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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An American warship fired warning shots when vessels of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard came too close to a patrol in the Persian Gulf, the U.S. Navy said Wednesday. The Navy released black-and-white footage of…

The publisher of a highly anticipated biography of Philip Roth is pulling the book and cutting ties with author Blake Bailey, who faces multiple allegations of sexual harassment and assault. W.W. Norton and Company previously released Bailey’s memoir “The Splendid Things We Planned.” The stunning decision follows allegations last week from former students of Bailey, who in the 1990s taught eighth grade English in New Orleans, that he had behaved inappropriately while they were in his class and later sought sexual relationships. Two former students and a publishing executive have alleged that he assaulted them. Bailey has denied any wrongdoing. 

The NCAA Board of Governors has voted to extend the contract of President Mark Emmert by two years through 2025. The announcement Tuesday night comes less than a month after the NCAA and Emmert drew sharp criticism for inequities between the women's and men's Division I basketball tournaments. Emmert has also been facing scrutiny and outside pressure for the NCAA inability to move forward with proposed reforms to its rules prohibiting athletes from earning money from their names, images and likenesses. Emmert has been NCAA president since November 2010.

The Idaho House on Tuesday approved legislation allowing the state to hire private contractors and expand methods to kill wolves roaming Idaho — a measure that could cut the wolf population by 90%. Lawmakers voted 58-11 to send the agriculture industry-backed bill to Republican Gov. Brad Little. Environmental groups immediately called on Little to veto the measure. Backers say changes to Idaho law could help cut the wolf population from about 1,500 to 150. Backers say there are too many wolves and they are attacking cattle, sheep and wildlife. Opponents say the legislation threatens a 2002 wolf management plan involving the federal government that could ultimately lead to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service taking back control of managing the state’s wolves. 

MIAMI (AP) — A private school founded by an anti-vaccination activist in South Florida has warned teachers and staff against taking the COVID-19 vaccine, saying it will not employ anyone who has received the shot. The Centner Academy in Miami…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Immigration arrests at courthouses will be more limited than they were under President Donald Trump in a change of policy announced Tuesday by the Biden administration. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would no longer be authorized to…

President Joe Biden has nominated the sheriff of one of the nation’s most populous counties to lead the agency that deports people in the country illegally. Harris County, Texas, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez is Biden's pick for director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency that has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since 2017. Gonzalez strongly criticized former President Donald Trump for his hardline immigration policies. After his election in 2016, Gonzalez fulfilled a campaign promise to withdraw Harris County from a federal partnership that authorizes sheriff’s deputies to enforce immigration laws.

Representatives for a 19-year-old intern who says she was raped by a lawmaker say a legislative ethics committee has told her she must testify publicly in a hearing on Wednesday. The teen’s attorney, Annie Hightower with the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence, decried the move, saying the intern should decide whether to describe traumatic events in a public forum. Still, the intern’s representatives were hopeful she would be allowed to speak from behind a screen. The investigation into Republican Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger’s conduct began in March, when the intern told a supervisor the raped her. Von Ehlinger has denied the accusations and says the encounter was consensual.

A New Jersey serial killer known as the “Torso Killer” has pleaded guilty to two 1974 murders, finally closing the cold case deaths of teenage friends who had left home for a trip to the mall and never returned. Seventy-four-year-old Richard Cottingham is currently in state prison on a life sentence for other murders. Detectives have confirmed that he killed nine women but believe the death toll is higher. He appeared virtually in court Tuesday to admit to the slayings of teens Mary Ann Pryor and Lorraine Marie Kelly. Cottingham is known as the “Torso Killer” for brutally dismembering his victims by cutting off their limbs and heads. His attorney says he has “serious regret” for the crimes.

Europe’s most successful women’s soccer team has hired a woman as its coach for the first time with Lyon’s appointment of Sonia Bompastor to replace Jean-Luc Vasseur. The seven-time European champion parted ways with Vasseur after the team recently was knocked out of the Women’s Champions League at the quarterfinal stage. Lyon had won five consecutive Champions League titles but was eliminated by French rival Paris Saint-Germain this season. The 14-time French champions also trail PSG in the domestic league by one point. The 40-year-old Bompastor is a former France international who played six seasons at Lyon. She has a contract through June 2023.

After four straight quarters of sales declines, Starbucks returned to growth in the January-March period. The Seattle-based coffee giant said its sales rose 11% to $6.7 billion in the quarter. According to analysts polled by FactSet, that was just shy of Wall Street's forecasts. Starbucks said its global same-store sales — which are sales at stores open at least a year — jumped 15%, their first increase in a year. In China, same-store sales rocketed up 91%, reflecting a recovery from store closures at this time last year. While Starbucks saw a 4% decline in store visits globally, those who visited spent more on snacks and frothy drinks, the company said. 

As Western states prepare for this year’s wildfire season, the world’s largest firefighting plane has been grounded. But the plane could be converted to help fight against another crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic. Alterna Capital Partners LLC has funded the plane's operations since 2016 and decided to ground the SuperTanker on April 19. Roger Miller, managing director at the investment firm, says they have received several offers to buy it as a freight carrier aircraft because of the need for delivering personal protective equipment and vaccines. The firm says it's open to selling it to potential investors who want to continue the SuperTanker for wildfire response.

NEW YORK (AP) — The federal government said Tuesday it is making more than $8 billion available to build and improve the nation's transmission lines as part of its efforts to improve America's aging electric grid and meet President Joe…