AP Trending SummaryBrief at 8:52 p.m. EDT (2024)

Surprise blast of rock, water and steam in Yellowstone sends dozens running for safety

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A surprise eruption in Yellowstone National Park has shot steam, water and dark-colored rock and dirt an estimated 100 feet into the sky and sent people running for safety. The hydrothermal explosion happened Tuesday morning in Biscuit Basin, a group of hot springs a couple miles north of Old Faithful Geyser. Video posted online shows a couple dozen people watching from a boardwalk as the eruption sprayed and grew in front of them. They ran to get clear as water and debris began to fall. The eruption damaged the boardwalk but no injuries have been reported. The basin is closed for visitor safety.

John Mayall, tireless and influential British blues pioneer, dies at 90

LONDON (AP) — John Mayall, the British blues musician whose influential band the Bluesbreakers was a training ground for Eric Clapton, Mick Fleetwood and many other superstars, has died. He was 90. He is credited with helping develop the English take on urban, Chicago-style rhythm and blues that played an important role in the blues revival of the late 1960s. A statement on Mayall's official Instagram page says he died Monday at his home in California. Though Mayall never approached the fame of some of his illustrious alumni, he was still performing in his late 80s, pounding out his version of Chicago blues.

Oscar Mayer Wienermobile flips onto its side after crash along suburban Chicago highway

OAK BROOK, Ill. (AP) — An Oscar Mayer Wienermobile got into a pickle on a Chicago highway. Police say one of Oscar Mayer’s hot dog-shaped Wienermobiles ended up flipped onto its side after crashing on a suburban Chicago highway. Illinois State Police say the Wienermobile hit a car Monday morning along Interstate 294 and its driver lost control and overcorrected, causing the vehicle to roll onto its side near the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook. No injuries were reported. The Wienermobile was later hauled away on a flatbed truck. A spokesperson for the Oscar Mayer brand, which has several Wienermobiles, tells the Chicago Sun-Times it’s “grateful that everybody involved is safe and there were no injuries.”

Wildfires send about 25,000 fleeing from Canadian Rockies’ largest national park and nearby town

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Multiple wildfires in the Canadian Rockies’ largest national park have sent up to 25,000 visitors and residents fleeing west over the last open mountain road. They navigated through darkness and soot Tuesday following a government alert during the area’s busiest tourist time of the year. Hundreds of wildfires are burning in western Canada, and those fleeing Jasper National Park and Jasper town in Alberta province were given the unusual order later to make a vast U-turn east if they needed a place to stay. That's because to the west, British Columbia province already has more than 300 wildfires of its own.

Colombian bullfighters decry new ban on the centuries-old tradition and vow to keep it alive

CHOACHI, Colombia (AP) — Sebastián Caqueza says that a new law to ban bullfighting in Colombia in three years will not dampen his passion for the tradition that he has been practicing since has was a small boy. Caqueza became a professional matador five years ago by taunting a fully grown bull for about 20 minutes and killing it with his sword. Now, the 33-year-old says he will struggle to make a living as a bullfighter, but vows to do his best to stay in the centuries-old tradition. He says he will continue to participate in bullfighting outside of Colombia. And once it becomes illegal in Colombia, he says supporters will continue to stage the events, because "this is our passion and our life.”

Florida's population passes 23 million for the first time due to residents moving from other states

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s population crossed the 23 million residents mark for the first time this year because of the influx of people moving from other states. The state Demographic Estimating Conference says Florida added almost 359,000 people last year. Florida is the third most populous state in the U.S. It has been adding 350,000 to 375,000 people each year this decade. However, growth in the Sunshine State is expected to peak this year and get smaller with each following year for the rest of this decade. That is because the cohort of final baby boomers entering retirement will be getting smaller.

US is investigating Delta's flight cancellations and faltering response to global tech outage

U.S. airline regulators have opened an investigation into Delta Air Lines, which is still struggling to restore operations on Tuesday, more than four full days after a faulty software update caused technological havoc worldwide and disrupted global air travel. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the Delta investigation on the X social media platform Tuesday “to ensure the airline is following the law and taking care of its passengers during continued widespread disruptions.” Delta and its Delta Connection partners canceled about 500 flights on Tuesday, or about two-thirds of all cancellations in the United States.

Jon Stewart pushes VA to help veterans sickened after post-9/11 exposure to uranium

WASHINGTON (AP) — Comedian Jon Stewart is pressing the Biden administration to fix a loophole in a massive veterans aid bill that has left out some of the very first troops who responded after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. They got sick after deploying to a former Soviet base near Afghanistan that was contaminated with high levels of uranium. To understand what the troops were exposed at Karshi-Khanabad, Uzbekistan, or “K2,” Stewart told The Associated Press to “imagine you’re stationed inside the meth lab on 'Breaking Bad.'” But radiation-related illnesses at K2 weren't covered by legislation that made care easier to get for millions of veterans exposed to contaminants during the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and other conflicts.

Google makes abrupt U-turn by dropping plan to remove ad-tracking cookies on Chrome browser

LONDON (AP) — Google is dropping plans to eliminate cookies from its Chrome web browser, making a sudden U-turn on four years of work to phase out the technology that tracks users for ad purposes. The company had been working on retiring so-called third-party cookies, which are snippets of code that log user info, as part of on overhaul to tighten up privacy on Chrome. But its proposal, known as Privacy Sandbox, had shaken up the online advertising industry over fears that any replacement would leave even less room for online ad rivals. In a blog post on Monday, Google said it decided to abandon the plan after taking into account the impact on publishers, advertisers and “everyone involved in online advertising.”

Calls for Maya Rudolph to reprise her Kamala Harris on 'SNL' are flooding social media

NEW YORK (AP) — Will Maya Rudolph’s “funt,” aka Vice President Kamala Harris, be back on “Saturday Night Live?” Speculation has been running hot since Sunday, when President Joe Biden dropped his election news. But Rudolph, an “SNL” alum, is a busy actor these days. She earned four Emmy nominations last week for three different projects. Rudolph played Harris several times as a guest on “SNL” in 2019, during the 2020 presidential election cycle. She won an Emmy for one of her appearances. The 50th season of “SNL” begins Sept. 28. A request for comment from Rudolph's representative wasn't immediately returned Monday. An NBC spokesperson says discussions of her returning to “SNL” are premature because the show is on hiatus.