3 mins read

Former ‘American Idol’ singer Caleb Flynn is sentenced to life in prison for wife’s murder

COLUMBUS, Ohio | A former music pastor in Ohio who appeared briefly on ” American Idol ” was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole, after a jury convicted him last week of murdering his wife while he was having an affair. The judge said Caleb Flynn, 40, used his Christian […]

3 mins read

McDonald’s sued over AI tool that recommends prices to US franchisees

McDonald’s is facing a federal lawsuit that alleges its AI-enhanced pricing tool violates antitrust laws because it shares nonpublic data with franchisees who might be competing in the same market. The lawsuit, which was filed Friday in Illinois, said McDonald’s pricing tool uses artificial intelligence to collect data that competing franchises wouldn’t normally share, like […]

3 mins read

The enduring popularity of Elvis Presley’s Graceland is a monument to his legacy

NASHVILLE, Tenn. | Elvis Presley’s Graceland. Paul Simon sang about going there to ease an aching heart in 1986 on a Grammy-winning album titled, well, “Graceland.” A year later, Philadelphia punk band The Dead Milkmen wrote their own song about a trip to Graceland that was decidedly less reverent, with lyrics like, “Goin’ to Graceland/It’s […]

6 mins read

With violins, trumpets and the guitarrón, Las Vegas is training the mariachi educators of tomorrow

LAS VEGAS | Axel Rodríguez Olivas nervously steps on stage, carrying a violin. He raises his bow and begins to play, his nerves melting away. Mariachi music explodes throughout the room as violins, trumpets, the guitarrón, and a stringed instrument called the vihuela launch into an upbeat melody. There they are joined by a warm […]

8 mins read

Paramount and Warner Bros are now one Hollywood giant: Skydance. Here’s how we got here

CHICAGO | It’s official: Skydance-owned Paramount has closed its $81 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. The companies completed the deal on Tuesday, ushering in a new Hollywood giant with the now shorter “Skydance” nametag. The merger brings two of America’s oldest moviemaking studios together. And HBO Max, titles ranging from “Harry Potter” to “Sinners” […]

5 mins read

One income, two retirements: How couples can protect their future

For a lot of people, a one-size-fits-all retirement plan just doesn’t fit. Their family circumstances call for a more custom-made approach. That’s the case with couples who have one income. Christine Benz and Valentina Djeljosevic recently discussed the retirement planning needs of these couples, including emergency funding and Social Security filing decisions. Valentina Djeljosevic: For […]

8 mins read

Michael Douglas on ‘immortality,’ Kirk Douglas and the memories he once avoided

NEW YORK | Michael Douglas, the award-winning actor and producer, recently turned 82. He is a cancer survivor, a recovered addict, a married man, the father and son of actors. He is also an author, who begins his memoir with a message of thanks to his family — past and present and future — for […]

6 mins read

A replica Oval Office near the White House just got a new Trump makeover. Gold flourishes abound

WASHINGTON | It’s glitzier. And there’s way more gold. The People’s House museum exhibit has overhauled its replica Oval Office for visitors to experience President Donald Trump’s second-term design choices. Gleaming vases, golden-hued swirling onlays, two dozen portraits in heavy gilded frames and knickknacks crowding nearly every available surface: the same rococo flourishes that Trump […]

2 mins read

Wagging tails fill a Philippine church where priests bless pets for St. Francis feast

MANILA, Philippines | It’s a day for wagging tails, happy faces and a special annual blessing at a church in the Philippine capital. Every Oct. 4, Catholics mark the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology, remembered for his humility, compassion and deep love for all living things. […]

9 mins read

Rural MAHA followers say Trump hasn’t improved health of their communities, an AP-KFF poll finds

WASHINGTON | About half of rural voters identify with Make America Healthy Again, a sprawling political movement championed by the Trump administration, but most said President Donald Trump’s healthcare policies have not benefited their communities, according to a new poll from The Associated Press in partnership with KFF. About 8 in 10 rural voters — […]