WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the Senate Republican health care bill (all times local):3:45 p.m.Texas Sen. John Cornyn says passing a health care bill won't get any easier if Republican leaders delay a Senate vote on the GOP health care plan.The Senate's No. 2 Republican said the Senate is on pace to hold a key procedural vote Wednesday. He said he feels "a sense of urgency" to push forward because the health care system is in "full meltdown mode."Cornyn made the comments Sunday at a private gathering hosted by the libertarian Koch brothers in Colorado.He acknowledged the bill has critics: "Some people have been more public about concerns but said they want to get to yes." He said the vote is "going to be close" and President Donald Trump is "going to be important in the process."___3:25 p.m.President Donald Trump promised to repeal and replace the health care law Republicans deride as "Obamacare."But Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse said … [Read more...]

Caption Close WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has a way of presenting missions as accomplished even when they're not. So it was when he told Iowans he's put farmers back at their plows, secured a historic increase in military spending and empowered homebuilders to swing their hammers again. Those all remain aspirations, not achievements. Trump is also known to propose something already in effect, as when he declared "the time has come" for a welfare moratorium for immigrants. President Bill Clinton signed such a moratorium into law in 1996. A look at a variety of Trump's statements from the public square over the past week: TRUMP: "We're thinking about building the wall as a solar wall so it creates energy and pays for itself. And this way, Mexico will have to pay much less money. And that's good right? ... Pretty good imagination, right? Good? My idea." — in Iowa on Wednesday. THE FACTS: His idea? Others came forward with such proposals back when he was … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the Senate Republican health care bill (all times local):3:45 p.m.Texas Sen. John Cornyn says passing a health care bill won't get any easier if Republican leaders delay a Senate vote on the GOP health care plan.The Senate's No. 2 Republican said the Senate is on pace to hold a key procedural vote Wednesday. He said he feels "a sense of urgency" to push forward because the health care system is in "full meltdown mode."Cornyn made the comments Sunday at a private gathering hosted by the libertarian Koch brothers in Colorado.He acknowledged the bill has critics: "Some people have been more public about concerns but said they want to get to yes." He said the vote is "going to be close" and President Donald Trump is "going to be important in the process."___3:25 p.m.President Donald Trump promised … [Read more...]

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A large sequoia tree with a history rooted in conservation was standing in the way of progress, so on Sunday, it was moved.More than a century after it was planted as a sapling in a doctor's yard in Boise, Idaho, the 10-story tree was shifted across the street to make way for a hospital expansion.The tree reached its new turf Sunday morning.Crews started rolling the tree down Fort Street at 1 a.m., said Anita Kissée, a spokeswoman for St. Luke's Health System.Once it reached its destination, crews had a bit of trouble because the inflation tubes that carried it were too long for the hole that had been dug, Kissée said. They made the hole bigger and placed the tree in at about 11:15 a.m. The movers plan to let the tree settle overnight and work on leveling it on Monday, she said. They'll also move a lot of the soil from the original site to help the tree adapt, she said.Here are some things to know about … [Read more...]

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — The Latest on an oil tanker fire in Pakistan that killed more than 140 people (all times local):12:20 a.m.An announcement over a mosque's loudspeaker that an overturned tanker truck had sprung a leak sent scores of villagers racing to the scene to gather spilled fuel. Then the wreck exploded, engulfing people in flames as they screamed in terror.Hospital and rescue officials say at least 153 men, women and children were killed, and dozens more are in critical condition.___8:20 p.m.An overturned oil tanker burst into flames in Pakistan on Sunday, killing 153 people who had rushed to the scene of the highway accident to gather leaking fuel.A doctor at Bahawalpur's Victoria Hospital in south Punjab said the latest deaths occurred at a hospital in Multan where some of the 50 critically injured were taken, … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the Senate Republican health care bill (all times local):3:25 p.m.President Donald Trump promised to repeal and replace the health care law Republicans deride as "Obamacare."But Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse said Sunday the Senate's current plan to overhaul health care "is not a full repeal or full replace."The Republican lawmaker says, "This is largely a Medicaid reform package."Senate Republican leaders are scrambling for enough votes to approve their health care legislation as soon as this week.Sasse said he's neither finished reading the bill nor taken a position on it.Sasse addressed health care at a private retreat for top donors to the libertarian Koch brothers' political network, which favors full repeal. He was the featured luncheon speaker also attended by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Texas Sen. John Cornyn.___11:25 a.m.President Donald Trump is bemoaning what he calls "the level of … [Read more...]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - An Indiana airport has expanded its incentives package with the aim of attracting new international air service. The Indianapolis International Airport has increased the amount of marketing support available for new international flights, The Indianapolis Business Journal (http://bit.ly/2s07Mf7 ) reported. The incentives include banners, digital advertising and vinyl floor decals at the airport. Other incentives include fee waivers and rent reductions during the first two years. The airport currently only has direct international flights to Cancun, Mexico and Toronto, Canada. The airport is trying to attract its first transatlantic flight, with London as a top priority. The airline had previously offered up to $50,000 in marketing support for the first year of a new international service. Under the expanded program, airlines can receive up to $400,000 in marketing support during the first two years of service, depending on the frequency of flights. … [Read more...]

