Ingested Articles

China has launched the core module for its first permanent space station that will host astronauts long-term. The Tianhe module blasted into space Thursday atop a Long March 5B rocket from the Wenchang Launch Center on the southern island province of Hainan on the first of 11 missions necessary to complete construction, provision the station and send up a three-person crew by the end of next year. The astronauts will live on the station for six months at a time. China's space program has also recently brought back the first new lunar samples in more than 40 years and expects to land a probe and rover on the Mars surface later next month. 

Erik Spoelstra got a milestone win, and it didn’t come easily. Jimmy Butler scored 29 points, Bam Adebayo had a big three-point play with 51.8 seconds left and the Miami Heat went on a 17-0 run in the second half before hanging on late to beat the San Antonio Spurs 116-111. It was the 600th regular-season win for Spoelstra, making him the 27th coach in NBA history to win that many and just the sixth coach to do so with one franchise. Dejounte Murray had 22 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for the Spurs, who were without starting guard Derrick White, who is expected to miss the rest of the season with a sprained ankle.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Samsung Electronics said Thursday its operating profit for the last quarter jumped 46% from a year earlier driven by increased sales of smartphones and televisions as its business continues to flourish amid the pandemic. The…

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love has apologized for his on-court tantrum, saying his behavior was out of line and out of character. The five-time All-Star spoke following Cleveland’s shootaround Wednesday before facing the Orlando Magic. Love didn't take any questions from reporters after speaking passionately for 13 minutes about the incident, his frustration in dealing with an injury this season and his continued struggle with mental health. Love said he didn't know how bad his actions looked until after Monday night's game. In the third quarter against Toronto, a frustrated Love angrily tapped the ball back into play on an inbounds pass. It was grabbed by the Raptors, who made a 3-pointer and went on to win 112-96.

President Joe Biden is giving his first joint address to Congress, and an AP Fact Check is examining his statements and the Republican response. Biden claims that when he was vice president he addressed the root causes of migration from Central America into the United States and the “plan was working," but President Donald Trump abandoned it. That’s incorrect. Biden led President Barack Obama’s efforts to address a spike in migration from Central America, but poverty and violence have been endemic for decades. Hundreds of millions of dollars of U.S. aid have gone to Central America annually, even during Trump’s presidency, but migration from Mexico and Central America has continued unabated with periodic spikes. 

President Joe Biden is using his first address before a joint session of Congress to make the case that his administration has made progress during the first 100 days he’s been in office, confronting the public health and economic maelstrom caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Biden is also using the prime-time address to make his pitch directly to Americans for his expansive — and expensive — vision to rebuild the nation’s roads, bridges, water pipes and other infrastructure, bolster public education and extend other benefits for a wide swath of Americans. Here are some key takeaways from the president’s address.

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar government forces launched airstrikes against ethnic minority guerrillas in two areas of the country on Wednesday, local reports said. Fighting has been raging daily in northern Myanmar in territory controlled by the Kachin Independence Organization, representing…

Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are set to make history as the first two women to share the stage in Congress during a presidential address. President Joe Biden is delivering his first prime-time speech before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night. Millions of viewers will see two women sitting behind a president for the first time in U.S. history. Pelosi will be there as leader of the House. Harris, the first woman and first person of color elected vice president, joins in her role as president of the Senate. 

Video released in Chicago shows an officer shooting an armed suspect in the back as he sought to elude capture. The videos released Wednesday by Chicago’s independent police review board again put a spotlight on police use of deadly force. For many, shooting fleeing suspects when their backs are turned, as in the case of Anthony Alvarez, is never justified. State laws and Supreme Court precedent do permit it under certain circumstances. From the videos released by the police review board, there’s no disputing that Alvarez had a gun. It is clearly visible. But the fact that a fleeing suspect has a gun doesn’t automatically make shooting them legal. A key point of dispute in Alvarez's case is whether he turned or was beginning to turn toward the officer when he was shot.

Republican Sen. Tim Scott is crediting former President Donald Trump and fellow members of the GOP with creating what he calls “a joyful springtime for our nation.” Scott gives that nod to Trump and the party as part of his prepared remarks on behalf of Republicans in response to President Joe Biden's speech to a joint session of Congress. Biden is striking an optimistic tone in excerpts released ahead of his speech, declaring that the U.S. is “turning peril into possibility, crisis into opportunity.” But Scott's remarks indicate his is ascribing the turnaround to the GOP.

When the Tokyo Olympics was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. women's water polo star Kiley Neushul decided to retire from the national team. The decision created a giant hole in the lineup for a powerhouse U.S. team going for a third consecutive gold medal this summer. Neushul had been a key performer for the U.S. on each side of the pool. Coach Adam Krikorian says replacing her is “impossible.” In her first interview since her decision, Neushel tells The Associated Press she wouldn't “have been in the right headspace to continue on.” She says she's excited about pursuing other interests.

Producer Charlie Yook and NFL Network didn’t have their own draft broadcast last year, but he was able to glean a couple of things from last year’s joint effort with ESPN. The biggest is when it comes to the draft, sometimes simple works best and that it is OK to combine resources. While 12 prospects will be in Cleveland waiting to be selected and pose with commissioner Roger Goodell, the NFL has sent 45 camera kits to prospects homes with iPhones, lighting, a backdrop and the hats of each team. NFL Network and ESPN will also have access to all 32 team war room cams after years of competing to see which teams they could get exclusive access.

Hollywood thrillers in which sophisticated, attractive city folk move to creaky old country homes and experience scary things are a dime a dozen. Less common is when those Hollywood thrillers are based on the theology of 18th-century Swedish mystic Emanuel…

The Justice Department has announced federal hate crime charges in the death of a Georgia man who was killed while out for a run last year. The criminal case charging the three men in connection with the death of Ahmaud Arbery is the most significant civil rights prosecution undertaken to date by the Biden administration Justice Department. Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory, and a third man, William “Roddie” Bryan, are all charged with one count of interference with civil rights and attempted kidnapping. The McMichaels are also charged with using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

Congressional Democrats are moving to reinstate regulations designed to limit potent greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas fields. It's part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to combat climate change. The Senate approved a resolution Wednesday that would undo an environmental rollback by President Donald Trump. The rule relaxed requirements of a 2016 Obama administration rule targeting methane emissions from oil and gas drilling. Democrats and environmentalists called the rollback egregious, noting that methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. The measure overturning the Trump-era rule now goes to the House, where approval is expected.