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Isaias strengthens into Category 2 hurricane on collision course with the US Gulf Coast
MIAMI (AP) -- Isaias strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane as it barreled toward the U.S. Gulf Coast on Thursday, prompting orders for tourists to abandon beaches for safer spots inland, sending locals scurrying for gas and groceries and leading fishing crews to secure their boats before the potentially destructive storm's arrival.
The first hurricane of the Atlantic season was forecast to intensify rapidly and cause dangerous conditions in the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi when it makes landfall late Friday or early Saturday. Heavy rain and flooding were possible into the weekend as far north as Tennessee and North Carolina.
"We are expecting Isaias to be a dangerous hurricane when it makes landfall," said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
He added: "Today is the day to prepare and get ready and be in your safe place by tomorrow as conditions will rapidly deteriorate along the northern Gulf Coast as Isaias approaches."
Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, according to the hurricane center, surpassing the 96 mph threshold for a Category 2 storm.
Isaias was headed northeast at 12 mph and was centered about 325 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
Coastal communities moved quickly to prepare, as Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey ordered non-residents to immediately evacuate Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Dauphin Island. Videos on social media showed traffic at a standstill on a highway leading out of Gulf Shores, where double-red beach flags signaled water access was closed.
At least four Florida school districts canceled late-week classes, while several counties announced mandatory evacuations for some coastal areas. The governors of Florida and Alabama declared states of emergency for dozens of counties, with Florida's Ron DeSantis saying about 5,000 National Guard troops were expected to mobilize by Friday.
Four astronauts return to Earth after eight months in space
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- Four astronauts returned to Earth from the International Space Station on Thursday after hurrying there eight months ago to replace an ailing colleague and his crew.
SpaceX brought the U.S., French and Russian flyers back with a splashdown in the Pacific off the coast of Los Angeles.
NASA's Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, France's Sophie Adenot and Russia's Andrey Fedyaev departed the orbiting lab on Wednesday, eager to reunite with their families after a lengthy separation. Their replacements arrived three weeks late because of capsule repairs, stalling this crew's homecoming.
They couldn't wait to feel the breeze on their faces, hit the shower and, for Adenot at least, plunge back into water sports. Her 237 days in orbit set an endurance record for the European Space Agency.
"We are so excited to be back on Planet Earth after an incredible mission on the International Space Station," Meir radioed moments after splashing down. While still in orbit, she said the crew had "a lot of mixed, swirling emotions" and would miss the "extraordinary views of our home planet."
All four were out of their capsule within an hour, waving and pumping their fists in the air aboard SpaceX's recovery ship. After a helicopter ride to shore, they were going to head for Houston.
Meir and her crew left the planet in February to replace four station occupants who were sent home early after one of them -- NASA's Mike Fincke, now retired -- fell ill. It was NASA's first medical evacuation in 65 years of human spaceflight.
The new foursome watched with pride two months later as the Artemis II astronauts flew around the moon. They also celebrated the United States' 250th birthday up there, with Meir joining the Boston Pops with her piccolo for a Fourth of July concert.
Meir took part in four spacewalks, while Adenot ventured outside three times for maintenance and upgrades to the 28-year-old outpost.
Most Americans think artificial intelligence is developing too fast, a new AP-NORC poll finds
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Worries around artificial intelligence cross party lines, with the vast majority of Americans saying the U.S. government should prioritize keeping AI under human control and protecting workers.
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that most Americans, 64%, think AI is developing "too fast," while 27% say its development has been "about right" and only 8% say it's moving "too slow."
The risk that powerful AI models could evade human control and hurt humanity, once the stuff of science fiction, has been emerging as a more pressing concern. Even leaders of the companies that are developing frontier AI models are calling for a slowdown so that government regulation can catch up. President Donald Trump has pushed back against slowing down AI development because of concerns that China will gain an advantage with the technology. Data centers powering AI projects have also taken a prominent role in major political races as the midterm elections approach.
