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By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO, AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers picked up their spending in June after an earlier pullback, despite anxiety over tariffs and the state of the U.S. economy. Retail sales rose a better-than-expected 0.6% in June, the Commerce Department said Thursday, after two consecutive months of spending declines, a 0.1% pullback in April and a 0.9% slowdown in May. Retail was buoyed earlier in the year by car sales as Americans attempted to get ahead of President Donald Trump’s 25% duty on imported cars and car parts. The erratic consumer spending is taking place during a period of mixed signals about…

On a recent afternoon, a masked man pulled into the back of the Santa Ana immigration courthouse in a white, unmarked van with no license plates. Wearing a vest that read ‘DETENTION OFFICER’ with a GS4 security uniform patch, the driver stepped out of the van and waited as two plainclothes federal agents escorted a man and woman into the vehicle, which would transport them to a facility for deportation processing. The woman broke down in tears, while the man stared ahead in silence. A volunteer from the Orange County Rapid Response Network recorded the interaction and advised the two…

By KATE PAYNE, Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration left many local officials in the dark about the immigration detention center that rose from an isolated airstrip in the Everglades, emails obtained by The Associated Press show, while relying on an executive order to seize the land, hire contractors and bypass laws and regulations. The emails show that local officials in southwest Florida were still trying to chase down a “rumor” about the sprawling “Alligator Alcatraz” facility planned for their county while state officials were already on the ground and sending vendors through the gates…

Jim Alexander: This may be the definitive proof that we’re in the dog days of summer, sports news category. The following was an actual headline in The Athletic (also known as the New York Times sports section) earlier this week: “LeBron James hasn’t had buyout, trade discussions with Lakers, expects to be with team: Sources” In other words, nothing to report. But that passive-aggressive statement that Rich Paul and Klutch Sports provided on LeBron’s behalf a couple of weeks ago, shortly after LeBron opted into the final year of his contract at $52.6 million, is the gift that keeps on…

By MATTHEW PERRONE, AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration is allowing vaping brand Juul to keep its e-cigarettes on the market, providing relief to a company that has struggled for years after being widely blamed for sparking the teen vaping trend. FDA regulators said Thursday that Juul’s studies show its e-cigarettes are less harmful for adult smokers, who can benefit from switching completely to vaping. The FDA decision applies to both tobacco- and menthol-flavored versions of the reusable product, which works with nicotine-filled cartridges sold in two different strengths. Juul previously discontinued several fruit and candy flavors that helped drive its popularity but…

By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — All solar and wind energy projects on federal lands and waters must be personally approved by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum under a new order that authorizes him to conduct “elevated review” of activities ranging from leases to rights-of-way, construction and operational plans, grants and biological opinions. The enhanced oversight on clean-energy projects is aimed at “ending preferential treatment for unreliable, subsidy-dependent wind and solar energy,” the Interior Department said in a statement Thursday. The order “will ensure all evaluations are thorough and deliberative” on potential projects on millions of acres of federal…

Angel City Football Club defender Savy King, who collapsed in a May 9 game against the Utah Royals, said Wednesday in an interview with “Good Morning America” that she doesn’t remember much of what happened that night. “I remember that I wasn’t feeling right and I remembered I grabbed my leg because I was trying to distract myself from the fact that I felt I was going to pass out,” King said in an interview with Will Reeve. “I remember the medical staff coming onto the field.” King, 20, collapsed in the second half of the game. The medical staff…

Exactly 30 years ago, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac adopted credit reports and their scores from FICO as a basis for mortgage credit decisions (approval or denial) and risk-based loan pricing. That FICO credit scoring monopoly is about to end after a July 8 announcement from Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (the agencies’ conservator and regulator), allowing the mortgage giants to also use VantageScore. “Effective today, to increase competition to the credit score ecosystem and consistent with President Trump’s landslide mandate to lower costs, Fannie and Freddie will ALLOW lenders to use VantageScore 4.0,” Pulte posted…

By KEVIN FREKING and MARY CLARE JALONICK WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is expected late Thursday to approve President Donald Trump’s request to claw back about $9 billion for public broadcasting and foreign aid as Republicans target institutions and programs they view as bloated or out of step with their agenda. The White House had described the package as a test case and said that if Congress went along, more would come. The House’s approval would mark the first time in decades that a president has successfully submitted such a rescissions request to Congress, and even then the results were…

EL SEGUNDO — Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams told the team he planned to retire rather than continue his standout NFL career after eight seasons, a club spokesman confirmed while the opening day of training camp was underway Thursday morning. Williams spent seven of his eight years in the NFL with the Chargers. After splitting the 2024 season between the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers, Williams re-signed with the Chargers on a one-year, $6-million contract in March. It seemed to be a natural reunion given Williams’ history with the team and, especially, with quarterback Justin Herbert. Williams was hampered…