WASHINGTON (AP) — Recently retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has become the honorary co-chairman of a nonpartisan group devoted to education about the Constitution. Breyer joins Justice Neil Gorsuch at a time of intense political polarization and rising skepticism about the court’s independence.

BOSTON (AP) — Top Atlanta prospect Vaughn Grissom homered onto Lansdowne Street in his major league debut to lead the Braves to an 8-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Marcell Ozuna also homered for Atlanta. Grissom was called up earlier in the day from Double-A.

The Kremlin has refused to announce a full-blown mobilization as Russia suffers military losses in its invasion of Ukraine which is nearing its sixth month. Such a move could be very unpopular for President Vladimir Putin. Russia is engaged instead in a covert recruitment effort that includes using prisoners to make up for the manpower shortage. This also is happening amid reports that hundreds of soldiers are refusing to fight and are trying to quit the military.

ATLANTA (AP) — Gov. Brian Kemp says Georgia recorded $21.2 billion in state-tracked business investments in the year that ended June 30. The Republican governor says new and expanding companies committed to create 51,000 jobs. Kemp says those are new records, with announced investment nearly double the previous high while announced jobs were nearly 50% higher.

BOSTON (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have made a couple of big moves. They called up prized prospect Vaughn Grissom to play second base against the Red Sox after Orlando Arcia went on the 10-day injured list with a strained hamstring. The Braves also brought back reliever Kirby Yates from a rehab assignment, nearly two years after he last pitched in the big leagues.

TORONTO (AP) — Serena Williams lost her first match since telling the world she is ready to leave professional tennis. No one knows exactly how many more matches Williams will play before walking away. The 23-time Grand Slam champion exited the National Bank Open on Wednesday night with a 6-2, 6-4 loss to Belinda Bencic.

DOUGLAS, Ga. – A discipleship expert who has written several books on the subject will be speaking at the latest regional SPARK total church conference being held Saturday at First Baptist Church in Douglas. Bill Wilks is founder of D-Life and author of four D-Life Journals, D-Life Online and his most recent book, The Greater Work – Disciple-Making. Anytime. Anywhere.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Kyle Pitts likes to set goals. After a brilliant rookie season, one thing is definitely on his mind: getting to the end zone more often. Pitts was held to a single touchdown catch in 2021, which is about the only thing he had to complain about in his Falcons debut. He tallied 68 receptions for 1,026 yards and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl.

FORT STEWART, Ga. (AP) — More than 3,800 Army soldiers are returning home to Georgia five months after their rapid deployment to Europe after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Several hundred troops arrived Tuesday at Fort Stewart to be reunited with spouses and children waving flags and homemade signs. Army officials say the rest of the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Armored Brigade is expected home by the end of August.

ATLANTA (AP) — Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has COVID-19. Abrams campaign spokesperson Alex Floyd says Abrams tested positive for the respiratory illness Wednesday morning after giving a public speech on the economy Tuesday night in Atlanta. Floyd says Abrams tests daily for COVID-19 and had tested negative on Monday and Tuesday.

CLAREMORE, Okla. (BP) – For Joshua Clayton, talking to people about Jesus has always been a part of who he is, even while playing video games or creating online content. He now uses these two passions together in his new role as “online missionary,” at Claremore First Baptist in Okla.

LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization says in its latest weekly pandemic report that the number of coronavirus deaths fell by 9% in the last week while new cases remained relatively stable. The U.N. health agency said Wednesday there were more than 14,000 COVID-19 deaths last week and nearly 7 million new infections.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani withstood another injury scare and pitched six scoreless innings to go with his team-leading 25th home run, reaching yet another monumental milestone as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Oakland Athletics 5-1. The two-way Japanese star joined Babe Ruth in 1918 as the only players in major league history to have at least 10 home runs and 10 wins in the same season.

