May 7, 2025 6:14 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve kept its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday, brushing off President Donald Trump’s demands to lower borrowing costs, and said that the risks of higher unemployment and higher inflation have risen. The Fed kept its rate at 4.3% for the third straight meeting, after cutting it three times in a row at the end of last year. Many economists and Wall Street investors still expect the Fed will reduce rates two or three times this year, but the sweeping tariffs imposed by Trump have injected a tremendous amount of uncertainty into the U.S. economy and the Fed’s policies.
May 7, 2025 6:12 pm
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Three former Memphis officers have been acquitted of all state charges, including second-degree murder, in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols after he ran away from a traffic stop. An out-of-town jury from a majority-white county found Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith not guilty on all charges after a trial in Memphis state court. The three defendants still face the prospect of years in prison after they were convicted last year of some federal charges and acquitted on others. Nichols fled a 2023 traffic stop after he was yanked out of his car, pepper-sprayed and hit with a Taser. Five officers who are also Black caught up with him and then fatally beat him.
May 7, 2025 6:09 pm
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Black smoke has poured out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating no pope was elected on the first ballot of the conclave to choose a new leader of the Catholic Church. The smoke billowed out at 9 p.m. Wednesday, some four hours after 133 cardinals solemnly entered the Sistine Chapel, took their oaths of secrecy and formally opened the centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis to lead the 1.4 billion-member church. With no one securing the necessary two-thirds majority, or 89 votes, the cardinals will retire for the night to the Vatican residences where they are being sequestered. They return to the Sistine Chapel Thursday morning.
May 7, 2025 5:03 am
ISLAMABAD (AP) — India fired missiles into Pakistani-controlled territory in several locations early Wednesday, killing at least 26 people including a child, in what Pakistan’s leader called an act of war. India said it was striking infrastructure used by militants linked to last month’s massacre of tourists in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir. Pakistan claimed it shot down several Indian fighter jets in retaliation as two planes fell onto villages in India-controlled Kashmir. At least seven civilians were also killed in the region by Pakistani shelling, the Indian army said in a statement. Tensions have soared between the nuclear-armed neighbors since the attack, which India has blamed Pakistan for backing. Islamabad has denied the accusation.
May 7, 2025 5:02 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Four former housekeepers of Smokey Robinson allege in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that the Motown music luminary repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped them while they worked for him. The suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court seeks at least $50 million in damages over the alleged assaults, which the women say took place between 2007 and 2024, A message seeking comment from a representative for the 85-year-old Robinson was not immediately returned. The four women each say that Robinson would wait until he was alone with them in his Los Angeles house then sexually assault and rape them over their objections and protests.
May 7, 2025 5:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to announce next week that the U.S. will refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia. That’s according to two U.S. officials who spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. Trump is traveling to Saudi Arabia next week. Arab nations have pushed for a change to the geographic name of the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, while Iran has maintained its historic ties to the gulf. The White House and National Security Council didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
May 7, 2025 4:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top U.S. officials are set to meet with a high-level Chinese delegation this weekend in Switzerland. The administration on Tuesday announced the first major talks between the two nations since President Donald Trump sparked a trade war with stiff tariffs on imports. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet with their counterparts in Geneva in the most-senior known conversations between the two countries in months. The Chinese Commerce Ministry confirmed the meeting, saying they agreed to have contact “after fully considering global expectations, Chinese interests and calls from U.S. businesses and consumers.” It comes amid growing U.S. market worry over the impact of the tariffs.
May 7, 2025 4:57 am
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Black smoke is again pouring out of the Sistine Chapel chimney. That indicates no pope was elected on second or third ballots of the conclave to choose a new leader of the Catholic Church. The smoke billowed out at 11:50 a.m. on Thursday after the morning voting session to elect a successor to Pope Francis to lead the 1.4 billion-member church. No one has secured the necessary two-thirds majority or 89 votes. That means the 133 cardinals will return to the Vatican residences where they are being sequestered. They will have lunch and then return to the Sistine Chapel for the afternoon voting session. Two more votes are possible Thursday.
May 7, 2025 4:46 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A barrier described as an “anti-climb fence” to bolster security is in the works for the Pennsylvania governor’s official residence. The leader of the Pennsylvania State Police mentioned the new fence in a letter to state legislative leaders on Tuesday. It’s been less than a month since a late-night intruder jumped the existing fence, broke into the home and started a damaging fire inside the Harrisburg home of Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family. The man who allegedly broke into the home faces charges that include attempted homicide and arson for the fire on April 13.
May 7, 2025 4:44 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s state Senate is backing a bill to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports at the collegiate and K-12 levels. However, the Republican-penned bill that passed Tuesday is unlikely to get a vote in the state’s Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. The bill passed, 32-18, marking the second time the GOP-controlled Senate has passed it. An earlier attempt, with a Republican-controlled House, met then-Gov. Tom Wolf’s veto in 2022. The bill applies to participation in girls’ and women’s sports that are sponsored by public schools, public universities and publicly chartered community colleges. This bill comes after President Donald Trump declared his intent to “keep men out of women’s sports.”
