The United States is gearing up for Cinco de Mayo. Music, all-day happy hours and deals on tacos are planned at venues across the country on Sunday — May 5 — in a celebration with widely misunderstood origins that is barely recognized south of the border. In the U.S., the date is largely seen as a celebration of Mexican American culture stretching back to the 1800s in California. Typical festivities include parades, street food, block parties, mariachi competitions and baile folklórico, or folkloric dance, with whirling dancers wearing shiny ribbons with braids and bright, ruffled dresses.

Police clear encampments as U.S. campus arrests exceed 2,300 amid protests

Police make arrests at UCLA in tense clashes with protesters

South Carolina’s Senate is debating a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors. The bill was passed by the state House in January and would bar health professionals from performing gender-transition surgeries, prescribing puberty-blocking drugs and overseeing hormone treatments for patients under 18 years old. School principals or vice principals would also have to notify parents or guardians if a child wanted to use a different name than their legal one or a nickname or pronouns that did not match their sex at birth. If passed and signed by the governor, South Carolina would be the 25th state to pass a ban on gender-affirming care.

Jailers in Georgia must now check the immigration status of inmates and apply to help enforce federal immigration law. That's after Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law that gained traction after police accused a Venezuelan man of beating a nursing student to death on the University of Georgia campus. Supporters say the law could help prevent future crimes, while opponents warn turning local officers into immigration police will make immigrants less willing to report crimes. The Republican governor also signed a separate law requiring cash bail for 30 additional crimes and restricting people and charitable bail funds from posting multiple cash bonds unless they meet the requirements to become a bail bond company.

Wisconsin school district says active shooter 'neutralized' outside middle school

LONDON  — A 14-year-old boy has been killed and four others have been injured by a man wielding a sword who attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb. Police said that a 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. Chief Supt. Stuart Bell said the violence wasn't being treated as terror-related or a “targeted attack.” Two police officers were hospitalized for stab wounds. Two other people were also injured. The Metropolitan Police said they were called early Tuesday to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house and people being stabbed close to the Hainault subway station.

Regular mammograms to screen for breast cancer should start younger — at age 40. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force announced the updated guidance Tuesday. It also says women ages 40 to 74 should get screened every other year. Previously, it said women could choose to start breast cancer screening as young as 40, with a stronger recommendation that women get the exams every two years starting at age 50. The nudge toward earlier screening is meant to address the increasing incidence of breast cancer among women in their 40s and the higher breast cancer death rate among Black women compared to white women.

Republican state attorneys general are challenging a new federal regulation that mandates protections for transgender students at schools. In a lawsuit filed Monday in federal courts in Alabama, Louisiana and Texas, states argue that the recently announced rule harms girls. The states oppose provisions that bar blanket prohibitions on transgender students using the school bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender. They also object to provisions that call for school staff to use transgender students' pronouns. Lawyers for the states are asking to delay implementation of the rule, which is to take effect Aug. 1.

ATLANTA (AP) — The second of two new nuclear reactors in Georgia has entered commercial operation. Georgia Power said Monday that Plant Vogtle's Unit 4 is complete. The project has cost billions more and took years longer than projected. Unit 3 began commercial operations last summer. They’re the first two nuclear reactors built in the United States in decades. They're projected to cost Georgia Power and three other owners $31 billion. Utilities and political supporters are hailing the plant’s completion. But calculations show Vogtle’s electricity will never be cheaper than other sources the owners could have chosen. A typical Georgia Power customer will see a $9 rate hike to pay for Vogtle.

United Methodist delegates are heading into the homestretch of a legislative gathering that appears on track to make historic changes in lifting their church’s longstanding bans on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ clergy. Delegates to the General Conference of the United Methodist Church will be meeting all this week before wrapping up their 11-day session on Friday. They’ve already endorsed a plan to give regions more autonomy in decision-making. But whether that measure maintains church unity remains to be seen. One-quarter of its U.S. churches left between 2019 and 2023, mainly conservative churches dismayed by progressive trends, and some are calling for international churches to do the same.

Protests are roiling college campuses nationwide as administrators with graduation ceremonies next month face demands that schools cut financial ties to Israel against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war. About 275 people were arrested on Saturday at campuses including Indiana University at Bloomington, Arizona State University and Washington University in St. Louis. Those have pushed the number of arrests nationwide to nearly 900 since New York police removed a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at Columbia University and arrested more than 100 demonstrators on April 18. Since then, students have dug in at dozens of pro-Palestinian encampments around the country, prompting a range of responses from administrators.

