A Whole New World: Disney streaming debuts with hit brands
NEW YORK — Disney will sprinkle its pixie dust on the streaming arena Tuesday, as its Disney Plus service debuts with an arsenal of marquee franchises...
The ideal wine for Thanksgiving dinner? It’s complicated
For many of us who love to cook and host on Thanksgiving, one central mystery remains: What to pour?
Despite fires, California wine is doing just fine - for now
HEALDSBURG, Calif. — If you're worried that wildfires might have created shortages of Northern California's 2019 cabernet sauvignon, or even just impa...
Mural of activist Greta Thunberg going up in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO — Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg is staring down at pedestrians in the heart of San Francisco where an artist is painting a massiv...
House impeachment inquiry becomes teachable moment across US
BEAR CREEK, N.C. — The 10th graders in Aedrin Albright's civics class at a rural North Carolina high school had done their homework, and now it was ti...
California’s worst wildfire transforms city that didn’t burn
CHICO, Calif. — Amber Blood got to Chico on Nov. 8, 2018, wearing pink slacks and her favorite white peacoat. It was all she had left.
Streep, Miranda and Stone are named as Met Gala co-chairs
NEW YORK — Next year's Met Gala may be the closest we'll ever come to getting a Miranda Priestly moment at the starry event.
Matchbox Cars, coloring book, Magic make Toy Hall of Fame
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Matchbox Cars, the coloring book and the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering were inducted Thursday into the National Toy Hal...
Ivanka Trump meets with female landowners on Morocco trip
SIDI KACEM, Morocco — Ivanka Trump says families, communities and countries flourish when women are invested in and included in the economy.
Sense of empathy, kindness floats over ‘Sesame Street’ set
NEW YORK — There's something circular about Matt Vogel's career, which is perfectly appropriate for the star of an educational children's show.
Simple can be gorgeous when setting a holiday table
Setting a gorgeous table for a holiday meal doesn't have to be expensive or difficult, says interior designer Elizabeth Stuart. Sometimes, a simple de...
Buckingham Palace: Queen’s new outfits won’t use real fur
LONDON — Buckingham Palace says new outfits designed for Queen Elizabeth II will not use real fur.
Agency: All states should require bicyclists to wear helmets
DETROIT — A government agency is recommending that all 50 states enact laws requiring bicyclists to wear helmets to stem an increase in bicycle deaths...
McDonald’s CEO’s ouster reflects trend on workplace romances
NEW YORK — Workplace couples are often romanticized — think Bill and Melinda Gates or Michelle and Barack Obama. But when the relationship involves tw...
‘Goodness and humor’ celebrated as ‘Sesame Street’ turns 50
NEW YORK — Fifty years ago, beloved entertainer Carol Burnett appeared on the very first broadcast of a quirky TV program that featured a bunch of fur...
George Orwell New Mexico exhibit bares ‘doublespeak’ legacy
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.
Retailers seek to stretch shortened holiday shopping season
NEW YORK — All they want for Christmas is more time.
Fires, smoke disrupt Halloween fun for many California kids
BERKELEY, Calif. — For tens of thousands of children in California, the biggest monsters this Halloween are wildfires that have thrown trick-or-treati...
American students’ performance lags on Nation’s Report Card
WASHINGTON — The latest Nation's Report Card is painting a dismal picture of math and reading achievement among American fourth and eighth graders des...
RIGHT AT HOME: Design and décor with British flair
Britain's political climate may be gloomy, but on the decor front the sun is shining. Young designers and established firms are crafting furniture, li...
Online thrift stores give deal-hunters new ways to score
NEW YORK — It's not just eBay anymore. A slew of websites and apps act as virtual thrift stores for vintage devotees, deal hunters and those just look...
Salvage shops offer sustainable decor with a story
Two of the hottest trends in home decor are sustainability and authenticity. No wonder architectural salvage shops are busy.
AP-NORC poll: Halloween plans, from candy to costumed pets
CHICAGO — The good news for kids this Halloween: They'll likely come home with a bigger pile of candy than of healthy snacks while out trick-or-treati...
French panel: Seize guns to reduce domestic violence
PARIS — A French government panel on domestic violence is urging authorities to begin confiscating guns from people following the first complaint of f...
Concert promoters turn away from facial recognition tech
BOSTON — Concert promoters in the U.S. are stepping back from plans to scan festivalgoers with facial recognition technology, after musicians and othe...
Going somewhere? Some places offer trips to the unknown
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — When Dena Espenscheid answered an advertisement on social media offering a weekend vacation to an unknown destination, her sister ...
AP PHOTOS: Canadian Arak resurrects bygone Persian drink era
PETERBOROUGH, Ontario — Long before its teetotaler Islamic clerical rulers banned the consumption of alcohol, Iran had a vibrant drinking heritage.
Actresses cite lack of Hollywood stylists who get black hair
NEW YORK — Tiffany Haddish recalls leaving the set of a big-budget movie in tears in search of someone who could properly do her hair. Lorraine Toussa...
Secret synagogue in Dubai prays for Persian Gulf revival
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — In an unmarked villa, nestled amid homes in an upscale Dubai neighborhood, a congregation prays in the first fully funct...