A shiny monolith was lifted from a mountain outside Las Vegas. How it got there remains a mystery.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A strange monolith found jutting out of the rocks in a remote mountain range near Las Vegas has been removed by authorities. Its discovery over the weekend and swift removal have revived a pandemic-era mystery that captured people's imaginations when similar objects began appearing around the world. How it got there remains a mystery. Members of the Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Team found the object over the weekend near Gass Peak, part of the vast Desert National Wildlife Refuge where bighorn sheep and desert tortoises roam.
Hawaii youth protest state government over climate change; historic settlement reached
HONOLULU (AP) — Thirteen children and young people in Hawaii sued their state government over the threat of climate change. Now they're celebrating a settlement that highlights a plan to decarbonize Hawaii's transportation system over the next 20 years, the latest example of disaffected young people in the U.S. taking climate issues to court. The settlement is the first between a state government and young plaintiffs to address constitutional issues arising from climate change, according to the parties. The young people had argued that Hawaii was violating the state constitution by operating a transportation system that harms the climate.
UK fans wonder if Taylor Swift will say 'Goodbye, London' after her Eraser tour
LONDON (AP) — Taylor Swift fans enjoy interpreting the singer-songwriter's lyrics to find out about her love life and her state of mind. But Swift fans in the UK didn't even have to listen closely to her latest album to find out that Swift has grown to dislike London since making it her adopted home. The album's fifth track is titled “So Long, London.” Swift will be in London on Friday for her Eras tour, but some fans wonder if it's the start of a long breakup. London is the only city Swift will stop in twice on the tour. She'll return to London for six nights in August to close out the European leg of the tour.
Donald Sutherland, the legendary actor who played a wide range of roles from “MASH” to “The Hunger Games,” has died at the age of 88.
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Sutherland has died at age 88. His representative said he died Thursday in Miami after a long illness. The Canadian actor's career spanned everything from “MASH” to “JFK” to “The Hunger Games.” He was known for his quirky characters, epitomizing the unpredictable anti-establishment movies of the 1970s. But over the decades, Sutherland transitioned into a career as a respected character actor. He said he found those roles more challenging. He never stopped working, eventually appearing in about 200 films and series. He received an honorary Academy Award in 2017.
Retired Azzurri star Roberto Baggio was robbed at his home during Italy's defeat to Spain
ROME (AP) — Retired Italian star Roberto Baggio was held at gunpoint in his home while watching a European Championship match against Spain. At least five armed robbers broke into Baggio's villa near the northern city of Vicenza about 10 p.m. Thursday, according to Italian media reports. When the former soccer player confronted the robbers, one hit Baggio over the head with a gun butt. The robbers locked Baggio and his family in a room and stole jewelry, watches and cash. Italy lost 1-0 to Spain.
A celebration honoring Willie Mays and Negro League players before an MLB game at Rickwood Field
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (AP) — Fans came together to honor Willie Mays and other Negro Leaguers at several events and celebrations around historic Rickwood Field, where the first major league game was played at the field in Birmingham, Alabama, between the Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals. The game, which MLB called a “Tribute to the Negro Leagues,” was meant to honor the achievements of Mays and other black baseball greats who left a lasting mark on the sport. The celebrations began hours before the game and continued through the pregame ceremony.
Rapper Travis Scott was arrested after he was intoxicated and yelled at people on a yacht, according to Miami Beach police.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Miami Beach police say rapper Travis Scott has been arrested on misdemeanor charges of trespassing and public intoxication. Police say Scott was drunk and yelling at people on a yacht at the city's marina and did not comply with orders to leave early Thursday morning. The hip-hop mogul, 33, posted $650 bail and was released before noon. His lawyers say the arrest stemmed from a misunderstanding. Ten people died during a crowd stampede at Scott's 2021 concert at Houston's Astroworld amusement park. The final lawsuits in those cases were settled last month. After a police investigation, a grand jury dismissed the charges against Scott.
After his battle with Drake, Kendrick Lamar turns his victory rap concert into a celebration of LA unity
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Kendrick Lamar wasn't content to just celebrate his victory after beating fellow rap superstar Drake last month. He turned his Juneteenth “Pop Out” concert into a celebration of Los Angeles unity. The 37-year-old rapper organized a three-hour livestreamed concert featuring up-and-coming LA rappers and stars, including Dr. Dre and Tyler, the Creator. He performed Drake-dissing tracks “Euphoria” and “6:16 in LA,” and ended with four full raps of “Not Like Us.” Among the 17,000 people at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., were The Weeknd, LeBron James, Ayo Edebiri and Rick Ross.
New York to restrict kids' 'addictive' social media feeds
New York's governor has signed a bill that would allow parents to block their children from seeing social media posts suggested by platforms' algorithms, a measure to limit feeds that some say are addictive. Gov. Kathy Hockle signed the bill on Thursday but it will not take effect immediately. The bill would limit the social media feeds of people under the age of 18 to posts from accounts they follow, rather than content suggested by automated algorithms. Tech industry trade groups have criticized the bill as an unconstitutional restriction on free speech.
TikTok accuses federal agency of 'political incitement' in legal challenge to potential US ban
TikTok on Thursday released a letter it sent to the government in April, accusing the federal agency that once held sway over the platform's future of “political incitement.” The internal document released Thursday details negotiations TikTok had with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States between January 2021 and August 2022. TikTok said those talks ultimately led to a 90-page proposed national security agreement that called for the company to implement stronger safeguards for U.S. user data. But TikTok's lawyers said that after submitting the proposed agreement in August 2022, the committee “ceased substantive negotiations” with the company.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
