COLU @ CONCEPTS

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The son and grandson of golf professionals, Justin Thomas couldn’t think of a better major to win than the PGA Championship. And at age 24, he couldn’t think of a better time. Youth is taking over the highest level of golf, and there were times Thomas felt left behind. Rory McIlroy already had four majors when he was 25. Closer to home was Jordan Spieth, a close friend since they were 14. Spieth won his third major at the British Open last month to give him three legs of the career Grand Slam. “Frustration probably isn’t the right word,” Thomas said. “Jealously definitely is. I wanted to be doing that, and I wasn’t.” Sunday at Quail Hollow was his moment. Starting the final round two shots out of the lead, Thomas closed with a 3-under 68 for a two-shot victory to capture the final major of the year. It required a little bit of good fortune, like when his tee shot bounced out of a tree and into the fairway on the par-5 10th hole, which ended with ...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s new crown prince hopes to transform the kingdom and modernize society, but the planned execution of 14 Shiite protesters charged with violence against security forces suggests the government’s handling of sectarian tensions and unrest remains unchanged. The country’s supreme court recently upheld the death penalty in the case, raising concerns among rights activists that the group could be executed at any moment. Human rights groups allege the trial was unfair, saying the defendants’ confessions were extracted under duress and that some did not have lawyers present in court. Three of the defendants were 17 years old when the alleged crimes were committed. A defense lawyer contacted by The Associated Press declined to speak, saying he is officially barred from talking about the case with the media. The mother of one of the defendants said her son’s lawyer was pressured to quit his defense and so withdrew from the trial, ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Why doesn’t President Donald Trump just unequivocally condemn white supremacists? It’s a jarring question to ask about an American president. But it’s also one made unavoidable by Trump’s delayed, blame-both-sides response to the violence that erupted Saturday when neo-Nazis, skinheads and members of the Ku Klux Klan protested in Charlottesville, Virginia. Trump has faced such a moment before — one that would have certainly drawn swift, almost predictable condemnations from his recent predecessors, regardless of party. As a candidate and now as president, when racial tensions flared or fringe groups rallied around his message, Trump has shown uncharacteristic caution and a reluctance to distance himself from the hate. At times, his approach has seemingly inflamed racial tensions in a deeply divided country while emboldening groups long in the shadows. On Saturday, as Trump read slowly through a statement about the clashes that left dozens injured and ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Proponents of nuclear power are pushing to revive a failed project to build two reactors in South Carolina, arguing that the demise of the $14 billion venture could signal doom for an industry that supplies one-fifth of the nation’s electricity. Even though the nation’s 99 commercial nuclear reactors supply about 20 percent of U.S. electricity, no new nuclear plant has been built from scratch in more than 30 years. Supporters were alarmed when two South Carolina utilities halted construction on a pair of reactors that once were projected to usher in a new generation of nuclear power to provide reliable, cost-effective, carbon-free electricity for decades. Instead the project was plagued by billions of dollars in cost overruns, stagnant demand for electricity, competition from cheap natural gas and — most importantly — the bankruptcy of Westinghouse Electric, the lead contractor. The July 31 suspension of the partly completed V.C. Summer project near Columbi...

BEDMINSTER, N.J. (AP) — As President Donald Trump remained out of sight and silent, pressure mounted from both sides of the aisle for him to explicitly condemn white supremacists and hate groups involved in deadly, race-fueled clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia. Trump, who has been at his New Jersey golf club on a working vacation, was set to make a one-day return to Washington on Monday to sign an executive action on China’s trade practices. But he will likely be unable to escape questions and criticism for his initial response to the Saturday’s violence, for which he blamed bigotry on “many sides.” The White House tried to stem the damage on Sunday. Senior aides were dispatched to the morning news shows, yet they struggled at times to explain the president’s position. A new White House statement on Sunday explicitly denounced the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi groups, but it was attributed to an unnamed spokesperson and not the president himself. Vice President Mike Pence, tr...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Medicaid, a 1960s Great Society pillar long reviled by conservatives, seems to have emerged even stronger after the Republican failure to pass health overhaul legislation. The federal-state health insurance program for low-income Americans hasn’t achieved the status of Social Security and Medicare, considered practically untouchable by politicians, like an electrified “third rail.” But it has grown to cover about 1 in 5 U.S. residents, ranging from newborns to Alzheimer’s patients in nursing homes, and even young adults trying to shake addiction. Middle-class working people are now more likely to personally know someone who’s covered. Increased participation — and acceptance — means any new GOP attempt to address problems with the Affordable Care Act would be unlikely to achieve deep Medicaid cuts. “This was an important moment to show that people do understand and appreciate what Medicaid does,” said Matt Salo, executive director of the National Associ...

NEW YORK (AP) — On their face, the numbers are grim. Movie ticket sales in North America are running roughly half a billion dollars behind last summer’s box office, making this one of lowest-grossing summers in years. The 12.4 percent downturn comes at a critical juncture for Hollywood, with constantly swirling fears about the impact of streaming, television and the bazillion other entertainment options out there. AMC, the largest theater chain in the United States, saw its stock price tank recently partly because of slow sales and its forecast for “a very challenging” third quarter. And yet much of the story at the multiplex this summer has been very positive. Few of the movies that won strong reviews and a warm reception from moviegoers didn’t also perform well at the box office. With few exceptions, when the studios supplied the goods, audiences came in droves. The biggest smashes of the summer — “Wonder Woman,” ″Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2...