AP National Business

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Top officials from California and New Zealand signed a pledge Friday agreeing to help fight climate change by sharing ideas and best practices, including how to put millions more electric vehicles on the road. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke about the agreement at

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Friday: Big Lots, American Eagle fall; Dell, Ulta Beauty rise.

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers NEW YORK (AP) — Technology companies led a broad rally for stocks Friday as Wall Street notched its best week in 18 months. The gain broke a seven-week losing streak for the market, the longest such stretch since 2001. The S&P 500 rose 2.5% and

By KATHLEEN FOODY Associated Press Texas authorities said Friday that the gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers inside an elementary school discussed his interest in buying a gun in private online conversations, but backed away from earlier descriptions that he made public threats less than an hour before the attack. Gov. Greg Abbott

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he’s confident Turkey’s objections to Finland and Sweden joining NATO can be overcome swiftly. At a Washington news conference Friday with visiting Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, Blinken said the U.S. has no reason to believe Turkey’s concerns cannot

By JUAN LOZANO and JILL COLVIN Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — The National Rifle Association’s chief executive kicked off the group’s annual convention in Houston on Friday vigorously defending the rights of gun owners three days after a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school on the other side of the

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Motor Speedway has opened a sports book lounge in time for Sunday’s Indianapolis 500. The Caesars Sportsbook Lounge is not a sports book in the traditional sense. There are no ticket windows or digital video walls flashing the latest odds. All gambling is done on

By JOSHUA GOODMAN Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — The Biden administration has renewed a license partially exempting Chevron from sanctions on Venezuela so it can keep operating in the oil-rich, socialist-run nation. The license issued Friday by the U.S. Treasury Department allows the California-based Chevron and other U.S. companies to perform only basic upkeep of

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The owner of the largest natural gas utility in Alaska says it is selling the company to Canada-based TriSummit Utilities Inc. The Anchorage Daily News reports the deal is worth $800 million. AltaGas Ltd. says the sale will include Anchorage-based ENSTAR Natural Gas, its associated pipelines and ENSTAR’s majority ownership in

By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — A leading international credit ratings agency has warned that the results of this month’s parliamentary elections in Lebanon make it difficult for any coalition to have a governing majority, potentially complicating implementation of reforms. The Lebanese pound briefly hit new lows against the dollar shortly after Friday’s

By JUAN LOZANO and JILL COLVIN Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — The National Rifle Association began its annual convention in Houston amid protests Friday, three days after a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school on the other side of the state, renewing the national debate over gun violence. Former President

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Rescue teams at the site of a 10-story collapsed building in southwestern Iran pulled seven more bodies from the rubble on Friday, bringing the death toll in the disaster to 26, Iranian state TV reported Friday. A tower at the Metropol Building that was under-construction in the city of Abadan, collapsed

By THALIA BEATY Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The president of the Ford Foundation, Darren Walker, has received France’s highest cultural honor in recognition of his support of the arts and artists. He was named commander of France’s Order of Arts and Letters on Tuesday at a mansion owned by the French embassy in

By CARA ANNA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The biggest convoy of aid since Ethiopia’s government has declared a unilateral “humanitarian cease-fire” in the country’s long-encircled Tigray region two months ago has departed for Tigray, a United Nations official tells The Associated Press, as the conflict gripping Africa’s second most populous nation continues to

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Friday dismissed Donald Trump’s lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James, rejecting the former president’s claim that she targeted him out of political animus and allowing her civil investigation into his business practices to continue. In a 43-page ruling, U.S.

By JOSHUA GOODMAN Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — The Biden administration has renewed a license partially exempting Chevron from sanctions on Venezuela so it can keep operating in the oil-rich, socialist-run nation. The license issued Friday by the U.S. Treasury Department allows the California-based Chevron and other U.S. companies to perform only basic upkeep of

By SAM MEDNICK Associated Press DJIBO, Burkina Faso (AP) — African leaders gathered for a summit Friday in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, to address growing humanitarian needs on the continent, which is also facing increased violent extremism, climate change challenges and a run of military coups. Leaders called for increased mobilization to resolve a humanitarian crisis

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Rescue teams at the site of a 10-story collapsed building in southwestern Iran pulled five more bodies from the rubble on Friday, bringing the death toll in the disaster to 24, Iranian state TV reported Friday. A tower at the Metropol Building that was under-construction in the city of Abadan, collapsed

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose in afternoon trading on Wall Street Friday, keeping the market on track for its first weekly gain after seven weeks of losses. The S&P 500 rose 1.7% as of 2:13 p.m. Eastern and is headed for a 5.8% gain