Trump mixes patriotism with partisanship as he celebrates America's 'joyous' 250th anniversary

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump mixed partisan politics with patriotic appeals on Saturday as he commemorated the 250th anniversary of American independence, a moment he declared “one of the most joyous and glorious milestones of all time.” Speaking in Washington after storms prompted a roughly two-hour evacuation of the National Mall, Trump honored veterans, including several from World War II and one of the first Black officers to lead a Special Forces team in combat in Vietnam. They

2026-07-05 21:24:40:00

Trump arrives at G7 summit looking for momentum after announcing Iran deal

US President Donald Trump started his visit to the G7 summit of leading industrialized nations on Monday by declaring his agreement aimed at ending the US war with Iran is a potential breakthrough for global security and a chance for the US to finally turn the page in its relationship with longtime adversary Iran. The Republican US president sought to make clear that he arrived in Evian-les-Bains with the wind at his back for talks with G7 leaders, including some who have been sharply critical o

2026-06-16 08:04:38:00

Energy supplies could take months to recover after Iran deal: experts

NEW YORK (AP) — High oil and gasoline prices and energy supply problems won’t be solved overnight, despite an agreement to end the Iran war and open the Strait of Hormuz announced Sunday. It will likely take months before energy companies can resume operations to the point of meeting the world’s demand, according to energy experts. The slow pace of the process of shipping and refining crude oil, and doubts about the security of traveling through the strait mean the effect won’t be seen immediate

2026-06-15 10:55:19:00

Apple unveils upgraded Siri voice assistant with new AI features

CUPERTINO, California (AP) — Apple on Monday unveiled new artificial intelligence advances including upgrades to its Siri assistant, emphasizing a focus on privacy and day-to-day use as the iPhone maker tries to catch up to rivals when it comes to AI. Siri AI, which was introduced at the start of Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference, has been highly anticipated by users and developers. While Siri was launched in 2011, it fell behind other voice assistants and was derided even by Apple

2026-06-09 10:50:14:00

Pentagon labels Alibaba, BYD as aiding Chinese military

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has added several prominent Chinese businesses, including the tech giant Alibaba, electric car maker BYD and search engine Baidu, to its list of Chinese military companies, preventing them from getting US defense contracts. The list, updated and published Monday by the Pentagon, now sanctions well-known, non-state-owned Chinese companies that are not traditionally considered to be in the defense or security sector. It reflects growing wariness of Beijing’s strategy

2026-06-09 10:49:36:00

NASA details moon base strategy

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) — NASA is already ordering landers, rovers and drones for a sprawling moon base, less than two months after the Artemis II’s record-breaking lunar fly around. The space agency outlined the first phase of its moon base plans Tuesday, awarding hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts to four US companies. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin will provide a pair of landers to deliver moon buggies to the lunar surface, at a spot near the moon’s South Pole. These so-called lunar t

2026-05-27 10:24:37:00

Pope makes historic apology for Holy See's own role in legitimizing slavery

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV made a historic apology on Monday for the role the Holy See itself played in legitimizing slavery and for having failed to condemn it for centuries, calling the Vatican’s record a “wound in Christian memory.” Past popes have apologized for Christians’ involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. But no pope has ever publicly acknowledged, much less apologized for, the role that past popes themselves played in giving European sovereigns explicit authority to sub

2026-05-25 20:43:26:00

Pope calls for robust regulation of AI in manifesto that ponders the future of humanity

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV called Monday for robust regulation of artificial intelligence and for its developers to work for the common good rather than profit, issuing a sweeping manifesto on safeguarding humankind as the technology impacts everything from work to war. “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), Leo’s first encyclical , has been eagerly awaited ever since history’s first US-born pope announced days after his election that he considered AI to be the biggest challenge fac

2026-05-25 20:31:59:00

Trump says not to rush as details emerge of a potential Iran deal

The United States is close to reaching a deal with Iran that would end the war , reopen the Strait of Hormuz and see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium , regional officials told The Associated Press on Sunday, though US President Donald Trump said he told representatives “not to rush into a deal.” Trump said negotiations were “proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner,” and the relationship with Iran was becoming “much more professional and productive.” He pushed back a

2026-05-25 09:08:33:00

UN cuts global growth forecast over Mideast energy crisis

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Responding to Middle East crises and rising oil prices, the United Nations on Tuesday lowered its forecast for global economic growth and raised the prospects for inflation this year. UN economists said global GDP growth is now forecast at 2.5 percent for 2026, down from 2.7 percent in January, and they said it could fall to only 2.1 percent “in a more adverse scenario.” That would be one of the weakest growth rates this century, outside of the COVID-19 pandemic and the glo

2026-05-20 10:40:26:00