About 8 in 10 U.S. adults say it's "extremely" or "very" important for the U.S. government to ensure that AI stays under human control, and they are about as likely to want the government to prioritize protecting the country's workforce. Most U.S. adults also think minimizing environmental harm and growing the U.S. economy are highly important. About half say this about promoting technological innovation, and slightly fewer say that about competing with China.
There's bipartisan concern about the speed of AI's development, but few Americans think either major political party has an advantage in handling artificial intelligence. Trump, a Republican, also gets a low rating on his handling of the issue, with 67% of U.S. adults disapproving of his performance on AI.
Stephanie Stewart, a junior-high science teacher in Sunset, Utah, said she is frustrated by the president's opposition to AI regulation.
"There is no handling of the issue except for we're just going to allow these companies to do whatever they want, and we're not going to regulate them," said Stewart, 53.
Ron Theusch, a truck driver who lives in rural Alden, Minnesota, said his No. 1 concern with AI is the potential loss of jobs -- including his own.
"I can just see a train of self-driving trucks 24/7, just running up and down I-35, loading and unloading. I can just see that happening," said Theusch, 58.
Most Democrats and Republicans agree on the importance of protecting workers and keeping AI under human control, the poll found.
"There was a movie called 'Terminator,' where the robots came back and killed everybody," Theusch said. "People relate to that … I don't know where it's going to land. I really don't have anything I can do to control it, you know. It's going to evolve."
Media attorneys ask court for help in preventing White House ban until legal case is resolved
WASHINGTON (AP) -- An attorney for three news organizations told a federal judge Thursday that the Trump administration must be prevented from barring their reporters from the White House, saying the ban is a classic example of "viewpoint discrimination" that is punishing people for what they say -- and violating the media outlets' First Amendment rights.
The hearing was the latest development in the escalating drama between the Trump administration and the news media, which has raged in various arenas during his second term as president. At its core, though, are multiple free-speech questions. The dispute has produced sanctions and restrictions on White House and Pentagon reporters and led to several lawsuits that are progressing through the federal court system.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly said he intended to rule by Tuesday, possibly sooner, on whether to extend his earlier order restoring White House access for journalists from MS NOW, CNN and Politico. Granting the news outlets' request for a preliminary injunction would preserve the status quo -- access -- until the litigation is resolved.
Kelly, nominated to the bench by Republican President Donald Trump, didn't say how he intends to rule but described key government arguments as an "uphill climb" and a "tough lift." The judge also challenged a government attorney to specify the national security concerns that the administration claims are at stake.
"We've always been clear that it's not just national security," Justice Department attorney Michael Velchik said, arguing that false reporting can impact policy and adversely affect national security.
"He doesn't mind negative press stories if he deserves them. He has problems with trafficking verifiable falsehoods," Velchik said of Trump.
Army finds systemic failures behind DC midair collision and calls for safety fixes
The U.S. Army found systemic safety breakdowns behind last year's midair collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C., and recommended changes to prevent future tragedies.
The Army report -- completed in May and released publicly Thursday after months of pressure from the victims' families -- identified failures involving air traffic control, helicopter routes, training and safety practices. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the report hours before it was released.
The deadliest plane crash on U.S. soil in over two decades happened when the helicopter collided with the descending airliner as it approached the runway, sending both plummeting into the icy Potomac River and killing 67.
The Army report highlighted how the air traffic controller at Reagan could have prevented the crash, but it also acknowledged the military's own failings and other contributing factors.
Tim Lilley, a former Army Black Hawk pilot whose son Sam Lilley was the airliner's first officer, said the report leaves important questions unanswered. Parts were redacted, and responsibility for the Army's failures was assigned broadly rather than to individuals.
"The Army owes the families and the American public a full accounting of how these risks were allowed to persist, who was responsible for the decisions that allowed them to persist and what will be done to make sure this never happens again," said Lilley, now a commercial jet captain.
The Army acknowledged that in a statement Thursday.
"We recognize the families' need for answers and remain committed to transparency regarding the Army's review," it said.