It's humanity's first flight to the moon since 1972. In a throwback to Apollo, NASA's Artemis II mission will send four astronauts on a lunar fly-around. Three Americans and a Canadian will launch into orbit around Earth and then head for the moon. They'll hurtle several thousand miles beyond the moon, hang a U-turn and then come straight back during the nearly 10-day mission. The Artemis launch will begin at Florida's Kennedy Space Center where the Apollo moonshots did. The mission will end with a splashdown homecoming into the Pacific.
Bruce Springsteen was in a defiant but upbeat mood in Minneapolis as he launched his latest U.S. tour. Springsteen denounced the Trump administration Tuesday for sending federal officers into the city over the winter. And he delivered a not-so-veiled salvo against the war in Iran as he opened with a thunderous version of the song, “War.” Thousands of audience members held lit-up phones as Springsteen played his tribute to the city, “Streets of Minneapolis.” His tour ends May 27 in Washington, D.C., where he says he’ll have a few choice words for the White House.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security is pausing the purchase of new warehouses intended to house immigrants as it scrutinizes all contracts signed under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, according to a senior Homeland Security official.
Tiger Woods says he’ll step away and seek treatment after his SUV crash in Florida. Woods made his comments Tuesday, four days after the crash that led to his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence. Woods pleaded not guilty on Tuesday in his driving under the influence case. The plea came hours after a sheriff’s report said he had pain pills in his pocket and showed signs of impairment at the crash scene last week. I’s the second time Woods has taken a leave following a car crash. In 2009, he announced a leave after his SUV plowed into a fire hydrant and tree outside his home near Orlando.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A federal judge in Nevada has ruled against conservationists who wanted to stop a lithium-boron mine they said would harm an endangered wildflower.
The Trump administration says it will be moving U.S. Forest Service headquarters from the nation's capital to Utah as part of a broad overhaul. The announcement was made Tuesday, winning praise from Republican lawmakers in Western states while drawing criticism from environmental groups that see the move as an attempt to dismantle the agency. Federal officials say the change puts leaders closer to the forests they manage. The agency notes most national forest land sits in the West. About 260 Washington-based jobs will relocate, while 130 stay. The U.S. Agriculture Department, which oversees the Forest Service, has also shifted thousands of workers out of Washington.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the Army pilots who hovered two helicopters near Kid Rock’s Tennessee home during a training run while he clapped and saluted have had their suspensions lifted. Hegseth said in a social media post Tuesday that there was “No punishment. No Investigation.” and added “Carry on, patriots.” Earlier, a U.S. Army spokesperson said the crews of the two Apache helicopters were suspended from flying pending an investigation of their actions.
Travelers should expect delays when they fly through San Francisco International Airport after the Federal Aviation Administration this week cut a third of its arrivals because of safety concerns and runway construction. The rule change announced Tuesday went into effect this week and means the airport will go from 54 arrivals an hour to 36. The San Francisco safety concerns are unique to that airport because of how close the parallel runways are and how complicated the airspace is with several surrounding airports.
The men’s NCAA tournament is averaging 10.3 million viewers through the Elite Eight, its best audience since 1993 and a 9% increase over last year. UConn’s last-second 73-72 victory over Duke in the East Region final averaged 13.4 million on CBS. The audience peaked at 18.9 million when Braylon Mullins sank a desperation 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left. Friday’s early window with Duke-St.John’s on CBS and Michigan-Alabama on TBS/truTV averaged 14.2 million, the most-watched Friday regional early window since 1992. The Final Four and title game will be on TBS, TNT and truTV.
The deputy who arrested Tiger Woods on suspicion of driving under the influence said Woods had pain pills in his pocket and showed signs of impairment at the scene of his car crash last week in Florida, according to her arrest report released Tuesday.
