Here are the AP's latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. For up-to-the minute information on AP's coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org.

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NATIONAL

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US--EX-POLICE-CHIEF-PRISON-ESCAPE

Authorities looking at whether kitchen job played role in ‘Devil in the Ozarks’ prison escape

SUMMARY: Arkansas authorities are looking at whether a prison kitchen job played a role in the escape of a convicted former police chief known as the “Devil in the Ozarks.” A prison system spokesperson said Thursday that Grant Hardin was housed in a maximum-security wing of the Calico Rock prison from which he escaped over the weekend. Hardin escaped after donning an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform. Hardin was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. The FBI on Thursday offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to Hardin’s arrest.

WORDS: 492 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 11:47 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:9f2600255eea6ec5be0aae045de550df&mediaType=text

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US--KAREN READ TRIAL

Prosecution rests in trial of Karen Read who’s charged in death of Boston police officer boyfriend

SUMMARY: The prosecution is resting in the second trial of Karen Read after attorneys for the state of Massachusetts took a more streamlined approach to try to prove Read’s guilt in the killing of her Boston police officer boyfriend. Read is accused of backing her SUV into her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe and leaving him to die on a snowy night in the front yard of another officer’s home after she dropped him off at a party there in January 2022. Her lawyers say she was framed in a police conspiracy and someone inside the home that night killed him.

WORDS: 965 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 11:43 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:039f241cbfca054a3ea012d16191a813&mediaType=text

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US--SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-WEINSTEIN

Harvey Weinstein’s defense case begins in sex crimes retrial. Will he be a witness?

SUMMARY: Harvey Weinstein’s defense has started presenting its own witnesses in his sex crimes retrial. But it’s unclear whether the ex-studio boss himself will be one of them. He’s due to decide by the end of court Thursday whether to testify. If he does, it would be a remarkable chapter in the yearslong saga of the onetime Hollywood honcho-turned-#MeToo outcast. The 73-year-old is being retried on rape and sexual assault charges because New York’s highest court overturned his 2020 conviction. He denies the allegations. His attorneys maintain that anything that happened between him and his accusers was consensual.

WORDS: 295 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 11:19 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:4e8a353e5265ab66a5d934035a764380&mediaType=text

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US--LGBTQ POLL

Most LGBTQ+ adults feel Americans don’t accept transgender people, Pew poll finds

SUMMARY: LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. see lower social acceptance for transgender people than those who are lesbian, gay or bisexual, a new Pew Research Center poll found. The survey found that most LGBTQ+ adults believe there is a great deal or fair amount of acceptance for lesbian and gay people. But about half said that’s not true for transgender and nonbinary Americans. The survey was conducted in January. That was just before President Donald Trump returned to office and started rolling out a series of policies aimed at transgender people, including a ban from the military and some sports competitions, as well as blocking federal spending on gender-affirming health care for those under 19.

WORDS: 778 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 10:22 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:a2971bdc2731f88ceacd64d7614d6152&mediaType=text

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US--ALASKA-MISSING FAMILY

Missing family’s boat found in Alaska waters along with human remains

SUMMARY: Officials say that nearly a year after a search was suspended for a family of four missing after the boat they were on capsized in waters off Alaska, the vessel along with human remains have been found. The Alaska Department of Public Safety says the discovery came after three private Alaska companies offered in April to help look for the family. They found the missing boat earlier this month and divers from the state were then able to recover three sets of remains from the sunken vessel. The remains have been taken to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for positive identification and autopsies.

WORDS: 358 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 1:34 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:d052035dfd808e6df46bc59424ff2ce1&mediaType=text

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US--CANADA-BORDER DEATHS

Head of human smuggling plot gets 10 years after family of 4 froze to death on US-Canada border

SUMMARY: The convicted ringleader of an international human smuggling plot has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel’s sentencing Wednesday in federal court comes more than three years after a family of four from India froze to death while trying into the U.S. along a remote stretch of the Canadian border in a blizzard. The driver who was supposed to pick them up, Steve Anthony Shand, was sentenced to 6 1/2 years, with two years’ supervised release. They were convicted in November. The victims were found dead just north of the border between Manitoba and Minnesota on Jan. 19, 2022.

