Stock market today: Wall Street surges as key report shows pullback in hiring
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Stock market today: Wall Street surges as key report shows pullback in hiring

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Stocks are rising on Wall Street, erasing the market's losses for the week, after the government reported a cooldown in hiring last month. For markets that was a welcome sign that the Federal Reserve's efforts to fight inflation by slowing the economy with high interest rates might be making some progress. The S&P 500 rose 1.3% in afternoon trading Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 468 points, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 2%. U.S. employers added 175,000 jobs last month, down sharply from a blockbuster increase in March. Apple jumped 7% after announcing a mammoth $110 billion stock buyback.

Democratic US Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife are indicted over ties to Azerbaijan
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Democratic US Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife are indicted over ties to Azerbaijan

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Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife have been indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges in connection with a federal probe into the ties of American business leaders with Azerbaijan. Cuellar released a statement Friday denying any wrongdoing. In it, the longtime congressman says he and his wife 鈥渁re innocent of these allegations.鈥 Neither Cuellar nor his attorney immediately responded to calls seeking comment on the matter. Cuellar was at one time the co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus. The FBI searched the congressman鈥檚 house in the border city of Laredo in 2022, and Cuellar鈥檚 attorney at that time said Cuellar was not the target of that investigation.

Biden administration says 100,000 new migrants are expected to enroll in 'Obamacare' next year
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Biden administration says 100,000 new migrants are expected to enroll in 'Obamacare' next year

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Roughly 100,000 immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children are expected to enroll in the Affordable Care Act鈥檚 health insurance next year. Under a directive the Biden administration released Friday, the move took longer than promised to finalize and falls short of President Joe Biden鈥檚 initial proposal to allow those migrants to sign up for Medicaid, the health insurance program that provides nearly free coverage for the nation鈥檚 poorest people. But it will allow thousands of migrants to access tax breaks when they sign up for coverage after the Affordable Care Act鈥檚 marketplace enrollment opens Nov. 1, just days ahead of the presidential election.

An AI-controlled fighter jet took the Air Force leader for a historic ride. What that means for war
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An AI-controlled fighter jet took the Air Force leader for a historic ride. What that means for war

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An experimental F-16 fighter jet has taken Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on a history-making flight controlled by artificial intelligence and not a human pilot. Kendall said he came out of Thursday's flight in California, witnessed by The Associated Press, confident enough in AI's capabilities that he would trust it to fire weapons. The flight is serving as a public statement of confidence in the future role of AI in air combat. The military is planning to use the technology to operate an unmanned fleet of 1,000 aircraft. Arms control experts and humanitarian groups are concerned that AI might one day be able to take lives autonomously and are seeking greater restrictions on its use.

South Dakota Gov. Noem erroneously describes meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un in new book
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South Dakota Gov. Noem erroneously describes meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un in new book

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem claimed in a new book to have met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during her time in Congress. But her office said Friday that the story of the meeting was an error as further scrutiny was put on the Republican governor鈥檚 life story. The Republican governor is already facing backlash for a description of how she shot a hunting dog. Noem had been making an overt pitch to be chosen as a running mate for Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. In her soon-to-be-released book, Noem describes instances where she has stood up to international leaders, but those have also been called into question.

Hope Hicks, ex-Trump adviser, recounts political firestorm in 2016 over 'Access Hollywood' tape
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Hope Hicks, ex-Trump adviser, recounts political firestorm in 2016 over 'Access Hollywood' tape

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Former longtime Donald Trump adviser Hope Hicks is recounting how his 2016 presidential campaign became embroiled in a political firestorm over a tape in which he boasted about grabbing women without their permission. The infamous 鈥淎ccess Hollywood鈥 tape is central to the case. Prosecutors say it hastened his then-lawyer Michael Cohen鈥檚 hush money deal with porn actor Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about claims she had a sexual encounter with Trump years earlier. Hicks testified that after learning of the tape's existence, she knew it was a 鈥渄amaging development.鈥

Arizona governor's signing of abortion law repeal follows political fight by women lawmakers
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Arizona governor's signing of abortion law repeal follows political fight by women lawmakers

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Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs' signing of the repeal of a Civil War-era ban on nearly all abortions was a stirring occasion for the women working to ensure the 19th century law remains in the past. Current and former state lawmakers, and reproductive rights advocates crowded into the 9th floor rotunda outside Hobbs鈥 office at the Capitol on Thursday afternoon, hugging and taking selfies to capture the moment. Hobbs says the move is just the beginning of a fight to protect reproductive health care in Arizona. A repeal won't take effect until 90 days after the current legislative session ends.

Traffic snarled as workers begin removing I-95 overpass scorched in Connecticut fuel truck inferno
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Traffic snarled as workers begin removing I-95 overpass scorched in Connecticut fuel truck inferno

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Workers have begun removing a bridge over a Connecticut highway that was damaged in a fiery crash involving a gasoline tanker truck. The demolition that began Friday morning is expected to keep both sides of Interstate 95 in Norwalk closed through the weekend and extend a traffic nightmare on the major artery linking New England and New York. Gov. Ned Lamont says the hope is to reopen the highway by Monday morning. Crews removed metal fencing on the span before large excavators began demolishing the concrete sides of the structure. The tanker truck burst into flames under the overpass after colliding with two other vehicles. The cause remains under investigation.

Google, Justice Department make final arguments about whether search engine is a monopoly
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Google, Justice Department make final arguments about whether search engine is a monopoly

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The government and Google are making their closing arguments in a high-stakes antitrust trial to a federal judge in Washington who must now decide whether the tech giant鈥檚 search engine constitutes an illegal monopoly. The Justice Department argued Friday that Google鈥檚 preeminence as an internet search engine is an illegal monopoly propped up by more than $20 billion spent each year by the tech giant to lock out competition. Google argues that its ubiquity flows from its superior product and its ability to deliver consumers the results that it鈥檚 looking for. A final ruling in the case is expected later this year.

AP

Dickey鈥檚 Barbecue Pit Launches New Rewards Program

Dallas, TX, May 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dickey鈥檚 Barbecue Pit is making it even easier for their loyal guest to earn FREE pit-smoked barbecue with its new and improved Big Yellow Cup Rewards program.