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to suspend construction of a $400 million ballroom after it demolished the East Wing of the White House. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington granted a preservationist group’s request for a preliminary injunction that temporarily halts President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project. Leon wrote that the president is a steward of the White House, not its owner, and said the project needs congressional approval. The ruling was the first major rebuke of Trump’s sweeping efforts to overhaul the White House. It wasn’t immediately clear what it would mean for the sprawling project. The Trump administration filed a notice to appeal Leon's ruling and Trump himself argued that congressional approval wasn't necessary.
DENVER (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit accusing Colorado and Denver of interfering with the enforcement of immigration laws.
A federal appeals court has denied a request from dozens of families to reopen a criminal case against Boeing over two fatal 737 Max crashes more than seven years ago.
Sexual abuse allegations against the revered labor leader César Chavez have led to a swift fallout, leaving many to reconcile the legacy of a man who fought tirelessly for the rights of farmworkers. Latino leaders and community leaders have quickly condemned the alleged abuse by Chavez. Now they are weighing the impact of his actions on the labor rights movement and how to move forward, acknowledging Chavez’s actions and the impact he had on Latino civil rights. Reconciling that with a tainted legacy is something various civil rights groups have had to do as accusations and rumors surface. For many, the reckoning is an example of why movements should not be tied to one person.
The Trump administration on Tuesday exempted oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said environmentalists' lawsuits threatened to hobble domestic energy supplies as the U.S. wages war against Iran.
A federal judge has ordered the University of Pennsylvania to hand over records about Jewish employees on campus to a federal agency as part of an investigation into antisemitic discrimination. But the judge said Tuesday the school did not have to reveal any employee’s affiliation with a specific group. U.S. District Judge Gerald Pappert said employees can refuse to take part in the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation but the agency “needs the opportunity to talk to them directly to learn if they have evidence of discrimination.” He mostly upheld a subpoena but said Penn does not have to disclose any worker’s affiliation with a Jewish-related organization.
Everything seems to be going NASA's way as the countdown proceeds toward a Wednesday launch of astronauts' first trip to the moon in more than half a century. Officials said Tuesday that the rocket is doing well on its Florida pad and the weather looks promising. The four astronauts assigned to the Artemis II mission will become the first lunar visitors since Apollo 17 in 1972. They'll zip around the moon without landing or even orbiting and come straight back. The launch team will begin fueling the 32-story rocket Wednesday morning for an evening send-off.
NEW YORK (AP) — In a new lawsuit, one of the first three women to officiate an NFL game describes her three years at the pinnacle of her profession as a descent into the grip of a sexist institution unable to treat a woman as an equal.
A federal judge has agreed to permanently block the Trump administration from implementing a presidential directive to end federal funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service. The two are media entities that the White House has said are counterproductive to American priorities. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss cited the First Amendment in his decision. The impact was not immediately clear — both because it will likely be appealed and because too much damage to the public-broadcasting system has already been done, both by the president and Congress.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee library board has fired the county's top librarian for refusing to comply with its vote to move more than 100 LGBTQ books from the children's to the adult section over its claims that they promote "gender confusion.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday seemed likely to rule for a Black death row inmate from Mississippi who claims there was racial bias in the makeup of the jury that convicted him.
TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (AP) — For decades, Democrats' only chance of getting elected to Congress from the conservative state of Utah was by convincing voters that they were sensible moderates, not like the zealous progressives from California or Colorado.
A fire destroyed the main meditation hall at Tassajara Mountain Zen Center in Central California, as monks neared the end of a long retreat. Last week's fire burned down the wooden building and damaged a nearby library. No one was injured. Staff members used hoses and buckets to slow the flame, limiting the damage to just the one structure. Volunteer firefighters arrived an hour after the fire broke out. A center administrator said several sacred items, including a 2,000-year-old Buddha statue, may have been destroyed. However, the extent of the damages won't be known until they sift through the rubble. Leaders say the loss feels painful, but it also reinforces Buddhism’s teaching on impermanence.
BULVERDE, Texas (AP) — A 15-year-old student who shot and injured a teacher at a Texas high school and then fatally shot himself appeared to have been struggling academically before coming to the campus armed with a gun he brought from home, authorities said Tuesday.
