MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Rory McIlroy survived a bizarre encounter with a banana peel lodged in a tree to shoot a 3-under 68 on Saturday at the Australian Open.  His round left him nine strokes behind leader Danish player Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who made birdie putts on the 17th and 18th for a 66 and a 54-hole total of 14-under 199.

NEW YORK (AP) - The U.S. stock market rose to the edge of its all-time high. The S&P 500 added 0.2% Friday and finished just shy of its record closing level, which was set in October. It had briefly topped the mark during the day, before paring its gain. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.3%.

WASHINGTON (AP) – After the arrest of a man charged with placing two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties on Jan. 5, 2021, the warning from the Trump administration was clear: If you come to the nation’s capital to attack citizens and institutions of democracy, you will be held accountable.