Iram Asim / AP Pakistani rescue workers examine the site of an oil tanker explosion at a highway near Bahawalpur, Pakistan, Sunday, June 25, 2017. An overturned oil tanker burst into flames in Pakistan on Sunday, killing more than 150 people who had rushed to the scene of the highway accident to gather leaking fuel, an official said. By Iram Asim Sunday, June 25, 2017 | 6:30 a.m. BAHAWALPUR, Pakistan — An overturned oil tanker burst into flames in Pakistan on Sunday, killing more than 150 people who had rushed to the scene of the highway accident to gather leaking fuel, a hospital official said as the death toll continued to rise. Dr. Javed Iqbal at Bahawalpur's Victoria Hospital in south Punjab said the latest deaths occurred at a hospital in Multan where some of the 50 critically injured, many of whom suffered extensive burns, had been taken. The death toll could rise further as dozens are still in critical condition, said Dr. Mohammad Baqar, a senior rescue official … [Read more...]

LONDON (AP) — The list of high-rise apartment towers in Britain that have failed fire safety tests grew to 60, officials said Sunday, revealing the mounting challenge the government faces in the aftermath of London's Grenfell Tower fire tragedy.All of the buildings for which external cladding samples were so far submitted failed combustibility tests, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said. As of late Sunday, that includes 60 towers from 25 different areas of the country— double the figure given a day earlier.The number of buildings at risk is likely to grow as owners and local officials provide more samples for safety tests.The national testing was ordered after an inferno engulfed Grenfell Tower in west London on June 14. The tower's cladding — panels widely used to insulate buildings and improve their appearance — was believed to have rapidly spread that blaze, which killed at least 79 people.In north London, … [Read more...]

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — As Daniel Ricciardo celebrated winning a hectic Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday, title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel clashed in a bitter incident that could shape the rest of an intriguing Formula One season.Hamilton accused Vettel of "disrespectful" driving after the four-time champion pulled alongside Hamilton and appeared to deliberately swerve into him when they were behind the safety car approaching the midway point of a stop-start race."Ultimately what happened today was disrespectful. It's not deserving of that reaction from someone you have respect for," Hamilton said. "A multi-world champion should behave better than that. It's what you expect in go karts. That's not how you drive."Vettel, who is chasing a fifth world title to stop Hamilton winning a fourth, was given a 10-second … [Read more...]

NEW YORK (AP) — The hulking machines of "Transformers" are no longer box-office behemoths in North America. But they're still big in China.Michael Bay's "Transformers: The Last Knight," the fifth installment in the Hasbro series, scored a franchise-low domestic debut with an estimated $43.5 million in ticket sales over the weekend and a five-day total of $69.1 million since opening Wednesday. All previous "Transformers" sequels opened with $97 million-plus.But Paramount Pictures' "The Last Knight," the second "Transformers" movie to star Mark Wahlberg, still showed its might overseas. It took in $196.2 million internationally, including an impressive $123.4 million in China.Future business will tell whether those grosses are enough to cover a hugely expensive movie: $217 million to make, plus nearly as much to market. Studios … [Read more...]

LONDON (AP) — The Latest on the response to deadly tower-block fire in London that killed at least 79 people (all times local):6:45 p.m.Britain's government says the list of high-rise apartment towers fitted with external cladding that failed fire safety tests has grown to 60. The buildings are spread across 25 areas around the country.Sunday's announcement came as samples of exterior panels fitted to high-rise apartments are being tested to see if they are similar to those at London's Grenfell Tower, which was engulfed in an inferno that killed at least 79 people on June 14.Combustible cladding was blamed for the rapid spread of that blaze.The samples that failed safety tests came from buildings all over England, from London to cities that included Norwich, Doncaster, Manchester and Plymouth.___2:55 p.m.Hundreds of northwest London residents face up to four weeks in temporary accommodations as workers upgrade the fire safety … [Read more...]

By Noam N. Levey / Tribune Washington Bureau (TNS) WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans, who for years blasted the Affordable Care Act for disrupting Americans’ health care, are now pushing changes that threaten to not only strip health coverage from millions, but also upend insurance markets, cripple state budgets and drive medical clinics and hospitals to the breaking point. President Donald Trump and GOP leaders have touted their bills to repeal the health care law — one passed by the House last month and a Senate version announced last week — as a necessary fix to problems created by the Affordable Care Act. But in physicians’ offices and medical centers, in state capitols and corporate offices, there are growing fears that the unprecedented cuts proposed in the GOP legislation would create even larger problems in the U.S. health care system. “These reductions are going to … [Read more...]

