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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Former first lady Michelle Obama and The Poor People’s Campaign have been chosen to receive Freedom Awards from the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The museum said Wednesday that Obama and the campaign’s leaders, the Rev. William Barber and the Rev. Liz Theoharis, will be honored at a virtual

By REBECCA SANTANA, MELINDA DESLATTE and JANET McCONNAUGHEY Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Commercial flights have resumed in New Orleans and power has returned to parts of the business district in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. The progress comes four days after the storm slammed into the Gulf Coast. But electricity, drinking water and

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Last week, managers overseeing the fight against the massive wildfire scorching California’s Lake Tahoe region thought they could have it contained by the start of this week. But on Monday the Caldor Fire crested the Sierra Nevada, forcing the unprecedented evacuation of all 22,000 residents of

By JESSICA GRESKO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is denouncing the Supreme Court’s decision not to block a new Texas law banning most abortions in the state. He said Thursday he is directing federal agencies to do what they can to “insulate women and providers” from the impact. Hours earlier, in the

By ROBERT BURNS and LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Mark Milley, says it’s “possible” the U.S. will coordinate with the Taliban on any future counterterrorism strikes in Afghanistan against Islamic State militants or others. Milley says the Taliban is a “ruthless” group,

By MICHAEL BALSAMO, ERIC TUCKER and LISA MASCARO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Far right extremist groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are planning to attend a rally later this month at the U.S. Capitol that is designed to demand “justice” for the hundreds of people who have been charged in connection with

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military pilots and aircrew who made the final flights out of Afghanistan say the sky was lit up with fireworks and sporadic gunfire and the airfield littered with battered shells of airplanes and destroyed equipment. In interviews with The Associated Press, one American said

By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection has requested that telecommunications and social media companies preserve the personal communications of hundreds of people who may have somehow been connected to the attack. It’s a sweeping public demand from Congress that is rare in its breadth

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE and CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY Associated Press Texas has become the latest state where Republicans have rolled back access to voting methods that soared in popularity during last year’s pandemic presidential election. It’s part of a wider GOP effort to tighten voting rules, fueled in part by former President Donald Trump’s falsehoods about

By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer More companies are requiring COVID-19 vaccines and taking actions to motivate employees into getting their shots. Some may fire workers who don’t comply or charge them more for their health insurance. Employers also might limit business travel or perks like access to the company gym only to the vaccinated.

By FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — After two bone-dry years that sank the U.S. Southwest deeper into drought, this summer’s rainy season has unleashed with fury. Monsoon storms have brought spectacular lightning shows, bounties of wildflowers and widespread rainfall. But destruction also came as streets and homes flooded, leading to some swift

By ALEXANDRA OLSON AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The construction industry is fighting to recruit more women into a sector that faces chronic labor shortages. Women make up only 4% of skilled construction laborers in the U.S. and often face discrimination on jobs sites. The latest initiative to change that culture is Lean