decades ago, a newspaper reported.Kirby R. King pleaded guilty F... June 7, 2023

Astrud Gilberto, singer of 'The Girl from Ipanema,' dead at 83 NEW YORK -- Astrud Gilberto, the Brazilian singer, songwriter and entertainer whose off-hand, English-language cameo on "The Girl from Ipanema" made her a worldwide voice of bossa nova, has died at ag... June 7, 2023

French unions make last-ditch bid to resist higher retirement age PARIS (AP) -- French union activists marched on the headquarters of the Paris Olympics and slowed traffic at the capital's Orly Airport with strikes Tuesday as they sought to reignite resistance to a ... June 7, 2023

Bluesky was supposed to be Twitter 2.0: Can it succeed? Bluesky, the internet's hottest members-only spot at the moment, feels a bit like an exclusive club, populated by some Very Online folks, popular Twitter characters, and fed up ex-users of the Elon Mu... June 7, 2023

Cuba Gooding Jr. settles civil sex abuse case NEW YORK (AP) -- Just as a trial was to begin, it was revealed Tuesday that Cuba Gooding Jr. has settled accusations that he raped a woman in a New York City hotel a decade ago, according to court rec... June 7, 2023

Migrants receive food, housing as California officials weigh charges against Florida SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Religious groups worked Tuesday to feed and house South American migrants who were flown to Sacramento under allegedly false pretenses. Meanwhile, California officials were ... June 7, 2023

HRC declares state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans The Human Rights Campaign declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. on Tuesday and released a guidebook pointing to laws it deems discriminatory in each state, along with "know your ... June 7, 2023

Plane that crashed in Virginia lost contact during ascent Only minutes into a doomed journey that ended on a remote Virginia mountain, the pilot of a business jet was not responding to air traffic control instructions and the situation was soon reported to a... June 7, 2023

Merck sues federal government Merck is suing the federal government over a plan to negotiate Medicare drug prices, calling the program a sham equivalent to extortion. The drugmaker is seeking to halt the program, which was laid ou... June 7, 2023

Boat carrying 180 refugees vanishes — phone call helps untangle the mystery TEKNAF, Bangladesh (AP) -- The wind had whipped the waves to nearly three times the woman's height when her panicked voice crackled over the phone. "Our boat has sunk!" Setera Begum shouted, as a stor... June 7, 2023