AP-Newswatch

Elon Musk wants to build a digital town square. But his debut for DeSantis had a tech failure.

Elon Musk wants to turn Twitter into a “digital town square,” but his much-publicized Twitter Spaces kickoff event, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announcing his run for president, struggled with technical glitches and a near half-hour delay Tuesday. The billionaire Twitter owner said the problems were due to “straining” servers because so many people were trying to listen to the audio-only event. But even at their highest, the number of listeners listed topped out at around 420,000, far from the millions of viewers that televised presidential announcements attract.

McCarthy’s Republicans push debt ceiling talks to brink, lawmakers leaving town for weekend

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are pushing debt ceiling talks to the brink. As they prepare to leave town Thursday for a long Memorial Day recess, it’s a display of risky political bravado. They’re just days out from a potentially devastating debt default if Congress fails to act to raise the borrowing limit. The fallout could hurl the global economy into chaos. A defiant House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said the debt ceiling standoff was “not my fault” as Republicans try to reach a budget-slashing deal with President Joe Biden. But it’s clear the Republican speaker leading a Trump-aligned party whose hard-right flank lifted him to power is now staring down a potential crisis.

After Typhoon Mawar battered Guam, ‘what used to be a jungle looks like toothpicks’

HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — Many residents of Guam are without power and utilities after Typhoon Mawar tore through the remote U.S. Pacific territory and ripped roofs off homes, flipped vehicles and shredded trees. The governor’s office says there were minor injuries reported but no fatalities. The typhoon is the strongest to hit the territory of roughly 150,000 people since 2002. It briefly made landfall Wednesday night as a Category 4 storm. The island’s international airport flooded and the swirling typhoon churned up a storm surge and waves that crashed through coastal reefs and flooded homes. An island meteorologist said Thursday that “what used to be a jungle looks like toothpicks.”

State lawmakers want children to fill labor shortages, even in bars and on school nights

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Some state lawmakers are looking to loosen child labor laws, even as the federal government cracks down on surging violations. In at least 10 states, legislators have proposed letting children work longer hours and in more hazardous occupations as a fix for labor shortages. They also say parents have the right to let their kids work, and without too much paperwork. But advocates against child exploitation are concerned by proposals allowing children to work late on school nights and serve alcohol in restaurants. Recent investigations by federal authorities found child workers exposed to dangerous conditions in meatpacking plants and automotive factories, industries that have struggled to find adult workers.

Target on the defensive after removing LGBTQ+-themed products

NEW YORK (AP) — Target once distinguished itself as being boldly supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. Now, it has tarnished that status after removing some LGBTQ+-themed products and relocating Pride Month displays to the back of stores in certain Southern locations. The company is addressing online complaints and in-store confrontations that it says were a threat to employees’ well-being. Target is facing a second backlash from customers who are upset by the discount retailer’s reaction to aggressive, anti-LGBTQ+ activism, which has also been sweeping through Republican state legislatures. Civil rights groups chided the company for caving to anti-LGBTQ customers who tipped over displays and expressed outrage over gender-fluid bathing suits.

Tina Turner, ‘Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ whose triumphant career made her world-famous, dies at 83

NEW YORK (AP) — Tina Turner has died at age 83. She teamed with husband Ike Turner for a dynamic run of hit records and live shows and survived her horrifying marriage to triumph in middle age with the chart-topping “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” She was also known for such songs as “Proud Mary,” “River Deep, Mountain High” and “We Don’t Need Another Hero.” Her trademarks were her growling contralto, her bold smile and strong cheekbones, her palette of wigs and her muscular, quick-stepping legs. Turner’s manager says she died Wednesday after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich.

Indiana doctor faces discipline hearing over 10-year-old Ohio girl’s abortion

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indiana board is set to hear allegations that an Indianapolis doctor should face disciplinary action after she spoke publicly about providing an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim from neighboring Ohio. The Medical Licensing Board’s hearing on Thursday comes after state’s Republican attorney general accused Dr. Caitlin Bernard of violating state law by not reporting the girl’s child abuse to Indiana authorities and federal patient privacy laws by telling a newspaper reporter about the girl’s treatment. Bernard and her attorneys maintain that the doctor followed Indiana’s child abuse reporting requirements as the girl’s rape was already being investigated by Ohio authorities. A man has been charged in Columbus, Ohio, with raping the girl.

High blood pressure plagues many Black Americans. Combined with COVID, it’s catastrophic

DISTRICT HEIGHTS, Md. (AP) — In a nation plagued by high blood pressure, Black people are more likely to suffer from it. And so, in the time of COVID-19, they are more likely than white people to die. It’s a stark reality. And it has played out in thousands of Black households that have lost mothers and fathers over the past three years, a distinct calamity within the many tragedies of the pandemic. About 56% of Black adults have high blood pressure, compared to 48% of white people. Three in four African Americans are likely to develop the disorder by age 55.

Companies are finding it’s not so simple to leave Russia. Others are quietly staying put

When Russia invaded Ukraine, companies were quick to respond, some announcing they would get out of Russia immediately. Others vowed to curtail sales and new investment. Billions of dollars’ worth of factories, energy holdings and power plants were written off or put up for sale. More than a year later, it’s clear: Leaving Russia isn’t as easy as the first announcements might have made it seem. Increasingly, Russia has put hurdles in the way of companies that want out, requiring approval by a government commission and in some cases from President Vladimir Putin himself, while imposing painful discounts and taxes on sale prices. They also risk running afoul of Western sanctions and public opinion.

After a year of long overdue Hollywood love, actor James Hong is still having his moment

Look at James Hong, you will likely see the busiest 90-something in show biz. The last year for him has been a wild ride, from receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to hitting every award show for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Viewers will soon be able to hear him in the animated prequel series, “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai,” drops Tuesday on MAX. He pops up in an episode of the new Disney+ show, “American Born Chinese,” which premieres Wednesday. It’s as if the universe is trying to make up for all the racial discrimination the 94-year-old Asian American icon endured over the years.