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Americans overwhelmingly view the cost of child care as a significant issue, and most support initiatives to offer free or low-cost day care and to require employers to provide paid family leave for parents of babies, according to a new poll.But they’re divided over how to solve the problem and what role the government should have in that solution.About three-quarters of U.S. adults see child care costs as a “major problem,” but only about half say helping working families pay for child care should be a “high priority” for the federal government, according to the June poll from The Associated…

PARIS (AP) — Sketched out on an airplane vomit sack, it became fashion’s must-have accessory.The original Birkin bag, named after the actor, singer and fashion icon that Hermès created it for — the late Jane Birkin — is up for auction in Paris on Thursday.The so-called Original Birkin is expected to fetch hundreds of thousands of euros (dollars) at the sale by auction house Sotheby’s.Created for the London-born star by the Paris fashion house in 1984, the commercialized version of Birkin’s bag went on to become one of the world’s most exclusive luxury items, with its extravagant price tag and…

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Dozens of Brazilian yoga aficionados saluted the sun in unison in a Rio de Janeiro favela for the inaugural class of a free course allowing residents of the low-income community to qualify as yoga teachers.Krishna Das, a renowned American vocalist born Jeffrey Kagel and known for his performances of Hindu devotional music known as kirtan, led a spiritual practice and attendees prayed, sang, clapped and even danced.“I felt like I was in another world,” Luciene Costa Gonzaga de Andrade said at the event Wednesday. “The mantras transcend the souls and transform sadness into joy. It…

Not all of the record 125 American immigrants on Forbes’ ranking of the world’s wealthiest people feel the same way about their president’s crackdown on immigrants. “If it were up to today’s administration, my family’s hopes for living in a land of freedom and opportunity would have been significantly challenged,” says billionaire real estate developer Jorge Perez, referring to the government of his former friend and business partner, president Donald Trump. “My family – and countless other Cuban families trying to escape the Castro regime – would have never been allowed to enter this country…and I wouldn’t have been able…

PARIS (AP) — Franck Sorbier, the Paris couturier officially inducted into the haute couture fold in 2005, delivered a regal, Inca-inspired spectacle on Wednesday that fused theater and artistry with the cosmopolitan codes of couture.The show’s standout image was a model crowned in gold, wielding a giant sun-topped staff—a visual exclamation point for a collection steeped in pageantry and myth. Sorbier’s silhouettes had a historic weight, with loose, voluminous skirts swirling beneath strict, structured bodices, conjuring a sense of ceremony. Gilded chainmail and coin-like embellishments suggested a protective armor, but rendered in delicate, sleeveless forms.A poncho, fringed in sumptuous gold,…

Summer days beckon and with them the prospect of campfires, fishing holes and scenic hikes. When it’s time to commune with nature, you need a car that can get you there and offer convenience and utility once you’ve arrived. Whether you’re looking to get far off the beaten path or simply enjoy the outdoors with some comforts of home, we’ve rounded up five of the best vehicles for the occasion. Ford F-150Before SUVs, pickup trucks were the ultimate camp car. Put a shell over the cargo bed, lay out a foam roll and sleeping bag and voila — instant shelter.…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The impact of the massive spending bill that President Donald Trump signed into law on Independence Day is expected to filter down to infants and toddlers — a segment of the population that is particularly vulnerable to cuts to the federal social safety net.Many middle-class and wealthy families will see benefits from the new legislation, but programs that help low-income families keep babies healthy have been cut back. While state money funds public schools and preschool in some cases, programs supporting the youngest children are largely backed by the federal government. The law extends tax cuts that…

TOKYO (AP) — Tsukudani, a sweet, Japanese side dish often served with hot rice, originated in the samurai era in a tiny neighborhood called Tsukuda in the old part of Tokyo. Adding “ni” at the end of a word in Japanese means that’s where it’s cooked.Professional tsukudani is sold packaged at some Asian food stores and, of course, in modern-day Tsukuda.A Tokyo correspondent for The Associated Press is sharing her basic tsukudani recipe. Tsukudani involves simmering bite-sized bits of meat or vegetables in a dark, sweet sauce in a pot over low heat. The ideal flavor emerges after about an…

TOKYO (AP) — Their morning starts at 5 a.m.The father and son don’t speak to each other. They don’t need to. They barely look at each other as they go briskly, almost mechanically, from task to task. Beads of sweat glisten on their foreheads.It’s the same work they’ve been doing at their shop for years: Cooking in big metal pots the ancient Japanese food tsukudani.It’s preserved food invented long before the advent of modern refrigeration, dating back to the samurai Edo Era more than 200 years ago.Pieces of tuna, tiny shrimp, seaweed and other ingredients get simmered in a sweet…

Texas’ catastrophic flooding hit faith-based summer camps especially hard, and the heartbreak is sweeping across the country where similar camps mark a rite of passage and a crucial faith experience for millions of children and teens.“Camp is such a unique experience that you just instantly empathize,” said Rachael Botting of the tragedy that struck Camp Mystic, the century-old all-girls Christian summer camp where at least 27 people were killed. A search was underway for more than 160 missing people in the area filled with youth camps as the overall death toll passed 100 on Tuesday.Botting, a former Christian camp counselor,…