The founder of a Texas megachurch who resigned after pleading guilty to sexually abusing an Oklahoma woman in the 1980s has been released from an Oklahoma jail. Osage County officials say 64-year-old Robert Preston Morris was released early Tuesday. He served six months after pleading guilty last year to five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. Under the agreement, he received a 10-year suspended sentence and must register as a sex offender. He also was ordered to pay his incarceration costs and restitution to the victim. Prosecutors say the abuse began in 1982 when the victim was 12 and Morris was a traveling evangelist staying in Hominy, Oklahoma.
Spice and flavorings company McCormick is combining with Unilever’s foods division, which includes household names like Hellmann’s and Knorr. The combined company will maintain McCormick’s name and leadership. But upon closing, Unilever and its shareholders are expected to own 65% of the food company’s outstanding equity, amounting $29.1 billion. Unilever would also get $15.7 billion in cash. Meanwhile, McCormick shareholders will own 35.0%. Unilever and McCormick confirmed they were in talks about a deal earlier this month, with Unilever attempting to streamline its business and focus on beauty and personal care products.
In 1965, Filipino and Mexican American farmworkers in California became inextricably linked when they mobilized to strike against grape growers. Now, in the wake of recent allegations that Chavez took advantage of his position to sexually abuse young women and girls, Filipino Americans, including descendants of striking workers, are navigating how to celebrate this historic chapter moving forward. Filipino groups that typically march for César Chavez Day in March have canceled those plans. Advocates are supporting renaming the holiday and putting the focus on Filipino and Chicano farmworkers, particularly women. But, they are also emphasizing survivors of Chavez’s abuse remain top of mind.
California is considering getting into the construction insurance business to help factory-built housing scale up and cut costs. The move is an effort to put a dent in the state's housing shortage. Lawmakers led by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks rolled out a package of bills that trims rules and standardizes approvals. One bill stands out. It has the state backstop surety bonds for housing factories by covering part of payouts in extreme failures. Supporters say factories get stuck in a doom loop. Developers demand bonds. Insurers demand a track record. Factories cannot get work to build one. Critics say direct funding could help more, and taxpayers could face unknown risk.
The Supreme Court has ruled against a law banning “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ+ kids in Colorado, one of about two dozen states that banned the discredited practice. The high court majority sided Tuesday with a Christian counselor who argues the law banning talk therapy violates the First Amendment. The justices agreed the law raises free speech concerns and sent it back to a lower court to decide if it meets a legal standard few laws pass. President Donald Trump’s Republican administration supported the counselor. Colorado said the measure simply bars a practice of using therapy to try to “convert” LGBTQ+ people to heterosexuality, a practice that’s been scientifically discredited and linked to serious harm.
The Supreme Court is once again hearing arguments on whether President Donald Trump can deny citizenship to children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily. The Wednesday case stems from an executive order Trump signed on the first day of his second term ending what’s known as birthright citizenship, which guarantees citizenship to nearly everyone born on U.S. soil. But while the concept has been part of U.S. law for well over a century, it is relatively rare around the world. Only about three dozen countries guarantee citizenship to children born on their territory. Most countries follow the principle of jus sanguinis, or “right of blood,” with a child’s citizenship based on the citizenship of their parents.
Vice President JD Vance has a new book about his religious faith and adult conversion to Catholicism. HarperCollins Publishers tells The Associated Press the book is called “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith” and comes out June 16. Vance says the book explains how he lost his faith and regained it. Vance has said he evolved from Christianity to atheism to Catholicism, linking the change to finding purpose. The publisher says Vance wrote the book himself starting in 2019 and included material on his time in politics. The “Hillbilly Elegy” author was elected to the Senate as a Republican from Ohio in 2022 and became Donald Trump's running mate two years later.
