Missing hiker survived for weeks in California wilderness by foraging and drinking melted snow

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 28-year-old woman described how she survived for weeks outdoors in California’s eastern Sierra mountains by foraging for food and drinking melted snow after a solo camping trip went awry during harsh winter weather. Tiffany Slaton detailed her ordeal during a news conference Friday with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department. It was two days after she was found in a cabin that the owner had left unlocked to help wayward hikers. Slaton had been on an extended biking and backpacking trip. Authorities say she trekked at least 20 miles (32 kilometers) in extreme conditions.

Lights, camera, glitter ball: The Eurovision Song Contest reaches its grand final

BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — The world’s largest live music event has reached its glitter-drenched conclusion with the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest. Acts from 26 countries will perform on Saturday to some 160 million viewers for the continent’s pop crown. Bookmakers say the favorite is KAJ, representing Sweden with ode to sauna culture “Bara Bada Bastu,” followed by Austrian singer JJ’s pop-opera song “Wasted Love.” Acts from France, the Netherlands and Finland are also strong contenders. Israel’s Yuval Raphael has won many fans with her anthemic “New Day Will Rise,” but also faced protests from pro-Palestinian demonstrators calling for Israel to be kicked out of the contest over its conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza.

Former MLB star Rafael Furcal charged in rock-throwing road rage incident, police say

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say former major league shortstop Rafael Furcal threw rocks at another man during a road rage incident last month in South Florida. Court records show that the former All-Star turned himself in at the Broward County jail on Wednesday and was released on bond a short time later. He faces two felony charges. Court records didn’t list a defense attorney for Furcal. The Sunrise Police Department issued the warrant for Furcal’s arrest on Monday, two weeks after the confrontation. Furcal started with the Atlanta Braves in 2000, followed by stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals. He finished his professional baseball career with the Miami Marlins in 2014.

Fortnite says it's offline on Apple's iOS around the world

NEW YORK (AP) — Fortnite says it’s unavailable on Apple’s iOS globally because the tech giant blocked a bid to rerelease the popular video game for iPhone users in the U.S. and Europe. In a Friday announcement, Epic Games-owned Fortnite said that Apple blocked a submission that would release the game in the U.S. App Store as well as the Epic Games Store for the EU — claiming that this move would now prevent the game’s iOS availability around the world. Apple said it had specifically asked Epic Sweden to resubmit the app update without including the U.S. storefront of the App Store. But the company said it did not take any action to remove the live version from alternative markets.

Former President George W. Bush draws inspiration close to his Dallas home in his latest paintings

DALLAS (AP) — Former President George W. Bush didn’t need to look too far for inspiration for his newest works of art. The 78-year-old has brushed portraits of world leaders and people who immigrated to the U.S. But his newest collection draws on scenes much closer to home: his presidential library in Dallas. The exhibit opened Thursday at the George W. Bush Presidential Center, located on the campus of Southern Methodist University. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush moved to Dallas after he left the White House, and he took up oil painting a few years later.

Police investigate disappearance of Melania Trump's statue in her native Slovenia

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Police in Slovenia are investigating the disappearance of a bronze statue of U.S. first lady Melania Trump that was sawed off and carried away from her hometown. The life-size sculpture was unveiled in 2020 during President Donald Trump’s first term in office near Sevnica in central Slovenia, where Melanija Knavs was born in 1970. It replaced a wooden statue that had been set on fire earlier that year. The police spokeswoman said Friday that the police were informed about the theft of the statue on Tuesday. She said police are working to track down those responsible.

Missing hiker found safe after surviving weeks in snowy California mountains

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When the Vermilion Valley Resort in California’s eastern Sierra shut down for the winter, the staff left cabin doors unlocked just in case a wayward hiker needed shelter during the frequent mountain snowstorms. That decision may have saved the life of Tiffany Slaton, a 27-year-old Georgia woman who went missing for nearly three weeks in the remote wilderness area. Slaton was found safe Wednesday inside one of the resort's cabins. She wanted a hug and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Sheriff's officials say she was hungry and dehydrated, but otherwise in good condition.

Like it or not, the Like button has changed the world

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The internet wouldn’t be the same without the Like button, the thumbs-up icon that Facebook and other online services turned into digital catnip. Like it or not, the button has served as a creative catalyst, a dopamine delivery system, a tribal totem pole and an emotional battering ram. It also became an international tourist attraction after Facebook plastered the symbol on a giant sign on that stood outside its Silicon Valley headquarters until the company rebranded itself as Meta Platforms in 2021. A new book delves into the convoluted story behind a symbol that’s become both the manna and bane of a digitally driven society.

Elon Musk's AI company says Grok chatbot focus on South Africa's racial politics was 'unauthorized'

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI, says an “unauthorized modification” led its Grok chatbot to post unsolicited claims on social media about the persecution and “genocide” of white people in South Africa. That means someone — the company didn’t say who — made a change that directed Grok to "provide a specific response on a political topic,” which the company says violated its internal policies and core values. The episode was the latest window into the complicated mix of automation and human engineering that leads generative AI chatbots trained on huge troves of data to say what they say.

US cable giants Charter and Cox, under assault by streaming services, pursue $34.5 billion merger

Charter Communications is merging with Cox Communications in an approximately $34.5 billion deal that brings together two of the biggest cable companies in the country. Charter said Friday that it will acquire Cox Communications’ commercial fiber and managed IT and cloud businesses. Cox Enterprises will contribute Cox Communications’ residential cable business to Charter Holdings, an existing subsidiary partnership of Charter. The transaction includes $12.6 billion of debt and other obligations.