Headline News from The Associated Press
AP Headline News - May 23 2024 08:00 (EDT)
This is AP News, I'm Rita Folle. The weather is a challenge for millions of Americans just as we hit the road for the Memorial Day holiday weekend. A lot of us are going to Florida, says the triple A's IECA DS. Florida is just always an appealing place, because not only do you have the theme parks in Central Florida, you've got beaches all around, but cruise ports. And cruising is another industry that has come back in a big way, post-pandemic. Not millions of Americans will likely see some fierce weather today, including more tornadoes. Thunderstorms with brutal winds, flooding and hail possible, from Texas to the Dakotas in Minnesota today. And in Mexico, strong wind knocked down a stage at a campaign rally last night, killing at least nine people. The stage in Nuevo Leon fell apart from a strong gust of wind, prompting emergency services to rush to the scene. It happened during an event attended by presidential longshot candidate Jorge Alvarez-Menez. The state's governor confirmed the tragedy and said a child was among the dead. Videos of the dramatic collapse were posted to social media. The clips showed scenes of panic as people were screaming and running away. Afterwards, soldiers, police and other officials roamed the grounds of the park where the event took place. I'm Karen Chavez. Ukraine's president Zelensky is calling Russia's latest attack on his country extremely cruel. Six civilians were killed this morning when Russian missiles slammed into the city of Harkiv. President Zelensky again saying how frustrated he is that his country hasn't gotten enough air defense systems from the West to prevent this kind of attack. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says that by now pay later lenders have to provide the same protections and rights that apply to credit card providers. That includes the right to dispute charges. This is AP News. Now to those high prices for homes. High mortgage rates and rising prices are putting a damper on the spring home buying season. The National Association of Realtors says sales of existing homes dropped nearly 2% in April. People were down all across the country with the biggest drop being in the northeast. The interest rate on the benchmark 30 year fixed rate loan has increased five of the last six weeks and is now just over 7%. The median price of previously occupied homes increased to almost $408,000. That's the 10th straight month we increase and a record for April. The high prices are caused partly by a tight inventory of available homes. Home owners have hesitated putting their houses on the market partly because they don't want to give up existing mortgages at low interest rates and buy new homes at higher rates. My camp in Washington. And I'm Rita Foley, AP News. How dangerous is it to unwrap a burger at 40 miles per hour? More so than you think. In a little over two seconds your car can travel slightly more than 117 feet, which is the same length as 20 bicycles. Anything that distracts you while driving is dangerous. That's why driving while texting can be deadly too. So put it down, it can wait. Don't drive distracted, shift into safe, a message from the Colorado Department of Transportation. When you need meal time inspiration, it's worth shopping king supers where you'll find over 30,000 mouthwatering choices that excite your inner foodie. No matter what tasty choice you make, you'll enjoy our everyday low prices, plus extra ways to save, like digital coupons worth over $600 each week. You can also save up to $1 off per gallon at the pump with fuel points. More savings and more inspiring flavors make shopping king supers worth it every time. King supers, fresh for everyone, fuel restrictions apply.