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By STEPHEN GROVES and LISA MASCARO, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson is rebuffing pressure to act on the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, instead sending members home early for a month-long break from Washington after the week’s legislative agenda was upended by Republican members who are clamoring for a vote. Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, said Tuesday morning that he wants to give the White House “space” to release the Epstein information on its own, despite the bipartisan push for legislation that aims to force the release of more documents. “There’s no purpose for the Congress to…

By JANIE McCAULEY SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A beloved therapy bunny named Alex The Great, who provided snuggles and comfort from ballparks to NBA arenas, airports, farmers markets and even Easter egg hunts and NASCAR races, has died. He was 4. A floppy-eared Flemish giant who was larger than life in both size and spirit, Alex suffered complications from cancer treatment and died early Monday, his owners said. The rabbit had undergone care at the renowned UC Davis Veterinary Hospital in recent days. Alex appeared June 4 sporting his signature cap for Padres-Giants at Oracle Park. At 4 months old,…

We lauded Gavin Newsom recently, after he took an unusual—but effective—approach to secure major reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act. CEQA is a main impediment to housing construction, with its requirements for voluminous Environmental Impact Reports and its rules that allow project opponents to file lawsuits on the flimsiest grounds. The governor refused to sign the budget unless it included CEQA reforms. Bravo. But Californians shouldn’t get too carried away with the idea that Newsom has totally seen the light on housing issues. During a South Carolina trip this month to meet with early primary voters as part of…

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS, Associated Press Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — When the “KissCam” at a Coldplay concert landed on a couple who tried (but failed) to duck out of the spotlight, the internet immediately got to work. In hours, the clip was just about everywhere. Endless memes, parody videos and photos of the pair’s shocked faces filled social media feeds. Online sleuths rushed to identify who was on camera. Artificial intelligence and software company Astronomer eventually confirmed that its CEO and chief people officer were in fact the couple in the video — and announced the CEO’s resignation over…

By MEG KINNARD and DARLENE SUPERVILLE WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Joe Biden’s son Hunter, seen by some as the problem child of the Democratic Party for legal and drug-related woes that brought negative attention to his father, is lashing out against Democratic “elites” and others over the way he says his father was treated during last year’s presidential campaign. Hunter Biden spoke publicly in recent interviews about last year’s election, when Joe Biden ultimately dropped his bid and Donald Trump won the White House. In a three-hour, expletive-filled online interview with Andrew Callaghan of Channel 5, he directed ire…

MONT VENTOUX, France — Valentin Paret-Peintre triumphed on Mont Ventoux to become the first home rider to win a stage at this year’s Tour de France, while Tadej Pogačar consolidated his overall lead Tuesday. Paret-Peintre followed former yellow jersey holder Ben Healy on a breakaway and then beat the Irish rider in a sprint for the line at the top of the famed barren mountain known as the “Beast of Provence.” Santiago Buitrago was third, 4 seconds behind, ahead of Ilan Van Wilder and fifth-placed Pogačar, who withstood repeated attacks from Jonas Vingegaard to cross the line 2 seconds before…

By STAN CHOE, Associated Press Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is hanging around its records on Tuesday following some mixed profit reports, as General Motors and other big U.S. companies give updates on how much President Donald Trump’s tariffs are hurting or helping them. The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged in early trading, a day after inching to its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 27 points, or 0.1%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was slipping 0.1% after setting its own record. Related Articles There are many illegal…

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD and AMY TAXIN, Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — There are thousands of illegal marijuana farms around the country. But when the federal government decided to stage one of its largest raids since President Donald Trump took office in January, it picked the biggest legal grower in California. Nearly two weeks later, the reason for the federal raid at two Glass House farm sites northwest of Los Angeles remains unclear and has prompted speculation. Some say the raid was intended to send a chilling message to immigrants in the U.S. illegally — but also to rattle…

By Whitney Vandiver, NerdWallet Republicans cheered President Donald Trump’s signing of the “big, beautiful bill” on July 4 as “driving down energy costs.” But homeowners planning to install solar panels were hit with a tight deadline to claim thousands of dollars in tax credits. In addition to slashing federal funding, the nearly 900-page bill eliminated the solar tax credit that homeowners could claim for installing solar panels on their properties. Here’s what you need to know about the changes to the solar tax credit and how it’ll likely affect everyone — including those without solar panels. What is the solar…

By JULIE CARR SMYTH, Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan was among those questioned under oath this month after release of a new documentary about the sexual abuse of Ohio State University athletes decades ago by a team doctor, according to a court filing. Jordan’s deposition Friday came in a federal lawsuit brought by former student athletes against the university over its failure to stop abuse by Dr. Richard Strauss, who died in 2005. Hundreds say they were abused by Strauss, who worked at the school from 1978 to 1998. Many ex-wrestlers over the years…