Dallas Mavericks win the NBA draft lottery and the chance to pick Cooper Flagg No. 1 overall
By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer CHICAGO (AP) — The ping-pong balls have spoken: Cooper Flagg might be headed to Dallas to start his NBA career. And a fan base that lost Luka Doncic this season might have a…
The NBA draft lottery: 14 ping-pong balls, and the right to pick No. 1 overall on the line
By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer Sometime around 6 p.m. EDT Monday, locked inside a secure room with no way of communicating with the outside world, team executives and others will watch 14 ping-pong balls start to bounce inside…
House Republicans unveil Medicaid cuts that Democrats warn will leave millions without care
By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans have unveiled the cost-saving centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” at least $880 billion in cuts largely to Medicaid to help cover the cost of $4.5 trillion…
Saints QB Derek Carr is retiring because of a degenerative condition in his right shoulder
By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans Saints veteran starting quarterback Derek Carr has decided to retire because of a labral tear and degenerative rotator cuff injury in his right shoulder, the team announced Saturday….
Soviet-era spacecraft plunges to Earth after 53 years stuck in orbit
By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer A Soviet-era spacecraft plunged to Earth on Saturday, more than a half-century after its failed launch to Venus. Its uncontrolled entry was confirmed by both the Russian Space Agency and European Union Space Surveillance…
Robert Prevost, first American pope in history of the Catholic Church, will take the name Leo XIV
By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV, the American Robert Prevost, said “Peace be with you” in his first words as pope, offering a message of peace and dialogue “without fear.” From the loggia of…
White smoke pours out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling the election of a new pope
By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — White smoke poured from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and the great bells of St. Peter’s Basilica tolled Thursday after cardinals elected the 267th pope to lead the Catholic Church…
From ‘conclave’ to ‘white smoke,’ a glossary of terms used in a papal transition
By The Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — A change in popes — through death or resignation — is a complicated process, with centuries-old rituals involving the transition in leadership for both the spiritual head of the global Catholic Church…
Homeland Security chief says travelers with no REAL ID can fly for now, but with likely extra steps
By REBECCA SANTANA and OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Travelers who haven’t obtained a REAL ID by this week’s deadline received assurances from the head of Homeland Security that they will be able to fly after additional…
Ahead of the conclave, the Vatican staff is to be sworn to secrecy under threat of excommunication
By VANESSA GERA Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cleaners and cooks. Doctors and nurses. Even drivers and elevator operators. All the support staff for the cardinals who will elect the successor to Pope Francis are taking an oath…