LOS ANGELES (AP) — Strapped into a harness, Josh Law was lowered from a U. S. Coast Guard helicopter into the rough Pacific Ocean in the pitch black night, far off the Mexican coast. The force of the helicopter blades pummeled the water, whipping up spray and turbulence. The Coast Guard rescue swimmer couldn’t hear anything over the noise or see anything in the darkness. Waves of 6 to 8 feet (1. 8 to 2. 4 meters) pummeled him. All he could do was follow the searchlight from the helicopter...

President Donald Trump on Friday said he told his administration to file its lawsuit to block certification of the U. S. Senate race in Alaska if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, kicking off what many fear could become a lengthy battle between the government and states over certifying an election where the president's party is struggling. “I'm the one that said do it,” Trump told reporters as he landed for a campaign rally in Florida. The lawsuit, filed late Thursday, centers on one of...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA is moving fast on its plans to build a moon base and return astronauts to the lunar surface in as little as two years. Administrator Jared Isaacman said Friday that the space agency is still on track to launch Artemis III next summer on a docking exercise with Elon Musk's and Jeff Bezos' lunar landers. The two-week mission featuring four astronauts will be confined to orbit around Earth — no moon trip this time. The all-important Artemis IV — NASA's first...