Articles filed under Associated Press
-
Student loans in default to be referred to debt collection, Education Department saysApr 22, 2025 4:55 pm - The Education Department will begin collection next month on student loans that are in default, including the garnishing of wages for potentially millions of borrowers, officials said Monday. Currently, roughly 5.3 million borrowers are in default on their federal student loans. Beginning May 5, the department will begin involuntary collection through the Treasury Department's offset program, which withholds payments from the government, including tax refunds, federal salaries and other benefits, from people with past-due debts to the government.
-
Pope Francis worried about greeting crowd in St. Peter's Square but was thankful he did, report saysApr 22, 2025 4:44 pm - Vatican News has reported that Pope Francis was thankful that he was able to greet throngs of people in St. Peter's Square on Easter, a day before he died. Although the agency reported Tuesday that he initially had some doubts given his poor health. The Argentine pontiff had been recovering after being hospitalized for five weeks with pneumonia. He died Monday at age 88.
-
Supreme Court signals support for Maryland parents who object to LGBTQ books in public schoolsApr 22, 2025 4:31 pm - Supreme Court's conservative majority is signaling support for the religious rights of Maryland parents who want to remove their children from elementary school classes using storybooks with LGBTQ characters. The court seemed likely Tuesday to find the Montgomery County school system could not require elementary school children to sit through lessons involving the books if parents expressed religious objections to them.
-
Rubio unveils a massive overhaul of the State Department that would cut staff and bureausApr 22, 2025 4:07 pm - Secretary of State Marco Rubio has unveiled a massive overhaul of the State Department. The plans revealed Tuesday would reduce staff in the U.S. by 15% while closing and consolidating more than 100 bureaus worldwide as part of the Trump administration's "America First" mandate. The reorganization plan, announced by Rubio on social media and detailed in documents obtained by The Associated Press, is the latest effort by the White House to reimagine U.S. foreign policy.
-
Karen Read's second murder trial revives debate over who killed her Boston police officer boyfriendApr 22, 2025 4:01 pm - The much-anticipated retrial of Karen Read is underway in Massachusetts. Lawyers presented opening statements Tuesday to a new set of jurors who are expected to wrestle over two theories in the death of Read's Boston police officer boyfriend. Prosecutors say she killed him. Defense attorneys say she was a victim of a conspiracy involving the police. Read has been charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene. A mistrial was declared last year after jurors said they were at an impasse.
-
Indian police say gunmen kill at least 26 tourists at a resort in disputed KashmirApr 22, 2025 3:52 pm - Indian police say gunmen have killed at least 26 tourists at a resort in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Tuesday's attack appears to be a major shift in a regional conflict in which tourists have largely been spared from violence. Two senior police officers say at least four gunmen, whom they described as militants, fired at dozens of tourists from close range. The officers say at least three dozen people were wounded, with many of them reported to be in serious condition.
-
RFK Jr. plans to phase out artificial dyes from the US food supplyApr 22, 2025 3:38 pm - U.S. health officials plan to phase out petroleum-based colors from the nation's food supply. The move would trigger an overhaul of scores of products on U.S. grocery store shelves. The plan was announced Tuesday afternoon by Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary. The FDA currently allows 36 color additives, including eight synthetic dyes. In January, the agency banned the color known as Red 3. Food producers would likely replace the dyes with natural substitutes.
-
The top producer at '60 Minutes' has quit. He says he can no longer run the show as he always hasApr 22, 2025 3:30 pm - The top producer at CBS News' "60 Minutes" has quit during a dispute between his show and the Trump administration. Bill Owens said in a memo to staff members that it became clear he could no longer run the show as he has in the past and make independent decisions. Trump has sued the network for $20 billion, claiming the newsmagazine deceptively edited its interview with Kamala Harris last fall. Since the beginning of Trump's second term, the show has run a steady stream of critical stories about the administration.
-
Walgreens to pay up to $350 million in U.S. opioid settlementApr 22, 2025 1:04 pm - Walgreens has agreed to pay up to $350 million in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, who accused the pharmacy of illegally filling millions of prescriptions in the last decade for opioids and other controlled substances.
-
Hegseth pulled airstrike info from secure military channel for Signal posts, NBC News reportsApr 22, 2025 12:37 pm - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pulled the airstrike information he posted into Signal chats with his wife, brother and dozens of others from a secure communications channel used by U.S. Central Command, raising new questions as to whether the embattled Pentagon head leaked classified information over an open, unsecured network.