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump says he invoked the Fifth Amendment and wouldn’t answer questions under oath in the long-running New York civil investigation into his business dealings. Trump arrived at New York Attorney General Letitia James’ offices Wednesday morning but sent out a statement more than an hour later saying he "declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution."

OMAHA, Nebraska (AP) — A Nebraska woman has been charged with helping her teenage daughter have an abortion. The charges come after investigators obtained Facebook messages in which the mother and daughter discussed using medication to end the approximately 24-week pregnancy. Nebraska law prohibits abortion after 20 weeks. Prosecutors charged 41-year-old Jessica Burgess with helping her then 17-year-old daughter end her pregnancy and then burning and burying the fetus.

TIFTON, Ga. – TJ Mauldin is one of those rare individuals who can sing like he belongs on a record label and preach so vividly that Bible passages come to life. That’s how people describe the 37-year-old who has been called as the new lead pastor at First Baptist Church in Tifton. Mauldin arrived at the southern Georgia church 11 years ago as a 26-year-old, part-time contemporary worship leader strumming an acoustic guitar, but Pastor Wayne Roe and others quickly recognized that he was an incredibly gifted preacher, too.

FORT BENNING, Ga. (AP) — Army officials say two soldiers have died and three others were hurt in a weather-related incident during training in mountainous north Georgia. An Army spokesperson told WAGA-TV that the deceased soldiers, whose names have not yet been released, were part of a training program taking place Tuesday at Yonah Mountain. The injured were treated by Army personnel and transported to a hospital.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Falling gas prices gave Americans a slight break from the pain of high inflation last month, though the surge in overall prices slowed only modestly from the four-decade high it reached in June. Consumer prices jumped 8.5% in July compared with a year earlier, the government said Wednesday, down from a 9.1% year-over-year jump in June.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s air force says that nine Russian warplanes were destroyed in massive explosions at an air base in Crimea amid speculation they were the result of a Ukrainian attack. That would represent a significant escalation in the war. Russia denied any aircraft were damaged in Tuesday’s blasts — or that any attack took place.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russians are snapping up Western fashion and furniture this week as H&M and IKEA sell off the last of their inventory in Russia. Sweden-based H&M and Netherlands-based IKEA had paused sales after Russia sent troops into Ukraine. They're now looking to unload their stocks of clothing and furnishings as they wind down operations in Russia.

PARIS (AP) — French authorities say a beluga whale stranded for several days in the Seine River had to be euthanized after it was removed from the French waterway. The whale was being prepared for transfer to a saltwater port in Normandy. A veterinarian said Wednesday that the dangerously thin white mammal began to have breathing difficulties while it was being driven to the coast in a refrigerated truck.

Elon Musk has sold nearly $7 billion worth of shares in Tesla as the billionaire gets his finances in order ahead of his court battle with Twitter. Musk disclosed in a series of regulatory filings that he unloaded about 8 million shares of his company Tesla in recent days. He is attempting to back out of an agreement to buy Twitter for $44 billion. Musk is by far the largest individual shareholder in both Tesla and Twitter.

BEIJING (AP) — China has repeated military threats against Taiwan while appearing to wind down wargames near the self-governing island it claims as its own territory. The message issued by the Cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office follows almost a week of threatening Chinese military exercises near the island that have disrupted flights and shipping in a region crucial to global supply chains.

BOSTON (AP) — Austin Riley had a go-ahead, two-run single in the 11th inning and the Atlanta Braves rallied for a 9-7 win over the Boston Red Sox. Riley also hit his 30th home run of the season, a towering, two-run shot over the Green Monster, and an RBI triple to help Atlanta snap its first three-game losing streak of the year.

GENEVA (AP) — The World Cup in Qatar could start one day earlier than scheduled. A person familiar with the proposal tells The Associated Press that FIFA is looking at a plan to let the host nation play Ecuador on Nov. 20. The person says a decision could be made within days by a committee comprised of FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the heads of the six continental soccer bodies.