AP National News

CHICAGO (AP) — Riccardo Muti will become the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s music director emeritus for life starting next season. The announcement was made on the stage of Orchestra Hall on Friday night after a performance of Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis.” The performance was the start of Muti’s final subscription weekend as music director. His tenure began

NEW YORK (AP) — The selection of 19-year-old basketball sensation Victor Wembanyama by the San Antonio Spurs was must see-TV Thursday night. The first round of the NBA draft averaged a record 4,928,000 viewers on ESPN and ABC, according to Nielsen. This is the third year that the first round has been on both networks.

By RIAZAT BUTT Associated Press MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims streamed into the holy city of Mecca on Friday ahead of the start of Hajj next week, as the annual pilgrimage returns to its monumental scale after three years of heavy restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic. Saudi officials say close to 1.5

By DAVID SHARP Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The cost of the unprecedented search for the missing Titan submersible will easily stretch into the millions of dollars. That’s according to maritime law and search and rescue experts. The massive international effort by aircraft, surface ships and deep-sea robots began Sunday when the Titan was

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press Long a low-profile Russian businessman, mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has taken the spotlight in Russia. That’s by posing a direct challenge to Russia’s generals over the war in Ukraine. Prigozhin is owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner mercenary group, which has played a central role in Russia’s fight in Ukraine. Now,

By NOMAAN MERCHANT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials released an intelligence report Friday that rejected some points raised by those who argue COVID-19 leaked from a Chinese lab, instead reiterating that American spy agencies remain divided over how the pandemic began. The report was issued at the behest of Congress, which in March

By DAVID SHARP Associated Press The saga of a lost submersible that had gone into the depths of the ocean to see the Titanic wreckage rippled across the national and global conversation. But a far bigger disaster days earlier, the wrecking of a ship off Greece filled with migrants, killed at least 78 people and

Associated Press The around-the-clock search for the missing Titan submersible engrossed the world for days. But after news of the catastrophic implosion that killed the pilot and his four passengers near the Titanic shipwreck, investigators are focusing on how it happened — and if it could have been prevented. Deep-sea robots continue searching the North

Associated Press The owner of the Wagner private military contractor made his most direct challenge to the Kremlin yet on Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia’s defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by calling for the arrest of Yevgeny Prigozhin. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin was taking

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City officials called on the public to help with a crackdown on unsafe e-bike shops after a spate of deadly fires caused by lithium ion batteries, the latest of which killed four people in Manhattan’s Chinatown on Tuesday. In the days since, fire officials have issued citations to 10

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Sports Writer NFL owners are set to meet July 20 to consider and potentially vote to approve the sale of the Washington Commanders, a person with knowledge of the situation said Friday. The person said teams were notified Thursday of a special league meeting that will take place in Minneapolis. The

By MARK PRATT Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — The deadly implosion of the Titan submersible raises questions about whether the vessel exploring the Titanic wreckage was destined for disaster because of its unconventional design and its creator’s refusal to submit to independent checks that are standard in the industry. All five people aboard the Titan

By R.J. RICO Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A metro Atlanta prosecutor has announced that her office is withdrawing from criminal cases tied to protests over plans to build a police and firefighter training center. DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston cited disagreements with the state’s Republican attorney general, including the decision to charge a

By SUSIE BLANN Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The owner of the Wagner private military contractor escalated his direct challenge to the Kremlin on Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia’s defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by opening a criminal investigation into Yevgeny Prigozhin. Prigozhin posted a series of

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Friday he supports the idea of expunging the two impeachments of Donald Trump as hard-right Republican allies of the former president introduce a pair of proposals to declare it as though the historic charges never happened. McCarthy told reporters that he

By PATRICK WHITTLE and JENNIFER McDERMOTT Associated Press A day after revelations that the Titan submersible imploded, officials are searching the ocean floor for evidence and determining who will be responsible for investigating the international disaster. The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday that a formal inquiry has not yet been launched because maritime agencies are