3 mins read

‘Sopranos’ actor Vincent Pastore, known for playing mobsters and tough guys, dead at 80

NEW YORK | Vincent Pastore, a veteran actor who played mobsters and tough guys, and was best known for portraying Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on “The Sopranos,” has died. He was 80. Bob McGowan, who managed Pastore since his run on “The Sopranos,” told The Associated Press that he learned of his death Saturday from […]

7 mins read

What to Stream: ‘Ted Lasso,’ Billie Eilish, Stray Kids, ‘You Me & Tuscany’ and ‘The Shards’

The return of “Ted Lasso” and Billie Eilish’s immersive concert film are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: the rom-com “You, Me & Tuscany,” a new mini-album from […]

5 mins read

At creative reuse centers, old art supplies get a new life at a fraction of the cost

NEW YORK | Charlene Catalano was looking for a ball of green-and-white yarn to crochet this year’s winter scarf. Instead of going to a big-box retail store, she found what she needed at Brooklyn Creative Reuse, along with gently used crochet kits, hooks, labels and other bits. It all cost just $6. “Nowadays, art is […]

10 mins read

Of thee I sing: A guide to US patriotic songs, from ‘The Liberty Song’ to Jay-Z and Kanye West

NEW YORK | The history of American patriotic songs offers a lesson about the different ways you can say you love your country. Composers have celebrated endurance under fire ( “The Star-Spangled Banner” ) and invoked divine approval (“God Bless America”). While Toby Keith’s “Made in America” dares anyone to question American eminence, Woody Guthrie’s […]

10 mins read

Grand jury indicts Aurora cop in fatal shooting of Rajon Belt-Stubblefield at traffic stop

EDITOR’S NOTE: Be advised that the officer worn video contains graphic language and graphic shooting violence. AURORA | An Aurora police officer faces a murder charge for the fatal shooting of a Black man during a traffic stop last year. On Monday, an Arapahoe County grand jury indicted Aurora Police officer Matthew Neely, 54, on […]

11 mins read

AP Exclusive: Child soldiers recount horrors of Sudan’s war and presence of Colombian mercenaries

KHARTOUM, Sudan | The teenage boy’s hands and legs were shackled to the anti-aircraft gun mounted on a pickup as Sudanese warplanes attacked. He saw another child chained to the steering wheel. As their captors sought cover, the terrified children were ordered to stay and shoot down the jets over the capital, Khartoum. If they […]

3 mins read

Malls, once symbols of American consumer culture, are splitting. Some are dying as others thrive

LIVINGSTON, N.J. | I wasn’t a mall rat. Growing up in the 1970s, I didn’t hang out much with my friends at my local mall in New Jersey. The Livingston Mall, which opened in 1972 with stores including Bamberger’s, Sears and Hahne & Co., may have been a bustling social scene for my peers. But […]

1 min read

Toon in Monday

Read more MONDAY NEWS IN A RUSH: Top headlines in today’s NewsMinute video Read more Blanche rescinds fund for Trump allies after GOP senators threaten to block his attorney general bid Read more Native son Freeland dazzles in a complete game as Rockies sweep Royals 8-1 at steamy Coors Field