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Justice Department says it may drop criminal prosecution of Boeing over Max crashes

The Justice Department may drop its criminal prosecution of Boeing for allegedly misleading U.S. regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed and killed 346 people, according to a weekend court filing.The department said in a Saturday status report that two representatives had met with the families of some crash victims to discuss a potential pretrial resolution that would involve dismissing the criminal fraud charge against the aerospace company. The Justice Department

Former President Joe Biden diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, his office said Sunday.Biden was seen by doctors last week after urinary symptoms and a prostate nodule were found. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Friday, with the cancer cells having spread to the bone.“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” his office said. “The President and his family are revie

Assault victim in Sequim attack dies at Harborview

A 36-year-old Jefferson County resident is now likely facing a murder charge after the victim died in the hospital.Police arrested the suspect, originally for assault, following an attack Tuesday in the central business district of Sequim.Authorities have not released much information about the attack and say the investigation is continuing.The suspect was booked into the Clallam County Correctional Facility on a charge of second-degree assault.Medics airlifted the victim to Harborview Medical C

Republicans look to get Trump’s big bill back on track with rare Sunday committee session

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans will look to get their massive tax cut and border security package back on track during a rare Sunday night committee meeting after that same panel voted against advancing the measure two days earlier, a setback that Speaker Mike Johnson is looking to reverse quickly.Deficit hawks joined with Democratic lawmakers on the House Budget Committee in voting against reporting the measure to the full House. Five Republicans voted no, one on procedural grounds, the other fo

Buffett plans to attend, but not take questions, at next year’s Berkshire shareholder meeting

(AP) — Billionaire Warren Buffett plans to attend, but not take questions, at next year’s Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting — a big change following his recent surprise retirement announcement.Buffett’s handpicked successor, Greg Abel, told the Omaha World-Herald that Berkshire plans a shareholder meeting for the first weekend of May that will have a question-and-answer session. But Buffett, who plans to remain as Berkshire’s chairman, plans to sit with the conglomerate&#8

DUI suspect blamed for wrong-way crash on SR 16 near Port Orchard

State troopers say no one was seriously hurt when a driver suspected of being impaired caused a wrong-way crash on State Route 16 early Sunday morning.His car slammed into another vehicle just before 2:00 a.m.The state patrol reports a 29-year-old University Place man in a Honda Accord was westbound on State Route 16, in the eastbound lanes, about two miles south of Port Orchard.That portion of the highway is actually in a north-south direction before it veers west toward the outskirts of Port O

Authorities investigating a Palm Springs, California, fertility clinic explosion as terrorism

Authorities in Palm Springs are preparing to update the public at a news conference Sunday morning about their investigation into an explosion at a fertility clinic that appeared to have killed the bomber and injured four other people.The explosion damaged office space, but the clinic’s IVF lab and stored embryos were offsite and were not damaged. Investigators called the explosion on Saturday an “intentional act of terrorism.” The suspect posted writings online and attempted to record the explo

Suspect killed in officer-involved shooting in Whatcom County

Vernon.The suspect took off northbound, trying to elude the officer, then ended up at the lake.When he arrived at Cain Lake, the man launched a small boat.Authorities say once in the water, the suspect started firing a gun.Authorities say the man appeared to be firing shots in several different directions.Officers from several agencies responded, including the Washington State Patrol, and the Whatcom and Skagit County Sheriff’s Offices.The lake is surrounded by homes, but officers say no o

Landscape still bears the scars of Mount St. Helens eruption 45 years later

It’s like a spectacular light show.”45 years later, the scars from the eruption remainDespite the passage of time, the scars of the 1980 eruption remain starkly visible, said Weston Thelen, a research seismologist at the Cascades Volcano Observatory.“You go up there and it really doesn’t look like it’s 45 years old,” Thelen said. “There’s still a lot of evidence of that eruption. It’s still a really spectacular place to go to see the power of volcanoes.”The eruption flattened hundreds of square

Federal officials launch investigation into Mexican tall ship that struck Brooklyn Bridge

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal transportation officials have launched an investigation into why a Mexican navy tall ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge in a collision that snapped the vessel’s three masts, killed two crew members and left some sailors dangling from harnesses high in the air.The ship known as the Cuauhtemoc was visiting New York on a global goodwill tour when the accident occurred Saturday evening. The vessel could be seen in multiple eyewitness videos traveling swiftly in reverse toward

