NEWS

AP-Summary Brief News February 21, 2024 For many Ukrainians, life is split in two: Before and after the war. This is one family’s story KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — As Russia launched its war in Ukraine two years ago, the lives of millions of Ukrainians were irreversibly changed. They now delineate it into periods before and after Feb. 24, 2022. Tens of thousands have buried loved ones, millions have fled their homes, and the country has been thrust into a long, exhausting war. For Kateryna Dmytryk, a glimmer of light returned to her life when her husband was liberated from Russian […]

AP-Summary Brief-Business   February 22, 2024 How AI health care chatbots learn from the questions of an Indian women’s organization NEW YORK (AP) — A women’s organization in Mumbai, India, is training a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence with the help of women like 32-year-old Komal Vilas Thatkare. The Myna Mahila Foundation has recruited 80 test users to help train the chatbot how to answer questions about sexual reproductive health. The chatbot runs on OpenAI’s ChatGPT model and also draws on a database of medical information. Suhani Jalota is the founder and CEO of the foundation. She says the chatbot […]

AP-Summary Brief News February 22, 2024 Soccer star Dani Alves found guilty of rape, sentenced to four and a half years in prison BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Soccer star Dani Alves has been found guilty of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub and sentenced to four years and six months in prison. The Barcelona Provincial Court convicts the 40-year-old former Brazil and Barcelona defender of sexual assault for the incident on Dec. 31, 2022. The court considered it proven that the victim did not consent to sex and she was raped. The court ordered Alves to pay 150,000 euros […]

AP-Summary Brief-Business   February 26, 2024 US sues to block merger of grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons, saying it could push prices higher The Federal Trade Commission is suing to block a proposed merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons. The FTC says the $24.6 billion deal would eliminate competition and lead to higher prices for millions of Americans. The FTC filed a lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court in Oregon. It was joined in the suit by the attorneys general of eight states and the District of Columbia. Kroger and Albertsons, two of the nation’s largest grocers, agreed to […]

AP-Summary Brief News February 26, 2024 Manhattan DA asks judge for a gag order in Trump’s hush-money case ahead of next month’s trial NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors in Donald Trump’s New York hush-money criminal case asked a judge Monday to impose a gag order on the former president, citing what they called his “long history of making public and inflammatory remarks” about people involved in his legal cases. The Manhattan district attorney’s office asked that Trump be barred from making or directing others to make public statements about potential witnesses, prospective jurors and members of the prosecution team and […]

AP-Summary Brief-Business   February 28, 2024 Lower auto prices are finally giving Americans a break after years of inflationary increases DETROIT (AP) — Price increases for cars and trucks in the United States, which helped fuel inflation for nearly three years, are slowing and in some cases falling, helping cool overall inflation and giving frustrated Americans more hope of finding an affordable vehicle. Behind the price slowdown is a vastly expanded number of vehicles on dealer lots after years of severe shortages. With more autos available, the pressures that had sent prices surging have eased. Though inventories are still well […]

AP-Summary Brief News February 28, 2024 McConnell will step down as the Senate Republican leader in November after a record run in the job WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitch McConnell says he’ll step down as Senate Republican leader in November. The 82-year-old Kentucky lawmaker is the longest-serving Senate leader in history. He’s maintained his power in the face of dramatic changes in the Republican Party. He made the announcement Wednesday on the Senate floor. He said that “one of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter.” McConnell says he plans to […]

AP-Summary Brief-Business   March 1, 2024 They are TV’s ghosts — networks that somehow survive with little reason to watch them anymore NEW YORK (AP) — Cable television is filled with ghosts. They’re networks that somehow survive as shadows of themselves, with schedules clogged with reruns and devoid of any real innovation. Fueled by the onset of streaming, this has come on quickly: once-thriving networks like USA, MTV, Disney and BET have lost more than half of their viewers in only a decade. As they fade, so are the communities they helped to create. Streaming has revolutionized how people watch […]

AP-Summary Brief News March 1, 2024 Gaza doctor says gunfire accounted for 80% of the wounds at his hospital from aid convoy bloodshed RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The head of a Gaza hospital where some of the wounded from bloodshed surrounding an aid convoy were taken says more than 80% percent had been struck by gunfire, suggesting heavy shooting by Israeli troops. At least 112 Palestinians were killed and more than 750 others were injured Thursday when witnesses said troops opened fire as crowds raced to pull goods off an aid convoy. Israel said many of the dead were […]

AP-Summary Brief-Business   March 4, 2024 JetBlue and Spirit are ending their $3.8 billion merger plan after a federal judge blocked the deal JetBlue and Spirit Airlines are ending their proposed $3.8 billion merger after a federal judge blocked the deal, ruling it would hurt competition. JetBlue said Monday that even though both companies still believe in the benefits of a combination, they felt they were unlikely to meet the required closing conditions before a July 24 deadline. The airlines say they are mutually agreeing that terminating the deal is the best decision for both. A merger would have eliminated […]

AP- News March 4, 2024 Supreme Court restores Trump to ballot, rejecting state attempts to ban him over Capitol attack WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump says the Supreme Court opinion unanimously restoring him to 2024 presidential primary ballots is a “BIG WIN” for America. The court Monday rejected state attempts to hold the Republican former president accountable for the Capitol riot. The justices ruled a day before the Super Tuesday primaries that states cannot invoke a post-Civil War constitutional provision to keep presidential candidates from appearing on ballots. The court wrote in an unsigned opinion that that power resides with […]

AP-Summary Brief-Business   March 5, 2024 Regulator proposes capping credit card late fees at $8, latest in Biden’s campaign against junk fees NEW YORK (AP) — The Biden administration is moving to cap credit card late fees at $8. It’s the latest effort in the White House push to end what it has called junk fees and is a move that regulators say will save Americans up to $10 billion a year. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says the average credit card late fee is around $32. President Joe Biden plans to highlight the proposal along with other efforts to […]

AP- News March 5, 2024 Coast-to-coast Super Tuesday contests poised to move Biden and Trump closer to November rematch WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump are poised to have the biggest day of the primary campaign move them to the brink of winning their party’s presidential nominations and set up a historic rematch that many voters would rather not endure. Super Tuesday elections are being held in 16 states and one territory. Hundreds of delegates are at stake, the biggest haul for either party on a single day. In a dramatic departure from competitive Super Tuesdays […]

AP-Summary Brief-Business   March 7, 2024 Federal Reserve’s Powell: Regulatory proposal criticized by banks will be revised by end of year WASHINGTON (AP) — A sweeping bank regulatory proposal will be significantly revised by year’s end, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday, a potential victory for the large banks that have aggressively opposed the likely changes. The proposed rule, issued last summer by the Fed and other regulatory agencies, is intended to implement changes that were negotiated internationally after the 2008 global financial crisis. Among other things, the rule would require the largest banks — those with more than […]

AP- News March 7, 2024 Biden will announce a plan for a temporary port for aid on Gaza’s coast as cease-fire talks stall WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will announce to establish a temporary port on the Gaza coast to boost humanitarian aid for the beleaguered territory. That’s according to senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the announcement that’s expected later Thursday during his State of the Union speech. The officials said the project won’t require American troops on the ground to build a pier that’s intended to help facilitate a significant increase […]