Associated Press stories, Page 1022
McClinton voted Pa. speaker; first Black woman to win post
Philadelphia state Rep. Joanna McClinton on Tuesday became the first woman to serve as speaker of the Pennsylvania House, ascending to the chamber’s top position on the strength of a fresh one-vote Democratic majority. The leadership reshuffling came nearly two months after Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Berks County Democrat, became...
Tom Sizemore’s family ‘deciding end of life matters’
LOS ANGELES — More than a week after Tom Sizemore suffered a brain aneurysm, a representative says the actor’s family is “now deciding end of life matters.” “Today, doctors informed his family that there is no further hope and have recommended end of life decision,” Sizemore’s manager Charles Lago said...
Northeast, California dig out from snowstorms flanking U.S.
BOSTON — Heavy snow bookended the United States on Tuesday, with a late-season storm bringing a messy morning commute to the Northeast and leaving California residents to dig out, or in some cases simply wait for help, after yet another storm. Hundreds of schools across southern New England either closed...
Consumer confidence slips again in February
WASHINGTON — Consumer confidence dipped for the second month as stubborn inflation and anxiety over a potentially slowing economy weighed on Americans. The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its consumer confidence index slipped to 102.9 in February, from 106 in January. The business research group’s present situation index — which...
U.S. officials make case for renewal of surveillance powers
WASHINGTON — Biden administration officials urged Congress on Tuesday to renew a surveillance program the government has long seen as vital in protecting national security but whose future is uncertain because of scrutiny from an unusual alignment of civil liberties advocates and some Republicans. The program, which is under the...
Father of cellphone sees dark side but also hope in new tech
BARCELONA, Spain — Holding the bulky brick cellphone he’s credited with inventing 50 years ago, Martin Cooper thinks about the future. Little did he know when he made the first call on a New York City street from a thick gray prototype that our world — and our information —...
Mexican president says Tesla to build plant in Mexico
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Tuesday that electric car company Tesla has committed to building a plant in the industrial hub of Monterrey in northern Mexico. López Obrador said the promise came in phone calls he had Friday and Monday with Tesla head Elon Musk....
West Virginia rallies past Iowa State
AMES, Iowa — Erik Stevenson scored 23 points, Joe Toussaint added 19 off the bench and West Virginia rallied late to beat Iowa State, 72-69, on Monday night. Stevenson made 8 of 17 shots from the floor with four 3-pointers for the Mountaineers (17-13, 6-11 Big 12 Conference). Toussaint hit...
Biden sketching dire picture of GOP desire to cut spending
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is aiming to use the leadup to the release of his proposed budget next week to sketch a dire picture of what could happen to U.S. health care if congressional Republicans had their way with federal spending. The Democratic president is traveling to Virginia Beach,...
Putin orders Ukraine border tightening as drones hit Russia
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday ordered officials to tighten control of the border with Ukraine after a spate of drone attacks that Russian authorities blamed on Kyiv delivered a new challenge to Moscow more than a year after its full-scale invasion of its neighbor. One drone...
Suspect in Florida TV crew attack faces more murder charges
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A 19-year-old Florida man is now facing three first-degree-murder charges related to a shooting last week that killed a television news reporter, a 9-year-old girl and a 38-year-old woman, sheriff’s officials said Tuesday. Orange County Sheriff’s officials released an arrest warrant Tuesday morning that included two...
China says it’s been ‘open and transparent’ on covid origins
BEIJING — China on Tuesday pushed back at renewed suggestions that the covid-19 pandemic could have been the result of a lab leak, saying it has been “open and transparent” in the search for the virus’ origins. Recently, the U.S. Department of Energy assessed with “low confidence” that the pandemic...
Coronavirus origins still a mystery 3 years into pandemic
WASHINGTON — A crucial question has eluded governments and health agencies around the world since the covid-19 pandemic began: Did the virus originate in animals or leak from a Chinese lab? Now, the U.S. Department of Energy has assessed with “low confidence” in that it began with a lab leak,...
Supreme Court appears ready to reject student loan forgivenessVideo
WASHINGTON — Conservative justices holding the Supreme Court’s majority seem ready to sink President Joe Biden’s plan to wipe away or reduce student loans held by millions of Americans. In arguments lasting more than three hours Tuesday, Chief Justice John Roberts led his conservative colleagues in questioning the administration’s authority...
Student loan forgiveness gets its day in court: What to know
NEW YORK — The Supreme Court is meeting Tuesday to hear two cases challenging President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan. At stake: forgiveness of up to $20,000 in debt for more than 40 million Americans. Nearly half of those people could have their federal student debt wiped out entirely....
AP source: Lakers bracing for LeBron James to miss multiple weeks
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers may miss multiple weeks with an injury to his right foot, a person familiar with the situation said Monday night. The full extent of the injury is not yet known and more test results were pending, said the person, who spoke to the...
White House promises crackdown on migrant child laborVideo
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Monday that it is creating a new task force to crack down on an explosion of the illegal exploitation of migrant children for labor in the U.S. Hundreds of companies that employed nearly 4,000 children last year were found in violation of federal labor...
Browns hire Bill Musgrave as offensive coaching assistant
CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski continued to overhaul his coaching staff following a 7-10 season Monday, hiring Bill Musgrave as a senior offensive adviser and making several other changes. Stefanski’s offseason has included firing defensive coordinator Joe Woods and special teams coordinator Mike Priefer. They were replaced by...
John Fetterman ‘on path to recovery,’ will be out for more weeks
WASHINGTON — A spokesman for Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman says the Democrat is “on a path to recovery” after checking himself into a hospital for clinical depression earlier this month, and he is still expected to be away from the Senate for several weeks. “We understand the intense interest in...
West Virginia GOP majority House OKs religious freedom bill
CHARLESTON — West Virginia’s GOP supermajority House of Delegates passed a bill Monday that would create a test for courts to apply when people challenge government regulations they believe interfere with their constitutional right to religious freedom. The bill passed after several Democrats expressed concern that the proposal could be...
Wind shreds Southern Plains; California to see more snowVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — Parts of the Southern Plains counted the injured and surveyed the damage Monday after tornadoes and other powerful winds swept through, killing at least one person in Oklahoma, while some Michigan residents faced a fifth consecutive day without power following last week’s ice storm. In California, the...
Commanders release quarterback Carson Wentz after 1 season
The Washington Commanders released Carson Wentz on Monday, an expected move that puts an end to the one-season experiment with the veteran quarterback that did not work out. After giving up draft picks to acquire him in a trade with Indianapolis last March, the Commanders were able to get out...
Terry Holland, who transformed Virginia basketball, dies at 80
Terry Holland, who elevated Virginia basketball to national prominence during 16 seasons as coach and later had a distinguished career as an athletic administrator, has died, the school announced Monday. He was 80. Holland died Sunday night, according to the school, which confirmed the death with his family. His health...
Florida Gov. DeSantis takes over Disney district, punishing company
TALLAHASSEE — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill that gives him control of Walt Disney World’s self-governing district, punishing the company over its opposition to the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law. The bill requires DeSantis, a Republican, to appoint a five-member board to oversee the government services...
MLB average salary rose 14.8% to record $4.22M last season
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball’s average salary rose 14.8% to a record $4.22 million last year after the end of the lockout, boosted by big deals for Max Scherzer, Francisco Lindor, Marcus Semien and Corey Seager. The rate of increase was the highest since a 17.7% increase in 2000...
