Author: Associated Press

BofA hit with $250 million in fines and customer refunds for ‘double-dipping’ fees, fake accounts

Photo source: CNN NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America will reimburse customers more than $100 million and pay $150 million in fines for “double-dipping” on overdraft fees, withholding reward bonuses on credit cards and opening accounts without customer consent. Combined, it is one of the highest financial penalties in years against Bank of America, which has largely spent the…

Be wary of scams as Amazon Prime Day kicks off, experts warn

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon Prime Day is here. And, once again, experts are warning consumers of scams. Scams targeting online shoppers — often by impersonating companies like Amazon and other major retailers — are nothing new. But phishing attempts increase amid busy spending seen during significant sales events — from Black Friday to, of course, Prime Day, according to…

Kentucky AG challenges federal judge’s blocking of state law banning transgender youth treatment

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron is asking a federal appeals court to lift an injunction that blocks portions of a new state law banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Cameron’s emergency motion to the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals challenges last month’s federal court ruling that temporarily blocked parts of the Kentucky law prohibiting the…

Churchill Downs extends trainer Bob Baffert’s ban through 2024

Photo source: CNN Churchill Downs is extending Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s suspension through 2024, keeping the two-time Triple Crown winner from entering horses in the Kentucky Derby and other races for an additional year. Churchill Downs Inc. announced Monday it was continuing Baffert’s ban at least through the 2024 calendar year, citing “continued concerns regarding the threat to…

Suspicious powder found at the White House when Biden was gone was cocaine, AP sources say

Photo source: CNN WASHINGTON (AP) — A preliminary test has shown that a suspicious substance found at the White House on Sunday was cocaine. That’s according to two law enforcement officials. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly. The White House was briefly evacuated Sunday evening, while…

Tuesday set an unofficial record for the hottest day on Earth. Wednesday may break it.

(AP) – The planet’s temperature spiked on Tuesday to its hottest day in at least 44 years and likely much longer, and Wednesday could become the third straight day Earth unofficially marks a record-breaking high, the latest in a series of climate-change extremes that alarm but don’t surprise scientists. The globe’s average temperature reached 62.9 degrees Fahrenheit (17.18 degrees Celsius)…

What to know about Fourth of July holiday origins and traditions

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Fourth of July is Americana at its core: parades and cookouts and cold beer and, of course, fireworks. Those pyrotechnics also make it an especially dangerous holiday, typically resulting in more than 10,000 trips to the emergency room. Yet fireworks remain at the center of Independence Day, a holiday 247 years in the making. Here…

The Supreme Court rules for a designer who doesn’t want to make wedding websites for gay couples

Image source: CNNWASHINGTON (AP) — In a defeat for gay rights, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority ruled on Friday that a Christian graphic artist who wants to design wedding websites can refuse to work with same-sex couples. One of the court’s liberal justices wrote in a dissent that the decision’s effect is to “mark gays and lesbians for second-class status”…

The Supreme Court rejects Biden’s plan to wipe away $400 billion in student loan debt

Photo: CNNWASHINGTON (AP) — A sharply divided Supreme Court on Friday effectively killed President Joe Biden’s $400 billion plan to cancel or reduce federal student loan debts for millions of Americans. The 6-3 decision, with conservative justices in the majority, said the Biden administration overstepped its authority with the plan, and it leaves borrowers on the hook for repayments that…