WORDS: 1000 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 9:35 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:0ec4b9f27bc55d8ab9195decd315f5cb&mediaType=text

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US--TRUMP PARDONS-CHRISLEYS

Trump pardons Julie and Todd Chrisley, reality TV stars convicted in 2022 of fraud and tax evasion

SUMMARY: President Donald Trump has pardoned reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley three years after they were convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion. The celebrity couple are best known for the TV series “Chrisley Knows Best.” Trump pardoned them Wednesday. The Chrisleys were released hours later from separate prison facilities in Florida and Kentucky. A spokesperson for their attorney said the couple were heading home to Nashville, Tennessee. Federal prosecutors said at the couple’s 2022 trial that they conspired to defraud Atlanta-area banks of $30 million and tried to hide their earnings from tax authorities.

WORDS: 643 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 8:54 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:9c508547bf5f6d57ae20f38c6821cecd&mediaType=text

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US--CAMPUS PROTESTS-MAHMOUD KHALIL

Judge says US effort to deport Mahmoud Khalil on foreign policy grounds is likely unconstitutional

SUMMARY: A federal judge said the Trump administration’s effort to deport Mahmoud Khalil because of his pro-Palestinian activism at Columbia University was likely unconstitutional. Judge Michael Farbiarz said Wednesday that Khalil’s lawyers had not properly responded to another charge brought by the government: that Khalil had failed to disclose his involvement in activism and refugee resettlement on his permanent residency application. The judge plans to issue next steps in the coming days. Khalil, a legal U.S. resident, was detained by federal immigration agents on March 8 in the lobby of his university-owned apartment. He is first arrest under President Donald Trump’s widening crackdown on students who joined campus protests against Israel’s war in Gaza.

WORDS: 437 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 6:58 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:f802564cf42c31b11fec99730d53ee5b&mediaType=text

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US--SPELLING BEE GUIDE

Scripps National Spelling Bee guide: How to watch, who the notable spellers are, rules and prizes

SUMMARY: The best young spellers in the English language are competing at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. The first bee was held in 1925, when the Louisville Courier-Journal invited other newspapers to host spelling bees and send their champions to Washington. The bee is now held just outside the nation’s capital, at a convention center on the banks of the Potomac River in Oxon Hill, Maryland. This is the 97th bee. It was canceled from 1943 to 1945 because of World War II and again in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

WORDS: 962 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 6:56 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:bf6b7b7764c33566e6ba50e1424d71a1&mediaType=text

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US--SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-DIDDY

Stylist says Cassie confided that Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs pressured her into sex marathons

SUMMARY: A friend and former stylist of the R&B singer Cassie is the latest witness to testify at Sean “Diddy” Combs federal sex trafficking trial. The stylist, Deonte Nash, told jurors that the hip-hop mogul insisted his then-girlfiend Cassie have an unwanted sex marathon after celebrating her birthday with friends. In his testimony Wednesday, Nash also corroborated Cassie’s account that Combs frequently beat and tormented her, as well as threatened to ruin her reputation by leaking sexual recordings. Nash said he remains close with Cassie, even advising her on her trial wardrobe. He said he contacted her Tuesday to congratulate her on the birth of her third child.

WORDS: 774 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 5:30 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:9c419869ad6d18e71fdb22841684088a&mediaType=text

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US--AVIATION SAFETY

Air traffic control system must be improved to prevent problems like Newark airport, officials say

SUMMARY: The problems that disrupted flights at New Jersey’s largest airport this spring could be repeated anywhere across the country, so Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is trying to sell Congress on his plan to overhaul the nation’s air traffic control system that will cost “tens of billions.” Duffy provided an update Wednesday on the repairs and staffing efforts that are underway to help eliminate the problems affecting Newark Liberty International Airport. And Duffy emphasized that the Newark radar outages and air traffic control shortage are a prime example of why the antiquated system needs to be improved.

