June 10, 2026 5:22 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nevada, South Carolina and North Dakota hosted primary elections, but much of the political world was focused on Maine’s high-stakes U.S. Senate contest. The results were never in question. Neither Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins nor Democratic challenger Graham Platner faced serious opposition for their party’s nomination. And yet Tuesday marked an especially significant moment for Platner, the embattled veteran and oyster farmer, who is fighting to rebuild his credibility in a campaign rocked by controversy. Elsewhere, President Donald Trump’s clout within his party was tested anew in states like South Carolina and Nevada. Democrats hoped to build momentum in Nevada in their broader push to reclaim key governor’s seats.
June 9, 2026 5:24 am
The court officials overseeing the NFL’s $1 billion settlement fund for concussion-related injuries have barred five law firms from handling any more claims from former players, after finding that they fraudulently steered clients toward doctors willing to give them a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis whether they exhibited symptoms or not. A report filed in federal court in Philadelphia this week says the five firms represented or performed work involving 98 former players who in recent years sought payouts from the settlement for Parkinson’s disease claims. Dozens of those claims were approved to the tune of $95 million — with the share going to the attorneys totaling about $20 million.
June 10, 2026 5:14 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Paul Skenes, the Pirates ace, recently found himself at a Little League practice in Pittsburgh. While driving on an off day, the reigning NL Cy Young winner noticed kids practicing decided to stop by. The 24-year-old spent two hours playing catch and signing autographs, reminding himself of the simple joys of baseball. This break came during a tough stretch for him and the Pirates. Skenes is winless in his last five starts following a 12-2 loss to Los Angeles in which the Dodgers erupted for 10 runs after Skenes exited. Skenes says he’s focusing on the process and believes better results are coming. He described his stop to hang out with the Little Leaguers as an important reminder of why he started playing baseball in the first place.
June 9, 2026 4:47 am
U.S. Steel plans to invest up to $2.5 billion into upgrades to its Mon Valley Works, which it forecasts will generate $1.7 billion for the state, according to a Monday report from the steelmaking giant. The economic impact is expected to include the combined dollars spent on things such as wages and construction costs associated with the upgrades. The investment will preserve the roughly 3,000 jobs at Mon Valley Works and create nearly 3,200 indirect and induced jobs over a three-year period, according to the report. It comes as a part of the company’s larger commitment to invest $11 billion into its domestic footprint by 2028, on the heels of a $15 billion acquisition by Japan-based Nippon Steel last year.
June 9, 2026 4:48 am
Chatbots on five different websites claimed to be licensed to practice medicine in the commonwealth when prompted by Spotlight PA — the same kind of output that led the Shapiro administration to file a lawsuit last month. A task force under Pennsylvania’s Department of State has been working since February to identify AI chatbots posing as licensed professionals and misleading users. Based on that work, the administration filed suit against the role-playing site Character.AI. Mirroring the investigation detailed in the lawsuit, Spotlight PA had conversations with AI characters on websites Talkie, Janitor, Kindroid, Replika, and Nomi.AI. All provided a false Pennsylvania medical license number when prompted, a key part of the state’s argument in its lawsuit against Character.AI.
June 9, 2026 5:10 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military announced that it has begun strikes against Iran following the crash of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman. In a statement posted to social media, U.S. Central Command said the strikes would be “a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression.” It comes after President Donald Trump blamed Iran for downing the helicopter and vowed that the U.S. would respond
June 9, 2026 5:17 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump was booed loudly by fans inside Madison Square Garden when he was shown on video screens during the national anthem prior to Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Trump was shown for about 10 seconds giving a military salute. The boos ended when the U.S. flag followed him on the screens, and fans cheered when New York Knicks players were shown. Trump is watching from Knicks owner James Dolan’s suite. His presence Monday led to enhanced security measures, the cancelation of a watch party outside the arena and a no-bag policy for ticket-holders. The president told reporters later that he heard “mostly cheers.”
June 8, 2026 5:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters across Maine, Nevada, South Carolina and North Dakota head to the polls for another day of primary elections in America. But much of the political world will be focused on Maine’s high-stakes U.S. Senate contest. The results are not in question. Neither Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins nor Democratic challenger Graham Platner faces serious opposition for their party’s nomination. But Tuesday still marks a big moment for Platner, the embattled veteran and oyster farmer, who’s fighting to rebuild his credibility in a campaign rocked by controversy. Elsewhere, President Donald Trump’s clout within his party will be tested in South Carolina and Nevada, where he’s endorsed his favored candidates.
June 9, 2026 5:14 am
Three more cases of the New World screwworm have been confirmed, including one outside Texas, demonstrating the difficulty of stopping a pest that could potentially devastate the nation’s cattle industry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday the new cases were found in a dog from New Mexico and hundreds of miles away in a goat and calf in Texas. The screwworm is actually a fly, which produces a larva that eats live flesh instead of dead material. Females lay their eggs in open wounds any any warm-blooded animal such as cattle, but wildlife, pets and occasionally even humans can be infested. Before it was irradicated in the 1960s, the fly was an annual warm-weather scourge of cattle ranchers.
June 8, 2026 5:13 am
HONG KONG (AP) — China has reported its exports picked up pace in May, rising 19.4% from a year earlier. That was stronger than what economists had expected and an improvement from April’s 14.1% year-on-year exports growth. Exports have remained robust despite the Iran war, supported by shipments of autos and technology and artificial intelligence-related products such as semiconductors. Imports jumped 27.4% year-on-year in May, also at a faster pace compared with April’s 25.3% expansion. China’s exports to the U.S. in May were up more than 35% from the year before, after an 11% increase in April. The global AI boom and a rising worldwide shift to green technology are also helping.
