Hundreds trying to storm Wisconsin beagle research facility met with rubber bullets, pepper spray

BLUE MOUNDS, Wis. (AP) – About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.

Powerful winds and reported tornadoes rip through the Midwest

A trail of damaged homes and buildings dotted a wide swath of the U.S. on Saturday after a burst of destructive winds and reported tornadoes tore off roofs, uprooted trees and rendered rural roads impassable with debris.

Severe storms produce heavy rain and flooding across parts of US

Storms barreling across the heart of the United States continued to threaten rain and pose flooding risks Thursday after causing at least one death when a man apparently was struck by lightning in Wisconsin.

From unfilled gas tanks to fewer frills, retailers see US consumers rethink their spending

NEW YORK (AP) – U.S. consumers haven’t stopped spending money since the Iran war drove up fuel prices, but many shoppers are reassessing what they buy and where, according to company executives and retail analysts.

Xi and Kim push for greater ties between China and North Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un underscored their commitment to deepen cooperation and rebuild their complicated traditional alliance, as Xi is on a rare visit to Pyongyang in a likely attempt to reassert Beijing’s unique influence over its socialist neighbor.

Scorching temperatures in eastern US could smash records

ATLANTA (AP) – A long-lasting weather pattern is poised to blast hot air like a furnace across the eastern United States, with the unusual heat wave threatening to shatter record high temperatures on Wednesday in big cities including New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Severe storms damage communities from the Plains to the Midwest

OTTAWA, Kan. (AP) – A day after severe storms damaged communities in the Plains and the Midwest, forecasters warned that storms could bring giant hail, tornadoes and severe wind gusts to the regions again on Tuesday afternoon and evening.

Fired Universities of Wisconsin President says he was 'blindsided'

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Fired Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman told The Associated Press on Wednesday in his first interview since the ouster that he was “blindsided” by the move but has no hard feelings and is unlikely to sue.

'Scary Movie' tops box office, slaying 'Masters of the Universe'

NEW YORK (AP) – The summer box office is booming – but not because of the usual suspects. After three weeks of indie horror dominance at the box office, the slasher spoof “Scary Movie” topped ticket sales with $55 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, easily besting the far-from-mighty “Masters of the Universe.”