From takeaways of the latest indictment of Donald Trump, to Pink's performance of "Nothing Compares 2 U", here are the top national stories from the past week.
Pink sings Nothing Compares 2 U as tribute to Sinéad O'Connor
Oppenheimer's Grandson Blasts Scene In Christopher Nolan Movie
Pee-wee Herman actor Paul Reubens dies from cancer at 70
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paul Reubens, the actor and comedian whose character Pee-wee Herman became a cultural phenomenon through films and TV shows, has died.
Reubens died Sunday night after a six-year struggle with cancer that he did not make public, his publicist said in a statement.
“Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years,” Reubens said in a statement released with the announcement of his death. “I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.”
Here's why gas prices keep climbing and what to expect next
NEW YORK — Drivers are in for another headache at the pump as U.S. gas prices continue to rise.
The national average for gas prices stood at about $3.82 a gallon on Thursday — almost 30 cents higher than that seen one month ago, according to motor club AAA. While today's prices at the pump remain far lower than they were last year, when energy costs soared worldwide in the months following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, experts say such a jump is unusual.
"Usually it takes a hurricane to move prices that much," said AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross, who said the rise is especially interesting as "fewer people are are fueling up" their cars this summer compared to years past.
In the U.S., gasoline prices are highly dependent on crude oil. West Texas Intermediate crude, the U.S. benchmark, has stayed above $80 per barrel since Thursday, standing at over $81 as of Tuesday afternoon. That marks a $12 jump since July 3, according to OPIS global head of energy analysis Tom Kloza.
There are a few factors causing oil prices to rise, Gross and Kloza say, including global supply production cuts and impacts of this summer's extreme heat on refineries.
Here's what you need to know:
WHY ARE GAS PRICES RISING? BLAME THE HEAT AND PRODUCTION CUTS
This summer's record temperatures are partly to blame for the rising gas prices.
"While the heat may be keeping people home, it's also keeps refineries from making refined product," Gross explained, noting that refineries are typically designed to operate between 32 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit (0 and 35 degrees Celsius). "They don't like temperature extremes because they're inherently dangerous places... So they dial back the production for safety purposes, but that then constrains supply."
According to Kloza, there are about 10 million daily barrels of U.S. refining capacity on the Gulf Coast. The heat wave has caused those refineries to operate below normal capacity — resulting in a loss of hundreds of thousands of barrels each day, he said.
Still, "the fact that some refineries are struggling has meant that the ones who are able to operate are making really nice profits," he said. Today's U.S. domestic demand is about 9 million barrels a day, about a half a million below expectations for peak summer months, but the country is exporting a lot of gasoline, he added.
Beyond the heat, Kloza pointed to crude supply cuts from major producing countries in the OPEC+ alliance. In July, for example, Saudi Arabia starting reducing how much oil it sends to the global economy by 1 million barrels each day. Russia is also exporting less, he said.
The cuts aren't OPEC-wide, Gross noted. As inflation eases, he suspects that better economic prospects may also be putting pressure on oil worldwide.
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WHICH STATES HAVE THE HIGHEST GAS PRICES TODAY?
As always, certain parts of the U.S. are facing high gas prices than others — due to factors ranging from routine maintenance at regional refineries to limited supplies in some states.
On Tuesday, according to the AAA, California had the highest gas prices in the nation at an average of $5.01 a gallon. Washington and Oregon followed at $4.96 and $4.92, respectively.
Mississippi had the lowest average at about $3.29 per gallon, followed by $3.39 in Louisiana and and $3.40 in Alabama.
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WILL GAS PRICES CONTINUE TO CLIMB?
It's hard to know what gas prices will look like in the coming weeks, experts say.
While relief from the heat can hopefully be expected as we enter the fall, both Gross and Kloza pointed to risk of hurricanes — which, of course, leads refineries to power down.
"If you could guarantee we're not going to have tropical storm force or hurricane winds in the Gulf of Mexico, I'd say it's going to be clear sailing for the rest of the year. But that's a real fly in the ointment," Kloza said, pointing to the unprecedented water temperatures the region has seen recently.
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HOW CAN I SAVE GAS?
If you're looking to save money and cut back on trips to the pump, there are a few ways you can maximize your mileage per gallon.
One important habit is staying on top of getting your tire pressure checked, Gross said. In addition to safety risks, low tire pressure is "not maximizing your fuel efficiency," costing you more money down the road, he said.
AAA offers additional gas saving tips — which include using cruise control when possible, not overfilling your tank at the pump and removing unneeded items in your car's trunk to cut down on excess weight.
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Donald Trump charged by Justice Department for efforts to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss
Donald Trump was charged Tuesday in a Justice Department investigation into his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, a frantic but ultimately failed endeavor that culminated in the violent riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol.