WORDS: 820 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 4:20 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:891672541d3cfb9208c9f0d54d7f3484&mediaType=text

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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US--TRUMP-TARIFFS-LAWSUITS

Federal court blocks Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs under emergency powers law

SUMMARY: A federal court is blocking President Donald Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs on imports under an emergency-powers law. The ruling from a three-judge panel came after several lawsuits arguing Trump has exceeded his authority, leaving U.S. trade policy dependent on his whims. At least seven lawsuits are challenging the levies, the centerpiece of Trump’s trade policy. Trump says he has the power to act because the country’s trade deficits amount to a national emergency. The court found the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the use of tariffs. The plaintiffs argued that the trade deficit is not an emergency because the U.S. has run a trade deficit with the rest of the world for 49 consecutive years.

WORDS: 884 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 11:17 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:0392dbd59f548e49ad4f64254ae3f94a&mediaType=text

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US--MUSK-TRUMP

Elon Musk is leaving the Trump administration after leading effort to slash federal government

SUMMARY: Elon Musk is leaving his government role as a top adviser to President Donald Trump after spearheading efforts to reduce and overhaul the federal bureaucracy. The billionaire entrepreneur posted Wednesday about his decision on X, his social media website. “As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” he wrote. A White House official, who requested anonymity to talk about the change, confirmed that Musk was leaving. Musk’s departure comes one day after he criticized the centerpiece of Trump’s legislative agenda, saying he was “disappointed” by what the president calls his “big beautiful bill.”

WORDS: 1151 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 10:30 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:aa2bc70b0ebdb219b5dd3e9f8fae03af&mediaType=text

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US--TRUMP-MIGRANT CHILDREN

217 days and counting: Trump’s rules slow the release of migrant children to their families

SUMMARY: Releases of immigrant children in U.S. custody have slowed dramatically since the Trump administration increased vetting of people seeking to take care of them. Government data show only 45 of more than 2,000 children in custody were released last month. The average child stay in federal shelters has gone up from just over one month to just over seven months. Relatives looking to get the children out of government custody as they apply for legal immigration protections say there are massive delays. DNA tests take many weeks. New requirements for proof of income and identity demand documents that many caretakers — especially those in the U.S. illegally — cannot obtain.

WORDS: 1156 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 7:46 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:4f6a2d79ebf9c899abdad809aab6c815&mediaType=text

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INTERNATIONAL

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ML--MIDEAST WARS

Israel authorizes more settlements in the occupied West Bank. Strikes on Gaza kill 34, officials say

SUMMARY: Israel says it will authorize 22 Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. They would include new settlements and the legalization of outposts already built without government authorization. Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 34 people overnight, with one strike on a home in central Gaza killing 22 people. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and the Palestinians want it to be the main part of their future state. Most of the international community views settlements as illegal and an obstacle to resolving the decades-old conflict. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the settlement decision was “a strategic move that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel.”

WORDS: 891 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 1:02 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:f68c800d2f85933e5cb27e5d8ccd8742&mediaType=text

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LT--ARGENTINA-MARADONA

Argentine court declares a mistrial in the case over the death of soccer star Maradona

SUMMARY: An Argentine court has declared a mistrial in the case of seven health professionals accused of negligence in the death of soccer legend Diego Maradona. It was the latest dramatic twist in a trial that has captivated the nation and the soccer world for more than two months. The whiplash decision comes after one of the three judges overseeing the trial stepped down over criticism surrounding her participation in a forthcoming documentary about the case. Her withdrawal compelled the court to either appoint a new judge in her place or to retry the entire case from scratch. On Thursday, the judges decided the latter.

