WASHINGTON >> A winner of seven Olympic gold medals, a leader of the Mississippi civil rights struggle and a pioneer of television’s tabloid talk show genre are part of this year’s class of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients ..read more

MEXICO CITY >> Mexican authorities have located three bodies in the state of Baja California where one American and two Australian tourists were reported missing, according to three sources with knowledge of the investigation ..read more

The Los Angeles Lakers fired coach Darvin Ham after his second season with the team, which ended Monday in a first-round playoff exit with a loss to the Denver Nuggets, the organization announced Friday. Sources briefed on the matter say that an extensive search will commence soon, with candidates such as Mike Budenholzer, Kenny Atkinson, JJ Redick and, if he becomes available, Ty Lue among others ..read more

CHICAGO >> Southwest Airlines plans to offer its pilots reduced hours and, in effect, monthly pay, two people familiar with the matter said, as it grapples with higher costs and overstaffing due to delays in aircraft deliveries from Boeing ..read more

Kauai firefighters on Thursday rescued a 36-year-old hiker after she became dehydrated on the Kalalau Trail ..read more

Three women are in the hospital after an overnight car crash in Punaluu, according to Honolulu Emergency Medical Services ..read more

Apple shares jumped 7% today as the iPhone maker’s record stock buyback plan and promise of sales growth brought back investors who have shunned the stock on concerns over weak demand and increased competition in China ..read more

NEW YORK >> Wall Street surged to a higher close today as a softer-than-expected employment report bolstered the case for rate cuts from the Federal Reserve while also providing evidence of U.S. economic resilience ..read more

WASHINGTON >> U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar and his wife Imelda were indicted this week for accepting bribes in two separate schemes intended to benefit the government of Azerbaijan and a bank headquartered in Mexico ..read more

Damage to Philippine vessels and injuries to their crew in the South China Sea is “irresponsible behavior” in disregard of international law, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday, weighing in on the latest flare-up involving China ..read more