Trump budget would cut ocean data and leave boaters, anglers and forecasters scrambling for info

<block>Capt. Ed Enos makes his living as a harbor pilot in Hawaii, clambering aboard arriving ships in the predawn hours and guiding them into port. His world revolves around wind speeds, current strength and wave swells. When Enos is bobbing in dangerous waters in the dark, his cellphone is his lifeline: with a few taps he can access the Integrated Ocean Observing System and pull up the data needed to guide what are essentially floating warehouses safely to the dock. But maybe not for much longer. President Donald Trump wants to eliminate all federal funding for the observing system’s regional operations. Scientists say the cuts could mean the end of efforts to gather real-time data crucial to navigating treacherous harbors, plotting tsunami escape routes and predicting hurricane intensity. “It’s the last thing you should be shutting down,” Enos said. “There’s no money wasted. Right at a time when we should be getting more money to do more work to benefit the public, they want to turn things off. That’s the wrong strategy at the wrong time for the wrong reasons.”<hl2>Monitoring system tracks all things ocean</hl2>The IOOS system launched about 20 years ago. It’s made up of 11 regional associations in multiple states and territories, including the Virgin Islands, Alaska, Hawaii, Washington state, Michigan, South Carolina and Southern California. The regional groups are networks of university researchers, conservation groups, businesses and anyone else gathering or using maritime data. The associations are the Swiss army knife of oceanography, using buoys, submersible drones and radar installations to track water temperature, wind speed, atmospheric pressure, wave speeds, swell heights and current strength. The networks monitor the Great Lakes, U.S. coastlines, the Gulf of Mexico, which Trump renamed the Gulf of America, the Gulf of Alaska, the Caribbean and the South Pacific and upload member data to public websites in real time.<hl2>Maritime community and military rely on system data</hl2>Cruise ship, freighter and tanker pilots like Enos, as well as the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, use the information directly to navigate harbors safely, plot courses around storms and conduct search-and-rescue operations. The associations’ observations feed into National Weather Service forecasts. The Pacific Northwest association uses tsunami data to post real-time coastal escape routes on a public-facing app. And the Hawaii association not only posts data that is helpful to harbor pilots but tracks hurricane intensity and tiger sharks that have been tagged for research.The associations also track toxic algal blooms, which can force beach closures and kill fish. The maps help commercial anglers avoid those empty regions. Water temperature data can help identify heat layers within the ocean and, because it’s harder for fish to survive in those layers, knowing hot zones helps anglers target better fishing grounds.The regional networks are not formal federal agencies but are almost entirely funded through federal grants through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The current federal budget allocates $43.5 million for the networks. A Republican bill in the House natural resources committee would actually send them more money, $56 million annually, from 2026 through 2030.<hl2>Cuts catch network administrators by surprise</hl2>A Trump administration memo leaked in April proposes a $2.5 billion cut to the Department of Commerce, which oversees NOAA, in the 2026 federal budget. Part of the proposal calls for eliminating federal funding for the regional monitoring networks, even though the memo says one of the activities the administration wants the commerce department to focus on is collecting ocean and weather data. The memo offered no other justifications for the cuts. The proposal stunned network users. “We’ve worked so hard to build an incredible system and it’s running smoothly, providing data that’s important to the economy. Why would you break it?” said Jack Barth, an Oregon State oceanographer who shares data with the Pacific Northwest association. “What we’re providing is a window into the ocean and without those measures we frankly won’t know what’s coming at us. It’s like turning off the headlights,” Barth said.NOAA officials declined to comment on the cuts and potential impacts, saying in an email to The Associated Press that they do not do “speculative interviews.”<hl2>Network’s future remains unclear</hl2>Nothing is certain. The 2026 federal fiscal year starts Oct. 1. The budget must pass the House, the Senate and get the president’s signature before it can take effect. Lawmakers could decide to fund the regional networks after all. Network directors are trying not to panic. If the cuts go through, some associations might survive by selling their data or soliciting grants from sources outside the federal government. But the funding hole would be so significant that just keeping the lights on would be an uphill battle, they said. If the associations fold, other entities might be able to continue gathering data, but there will be gaps. Partnerships developed over years would evaporate and data won’t be available in a single place like now, they said. “People have come to us because we’ve been steady,” Hawaii regional network director Melissa Iwamoto said. “We’re a known entity, a trusted entity. No one saw this coming, the potential for us not to be here.”___The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP’s <a href="https://www.ap.org/about/standards-for-working-with-outside-groups/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">standards</a> for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at <a href="https://www.ap.org/discover/Supporting-AP" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AP.org</a>.</block>

