Author: Associated Press

Just days to spare, Senate gives final approval to debt ceiling deal, sending it to Biden

Photo source: CNN, POOLWASHINGTON (AP) — Fending off a U.S. default, the Senate gave final approval late Thursday to a debt ceiling and budget cuts package, grinding into the night to wrap up work on the bipartisan deal and send it to President Joe Biden’s desk to become law before the fast-approaching deadline. The compromise package negotiated between Biden and…

Churchill Downs implements safety, performance standards to address recent spate of horse deaths

Photo: Kentucky Derby/FacebookLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Horse racing’s oversight authority and Churchill Downs have each announced additional safety and health measures in the wake of 12 recent deaths since late April at the home of the Kentucky Derby. The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) will conduct additional post-entry screening of horses to identify those at increased risk for injury….

A look at some well-known horse deaths in races ranging from the Kentucky Derby to Breeders’ Cup

A look at five well-known horse deaths in races ranging from the Kentucky Derby to the Preakness to the Breeders’ Cup: MONGOLIAN GROOM Mongolian Groom, a 4-year-old gelding, was euthanized after breaking his left hind leg in the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita in California. Jockey Abel Cedillo pulled up the horse in the stretch with a national…

Toyota to invest $2.1 billion more in N.C. battery plant, will build big SUV at factory in Kentucky

Toyota North Carolina construction progress at the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite as of May 15. Photo source: ToyotaToyota will invest another $2.1 billion in an electric and hybrid vehicle battery factory that’s under construction near Greensboro, North Carolina. The plant will supply batteries to Toyota’s huge complex in Georgetown, Kentucky, which will build Toyota’s first U.S.-made electric vehicle, a new SUV with…

HISA chief: Churchill Downs would accept recommendation to pause racing if needed

The head of horse racing’s oversight authority believes Churchill Downs would accept a recommendation to pause racing if necessary as an emergency summit convenes to examine the deaths of 12 horses over the past month at the home of the Kentucky Derby. Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority CEO Lisa Lazarus noted that while the federally created board doesn’t have the…

Artificial intelligence raises risk of extinction, experts say in new warning

Scientists and tech industry leaders, including high-level executives at Microsoft and Google, issued a new warning Tuesday about the perils that artificial intelligence poses to humankind. “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war,” the statement said. Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, and Geoffrey…

Debt limit deal is in place, but budget deficit is still a multi-decade challenge for US government

Photo source: CNNWASHINGTON (AP) — Even with new spending restraints included in the congressional debt limit deal, the U.S. government’s deficits are still on course to keep climbing to record levels over the next few decades. The projections are a sign that the two-year truce between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy might be only a pause before…