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McDonald's is the latest fast food chain to offer fancier drinks
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AP Wire

McDonald's is the latest fast food chain to offer fancier drinks

  • By DEE-ANN DURBIN - AP Business Writer
  • Updated

Fast food chains, thirsty for new ways to grow, are amping up their beverage offerings. McDonald’s said Tuesday it will launch six handcrafted beverages in U.S. restaurants on May 6. It’s joining other chains, like KFC, Wendy’s and Taco Bell, that have elevated their drinks in order to lure customers away from rivals like Starbucks and Dutch Bros. McDonald’s will offer three refreshers and three crafted sodas. It's also adding a beverage specialist role in restaurants to focus on drinks. McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski has said the beverage space is growing faster than casual dining and has higher profit margins.

Inside the world’s largest art heist when over $500M of paintings were stolen from a Boston museum
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Inside the world’s largest art heist when over $500M of paintings were stolen from a Boston museum

  • By LEAH WILLINGHAM - Associated Press
  • Updated

A former FBI agent is offering the first detailed account of how investigators identified the people believed to have carried out the 1990 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist. In a new book, Geoffrey Kelly argues the theft was the work of a loose network of Boston-area criminals, not international masterminds, and traces how the stolen art moved through violent criminal circles. His account sheds light on key suspects, investigative missteps and lingering questions, including the actions of a security guard that night. More than three decades later, the paintings remain missing — artworks Kelly calls the “perfect fugitives.”

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A growing amateur choir brings joy and community to hundreds in Serbia

  • By JOVANA GEC - Associated Press

An amateur pop choir in Serbia is finding unexpected success across the country. Its motto is simple: Anyone can sing. While community choirs are common elsewhere, they are rare in Serbia. The choir's no-stress, fun approach has attracted hundreds, mostly women of all ages. Since starting four years ago, Pop Hor has spread to 10 towns. There are no auditions, and newcomers don’t need to read music. Founder Nenad Azanjac says many join for stress relief and a sense of belonging. The choir often performs at festivals and events, bringing joy and reducing stress for its members.

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Correspondents' Dinner's biggest moments involve laughs, cringing and high-stakes politics

  • By BILL BARROW - Associated Press

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner has produced viral moments that were funny, cringeworthy or undeniably tense and that endure across social media. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush welcomed jokes, while George W. Bush brought some of his own. Comedians Stephen Colbert and Michelle Wolf created tension in the room. And President Barack Obama's mockery of Donald Trump set the stage for the reality TV star's move into politics. The dinner began a few years after World War I. Some years were forgettable and relegated to C-SPAN archives.

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Trump considers a taxpayer takeover of Spirit Airlines and would aim to resell carrier

  • By MAE ANDERSON - AP Business Writer

President Donald Trump says he is weighing a taxpayer takeover of Spirit Airlines and would aim to resell the troubled carrier after oil prices drop. The president confirmed his interested in the potential government intervention after the airline said was in advanced talks with the U.S. government on a financing deal that would help it emerge from bankruptcy protection instead of having to shut down. “They have some good aircraft and good assets, and when the prices of oil goes down, we’ll sell it for a profit,” said Trump, speaking Thursday at an unrelated Oval Office event.

More kids than ever are attending state-funded preschool, with California's surge leading the way
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More kids than ever are attending state-funded preschool, with California's surge leading the way

  • By MORIAH BALINGIT - AP Education Writer
  • Updated

More kids than ever are attending state-funded preschool in the U.S., 1.8 million of them the last school year. A report by the National Institute of Early Education Research finds that 37% of 4-year-olds and about 10% of 3-year-olds are enrolled. However access to free preschool remains uneven across states. California contributed significantly to the increase by making all 4-year-olds eligible for a program called “transitional kindergarten.” But the rapid rollout meant the state missed many quality benchmarks last school year. Evidence shows that high-quality preschool can positively impact a child's future, but challenges such as uneven access and funding persist.

Researchers have spent decades breeding better potatoes for chips, and their work isn't done
National
AP Wire

Researchers have spent decades breeding better potatoes for chips, and their work isn't done

  • By DEE-ANN DURBIN and MIKE HOUSEHOLDER - Associated Press
  • Updated

There’s a surprising amount of science in a bag of potato chips. Researchers have spent decades developing chipping potatoes that can grow in all kinds of climates, avoid diseases and pests, sit in storage for months and still deliver a satisfying crunch. There are about 50 varieties of potatoes used for chips in the U.S. right now. A Michigan State University professor who developed five new potato varieties for chips in the the last 15 years is currently growing seeds for commercial testing of another. It's a bioengineered potato that can maintain a proper sugar balance when stored at colder temperatures to prevent rotting. he also has developed disease-resistant potato varieties for farmers in Africa.

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Florida's attorney general launches criminal probe into ChatGPT over FSU shooting

  • By MIKE SCHNEIDER - Associated Press
  • Updated

Florida's attorney general has opened an investigation into OpenAI's ChatGPT. The probe, announced Tuesday, examines the AI app's interactions with a gunman charged with a fatal shooting at Florida State University last year. Attorney General James Uthmeier says prosecutors reviewed chat logs between ChatGPT and the gunman, Phoenix Ikner. They aim to determine if the app aided or abetted the crime. Florida's Office of Statewide Prosecution has subpoenaed OpenAI for records. Ikner faces charges of murder and attempted murder, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty. An OpenAI spokeswoman called the FSU shooting a tragedy but said the company had no responsibility.

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Most fashion mannequins are about a size 2. The Met Gala exhibit is making room for diverse bodies

  • By JOCELYN NOVECK - AP National Writer

The upcoming fashion exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art examines “the dressed body” in art over the centuries. But “Costume Art” also aims to include bodies that art has traditionally ignored. The museum has created 25 mannequins for display based on “real bodies.” Nine people modeled for the mannequins. Those include disability activist Sinéad Burke and body-positive lingerie designer Michaela Stark. Curator Andrew Bolton explains he's seeking to challenge centuries-old conceptions of beauty. The exhibit is launching with the May 4 Met Gala and opens to the public May 10. It runs until January 2027.