Once a semester, a Cornell University instructor requires her students to complete an in-class assignment using typewriters — an exercise to help them understand what writing, thinking and classrooms were like before everything turned digital. The exercise started in 2023, as Grit Mathias Phelps grew frustrated that her German language students were using generative AI and online translation platforms to churn out grammatically perfect assignments. The revival is part of a national trend toward old-school testing methods like in-class pen-and-paper exams and oral tests to prevent AI use for assignments on laptops.
Police in California say a U.S. Marine has been detained at Palm Springs International Airport after Transportation Security Administration personnel found a live explosive round in his checked bag. It happened Monday during routine baggage screening. The Palm Springs Police Department says the Marine told investigators he picked up the 25 mm round about a year ago. He said he thought it was not live. Police say rust and corrosion hid the markings. Authorities confirmed it was live and destroyed it in a desert area. No one was hurt and authorities are reviewing the case for potential criminal and civil penalties.
Sugar The Surfing Dog, the first canine inducted into the Surfer’s Hall of Fame, has died. The 16-year-old rescue dog from Huntington Beach, California, died Monday after battling cancer. Sugar was found as a stray and over the years her love of the waves took dog surfing to new heights. She was a five-time dog surfing world champion. Dressed in a life jacket, spectators would watch the furry white canine in amazement as she balanced on her surfboard, riding wave after wave back to the shore. She spent her days outside the water comforting veterans as a dedicated therapy dog.
Democrats are trying to win back the Senate. But they are fighting over how to do it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is backing establishment candidates in key races. Some of his own senators are breaking ranks and endorsing more progressive challengers. The clashes are playing out in Maine, Michigan and Minnesota. They reflect deeper frustration after the 2024 election and growing doubts about the party’s strategy. Allies argue Schumer is recruiting strong candidates and expanding the map. Critics say the old playbook no longer works. The outcome of the midterms could decide both the majority and Schumer’s future as leader.
A proposal in Georgia could allow DNA to be collected from immigrants taken into custody for minor offenses. The bill awaiting a final vote in the state legislature would make Georgia the third state to single out immigrants believed to be in the U.S. illegally for the collection of genetic materials that wouldn't be taken from others. Supporters say DNA helps solve crimes. But critics say the legislation could create a two-tier system based on perceived immigration status. Legal experts question whether federal immigration detainers meet Fourth Amendment standards for DNA searches.
President Donald Trump says Iran faces massive damage to its energy system unless it quickly agrees to end the war. Trump said Monday talks showed “great progress" but he threatened to hit power plants, oil wells and Kharg Island. Iran has warned it could mine the Persian Gulf if it is invaded. The U.S. and Israel kept up strikes on Monday. Iran hit a key water and power plant in Kuwait and an oil refinery in Israel. Israel has invaded southern Lebanon to expel the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, in what Israeli leaders suggest could be another extended occupation of that country.
PROVO, Utah (AP) — Lawyers for the man charged with killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk have asked to delay a preliminary hearing scheduled in May, saying they need time to review an enormous amount of material and a bullet analysis that could contribute to his defense.
A California sheriff who seized more than half a million election ballots says he has paused the election fraud investigation. He says it's because of “politically motivated lawsuits.” The sheriff is one of two prominent Republican gubernatorial candidates. He previously has said the probe was legal and was approved by a judge. The reversal comes after Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta and the UCLA Voting Rights Project launched legal challenges to halt the seizure. They argue that the sheriff has no authority over elections materials and have asked the court to stop the investigation and order Bianco to return the ballots to elections officials.
Driving a car, van or truck is a big part of many Americans’ workdays. Millions of people have jobs that require using personal vehicles for work. They include delivery drivers and ride-share providers, as well as self-employed electricians, nannies, home health care aides and real estate agents. The Iran war has pushed up the average U.S. price for a gallon of regular gas by $1. Some companies compensate employees for using their own vehicles, including the cost of gas. Ride-hailing and food delivery platforms like Uber and Instacart don’t reimburse drivers for gas, but some are offering temporary incentives in response to rising gas prices.
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