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Disneyland is reopening after a 13-month closure. The iconic theme park in Southern California that was closed under the state's strict virus rules will swing open its gates Friday, albeit with limited capacity. Also, only in-state visitors are allowed, and hugs and handshakes with Mickey are out. Industry experts say the reopening could encourage more Californians to travel following a lengthy shut-in in a state that's now seeing life spring back after a deadly winter virus surge. California has the country's lowest rate of new coronavirus cases, and more than half of eligible residents have received a vaccine dose. Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he hopes to broadly reopen the state in mid-June.

APRIL 22 - 29, 2021 This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published by Associated Press Photographers in Latin America and the Caribbean. It was curated by AP photo editor Tomas Stargardter in Mexico City…

In his first public address since the end of the Trump administration, former Vice President Mike Pence put down a marker for a potential return to elected office, telling an audience in early-voting South Carolina that he plans to use the coming months “pushing back on the liberal agenda” he says is wrong for the country. The choice of South Carolina for Pence’s post-administration debut on Thursday has definite political overtones, helping him develop exposure for a potential 2024 presidential bid. The state holds the first presidential primaries in the South, and candidates of both major parties typically spend more than a year in the state ahead of those votes.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower Friday amid uncertainty about the prospects for a global economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 dipped 0.5% in morning trading to 28,900.98. South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.7% to…

Quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence of Clemson and Zac Wilson of BYU were the first two players off the board, as expected, in the NFL Draft. The San Francisco 49ers made it three straight QBs with North Dakota State's Trey Lance before Florida's Kyle Pitts became the highest selected tight end at No. 4 to Atlanta. Seven offensive players went off the board before a defensive player went and four quarterbacks were taken in the first 11 picks.

Kevin Durant scored a season-high 42 points, including 22 in the third quarter, and the Eastern Conference-leading Brooklyn Nets glided to a 130-113 victory over the struggling Indiana Pacers. Playing without Kyrie Irving and James Harden, the Nets built a double-digit lead by the second quarter and were never seriously threatened. Durant hit 16 of 24 shots and had 10 assists in his eighth start since being sidelined for nearly two months with a hamstring injury. It was the All-Star forward’s third game of 30 points or more since his return, which was also interrupted for three games by a thigh injury.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Africa is “watching with total disbelief” as India struggles with a devastating resurgence in COVID-19 cases, the continent’s top public health official said Thursday, as African officials worry about delays in vaccine deliveries caused by India’s…

The gigantic Stratolaunch aircraft has flown for the second time in two years. The six-engine jet with the world’s longest wingspan took off from Mojave Air and Space Port Thursday morning and landed safely about three hours later. Named Roc, the twin-fuselage aircraft has a wingspan of 385 feet. It was developed by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, who died just months before it flew for the first time in April 2019. Allen intended to use it as a carrier aircraft for space launches. New owners initially plan to use it as a carrier aircraft for launches of reusable hypersonic flight research vehicles. 

Anne Douglas, the widow of Kirk Douglas and stepmother of Michael Douglas, has died in California. She was 102. A spokeswoman says Douglas died Thursday at her home in Beverly Hills. No cause of death was given. Kirk Douglas, the Hollywood legend who starred in “Spartacus,” “Lust for Life” and dozens of other films, died last year at 103. He married Anne Buydens in 1954 after they met in Paris while he was filming “Act of Love” and she was doing publicity. In 2017 the couple published “Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood.”

The family and representatives of Black men killed by the police have met at the White House with senators and Biden administration officials and say they left feeling optimistic. They believe police reform could be approved by May 25, the anniversary of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The participating lawmakers were Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democratic Sen. Cory Booker, Republican Sen. Tim Scott and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump says, “They said that we are going to do everything in our power to make sure we have a meaningful bill that we can put on President Biden’s desk."

There was no suspense at the top of this NFL draft. The top three picks were a quarterback, a quarterback and, yep, another quarterback. Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence went to the Jacksonville Jaguars to get things started. He was followed by BYU’s Zach Wilson going to the New York Jets and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance landing with the San Francisco 49ers. That matched 1971 and 1999 as the only drafts with quarterbacks taken as the top three picks. Commissioner Roger Goodell was on hand to dispense greetings to players being selected in front of fans in Cleveland. Last year's draft was conducted virtually because of the pandemic.