WORDS: 241 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 12:38 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:ad44fc5d1e871224663bd27408be8a04&mediaType=text

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ML--SYRIA-US

Long-shuttered US ambassador’s residence in Damascus is reopened as Washington mends ties with Syria

SUMMARY: The U.S. flag has been hoisted outside of the long-shuttered ambassador’s residence in Damascus. It’s a sign of growing ties between Washington and the new Syrian government. Syrian state-run news agency SANA reported on Thursday that U.S. ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack arrived to inaugurate the residence. He has also been appointed special envoy to Syria. Washington hasn’t formally reopened its embassy in Damascus, which closed in 2012 after protests against the government of then-President Bashar Assad. Assad was unseated in December in a lightning rebel offensive. But Barrack’s visit and the raising of the flag were a significant signal of warming relations.

WORDS: 481 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 11:54 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:f0e22df744565ad6a6503c9c7d90972c&mediaType=text

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AS-BC--CHINA-SPACE

China launches spacecraft it says will return samples and yield ‘groundbreaking discoveries’

SUMMARY: China’s space agency has launched a spacecraft that promises to return samples from a pair of asteroids near Mars. China National Space Administration says the Tianwen-2 probe launched early Thursday from southern China aboard the workhorse Long March 3-B rocket will collect samples from an near-Earth asteroid. The probe also will explore the main-belt comet 311P, which lies even farther from Earth than Mars. The agency head Shan Zhongde says the mission represents a significant step in China’s journey of interplanetary exploration.

WORDS: 401 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 10:56 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:d265f9f3375754e77cea61de8ac925cd&mediaType=text

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AS--CHINA-US-STUDENT VISAS

Chinese students anxious and angry after Rubio vows to revoke visas

SUMMARY: Chinese students in the U.S. are scrambling to figure out their futures after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that some of them would have their visas revoked. Many reacted with anger. A Chinese student at Johns Hopkins University described it as a “new version of the Chinese Exclusion Act,” a 19th-century law that prohibited Chinese from immigrating to the U.S. Chinese students have seen rising rejection rates for visas in recent years as U.S.-China relations deteriorate. Hong Kong has said it would welcome students who were impacted by the changing U.S. policies.

WORDS: 943 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 10:44 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:80fb4551d4d1139b29f6cbc4d172603a&mediaType=text

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AS--NEPAL-EVEREST-ANNIVERSARY

Nepal’s mountaineering community celebrates 72nd anniversary of Mount Everest conquest

SUMMARY: Nepal’s mountaineering community has celebrated the 72nd anniversary of the conquest of the world’s highest peak. The International Everest Day rally in Kathmandu on Thursday marks the first summit climb of Mount Everest in May 1953 by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay. Nepal’s minister for culture and tourism has led a group of mountaineering enthusiasts including climbers and guides in a march around the capital city and a gathering at the old palace. The end of May also marks the end of the popular spring mountaineering season, when monsoon weather puts climbs on hold.

WORDS: 396 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 10:07 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:0e068df3da6d5789e5a1e787e3062378&mediaType=text

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AS--JAPAN-BOBTAIL CATS

Cats with hooked and bent tails fill Nagasaki, Japan, where they are thought to bring good luck

SUMMARY: In Japan, bobtail cats are considered good luck and Nagasaki is the place to find them. They are known as “omagari neko (bent-tail cats)” or “kagi neko (hook cats)” and have their own society of admirers and even a dedicated Shinto shrine. Nagasaki Cat Society member Kazuya Hideshima says their tails come in varieties including hook-shaped at the tip, curved or in a bun. Veterinarian Soshin Yamamoto says the large Nagasaki bobtail population is likely the result of a genetic mutation that reproduced in a relatively isolated environment when the nation was closed off. Residents hope the cats bring in tourists and help business.

WORDS: 346 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 3:42 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:8f81c1262cea38b35d2ff167b33adb9b&mediaType=text

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EU--FRANCE-SURGEON-CHILD RAPE

French surgeon sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping and abusing hundreds of patients

SUMMARY: A 74-year-old former surgeon who raped hundreds of patients has been sentenced to a maximum 20 years in prison by a French court. Joël Le Scouarnec was sentenced Wednesday after admitting raping and sexually assaulting almost 300 victims, mainly children. He is already serving a 15-year prison sentence for a conviction in 2020 of the rape and sexual assault of four children, including two nieces. The new trial in Brittany began in February and laid bare a pattern of abuse between 1989 and 2014. Most of the victims were unconscious or sedated hospital patients at the time of the assaults. The average age was 11.

