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The biggest winemaker in the United States wants to open an East Coast bottling and distribution center in South Carolina, investing $400 million and hiring up to 500 people. But it isn’t the taxpayer money and other typical incentives being offered to E & J Gallo Winery uncorking a struggle over the plan before South Carolina lawmakers. Instead, it’s the California winemaker’s request to open tasting rooms where people can sample their wines. That's turning out to be a tough sell in this Southern state where quirky alcohol laws protect small retailers and harken back to the days of saloons and booze only in private clubs.

Recognizing that many Americans rely on texting, U.S. regulators are weighing whether to require that phone companies allow people to text a suicide hotline. The Federal Communications Commission last summer voted to require a new “988” number for people to…

The University of Texas has announced that its marching band and pep band will be required to play “The Eyes of Texas” school song when they return to performing. But the school will also create a new alternative band in 2022 that won't play it. A group of athletes and students called on the school to drop the song last year due to racist elements in its past. School leaders have refused to do that. A university report released in March concluded there “no racist intent” behind the song. 

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Thursday defended his decision to ease his country's lockdown next week even after the Netherlands recorded 9,648 new coronavirus infections— the highest daily increase since January. The national…

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has maintained his support for the Super League despite the quick exit of 10 of the 12 founding clubs in the breakaway competition. The Super League provoked a backlash by other clubs, fans and authorities around Europe after it was announced by a dozen top clubs in England, Spain and Italy on Sunday. It has since collapsed and is now officially backed only by Barcelona and Real Madrid. Laporta says the Super League “is absolutely necessary” and adds “the biggest clubs create the most financial resources and we must have our say in deciding how the earnings are shared.”

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan released 16 people detained earlier this month over an alleged foreign-backed conspiracy linked to a former crown prince after King Abdullah II requested they be let go in honor of the holy month of Ramadan.…

A U.S. defense department official says the U.S. military has begun shipping equipment and winding down contracts with local service providers ahead of the May 1 start of the final phase of its military pullout from Afghanistan. The pullout marks the end of America’s longest war, after a 20-year military engagement. Currently, some 2,500 U.S. soldiers and about 7,000 allied forces are still in Afghanistan. In February, the U.S. military began closing its smaller bases. Packing accelerated after the mid-April announcement by the Biden administration that the final phase would begin May 1 and be completed before Sept. 11.

McLEAN, Va. (AP) — Mortgage rates fell for the third straight week, dipping below 3% for the first time in two months. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the benchmark 30-year home-loan rate declined to 2.97% this week from…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines woman has pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes for intentionally driving her SUV into two children in 2019 because she said she thought one was Mexican and the other was a member…

The needs of Black women and girls have become a focus of philanthropic efforts as major donors seek to narrow a racial wealth gap and address chronic funding disparities for groups that serve minority women. This week's guilty verdicts for…

LONDON (AP) — Jaguar Land Rover said Thursday it's suspending production at two U.K. factories, becoming the latest automaker to fall victim to a global shortage of microchips. “Like other automotive manufacturers, we are currently experiencing some COVID-19 supply chain…

After more than a decade in which the Supreme Court moved gradually toward more leniency for minors convicted of murder, the justices have moved the other way. The high court ruled 6-3 Thursday along ideological lines against a Mississippi inmate sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for fatally stabbing his grandfather when the defendant was 15 years old. The case is important because it marks a break with the court’s previous rulings and is evidence of the impact of a newly more conservative court. 

Shares of AT&T Inc. rose Thursday after the telecom giant’s first-quarter results topped analyst expectations. The company’s wireless division, its largest unit, added 595,000 phone customers who pay a monthly bill, up from 163,000 in the same period in 2020. It also added 207,000 prepaid phone customers. In the WarnerMedia entertainment unit, revenue rose 9.8% to $8.5 billion. There are now 44.2 million subscribers to HBO Max or the traditional HBO channel in the U.S. AT&T also signed up 46,000 home internet customers and lost 620,000 video customers. It is spinning off the DirecTV business as it bleeds customers.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde said the economy is still “on crutches” and in need of support from both the central bank and government spending as the 19 countries that use the euro limp through…