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WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. long-term mortgage rates continued to edge higher this week as the benchmark 30-year loan stayed above the 3% mark. Rates remain near historic lows, however. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average rate on…

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican customs officials have seized purported vials of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine en route to Honduras that the Russian entity that bankrolled the vaccine’s development said Thursday were fake. The seizure came aboard a private…

Authorities say a man who opened fire at a Wisconsin grocery distribution center and the two co-workers he killed were long-time employees, but a motive for the attack remains unclear. Police said during a news conference Thursday that the man who carried out Tuesday's night's attack at the Roundy’s distribution center in Oconomowoc, west of Milwaukee, was 41-year-old Fraron Cornelius, of Wauwatosa. The men he killed were 39-year-old Kevin Schneider, of Milwaukee, and 51-year-old Kevin Kloth, of Germantown. Authorities refused to speculate as to Cornelius’ motive, saying detectives were just beginning a lengthy investigation that will include poring over the facility’s surveillance footage and interviewing hundreds of Roundy’s employees.

A judge has rejected a request to dismiss misdemeanor charges against a former Michigan governor in the Flint water scandal. Lawyers for Rick Snyder said he worked in Ingham County, not Genesee County, so the indictment was returned in the wrong place. But Judge William Crawford II says prosecutors have flexibility about where to pursue a case. Snyder’s attorneys plan to appeal. The former Republican governor is charged with willful neglect of duty in Flint. The city used the Flint River for drinking water without properly treating it to reduce corrosion. Lead in old pipes contaminated the system.

NEW YORK (AP) — Conservative commentator Dan Bongino has joined a scramble to inherit the radio talk show mantle left behind by the death of Rush Limbaugh. Cumulus Media’s Westwood One said Bongino will begin a new three-hour radio program…

Critics in Florida say a doctor’s signature required for some people to get vaccinated is adding onerous barriers for some eligible residents, especially low-income or minority people who may not have health insurance or access to a primary care doctor. Even some residents who have a doctor might find them too busy and are resorting to paying for online consultations with other doctors to get the state form signed. Vaccines currently are open to all aged 60 and above. Those younger can get one with a state form that requires little other than a doctor’s signature, but critics complain it unfairly penalizes some residents.

The NBA is relaxing some of its health and safety protocols for individuals who are fully vaccinated, changes including fewer mandated coronavirus tests, no quarantine requirements following contact tracing issues and even the ability to visit restaurants again. Only one team — the New Orleans Pelicans — has publicly acknowledged a team-wide vaccination effort so far, doing so this past weekend after state rules in Louisiana were amended and made it possible for the team to start the process for players, coaches and staff. No one in the NBA will be considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after receiving the final vaccine dose.

LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England voiced cautious optimism Thursday about the U.K.'s economic outlook in the wake of a sharp fall in coronavirus infections and the rapid rollout of the nation's COVID-19 vaccination program. In a statement, the…

Russian President Vladimir Putin says that U.S. President Joe Biden’s remarks about him reflect the United States' own past and current problems. Biden was asked in an interview whether he thought Russian President Vladimir Putin is a killer and said “I do.” Russia on Wednesday announced that it was recalling its ambassador in Washington for consultations. Asked about Biden’s remarks during a video call with residents of Crimea marking the anniversary of its 2014 annexation from Ukraine, Putin on Thursday charged that they reflect the United States’ own troubled past. 

Democrats appear poised to claim victory in the House’s first votes this year on immigration. But moving legislation on the divisive issue all the way through Congress to President Joe Biden is an uphill fight. The House is set to vote Thursday on one bill giving over 2 million young “Dreamer” immigrants and others full legal status and a chance for citizenship. A second measure would do the same for around 1 million immigrant farm workers. Both seem certain to pass the House. But party divisions and solid Republican opposition mean pushing immigration legislation through the Senate remains difficult.

Legislation creating a bipartisan panel to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is stalled, at least for now. Democrats and Republicans are split over the scope and structure of a review that could force Congress and the American people to reckon again with the violent attack. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has pushed for the commission, which would be modeled after a similar panel that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington. But unlike 9/11, the insurrection at the Capitol has pushed Democrats and Republicans further apart. They disagree on even the basic question of what should be investigated.