WORDS: 1040 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 2:26 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:5adfeacd258e86c425577c95b4e0eb81&mediaType=text

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ML--MIDEAST-WARS-MOHAMMED SINWAR

Mohammed Sinwar, head of Hamas’ armed wing, has been killed, Netanyahu says

SUMMARY: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the man believed to be the head of Hamas’ armed wing, Mohammed Sinwar, has been killed, apparently confirming his death in a recent strike in the Gaza Strip. There was no confirmation from Hamas. Sinwar is the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader who helped mastermind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that started the Israel-Hamas war. He was killed by Israeli forces in October 2024. Israeli strikes have decimated Hamas’ Gaza leadership during the 19-month war. But the militant group has maintained its rule over the parts of Gaza not seized by Israel and still holds dozens of hostages.

WORDS: 644 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 10:36 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:6bd5f3688636c8bb5bda9dad7ab57b7f&mediaType=text

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EU--RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR

Germany’s Merz offers to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missiles to hit Russia

SUMMARY: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on their range and targets. Some of the advanced weapon systems that Kyiv’s allies have supplied to Ukraine to repel Russia’s invasion were subject to such restrictions. The limits have been a fraught political issue. There are fears that if the weapons struck Russia, the Kremlin might retaliate against the country that provided them. That could draw NATO into Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II. Later, Russia’s foreign minister invited Ukraine to hold direct peace talks in Istanbul on June 2.

WORDS: 1196 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 9:12 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:35c583e769bfd89eed738125802637ad&mediaType=text

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-CHILDREN-FUNERAL

Funeral of 3 siblings killed in Russian strike underscores mounting toll on Ukrainian families

SUMMARY: Three open coffins, one adult-sized, one medium and one child-sized, lay inside the Soviet-era Palace of Culture in a northern Ukrainian city. They were surrounded by dozens of bouquets Wednesday as a church choir sang farewell prayers, and hundreds of residents stood in grim silence. The siblings, aged 8, 12 and 17, were killed over the weekend when debris from a Russian cruise missile slammed into their home in Korostyshiv, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Kyiv, during an aerial barrage. The attack came at 3 a.m. as they slept in their beds. The children’s deaths underscore the mounting toll on Ukrainian families as Moscow ramps up its strikes amid faltering peace efforts.

WORDS: 695 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 6:50 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:0ac8331a46eaf99d181525eb1ca51f89&mediaType=text

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EU--BRITAIN-TATE BROTHERS

Tate brothers face rape and trafficking charges in the UK

SUMMARY: British prosecutors say influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate have been charged with rape and other crimes in Britain. The Crown Prosecution Service says the charges were authorized last year and this is the first time they are being confirmed. Andrew Tate, 38, faces charges related to three women that include rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain. Tristan Tate, 36, faces charges related to one woman that include rape, human trafficking and actual bodily harm.

WORDS: 359 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 4:11 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:085cf07c394f4ead035b86f981060e92&mediaType=text

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ML--MIDEAST WARS-THE LATEST

Live updates: Palestinians in Gaza grow increasingly desperate for food

SUMMARY: Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least one Palestinian was killed and 48 were wounded when gunshots were fired on a crowd that overran a new aid distribution site in the war-battered enclave that was set up by an Israeli and U.S.-backed foundation. It still wasn’t clear on Wednesday who had fired the shots the previous day outside the aid site in the southern Gaza city of Rafah — Israeli forces, private contractors or others. Chaos erupted when Palestinians broke through the fences around the distribution site on Tuesday. In other developments, Israel said it hit Wednesday the airport in Yemen’s capital held by Iran-backed rebels and destroyed the last plane used by the Houthis.