The indictment, the third criminal case brought against the former president as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024, follows a long-running federal investigation into schemes by Trump and his allies to subvert the peaceful transfer of power and keep him in office despite a decisive loss to Joe Biden.
The criminal case comes while Trump leads the field of Republicans vying to capture their party’s presidential nomination. It is sure to be dismissed by the former president and his supporters — and even some of his rivals — as just another politically motivated prosecution. Yet the charges stem from one of the most serious threats to American democracy in modern history.
They focus on the turbulent two months after the November 2020 election in which Trump refused to accept his loss and spread lies that victory was stolen from him. The turmoil resulted in the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump loyalists violently broke into the building, attacked police officers and disrupted the congressional counting of electoral votes.
In between the election and the riot, Trump urged local election officials to undo voting results in their states, pressured former Vice President Mike Pence to halt the certification of electoral votes and falsely claimed that the election had been stolen — a notion repeatedly rejected by judges.
The indictment had been expected since Trump said in mid-July that the Justice Department informed him he was a target of its long-running Jan. 6 investigation. A bipartisan House committee that spent months investigating the run-up to the Capitol riot also recommended prosecuting Trump on charges, including aiding an insurrection and obstructing an official proceeding.
By ERIC TUCKER and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN - Associated Press
Photos: Trump indictment shows documents stacked in bathroom, bedroom, ballroom
Trump indictment takeaways: The Pence memos, late-night calls, duped 'electors' and the co-conspirators
WASHINGTON — The federal indictment of Donald Trump on Tuesday marks the first time that the former president has been formally held accountable for his efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat. And it adds new details to what was already known about his actions, and those of his key allies, in the weeks leading up to the violent Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection.
Read the full indictment here:
The newest charges — Trump's third criminal indictment this year — include conspiracy to defraud the United States government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, the congressional certification of President Joe Biden's victory. It describes how Trump repeatedly told supporters and others that he had won the election, despite knowing that was false, and how he tried to persuade state officials, his own vice president and finally Congress to overturn the legitimate results.
Due to the "dishonesty, fraud and deceit" by Trump and some of his closest allies, the indictment says, his supporters "violently attacked the Capitol and halted the proceeding." In the attack, his supporters beat and injured police officers and broke through windows and doors, sending lawmakers running for their lives.
Some takeaways from Tuesday's indictment:
TRUMP KNEW
As Trump schemed to overturn the 2020 election, many of his aides and allies were under no illusion that Trump — a longtime provocateur — had actually won.
Some aides directly refuted conspiracy theories stirred by Trump and his lawyer, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Others told him point blank he had lost.
"There is no world, there is no option in which you do not leave the White House (o)n January 20th," a unnamed deputy White House counsel told Trump, according to the indictment. Another wrote in an email: "I'll obviously hustle to help on all fronts, but it's tough to own any of this when it's all just conspiracy s--- beamed down from the mothership."
But Trump continued to tell "prolific lies," the indictment says, about the outcome of the election, even after being warned of his false statements by top government officials — citing thousands of dead voters in Georgia, an overcount in Pennsylvania and tens of thousands of noncitizen voters in Arizona. Those theories had been disputed by state and federal officials and even his own staff.
"These claims were false, and the Defendant knew that they were false," the indictment states.
At the same time, Trump privately acknowledged his loss. After the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff urged Trump to not take action on a national security issue, Trump agreed, according to the indictment.
"Yeah, you're right, it's too late for us," Trump said during a Jan. 3 meeting. "We're going to give that to the next guy."
All the while, he repeatedly tweeted and encouraged his supporters to come to Washington on Jan. 6.
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PENCE'S MEMOS
The indictment includes new details from former Vice President Mike Pence, who had fought efforts to answer questions about his role in presiding over the congressional certification.
Prosecutors cite Pence's "contemporaneous notes" about his interactions with Trump as the former president tried to convince him to delay or reject the legitimate election results on Jan. 6.
The indictment lists several conversations between Trump and Pence in those weeks, including some that were previously unknown. On Dec. 25, Pence called Trump to wish him a Merry Christmas, prosecutors said. But Trump "quickly turned the conversation to January 6 and his request that the Vice President reject electoral votes that day." The vice president pushed back, telling Trump he didn't have the authority.
In another of the calls, on Jan. 1, Trump told Pence, "You're too honest," according to the indictment.
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LATE NIGHT CALLS
The indictment says that Trump "redoubled" his efforts even in the late night hours after his supporters attacked the Capitol. It lays out several attempts by Trump, through his aides and co-conspirators, to contact multiple senators and at least one House member just before the two chambers reconvened to finally certify Biden's win.