Residents began sifting through the rubble after a tornado plowed through suburban Omaha, Nebraska, demolishing homes and businesses as it moved for miles through farmland and into subdivisions. People gathered Saturday morning in the streets in the Elkhorn area of Omaha amid the scattered remains of the homes, and Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen planned to tour the area later in the day. Some injuries were reported. But there were no immediate reports of fatalities as multiple tornadoes were reported in Nebraska and Iowa. The most destructive storm moved from a largely rural area into the suburbs of Omaha, a city of 485,000 people. The National Weather Service forecast for Saturday says tornadoes are possible in parts of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.

Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher in first week of hush money trial

The U.S. flu season appears to be over. It was long, but federal health officials and doctors say it was a moderate one. Last week, for the third straight week, medical visits for flu-like illnesses dipped below the threshold for what’s counted as an active flu season. Springtime upticks in flu are possible. But other indicators, like hospitalizations and patient testing, also show low and declining activity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there have been at least 34 million illnesses and 24,000 deaths from flu since the beginning of October.

Seventeen states are challenging new federal rules entitling workers to time off and other accommodations for abortions. Arkansas and Tennessee filed the lawsuit in federal court on Thursday and called the new rules an illegal interpretation of a 2022 federal law. The lawsuit comes after finalized federal regulations were published last week on how to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The language means that workers can ask for time off to obtain an abortion and recover from the procedure. The lawsuit argues that the rules go beyond the scope of the law.

New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction 

The number of U.S. births fell last year. It was the lowest count in more than 40 years. A little under 3.6 million babies were born in the U.S. in 2023, about 76,000 fewer than the year before. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the provisional statistics on Thursday. Birth rates have long been falling for teenagers and younger women, but rising for women in their 30s and 40s. But last year, birth rates fell for all women younger than 40, and were flat for women in their 40s.

Allergy season is here, but it doesn't have to make you miserable. Experts say people can manage most symptoms by using over-the-counter medicines and knowing pollen levels. But if that doesn’t work, experts suggest seeing a doctor who can determine what specific pollen you’re allergic to. More than 80 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies and experts say conditions are getting more extreme. Climate change is leading trees and grasses to pollinate longer and more intensely.

U.S. agriculture officials announced new nutrition standards for school meals that will limit added sugars for the first time. The Department of Agriculture issued final rules for the program that serves breakfast to more than 15 million students and lunch to nearly 30 million children every year. Limits on added sugars in foods such as cereal, yogurt and flavored milk will start in 2025. By 2027, added sugars will be limited to no more than 10% of total calories per week in the school meals. The new rule also trims sodium in kids' meals.

LONDON — Four Aboriginal spears that were taken to England by Captain James Cook more than 250 years ago have been returned to Australia's Indigenous community at a ceremony in Cambridge University. The artifacts were all that remain of some 40 spears that Cook and botanist Joseph Banks took in April 1770, at the time of the first contact between Cook’s crew and the Indigenous people of Kamay, or Botany Bay. The spears were presented to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1771. Their return was agreed last year following a campaign and a formal repatriation request. It is hailed as a step toward reconciliation and a greater understanding of Britain and Australia’s shared history.

Five more people have died in the English Channel, underscoring the risks of crossing one of the world’s busiest sea lanes in overloaded inflatable boats just hours after British lawmakers approved a controversial migrant bill to stop the traffic. The migrants, including a 7-year-old girl, died Tuesday when their boat got stuck on a sandbank off the coast of Pas-de-Calais in northern France. The French navy rescued 49 people, but 58 others refused to disembark and continued on toward Britain. Just hours earlier, the U.K. Parliament approved legislation allowing deportation to Rwanda of those who enter the country illegally.

Many communities across the country have tried to ban or limit leaf blowers because of their noise and environmental impact. But they roar on. There are simple alternatives and steps you can take. First, if you hire a landscaper, express your concerns. If you have the time and inclination, rake. On hard surfaces, use a broom. Those are sustainable alternatives that also provide exercise and some peaceful time alone with your thoughts. Clear the lawn, but consider leaving leaves where they fall in beds and borders. Leaf sweepers, which operate like push mowers, capture and collect leaves and garden debris in an attached bag. If you must use a blower, opt for an electric or cordless rechargeable model as a cleaner, quieter compromise.

COLOGNE, Germany — The European Space Agency has added five new members to its astronaut corps. They graduated Monday during a ceremony in Cologne, Germany, after completing a year of training. That brings the space agency’s astronaut roster up to 11. The new astronauts are from France, Belgium, Britain, Switzerland and Spain. An Australian has also joined them as part of an agreement. The newcomers are now eligible for trips to the International Space Station. More than 20,000 people applied for the five slots.