BAHAWALPUR, Pakistan (AP) — Alerted by an announcement over a mosque's loudspeaker that an overturned tanker truck had sprung a leak, scores of villagers raced to the scene with fuel containers Sunday to gather the oil. Then the wreck exploded, engulfing people in flames as they screamed in terror.At least 153 men, women and children were killed, with dozens more in critical condition, hospital and rescue officials said."I have never seen anything like it in my life. Victims trapped in the fireball. They were screaming for help," said Abdul Malik, a police officer who was among the first to arrive on the scene of horror in Pakistan's Punjab province.When the flames subsided, he said, "we saw bodies everywhere. So many were just skeletons. The people who were alive were in really bad shape."About 30 motorcycles that villagers … [Read more...]

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo profited from the chaos to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday, while Sebastian Vettel extended his championship lead over Lewis Hamilton.The Australian secured his fifth career win, while Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas overtook 18-year-old Canadian Lance Stroll's Williams in the closing meters to take second place."It was just a crazy race, with all the safety cars and the chaos," Ricciardo said. "On the cool-down lap, I was just giggling like a schoolboy."Vettel steered his Ferrari into fourth, just ahead of Hamilton's Mercedes.After eight races, Vettel leads Hamilton by 14 points.In a stop-start race, the safety car came out three times in quick succession before a red flag stopped the grand prix near the midway point because debris littered the track.Shortly … [Read more...]

DETROIT (AP) — Drowning in a sea of lawsuits and recall costs, Japanese air bag maker Takata Corp. is expected to seek bankruptcy protection in Tokyo and the United States early Monday.Takata was done in by defective air bag inflators that can explode with too much force, spewing out shrapnel. They're responsible for at least 16 deaths and 180 injuries and have touched off the largest automotive recall in U.S. history. So far 100 million inflators have been recalled worldwide including 69 million in the U.S., affecting 42 million vehicles.Rival Key Safety Systems, based in suburban Detroit, will buy most of Takata's assets for $1.6 billion and take over its manufacturing operations to make seat belts, air bags and other automotive safety devices, according to two people briefed on the matter.Some remnants of Takata will be … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the Senate Republican health care bill (all times local):11:25 a.m.President Donald Trump is bemoaning what he calls "the level of hostility" that he says has stymied bipartisanship in Washington.While discussing the Republican health bill during an interview on "Fox & Friends," Trump said it would be great if lawmakers from both parties could "come up something that everybody's happy with."Then he criticizes two prominent Democratic senators.Trump says the Democrats' "theme is resist" and that "if it was the greatest bill ever proposed in mankind, we wouldn't get a vote" from them.Trump said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer criticized the GOP bill before knowing what was in it. And the president called Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren "somebody that's just got a lot of hatred." Warren is a leading liberal and defender of the current health law.___11:20 a.m.One of the Republican senators … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the Senate Republican health care bill (all times local):11:20 a.m.One of the Republican senators who's opposing his party's health care bill as written says the Senate shouldn't vote on the plan this week.The lengthy proposal only came out last week, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants to begin voting this week.That's not sitting well with GOP Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. He says: "I would like to delay the thing. There's no way we should be voting on this next week. No way."He tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that he has "a hard time" believing that his constituents or even he "will have enough time to properly evaluate" the measure.Johnson says he's made his views clear to the party leadership and the White House.___10:45 a.m.Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer says Senate passage of the Republican bill to replace former President Barack Obama's health law is too close to call.He told … [Read more...]

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — A German-based company is bringing a $12 million aviation-related plant to Auburn.The Winkelmann Group will begin production at its first United States production facility in the Auburn Industrial Park, the Opelika-Auburn News (http://bit.ly/2rWoLEi) reported. The company expects to create approximately 50 jobs over the next five years.Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and Winkelmann Group CEO Heinrich Winkelmann announced the new location, called Winkelmann Flowform Technology LP, in France at the Paris Air Show this week."As we declare to the world that Alabama is open for business, we welcome Winkelmann to our family of aerospace and defense-related companies in Alabama," Ivey said in the release.Production is expected to begin in about two or three months, according to Arndt Siepmann, industrial development … [Read more...]

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A large sequoia tree with a history rooted in conservation was standing in the way of progress.More than a century after it was planted as a sapling in a doctor's yard in Boise, Idaho, the 10-story tree is on the move, shifting across the street to make way for a hospital expansion. The tree is expected to reach its new turf Sunday. Here are some things to know about it and its trip months in the making.WHAT'S THE TREE'S STORY?More than 100 years ago naturalist John Muir sent four sequoia seedlings to Emile Grandjean, a conservation-minded professional forester and early employee of the U.S. Forest Service in Idaho. Of the four sequoias from Muir's seedlings, the only one that still exists is the one being moved. St. Luke's Health System is spending $300,000 to move the 98-foot (30-meter) tree to city property about two blocks away. "We understand the importance of this tree to this community," said Anita … [Read more...]