At 7:01 p.m. that night, the indictment says, as Trump's allies were making calls, White House counsel Pat Cipollone called Trump to ask him to withdraw any objections and allow the certification. Trump refused, the indictment says.
"As violence ensued, the Defendant and co-conspirators exploited the disruption by redoubling efforts to levy false claims of election fraud and convince Members of Congress to further delay the certification based on those claims," the indictment says.
***
FAKE ELECTORS DUPED INTO 'CRAZY PLAY'
Early on, Trump's team orchestrated a scheme to enlist officials in seven states he had lost — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New Mexico, Wisconsin — to have them submit alternate election certificates saying he had actually won when Congress met to certify the vote Jan. 6.
The conspirators told most of the local officials that the certificates they were signing saying Trump won the election in their states would only be used if the court cases being waged over the election results showed that outcome.
But prosecutors allege that's not true.
What started as a legal strategy quickly evolved into a corrupt plan to stop Biden's count on Jan. 6, the indictment said.
Told by a colleague what was going on, Trump's deputy campaign manager called it a "crazy play." They refused to put their names on a statement about it, because none of them could "stand by it."
The indictment alleges Trump enlisted six people to help him try to overturn the 2020 election. The six people are not explicitly named, but the indictment includes details that make it possible to identify most of them.
As "Co-Conspirator 1" and "Co-Conspirator 2," lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman are quoted from their remarks at the "Stop the Steal" rally prior to the riot urging Pence to throw out the votes of valid electors.
A third lawyer, Sidney Powell, named as "Co-Conspirator 3," filed a lawsuit in Georgia that amplified false or unsupported claims of election fraud. The indictment quotes Trump as privately conceding Powell's claims sounded "crazy."
Jeffrey Clark, a Justice Department official who championed Trump's false claims of election fraud, is described as "Co-Conspirator 4."
"Co-Conspirator 5" is lawyer Kenneth Chesebro, who the indictment says "assisted in devising and attempting to implement a plan to submit fraudulent slates of presidential electors to obstruct the certification proceeding."
"Co-Conspirator 6" is an unknown political consultant who also assisted with the fake electors plan.
There are no known charges against the listed co-conspirators.
Giuliani aide Ted Goodman said in a statement that "every fact" the former New York City mayor had "establishes the good faith basis President Donald Trump had for the actions he took during the two-month period charged in the indictment." Eastman lawyer Harvey Silverglate said his client denied any wrongdoing.
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CONGRESSIONAL INSPIRATION
Much of the evidence in the indictment — including repeated efforts by White House advisers to tell Trump that he lost the election — was first laid out by the Democrat-led House Jan. 6 committee last year.
In its final report issued in December, the committee said it was making several so-called criminal referrals for Trump to the Justice Department, including obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
A criminal referral from Congress is not binding, but it is a formal notification from Congress to the Justice Department that lawmakers believe they have found criminal activity.
The panel's final report asserted that Trump criminally engaged in a "multi-part conspiracy" to overturn the results and failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol.
The sheer number of investigations, criminal cases and lawsuits brought against Trump are unprecedented for a former president. The same could be said for the tens of millions of dollars in legal fees paid out to attorneys representing him and his allies, straining the finances of his campaign.
An Associated Press analysis of recent fundraising disclosures shows Trump's political committees have paid out at least $59.2 million to more than 100 lawyers and law firms since January 2021.
The threat posed by the colossal drain of resources has led Trump's allies to establish a new legal defense fund, the Patriot Legal Defense Fund.
Images of chaos: AP photographers capture US Capitol riot
$1.1 billion Mega Millions jackpot drawing offers shot at 6th largest prize ever; here are the winning numbers
An estimated $1.1 billion Mega Millions jackpot is up for grabs Tuesday night, giving lottery players a chance to snap an unlucky streak that has stretched on for months.
Here are the winning numbers in Tuesday’s drawing: 8, 24, 30, 45, 61, and Mega 12.
No one has won the Mega Millions jackpot since April 18, allowing it to roll over again and again until it reached its status as the sixth-largest in U.S. history. Tuesday night’s drawing is the 30th since someone last won the jackpot.
The drought is due to a combination of poor luck and terrible odds, as the chance of winning the Mega Millions jackpot is 1 in 302.6 million. The odds of winning smaller prizes, ranging from $1 million to $2, are significantly better.
The $1.1 billion jackpot is for a sole winner who chooses to collect through an annuity, with annual payments over 30 years. A sole winner who opts for a lump sum payment would receive an estimated $550.2 million.
Winners also would be subject to federal taxes, and many states also tax lottery winnings.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.