WORDS: 2866 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 3:16 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:93f85e19b6fad64c13c4f0c2e5c8d594&mediaType=text

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IRAN-US

Trump says he warned Netanyahu to hold off on an Iran strike to give US more time for nuclear talks

SUMMARY: President Donald Trump says he has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off on an Iran strike to give his administration more time time to push for new nuclear deal with Tehran. Trump told reporters at the White House that he told Netanyahu a strike “would be inappropriate to do right now because we’re very close to a solution.” Trump’s comments on Wednesday came as the head of the U.N.’s atomic watchdog group said that “the jury is still out” on negotiations between Iran and the U.S. over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. But Rafael Mariano Grossi described the continuing negotiations as a good sign.

WORDS: 842 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 1:54 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:0613bd70b6a47ed2f583177e54473a21&mediaType=text

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BUSINESS

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US--CEO PAY

CEO pay rose nearly 10% in 2024 as stock prices and profits soared

SUMMARY: The typical compensation package for chief executives who run companies in the S&P 500 jumped nearly 10% in 2024 as the stock market enjoyed another banner year and corporate profits rose sharply. The increase for those who occupy the corner office again outpaced the wage gains for the median worker at their company. At half the companies in AP’s annual pay survey, it would take the worker at the middle of the company’s pay scale 192 years to make what the CEO did in one. Rick Smith, the founder and CEO of Axon Enterprises, the maker of Tasers, topped the survey with a pay package valued at $164 million.

WORDS: 1295 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 1:21 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:1b968327984edfc67486c2e0e3dc2fff&mediaType=text

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FINANCIAL MARKETS

Nvidia rallies as the rest of Wall Street drifts after a US court blocks many of Trump’s tariffs

SUMMARY: A big rally for stocks that began in Asia is easing off the accelerator amid uncertainty about what will happen next after a U.S. court blocked many of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% Thursday after giving up most of an earlier gain. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 56 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.6%. It’s a downshift after stocks initially leaped in Tokyo, Seoul and Hong Kong, where markets had the first chance to react to the ruling late Wednesday by the U.S. Court of International Trade. The White House said it would appeal the ruling.

WORDS: 938 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 12:05 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:e9b612f1c8f4f338f24f609373075095&mediaType=text

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US--NVIDIA-RESULTS

Nvidia overcomes tariff-driven turbulence to deliver Q1 results that eclipsed projections

SUMMARY: Artificial intelligence technology bellwether Nvidia overcame a wave of tariff-driven turbulence to deliver another quarter of robust growth amid feverish demand for its high-powered chips that are making computers seem more human. The results announced Wednesday for the February-April period came against a backdrop of President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again trade war that has whipsawed Nvidia and other Big Tech companies that have been riding AI mania to propel both their revenue and stock prices increasingly higher. Those worries have eased amid stellar showings from tech powerhouses that topped the analyst projections that steer investors, capped by Nvidia’s report.

WORDS: 779 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 5:59 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:77c031067a61996ef4baa2ae3eb10a81&mediaType=text

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US--CRYPTO CONFERENCE

Vance urges crypto industry to stay involved in politics as he touts Trump administration’s record

SUMMARY: Vice President JD Vance praised the cryptocurrency industry Wednesday and urged it to remain active in U.S. politics and policymaking, highlighting the Trump administration’s close ties to a deep-pocketed industry that’s become a powerful force in Washington. Speaking at a bitcoin conference in Las Vegas, Vance urged the crypto executives and enthusiasts to keep pressure on Congress to pass pro-crypto legislation supported by the White House. Vance’s speech comes after Trump promised to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the planet” when he addressed the same bitcoin conference in Nashville last year in the middle of the presidential campaign.

WORDS: 633 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 5:27 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:007bf9ce161fdb33a7e1613fb5a3e661&mediaType=text

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US-CRYPTO KIDNAPPING-WRENCH ATTACKS

Why ‘wrench attacks’ on wealthy crypto holders are on the rise

SUMMARY: The headline-grabbing tale of an Italian man who said he was kidnapped and tortured for weeks inside an upscale Manhattan townhouse by captors seeking his bitcoin highlights a dark corner of the cryptocurrency world: the threat of violence by thieves seeking digital assets. The alleged attempted robbery is known as a “wrench attack.” It’s a name popularized by an online comic that mocked how easily high-tech security can be undone by hitting someone with a wrench until they give up passwords. Wrench attacks are on the rise thanks in part to cryptocurrency’s move into mainstream finance, experts say.