Libraries are cutting back on staff and services after Trump’s order to dismantle small agency

Libraries in Mississippi have indefinitely stopped offering a popular e-book service, and the South Dakota state library has suspended its interlibrary loan program.E-book and audiobook programs are especially vulnerable to budget cuts, even though those offerings have exploded in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic.“I think everyone should know the cost of providing digital sources is too expensive for most libraries,” said Cindy Hohl, president of the American Library Association. “It

Pope Leo XIV takes his first popemobile ride through St. Peter’s Square ahead of installation

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV took his first popemobile ride through St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, greeting the tens of thousands of people who joined presidents, patriarchs and princes for the formal installation ceremony of history’s first American pope that blends ancient ritual, evocative symbols and a nod to modern-day celebrity.The bells of St. Peter’s Basilica tolled as Leo waved from the back of the open-topped truck that looped slowly through the square and then up and down the

FDA approves Novavax COVID-19 shot but with unusual restrictions

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration has issued a long-awaited approval of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine but with unusual restrictions.Novavax makes the nation’s only traditional protein-based coronavirus vaccine – and until now it had emergency authorization from FDA for use in anyone 12 and older.But late Friday, the FDA granted the company full approval for its vaccine for use only in adults 65 and older – or those 12 to 64 who have at least one health problem that puts them at inc

Planes clip wings at SEA, passengers deplane

— Two Alaska Airlines planes clipped wings at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Saturday afternoon, prompting passengers to deplane.According to a statement from the FAA, Alaska Airlines Flights 1190 and 1094 clipped wings in the gate area at SeaTac around 12:15 p.m.Alaska Airlines confirmed that ground-service tugs were pushing back two Alaska Airlines aircraft from their gates when the winglets touched.There were no injuries, but passengers were deplaned as the flights were swapped to other

Bird man on red carpet leaves Cannes squawking

CANNES, France (AP) — Stars in glamorous gowns often peacock on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet, but one attendee Saturday night literally came as a bird.Ahead of the the premiere of Lynne Ramsay’s “Die, My Love,” with Robert Pattinson and Jennifer Lawrence, a man came fully dressed as bird, complete with a beak and feathers.The costume had a purpose. It was a tie-in with the documentary “I Love Peru,” which is playing in the Cannes Classics section. The costume was specifically a condor, wh

Antonio Brown detained after gunshots outside Adin Ross’ boxing event

MIAMI (AP) — Antonio Brown was briefly detained by police early Saturday following an altercation in which gunshots were fired outside a celebrity boxing event in Miami, according to the former NFL star and video posted to social media.Miami police confirmed in a written statement that officers responded to the area at about 3 a.m. after receiving an alert from the gunshot-detection system ShotSpotter. Officer Kiara Delva, a department spokeswoman, said police questioned several people but made

Rantz: Judge rules man accused of forcing abortion on woman can remove his ankle monitor

But on May 6, Coots’ defense attorney filed a motion to lift the electronic home monitoring so that he could more easily start a business and support his wife and five children.Judge Stanley Rumbaugh sided with Coots and allowed him to remove his electronic home monitoring.Dismissing concerns from the victimThe victim told the court that the electronic home monitoring gave her peace of mind. She said it was “terrifying” to think about the ankle monitor being removed and that, i

Walz calls Trump a ‘tyrant’ who is trampling Americans’ rights and violating the rule of law

Tim Walz of Minnesota assailed Donald Trump in a law school graduation speech Saturday, accusing the Republican president of creating a national emergency by repeatedly violating the rule of law.Walz, the vice presidential nominee in 2024, used his remarks at the University of Minnesota’s law school commencement ceremony to call on graduates to stand up to abuses of power. Lawyers, he said, “our first and last line of defense.”“Right now, more than any other time in my lifetime, we need yo

Federal Way shooting leaves teen dead, child wounded; suspect at large

An 18-year-old man was shot to death, and an 11-year-old child was wounded by a stray bullet Saturday morning in Federal Way, police said.The shooting happened at an apartment complex in the 32100 block of 18th Avenue Southwest around 1:20 a.m.When police arrived, they rendered first aid to the 18-year-old until medics arrived.“While on scene, officers discovered that an 11-year-old child in a neighboring apartment had been struck by a stray bullet while sleeping,” Federal Way police said in a n