z-other-ts
In France’s historic heat wave, Paris’ dreamy rooftops become a heat-trapping nightmare
PARIS | Before the heat struck, Amelie Kenney could boast that she almost had it all: a tiny but cheap top-floor apartment in Paris, with an enviable view from its minuscule balcony of the French capital’s iconic gray roofs and even, when she leans out far enough, up to the Sacré-Cœur basilica atop Montmartre. But […]
Trump turns America 250 kickoff into a campaign-style rally on the National Mall
WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump formally kicked off celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary on Wednesday night by working to get the country excited again — about himself. The president hosted a rally on Washington’s National Mall, including a series of booming flyovers by stealth bombers, music from military bands, and Lee Greenwood singing “God Bless […]
What is the 2026 song of the summer? AP offers some predictions
NEW YORK | What is 2026’s song of the summer? There’s no easy answer. Algorithmic division is certainly a factor in why there isn’t an obvious pick this year. Where have the songs like “Despacito” in 2017 or “Old Town Road” in 2019 gone? Last year, some even wondered if Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” — a […]
AI chatbots hit the dating scene, becoming the lovelorn’s modern-day Cyrano
Marie Lansley recently started a new job in a new city while searching for a new partner. In her dating pursuits, the freshly minted San Franciscan said she’s been “trying everything”— including some help from artificial intelligence. AI chatbots have become — for her and many others — de facto dating coaches and relationship experts. […]
What to Stream: Paul Simon, ‘In the Hand of Dante,’ ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ and Star Fox
A Paul Simon concert special and Season 2 of the live-action “Avatar: The Last Airbender” 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: a new Larry David series celebrating […]
In Taylor Swift’s beach town, every clue becomes a wedding rumor
WESTERLY, R.I. | When a large tent appeared next door to Taylor Swift’s Watch Hill estate this week, it didn’t take long for speculation about the superstar’s impending nuptials to ripple through the affluent New England seaside village — and the internet. Soon, fans were swapping theories online, photographers were staking out vantage points and […]
Movie Review: ‘The Death of Robin Hood’ drains the blood, and life, out of an old English legend
In the opening moments of Michael Sarnoski’s “The Death of Robin Hood,” Hugh Jackman’s Robin shelters on a cold and desolate peatland. A young attacker (Jade Croot) emerges from the dark emptiness beyond his campfire. He grabs her, tells her it was a mistake to bathe. He could smell her downwind. Then he puts a […]
Movie Review: In ‘Toy Story 5,’ it’s (digital) apocalypse now for toys
The “Toy Story” movies, like “Star Wars” and those games Michael Jordan played with the Washington Wizards, pose a problem of canon. The first three movies are a near-perfect trilogy: a series that spanned a childhood: from bedroom playtime to college, from enchantment to loss. The scope didn’t seem epic. The movies rarely strayed much […]
Creative and colorful hats steal the show at the Royal Ascot horse races in England, in photos
ASCOT, Britain | Extravagant, elaborate and sometimes gravity-defying hats take center stage each summer at Royal Ascot, the five-day horse racing festival held at Ascot Racecourse in southern England, a venue founded by Queen Anne in 1711. Read more A person is in custody in a Chicago cross burning investigation, police say
Meet Merlin the duck, a Mexico City streetside regular turned World Cup mascot
MEXICO CITY | Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez may have scored the goals, but a duck stole the show. As Mexico celebrated its World Cup-opening victory over South Africa on Thursday, Merlin, a 2-year-old duck dressed in the national team’s colors, became an unlikely internet sensation and the tournament’s first unofficial mascot. Images of Merlin […]