WORDS: 530 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 3:49 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:ddc7263c25ba590f85648e1682576971&mediaType=text

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HEALTH/SCIENCE

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MED--COVID SHOTS-WHAT TO KNOW

Will you be able to get a COVID-19 shot? Here’s what we know so far

SUMMARY: For many Americans, it’s not clear how easy getting a COVID-19 vaccination this fall will be — or if they’ve lost the choice. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week said the shots are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, usurping a decision normally made by scientific experts. That follows an earlier Food and Drug Administration move to limit the shots among healthy people under age 65. The biggest questions are whether people can still choose a vaccine even if it’s not recommended for them — and if insurance will pay.

WORDS: 679 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 5:45 p.m. EDT

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MED--COVID VARIANT

A new variant of COVID-19 may be driving up cases in some parts of the world, WHO says

SUMMARY: A new variant of COVID-19 is circulating in parts of the world and may be driving an increase in cases in the eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and western Pacific regions. The World Health Organization said Wednesday the new variant called NB.1.8.1 is increasing globally and in mid-May had reached nearly 11% of sequenced samples. Current vaccines are expected to remain effective and there’s nothing to suggest that the disease associated with the variant is more severe. Airport screening in the United States has detected the new variant in international travelers arriving in California, Washington state, Virginia and New York.

WORDS: 257 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 1:52 p.m. EDT

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CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT

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CLIMATE-RISING TEMPERATURES

Get ready for several years of killer heat, top weather forecasters warn

SUMMARY: Top weather agencies warn that the world should get ready for several years of even more record-breaking heat that pushes the globe to more deadly, fiery and uncomfortable extremes. Wednesday’s five-year forecast from the World Meteorological Organization and the U.K. Meteorological Office says there’s an 80% chance the world will break another annual temperature record in the next five years and it’s even more probable that the world will again exceed the international temperature threshold set 10 years ago. Scientists say that means more heat deaths, wildfires, nastier hurricanes, downpours and droughts.

WORDS: 752 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 3:39 p.m. EDT

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RELIGION

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REL--SHAPE NOTE-HYMNAL REVAMP

It’s not a reprint. Why Sacred Harp singers are revamping an iconic pre-Civil War hymnal

SUMMARY: A new edition of “The Sacred Harp,” a Christian hymnal first published in 1844, is being released this year. It helps carry on the more than 180-year-old American folk singing tradition that is as much about the community as it is the music. The shape-note songbook with music notes that look like triangles, ovals, squares and diamonds is core to the a cappella group singing practice. Over time, groups of Sacred Harp singers have periodically worked together to revise the songbook, preserving its history and breathing new life into it. The book is precious to its singers. The nine-member revision committee working on the new book feels a tremendous responsibility to get it right.

WORDS: 1494 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 10:15 a.m. EDT

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EDUCATION

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US--HARVARD GRADUATION

Harvard grads cheer commencement speakers who call for the school to stand strong

SUMMARY: Harvard graduates are celebrating commencement at a pivotal time for the Ivy League school. The cap and gown-clad students cheered speakers Wednesday who stressed the importance of maintaining a diverse and international student body while standing up for the truth at a time the esteemed university is under threat by the Trump administration. Harvard’s battles with Trump over funding and restrictions on teaching and admissions are just the latest challenge for graduates who began school as world was emerging from the pandemic. Yurong Luanna Jiang, a Chinese graduate who studied international development, told her fellow graduates that she grew up believing the “world was becoming a small village.” Now, though, she says she wonders if that worldview is under threat.

