Associated Press stories, Page 237

The Federal Trade Commission sued to block a proposed merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons, saying the $24.6 billion deal would eliminate competition and lead to higher prices for millions of Americans. The FTC filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Oregon on Monday. It was joined in...

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will convene the top four congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday to press lawmakers on passing an emergency aid package for Ukraine and Israel, as well as averting a looming government shutdown next month, according to a White House official. The top four...

NEW YORK — Donald Trump has appealed his $454 million New York civil fraud judgment, challenging a judge’s finding that he lied about his wealth as he grew the real estate empire that launched him to stardom and the presidency. The former president’s lawyers filed notices of appeal Monday asking...

NEW YORK — This year looks to be a much better one for the U.S. economy than business economists were forecasting just a few months ago, according to a survey released Monday. The economy looks set to grow 2.2% this year after adjusting for inflation, according to the National Association...

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court cast doubt Monday on state laws that could affect how Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube and other social media platforms regulate content posted by their users. The cases are among several this term in which the justices could set standards for free speech in the digital...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A private lunar lander is expected to cease operations Tuesday, its mission cut short after landing sideways near the south pole of the moon. Intuitive Machines, the Houston company that built and flew the spacecraft, said Monday it will continue to collect data until sunlight no...

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will make dueling trips to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas on Thursday after congressional talks on a deal to rein in illegal migration collapsed, according to people familiar with the plans. The visits underscore the central role immigration is going...

NEW YORK — Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel will leave her post March 8, having been forced out of the GOP’s national leadership as Donald Trump moves toward another presidential nomination and asserts control over the party. McDaniel announced her decision in a statement on Monday morning. “I have...

NEWPORT, Vt. — Plunging into a frozen lake and swimming laps may not be everyone’s good time but for winter swimmers who return year after year to a northern Vermont lake near the Canadian border, there’s nothing better. The 10th annual Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival kicked off Friday with the...

PARIS — French actor Gérard Depardieu faces another complaint of sexual assault, this time from a movie decorator who alleges he groped her during filming in 2021. In the complaint to the Paris prosecutor’s office, she accuses the 75-year-old Depardieu of sexual assault, sexual harassment and sexist insults, her Paris...

JERUSALEM — The Palestinian prime minister announced the resignation of his government on Monday, paving the way for a shake-up in the Palestinian Authority, which the U.S. hopes will eventually take on a role in postwar Gaza. Many obstacles remain to making a revamped Palestinian Authority a reality. Palestinian President...

Associates of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Monday that talks were underway shortly before his death to exchange him for a Russian imprisoned in Germany. “Alexei Navalny could have been sitting here now, today. It’s not a figure of speech,” Maria Pevchikh, who lives outside Russia, said in a...

SEOUL, South Korea — Junior doctors in South Korea have four days to end their walkouts or they will have their medical licenses suspended and face prosecution, the government said Monday. About 9,000 medical interns and residents have stayed off the job since early last week to protest a government...

WASHINGTON — An active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force has died after he set himself ablaze outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., while declaring that he “will no longer be complicit in genocide.” The 25-year-old airman, Aaron Bushnell, of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries, the Metropolitan...

A video surfaced Sunday that appeared to show 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player Cam Newton being involved in a scuffle at a 7-on-7 youth football tournament in Atlanta. The video shows Newton, wearing one of his custom-made hats, being shoved by three people near the top of a set of...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Cristiano Ronaldo has come under heavy criticism after seemingly making an offensive gesture following Al Nassr’s 3-2 victory over Al Shabab in a Saudi Pro League match Sunday. The Portuguese star scored a first-half penalty, before Brazilian Talisca’s late brace, including a goal four minutes from...

NEW YORK — New York City’s celebrity owl Flaco died from a traumatic impact, zoologists confirmed a day after he reportedly flew into a building, with further testing planned to determine if the Eurasian eagle-owl may have been sick. What happened in Flaco’s final hours is top of mind for...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida’s controversial surgeon general is drawing criticism for his handling of an elementary school’s measles outbreak, telling parents of unvaccinated children it is their choice whether their students attend class — a contravention of federal guidelines calling for their mandatory exclusion. Dr. Joseph Ladapo, nationally known...

VALLARTA, Mexico — PGA Tour rookie Jake Knapp lost a four-shot lead in seven holes and then held it together with a remarkable short game Sunday, closing with an even-par 71 to win the Mexico Open at Vidanta and earn a trip to the Masters. Knapp said he still sends...

YORK — Law enforcement officers in Pennsylvania shot and killed a man who fired at them during a domestic violence call, including aiming shotgun blasts at an officer forced to dive off a porch to protect himself, a county prosecutor said. Spring Garden Township police were called to a home...

WASHINGTON — Inflation has changed the way many Americans shop. Now, those changes in consumer habits are helping bring down inflation. Fed up with prices that remain about 19%, on average, above where they were before the pandemic, consumers are fighting back. In grocery stores, they’re shifting away from name...

LOS ANGELES — For a second straight week, biopic ” Bob Marley: One Love ” claimed the No. 1 spot at the box office, overcoming two debut films and Sony’s “Madame Web” that’s still producing subpar numbers. The Paramount film starring Kingsley Ben-Adir pulled in $13.5 million during its second...