The Senate has confirmed Bill Nelson, a former Florida senator who once flew on the space shuttle, to be the next NASA administrator. Lawmakers agreed to President Joe Biden’s choice to lead the space agency by consensus late Thursday, without a roll call vote. Nelson says he is “honored,” adding, "Onward and upward!” He will become NASA’s 14th administrator, succeeding another former member of Congress, Jim Bridenstine, a Republican from Oklahoma. Nelson currently serves on the NASA Advisory Council. He promised, when nominated, to “help lead NASA into an exciting future of possibilities.” The space agency is working to send astronauts back to the moon this decade.

Water officials in Arizona say they are prepared to lose about one-fifth of the water the state gets from the Colorado River in what could be the first mandated cut. The federal government recently projected the first-ever shortage of river water that supplies millions of people in the U.S. West and Mexico. Arizona stands to lose more than any other state in the Colorado River basin. The brunt of the cuts will be felt among farmers in central Arizona who already have been fallowing more land amid an ongoing drought and improving wells to pump groundwater. The federal government will give its official projection for the river in mid-August.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy visited three southeast Alaska communities during a one-day swing last week. He took advantage of a streak of sunny weather in a region notorious for its rains for the journey that included travel by float plane. Dunleavy cited increasing vaccine rates and efforts to manage the pandemic in seeking to move the state toward a greater sense of normalcy. That included resuming trips like the one last Thursday. His trip also illustrated the challenges of getting around a state where most communities lack road access. Dunleavy faces an ongoing recall threat, which was fueled early on by anger over budget vetoes and proposed cuts. 

Authorities say a gunman who killed himself, two deputies and his mother and stepfather in a 13-hour home standoff in North Carolina had a large cache of weapons and may have been contemplating an attack in public. Watauga County Sheriff Len Hagaman identified the dead on Thursday. He said George Wyatt Ligon and his wife Michelle were dead along with the shooting suspect, 32-year-old Isaac Alton Barnes. Barnes was Michelle Ligon’s son and the man’s stepson.  Hagaman said family members had expressed concerns about the large number of weapons in Barnes’ possession and what he might try to do.

Keegan Bradley had no stress and no bogeys on the tough Copperhead course at Innisbrook. That added to a 64 and at two-shot lead at the Valspar Championship. Bradley is no stranger to good starts at Innisbrook. This is the fifth straight time he has been no worse than sixth after the opening round. Twice he went on to miss the cut. So Friday is important. Max Homa and Ryan Moore were among those two shots behind. Dustin Johnson had to settle for a 71. Justin Thomas celebrated his 28th birthday with a 69. Monday qualifier Michael Visacki shot 74.

ELM GROVE, Wis. (AP) — Standing on the sidelines of her son's soccer practice in this upscale suburb, Laura Hahn looked skyward for answers when asked how she would rate President Joe Biden's first 100 days in office. Overall, Biden…

Kings of Leon’s rock and roll journey has taken them from an NFT to the NFL. One of rock’s biggest acts, the band visited the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to see a new exhibit featuring their venture into cryptocurrency before they opened the NFL draft with their first live show in more than a year. In March, the band released its eighth studio album, “When You See Yourself” as a non-fungible token or NFT, a digital form of currency that can only be used in its own ecosystem. 

Amazon’s pandemic boom isn’t showing signs of slowing down. The Seattle-based company said its first-quarter profit more than tripled from a year ago, fueled by the growth of online shopping. It also posted revenue of more than $100 billion, the second quarter in row that the company has passed that milestone. Amazon is one of the few retailers that has benefited during the pandemic as people turned to the online retailer to buy groceries, cleaning supplies and more. In the first three months of this year, the company reported profit of $8.1 billion, compared to $2.5 billion the year before. Earnings per share came to $15.79, about $6 more per share than what Wall Street analysts expected. Revenue jumped 44% to $108.5 billion.