AP-National

By PETER SMITH Associated Press Mike Dulak grew up Catholic in Southern California, but by his teen years, he began skipping Mass and driving straight to the shore to play guitar, watch the waves and enjoy the beauty of the morning. “And it felt more spiritual than any time I set foot in a church,”

By PETER SMITH Associated Press Thirty percent of Americans don’t identify with a religious group — but not all of them are atheists or agnostics. In fact, 43% of the group known as the “nones” say they believe in God, even if they largely dislike organized religion. Those are among the findings of a new

By GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO Associated Press ISOLA DEL GRAN SASSO, Italy (AP) — In small towns like this mountain one a couple of hours east of Rome, and all across Italy, life has changed over the last generation as the Catholic faith loses relevance in people’s routines and choices. From cradle to casket — from buying

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO and NATACHA PISARENKO Associated Press MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — In Uruguay, a nation of some 3.3 million people, more than half identify as “nones” — atheist, agnostic or other religiously unaffiliated — the highest portion in Latin America. Uruguay has a long history of secularization. In the early 20th century, new

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant says it has begun releasing a second batch of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea after the first round of discharges ended smoothly. Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings says workers activated a pump on Thursday to dilute the treated

TOKYO (AP) — Japan issued a tsunami advisory after a strong earthquake struck near its outlying islands in the Pacific Ocean, but lifted it about two hours later. No damage was reported. The advisory, the second-lowest of a four-stage warning system, asked people on islands in the Izu chain, which stretches south from the Tokyo

By JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Two Philippine supply boats have breached a Chinese coast guard blockade in the South China Sea in a recurring confrontation near a disputed shoal some fear could spark a larger security crisis that could draw in the United States. Two Philippine coast guard ships escorted the

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer After a summer of record-smashing heat, warming somehow got even worse in September as Earth set a new mark for how far above normal temperatures were, the European climate agency reported Thursday. Last month’s average temperature was 0.93 degrees Celsius (1.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1991-2020 average for September.

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s dog, Commander, is “not presently on the White House campus” following a series of biting incidents involving White House staff and U.S. Secret Service officers, a spokesperson for first lady Jill Biden said late Wednesday. Elizabeth Alexander, the first lady’s communications director, said Biden

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Authorities say three Philadelphia police officers responding to a home where people were arguing about a video game were wounded in a shootout Wednesday evening. Acting Police Commissioner John Stanford told reporters the suspect was killed. The officers were taken to an area hospital, where they are in stable condition. Stanford said

By JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press Donald Trump’s campaign says it raised more than $45.5 million in the third quarter of the year. The haul announced Wednesday far surpasses Ron DeSantis, the man once seen as his fiercest rival. The Trump campaign says it ended September with over $37.5 million cash on hand, bolstered by

By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Full construction on the final phase of the Motown Museum’s expansion will get underway in the spring of 2024, the museum’s CEO announced Wednesday night. Robin Terry also said that fundraising for the expansion has reached $59 million, “nearing our goal of $65 million.” “Although we are

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An image of King Charles III will soon appear on Australian coins, more than a year after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, officials said Thursday. The gold Australian dollar coin will be the first with an image of the new British monarch, who

HONOLULU (AP) — Officials briefly paused flights at Honolulu’s main airport on Wednesday while medical personnel attended to an employee in the air traffic control room. The Federal Aviation Administration says normal operations have since resumed at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. The Hawaii Department of Transportation says flights were grounded from 12:25 p.m. to

WINDSOR, Conn. (AP) — Police in Connecticut say a man suspected of stealing a car with a 17-month-old child in the back seat and then robbing a bank died after the vehicle struck a tree. The toddler was awake and responsive after the Wednesday morning crash in Windsor, just north of Hartford. The suspect was

By SOPHIE AUSTIN AND TRÂN NGUYỄN Associated Press/Report for America SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a law to increase the amount of minimum sick days for workers from three days to five. The legislation was one of several major labor proposals in the Legislature this year. Newsom also signed a

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania lawmakers are advancing legislation to authorize the Department of Revenue to go after the lottery winnings and income tax returns of turnpike toll scofflaws. The bill was passed unanimously by the Senate Wednesday and now goes to the House of Representatives. The Associated Press reported in 2021 that the Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Authorities have announced an arrest in the case of a motorcyclist seen smashing in the back of a woman’s car while her two small children were inside in Philadelphia and then waving a gun at her after she confronted him. Prosecutors said 26-year-old Cody Heron is charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota county has agreed to pay a $12.2 million settlement to a man who was jailed on suspicion of drunken driving but ended up losing both his hands — allegedly due to inaction of officials in the county jail. Terrance Dwayne Winborn’s attorneys say he spent

By TERRY SPENCER Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida prosecutors have charged rapper YNW Melly with witness tampering ahead of his retrial on double murder charges. Broward County prosecutors say in documents released Wednesday that the rapper used fellow members of the Blood street gang to ensure a key witness did not testify