A top concern for local election workers throughout the country this year is their own safety. A group formed after the 2020 presidential election is traveling the country helping them prepare for what could lie ahead and making sure they are connected to local law enforcement. The Associated Press was granted rare access to one recent session in northern Michigan. The threats and harassment stem from the false claims made repeatedly by former President Donald Trump since his loss in 2020. He already has been attacking some election officials this year. The drumbeat has contributed to an exodus of local election directors across the country.

Person rushed away on a stretcher after fire extinguished outside Trump trial

They may look like little monsters. And their seemingly endless racket may be a nuisance. But as parts of the nation prepare for the emergence of trillions of noisy cicadas, bug experts say the little creatures can also be a tasty snack. The University of Maryland, for instance, put out a cicada cookbook in 2004. And now the Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans plans to demonstrate ways to cook cicadas at the little in-house snack bar where it already serves dishes such as Southwest Waxworms with chili powder and crispy, cajun-spiced crickets.

The 12 students and one teacher killed in the Columbine High School shooting will be remembered in a vigil on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the tragedy. Friday's gathering is the main public event marking the anniversary, which is more subdued than in previous milestone years. Among those speaking at the vigil will be former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who began campaigning for gun safety after she was nearly killed in a mass shooting. Organizers say it won't be a political event.

Juror in the hush money trial of Trump was dismissed

Jeffrey Gibson’s takeover of the U.S. pavilion for this year’s Venice Biennale contemporary art show is a celebration of color, pattern and craft. That's immediately evident on approaching the bright red facade decorated by a colorful clash of geometry and a foreground dominated by a riot of gigantic red podiums. Gibson is a Mississippi Choctaw with Cherokee descent. He is the first Native American to represent the United States solo at the Venice Biennale. The last time Native American artists were included was in 1932. The 52-year-old Gibson accepts the weight of the honor. But he prefers to focus on how his participation can forge greater inclusion going forward.

Progress is being made in getting more women into leadership positions in South Carolina. The election of a sixth woman to the 46-member Senate in January pulled South Carolina up from last place in the U.S. in the percentage of women in its upper chamber. South Carolina women have also started organizing groups like Women in Leadership to get more of them into political office, from the General Assembly down to school boards. In 2016 in South Carolina, just seven women ran for state Senate and less than 10 ran for the House. This year, there are 26 women running for Senate and 63 running for the House.

Parts of central U.S. hit by severe storms; tornadoes strike in Kansas, Iowa

A National Public Radio editor who wrote a critical essay saying that his company had become intolerant of all but liberal views has resigned. Uri Berliner, an editor on NPR's business desk, posted his resignation letter on social media. A day earlier, NPR reported that Berliner had been suspended for five days without pay for violating company rules about writing for an outside organization without permission. NPR wouldn't comment on Berliner's post on Wednesday. The former editor had written his essay last week for the online site Free Press.

WASHINGTON — The Army and Air Force say they are on track to meet their recruiting goals this year, reversing previous shortfalls using a swath of new programs and policy changes. But the Navy, while improving, expects once again to fall short. The mixed results reflect the ongoing challenges for the U.S. military as it struggles to attract recruits in a tight job market, where companies are willing to pay more and provide good benefits without the demands of service and warfighting. Even the services that are meeting their goals say they are still finding it difficult to attract the dwindling number of young people who can meet the military’s physical, mental and moral standards.

Wildlife experts are bringing butterflies back to the Presidio National Park in San Francisco as part of an effort to restore native ecosystems. The park was once home to the Xerces Blue butterfly, which is believed to be the first butterfly species in the United States to be driven to extinction after the dunes that were its home were converted to houses, parks and museums. Officials said Monday that the Presidio Trust and other organizations worked to restore the butterflies' habitat. San Francisco scientists identified the Silvery Blue butterfly as the closest living relative of the extinct Xerces Blue and last week dozens of the insects were released in the park.

BOSTON — Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia ran alone for most of the Boston Marathon to win in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 17 seconds. Hellen Obiri repeated as the women's winner. She outsprinted Sharon Lokedi down Boylston Street to win by eight seconds. Switzerland’s Marcel Hug righted himself after crashing into a barrier when he took a turn too fast and still coasted to his seventh win in the men’s wheelchair race. Eden Rainbow-Cooper won the women's wheelchair race. Nearly 30,000 runners left Hopkinton for the 128th Boston Marathon. The sleepy New England town celebrated its 100th anniversary as the course's starting line.