Midea recalling 1.7 million of its popular air conditioners due to mold concern

Midea is voluntarily recalling about 1.7 million of its popular U and U+ Smart air conditioners because pooled water in the units may not drain fast enough, leading to mold growth. The news comes as temperatures are rising across the U.S. and the official start of summer rapidly approaches. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said that the recall also includes approximately 45,900 units sold in Canada. There’s been at least 152 reports of mold in the air conditioners. This includes 17 reports of consumers experiencing symptoms such as respiratory infections, allergic reactions, coughing, sneezing and sore throats from mold exposure.

Police consider whether 'King of the Hill' actor's sexual orientation played a role in his killing

HOUSTON (AP) — Authorities in Texas say investigators are looking into whether the sexual orientation of “King of the Hill” voice actor Jonathan Joss played a role in his shooting death. Joss’ husband has claimed the person who killed the actor yelled “violent homophobic slurs” before opening fire outside his home in San Antonio on Sunday night. A day after the shooting, San Antonio police issued a statement saying they had found “no evidence whatsoever to indicate that Mr. Joss’ murder was related to his sexual orientation.” But during a news conference Thursday, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus walked back that previous statement.

What to know about the much-anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 on launch day

NEW YORK (AP) — The Nintendo Switch 2 finally hit store shelves on Thursday, eight years after the initial release of Japanese video-game maker Nintendo’s popular video-game console. Even with a hefty $450 price tag, fans around the world, from Japan to the U.S., lined up outside stores to pick-up pre-orders or have a chance to buy the device. The release ends months of anticipation that included pre-order hiccups and fears that tariffs would delay the release of the Switch 2. Nintendo said it expects to sell 15 million Switch 2 consoles for the fiscal year through March 2026.

FanDuel bans bettor over heckling incident with Olympic champion sprinter Gabby Thomas

A sports bettor who heckled Olympic champion sprinter Gabby Thomas during a Grand Slam Track event in Philadelphia has been banned by the betting site FanDuel Sportsbook. In a statement sent Wednesday to The Associated Press, FanDuel wrote that it “condemns in the strongest terms abusive behavior directed towards athletes.” Thomas finished fourth in a 100-meter race won by Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. The bettor wrote in a social media post that he “made Gabby lose by heckling her. And it made my parlay win.” He posted a picture of his parlay that had Jefferson-Wooden winning the 100. Thomas, the 200-meter Olympic champion at the Paris Games last summer, explained the heckling incident on X.

Ex-White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre left Democratic Party, publisher of her book says

NEW YORK (AP) — Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has a book out this fall that promises a close look at President Joe Biden’s decision not to run for reelection and calls for thinking beyond the two-party system. Legacy Lit says Jean-Pierre has switched her affiliation to independent after working in two Democratic administrations. The Hachette Book Group imprint will publish “Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines” on Oct. 21. Jean-Pierre was the first Black woman and openly gay person to hold the position of White House press secretary.

Dilly Dally the sea turtle returns to the ocean after flipper amputation

JUNO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An adolescent loggerhead sea turtle named Dilly Dally is back in the Atlantic Ocean, months after having a front flipper amputated at a Florida turtle hospital. The turtle was brought to Loggerhead Marinelife Center in January suffering from predator wounds to the front flipper. The veterinary crew at the Juno Beach facility assisted in Dilly Dally’s rehabilitation and care. A veterinary technician at the center says a satellite tracking device was attached to Dilly Dally’s shell that will allow the center and the public to follow her journey. The center partnered with the Smithsonian to get the satellite tag, which was attached on Tuesday.

Hegseth orders the name of gay rights activist Harvey Milk scrubbed from Navy ship

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk in a highly rare move. The ship was named after the slain gay rights activist who served as a sailor during the Korean War. The officials say Navy Secretary John Phelan put together a small team to rename the replenishment oiler, and that a new name is expected this month. It marks the latest move by Hegseth to purge diversity, equity and inclusion references, and it comes during Pride Month. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Phelan's office didn't respond to requests for comment.

Reddit sues AI company Anthropic for allegedly 'scraping' user comments to train chatbot Claude

Social media platform Reddit sued the artificial intelligence company Anthropic on Wednesday, alleging that it is illegally “scraping” the comments of millions of Reddit users to train its chatbot Claude. Reddit claims that Anthropic has used automated bots to access Reddit’s content despite being asked not to do so. Anthropic said in a statement that it disagreed with Reddit’s claims “and will defend ourselves vigorously.”

A long-running experiment finds a tiny particle is still acting weird

NEW YORK (AP) — Final results from a long-running U.S.-based experiment show a tiny particle continues to act strangely -- but that’s still good news for the laws of physics as we know them. The mysterious particles called muons wobble like a top when inside a magnetic field. Previous experiments found the muons were behaving strangely, which didn't fit well with the foundational rulebook of physics. New data adds fuel to that fire, but scientists have found a way to make the findings agree with the Standard Model of Physics. Results were announced Tuesday and were submitted to the journal Physical Review Letters.

Woman who denies mushroom murders of her in-laws accepts that she served them death caps for lunch

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — An Australian woman accused of murdering three of her estranged husband’s relatives with poisonous mushrooms has told a court she accepts the fatal lunch she served contained death caps. But Erin Patterson said Tuesday the majority of the fungi came from local stores. Patterson denies three counts of murder and one of attempted murder over the beef Wellington meal she served to her parents-in-law and their relatives at her home in July 2023. Her lawyer says the poisonings were accidental. The accused gave evidence for a second day during a lengthy Supreme Court trial in the Australian state of Victoria.