Archive By Section - Signal AP
Gallup study: 3.4 percent of US adults are LGBT
NEW YORK (AP) - A new Gallup survey, touted as the largest of its kind, estimates that 3.4 percent of American adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
A night of humor -- after day of campaign criticism
NEW YORK (AP) - President Barack Obama on Thursday rejected criticism that his administration has offered a confused response to the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya, an accusation made repeatedly by Republican challenger Mitt Romney in their campaign for the White House. Of any breakdown that might have led to the killing of four Americans, Obama declared: "We're going to fix it."
Nightmare election scenarios worry both parties
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Here in a county that knows a thing or two about Election Day meltdowns, both parties are fretting over what might go seriously wrong before, during or just after the Nov. 6 presidential election.
Google issues a bad report early, hurting Nasdaq
NEW YORK (AP) - Google plummeted almost $80 per share, more than 10 percent, and trading in the stock was halted two and a half hours Thursday after a disappointing earnings report was published ahead of schedule and surprised investors.
"Perversion files" show locals helped cover up
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Again and again, decade after decade, an array of authorities - police chiefs, prosecutors, pastors and local Boy Scout leaders among them - quietly shielded scoutmasters and others accused of molesting children, a newly opened trove of confidential papers shows.
US unemployment aid applications jump to 388K
WASHINGTON (AP) - Weekly applications for U.S. unemployment benefits jumped 46,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 388,000, the highest in four months. The increase marks a rebound from the previous week's sharp drop. Both swings were largely due to technical factors.
Average debt up again for new college grads
It's the latest snapshot of the growing burden of student debt and it's another discouraging one: Two-thirds of the national college class of 2011 finished school with loan debt, and those who borrowed walked off the graduation stage owing on average $26,600 - up about 5 percent from the class before.
Springsteen explains why he's supporting Obama
NEW YORK (AP) - After vowing not to get involved in this year's presidential election, Bruce Springsteen is supporting Barack Obama again, saying he believes Obama is the best person to lead America.
Nike severs ties to Armstrong "with great sadness"
NEW YORK (AP) - Nike has severed ties with cyclist Lance Armstrong, citing insurmountable evidence that he participated in doping and misled the company about those activities for more than a decade.
Flavor Flav arrested in Las Vegas domestic case
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Entertainer Flavor Flav threw his fiancee to the floor twice and grabbed two knives as he chased and threatened to kill her 17-year-old son during an argument Wednesday at their home in Las Vegas, a police report states.
Syria's wealthy businesses feel civil war squeeze
CAIRO (AP) - Syria's wealthy, long cultivated by President Bashar Assad as a support for his regime, are seeing their businesses pummeled by the bloody civil war. Factories have been burned down or damaged in fighting. International sanctions restrict their finances. Some warn that their companies are in danger of going under, worsening the country's buckling economy.
Decades late, FDR memorial park dedicated in NYC
NEW YORK (AP) - Dignitaries on Wednesday dedicated a new memorial state park overlooking the United Nations to former President Franklin Roosevelt.
Afternoon tea with Circle of Hope
Beautifully decorated tables set with fine china, hot tea, savories and desserts greeted the 180 guests who attended the ninth annual Circle of Hope Afternoon Tea.
World Food Prize activities attract Occupy protest
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - It's difficult to argue with the goals of the World Food Prize Foundation - to recognize people who have helped improve the quality and availability of food to reduce world hunger.
Uruguay takes historic step legalizing abortion
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) - Uruguay's Senate voted to legalize first-trimester abortions for all women Wednesday in a groundbreaking measure that came with so many strings attached it left neither side in the bitter debate completely satisfied.
Articles by Section - Signal AP
New Yorkers react to mayor's plastic foam ban push
NEW YORK (AP) - Barely 24 hours after Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed an all-out ban on plastic foam food containers in the city and already New Yorkers are asking: So what do we use instead?
LA cardinal to be deposed in abuse lawsuit
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Attorneys for an alleged victim of priest sexual abuse will depose the former Roman Catholic archbishop of Los Angeles next week as part of a clergy abuse lawsuit, attorneys in the case said Friday.
Cruise passengers became comrades on trip home
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - When their cruise ship lost power, passengers aboard the Carnival Triumph could have been selfish and looked out only for themselves and their loved ones. Instead, they became comrades in a long, exhausting struggle to get home.
Asteroid buzzes, misses Earth, unlike meteor
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - A 150-foot asteroid hurtled through Earth's backyard Friday, coming within an incredible 17,150 miles and making the closest known flyby for a rock of its size. In a chilling coincidence, a meteor exploded above Russia's Ural Mountains just hours before the asteroid zoomed past the planet.
UPDATE: Meteor explodes over Russia; 1,000 injured
MOSCOW (AP) - With a blinding flash and a booming shock wave, a meteor blazed across the sky over Russia's Ural Mountains region Friday and exploded with the force of an atomic bomb, injuring more than 1,000 people as it blasted out windows and spread panic in a city of 1 million.
Stocks edge lower; Walmart pulls down the Dow
NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks edged lower on Wall Street Friday afternoon, threatening to end the S&P 500's streak of weekly advances at six.
Dorner's body identified, questions still remain
BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (AP) - Karen and Jim Reynolds say they came face to face with fugitive Christopher Dorner, not on a snow-covered mountain trail, but inside their cabin-style condo.
Pakistani tribesmen pushing Taliban to talk peace
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) - Five years after setting up an umbrella organization to unite violent militant groups in the nation's tribal regions, the Pakistani Taliban is fractured, strapped for cash and losing support of local tribesmen frustrated by a protracted war that has forced thousands from their homes, analysts and residents say.
Cartel kingpin is Chicago's new Public Enemy No. 1
CHICAGO (AP) - A drug kingpin in Mexico who has never set foot in Chicago has been named the city's new Public Enemy No. 1 - the same notorious label assigned to Al Capone at the height of the Prohibition-era gang wars.
Disabled cruise ship finally docks
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - A cruise ship disabled for five nightmarish days in the Gulf of Mexico finally docked with some 4,200 people aboard late Thursday, passengers raucously cheering the end to an ocean odyssey they say was marked by overflowing toilets, food shortages and foul odors. About four hours later, the last of the passengers had gotten off the ship.
Jesse Jackson Jr., wife agree to plead guilty
WASHINGTON (AP) - In a spectacular fall from political prominence, former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife agreed Friday to plead guilty to federal charges growing out of what prosecutors said was a scheme to use $750,000 in campaign funds for lavish personal expenses, including a $43,000 gold watch and furs.
Amputee Olympic star Pistorius charged in slaying
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) - Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee sprinter dubbed the Blade Runner, was charged Thursday in the Valentine's Day slaying of his girlfriend at his upscale home in South Africa, a shocking twist to one of the feel-good stories of last summer's Olympics.
Eurozone recession deepens as Germany falters
BERLIN (AP) - It was only a matter of time. With many of its debt-ridden euro partners in recession, Germany could only swim against the tide for so long.
Senate GOP blocks Hagel vote for now
WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked the nomination of former GOP senator Chuck Hagel as the nation's next defense secretary over unrelated questions about President Barack Obama's actions in the aftermath of the deadly raid on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya. Obama accused Republicans of playing politics with national security during wartime, and Democrats vowed to revive the nomination after Congress' weeklong break.
US Airways lands $11 billion merger with American
DALLAS (AP) - US Airways CEO Doug Parker has landed the big merger he sought for years. Now the soon-to-be CEO of the new American Airlines has to make it work.
