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This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — J.D. Runnels and his son, James, share a love for football. Runnels played for the University of Oklahoma and in the National Football League, and he coached in the United States Football League this past season. His son plays center for Southridge Middle School's eighth-grade team in Moore, an Oklahoma City suburb. James nearly was held out of playing this season because his parents objected to the “biological sex affidavit” Oklahoma public school athletes, from kindergarten to college, are now required to submit to participate. The form — part of a law its author says is aimed at ensuring girls' and women's teams allow only cisgender females — asks what sex a student was at birth. J.D. said James' mother considered it government overreach and “none of their business." They considered not turning in the form for their son, who is cisgender. … [Read more...] about Oklahoma sports ‘biological sex affidavit’ raises questions

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Stars and fans react to the death of Loretta Lynn, who died Tuesday at her home at 90. —- “Mama and Loretta Lynn were four years apart, Mama being the oldest. They always reminded me a lot of each other. Strong women, who loved their children and were fiercely loyal. Now they’re both in Heaven getting to visit and talk about how they were raised, how different country music is now from what it was when they were young. Sure makes me feel good that Mama went first so she could welcome Loretta into the hollers of heaven!” — Reba McEntire on Instagram. “We've been like sisters all these years we've been in Nashville and she was a wonderful human being, wonderful talent, had millions of fans and I'm one of them. I miss her dearly as we all will.” — Dolly Parton wrote on Twitter. “Today is a sad day. The world lost a magnificent human being. Loretta Lynn was a great artist, a strong and resilient country music pioneer and a precious friend. I am … [Read more...] about Musicians, fans react to death of country star Loretta Lynn

Sheryl Sandberg opened her next chapter as a full-time philanthropist Tuesday with a donation to the American Civil Liberties Union to fight state abortion bans across the country. Sandberg, who officially left her position as Facebook’s parent company Meta’s chief operating officer last week after 14 years, donated $3 million to the ACLU Ruth Bader Ginsburg Liberty Center. The ACLU plans to use the funds to support candidates and ballot measures for abortion rights, as well as defending pregnant women’s rights in state courts and legislatures over the next three years. Sandberg told The Associated Press in an interview that it’s “unthinkable” that her three daughters have fewer rights over “their own health care, their own bodies, their own destinies” than she did. She wanted to immediately start working to change that. “As I’m leaving Meta and looking at the next phase of my life and what I want to do and dedicate myself to, this is an issue that I think is absolutely … [Read more...] about Sheryl Sandberg steps into abortion fight with ACLU donation

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 BRUSSELS (AP) — Germany’s plan to spend billions of euros to help keep gas prices low for its consumers and businesses has received a tepid welcome from fellow European Union members, with some worrying that the measure could exacerbate the energy crisis. With a recession looming, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said last week that his government would spend up to 200 billion euros (dollars) on the “gas price brake.” Some EU countries think the move by the bloc’s biggest economy should have been coordinated with them. They said they worry it could jack up prices elsewhere. European economies were already struggling to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, but high inflation and Russia’s war in Ukraine, notably its decision to switch off the gas taps to several EU countries, has given them a fresh battering. The solution, according to some opponents of Germany’s plan – among them France … [Read more...] about German gas price plan exposes EU divisions over energy

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of available jobs in the U.S. plummeted in August compared with July as businesses grow less desperate for workers, a trend that could cool chronically high inflation. That is good news for the Federal Reserve in its efforts to bring down high prices without plunging the economy into a recession. The government jobs report released Tuesday also showed that layoffs remained historically low, even after a modest increase in August. And overall hiring was essentially unchanged that month. Altogether, the data suggested that even as companies take down job postings, they aren't cutting workers or slamming the brakes on adding jobs. “Employers are thinking about who they don’t need to hire, but not thinking about who they need to lay off,” said Layla O’Kane, a senior economist at labor analytics firms Lightcast. There were 10.1 million advertised jobs on the last day of August, the government said Tuesday, down a huge 10% from 11.2 million openings in … [Read more...] about US job openings sink as economy slows, cost to borrow rises

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 Aides who had worked in Donald Trump's White House were not surprised this summer when the FBI found highly classified material in boxes at Mar-a-Lago, mixed with news clippings and other items. They'd seen such haphazard collections before. During his four years in office, Trump never strictly followed the rules and customs for handling sensitive government documents, according to 14 officials from his administration, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss what they called Trump's mishandling of classified information. He took transcripts of his calls with foreign leaders as well as photos and charts used in his intelligence briefings to his private residence with no explanation. He demanded that letters he exchanged with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un be kept close at hand so he could show them off to visitors. Documents that would ordinarily be kept … [Read more...] about In Trump White House, classified records routinely mishandled, aides say

Elon Musk has revived his bid to purchase Twitter for its original share price, according to a Bloomberg report published Tuesday. The report cites anonymous sources familiar with the situation who state Musk has penned a letter to Twitter leadership offering to purchase the social media platform at the original $54.20 share price agreed to in his initial bid to purchase the company laid out earlier this year. Twitter shares rose more than five dollars Tuesday following the news, and trading of the stock has since been suspended due to volatility. Shares of the company now sit at $47.93, up from an opening bell price of $42.81 on Tuesday morning. Musk's alleged offer comes weeks before the onset of formal legal proceedings between Twitter and the tech mogul, which are slated to begin on October 17 in Delaware Chancery Court. The court showdown stems from Musk's attempted annulment of his April agreement to buy the platform for $44 billion , which set off a series of … [Read more...] about Elon Musk reverses course, offers to buy Twitter for original share price

UPDATE: October 4, 11:50 a.m. CT Investigators on Friday released a photo of missing Alvin ISD teacher Michelle Reynolds walking on a New Orleans street on Friday, Sep. 23. Reynolds is wearing the same hairstyle and color, clothes and shoes as she was at her last confirmed sighting. "If you see Michelle, please contact local authorities or Texas EquuSearch," Texas Equusearch wrote in a Facebook post. — End of Update — Surveillance video of missing Alvin ISD teacher Michelle Reynolds has surfaced days after authorities found her car a few blocks from the Mississippi River in New Orleans earlier this week. Fox 26 Houston reported Thursday that Tim Miller of Texas EquuSearch, a nonprofit search and recovery outfit, obtained the video from a New Orleans business. "We did get surveillance of her actually parking her car on Saint Peters Street at 12:01 p.m. Friday afternoon and then kind of what direction she was walking. Saint Peters Street is pretty close to … [Read more...] about Investigators release photo of missing Alvin ISD teacher

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 17 PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Daily life in Haiti began to spin out of control last month just hours after Prime Minister Ariel Henry said fuel subsidies would be eliminated, causing prices to double. Gunshots rang out as protesters blocked roads with iron gates and mango trees. Then Haiti’s most powerful gang took a drastic step: It dug trenches to block access to the Caribbean country’s largest fuel terminal, vowing not to budge until Henry resigns and prices for fuel and basic goods go down. The poorest country in the Western hemisphere is in the grips of an inflationary vise that is squeezing its citizenry and exacerbating protests that have brought society to the breaking point. Violence is raging and making parents afraid to send their kids to school; fuel and clean water are scarce; hospitals, … [Read more...] about Haiti at breaking point as economy tanks and violence soars