WORDS: 1100 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 12:58 p.m. EDT

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US--TRUMP-HARVARD

Federal judge extends order blocking Trump administration ban on foreign students at Harvard

SUMMARY: A federal judge on Thursday extended an order blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to bar Harvard University from enrolling foreign students. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs extended the block she imposed last week with a temporary restraining order on the government action. Harvard sued the Department of Homeland Security on Friday after Secretary Kristi Noem revoked its ability to host foreign students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.Harvard sued the Department of Homeland Security after Secretary Kristi Noem revoked its ability to host foreign students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced a new effort to revoke Harvard’s certification to enroll foreign students.

WORDS: 720 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 12:26 p.m. EDT

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US--EDUCATION-AIR QUALITY-OIL AND GAS-ABRIDGED

Oil and gas have boomed in New Mexico. Its schools are contending with pollution’s effects

SUMMARY: Natural gas has become a go-to fuel for power plants from coast to coast, sometimes replacing dirtier coal-fired plants and, by extension, improving air quality. In New Mexico, oil and gas companies employ thousands of workers, often in areas with few other opportunities, all while boosting the state’s budget with billions in royalty payments. But those benefits may come at a cost for thousands of students whose schools sit near oil and gas pipelines, wellheads and flare stacks. An Associated Press analysis of state and federal data found 694 oil and gas wells with new or active permits within a mile of a school in New Mexico.

WORDS: 1110 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 11:29 a.m. EDT

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US--EDUCATION-AIR QUALITY-OIL AND GAS

Oil and gas have boomed in New Mexico. Its schools are contending with pollution’s effects

SUMMARY: Natural gas has become a go-to fuel for power plants from coast to coast, sometimes replacing dirtier coal-fired plants and, by extension, improving air quality. In New Mexico, oil and gas companies employ thousands of workers, often in areas with few other opportunities, all while boosting the state’s budget with billions in royalty payments. But those benefits may come at a cost for thousands of students whose schools sit near oil and gas pipelines, wellheads and flare stacks. An Associated Press analysis of state and federal data found 694 oil and gas wells with new or active permits within a mile of a school in New Mexico.

WORDS: 1741 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 2:47 a.m. EDT

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US--EDUCATION-STUDENT VISAS

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the US will begin revoking the visas of Chinese students

SUMMARY: Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. will begin revoking the visas of some Chinese students, “including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.” His announcement Wednesday adds to the uncertainty for America’s international students, who have faced intensifying scrutiny from President Donald Trump’s administration. China is the second-largest country of origin for international students in the United States, behind only India. In the 2023-2024 school year, more than 270,000 international students were from China, making up roughly a quarter of all foreign students in the U.S. On Tuesday, Rubio halted the scheduling of new visa interviews for international students.

WORDS: 1178 - MOVED: 05/28/2025 9:26 p.m. EDT

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SPORTS

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HKN--PANTHERS-HURRICANES

Defending champion Panthers head back to Stanley Cup Final with 5-3 Game 5 win over Hurricanes

SUMMARY: Carter Verhaeghe broke a tie off a feed from Aleksander Barkov with 7:39 left and the defending champion Florida Panthers advanced to their third straight Stanley Cup Final, beating the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 on Wednesday night in Game 5. The Panthers beat the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final for the second time in three seasons. The Panthers will face the winner of the Western final between Dallas and Edmonton, with the Oilers up 3-1 to put them within a win of a rematch with Florida for the Cup. Sam Bennett added an empty-net goal with 54 seconds left by skating down a loose puck straight out of the penalty box after Florida had held up against a critical late power play for the Hurricanes.

WORDS: 770 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 12:32 a.m. EDT

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BKN--TIMBERWOLVES-THUNDER

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 34 as Thunder top Timberwolves 124-94 to advance to NBA Finals

SUMMARY: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 to win the Western Conference finals series 4-1 and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. Chet Holmgren had 22 points, seven rebounds and three blocks and Jalen Williams added 19 points and eight rebounds for the Thunder. Oklahoma City will play the Indiana Pacers or New York Knicks in the finals. Indiana leads the Eastern Conference finals series 3-1 with Game 5 to be played in New York City on Thursday.

WORDS: 501 - MOVED: 05/29/2025 12:15 a.m. EDT

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