Associated Press stories, Page 1092
Biden outpacing Trump, Obama with diverse judicial nominees
WASHINGTON — For the Biden White House, a quartet of four female judges in Colorado encapsulates its mission when it comes to the federal judiciary. One of the judges, Charlotte Sweeney, is an openly gay woman with a background in workers’ rights. Nina Wang, an immigrant from Taiwan, is the...
Explainer: 2023 tax credits for EVs will boost their appeal
WASHINGTON — Starting Jan. 1, many Americans will qualify for a tax credit of up to $7,500 for buying an electric vehicle. The credit, part of changes enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act, is designed to spur EV sales and reduce greenhouse emissions. But a complex web of requirements, including...
Pelé, Brazil’s mighty king of ‘beautiful game,’ has died
SAO PAULO — Pelé, the Brazilian king of soccer who won a record three World Cups and became one of the most commanding sports figures of the last century, died Thursday. He was 82. The standard-bearer of “the beautiful game” had undergone treatment for colon cancer since 2021. He had...
As he turns 38, LeBron is clear: He still wants title shots
MIAMI — It was 2006. LeBron James wasn’t even midway through his first stint in Cleveland. He made the playoffs for the first time, was already a globally recognized star and well on his way to becoming the game’s best player. As a 21-year-old, he averaged 30.2 points. Fast forward...
Democrat wins Arizona attorney general race after recount
PHOENIX — A recount of votes has confirmed Democrat Kris Mayes narrowly defeated Republican Abraham Hamadeh in the Arizona attorney general’s race, one of the closest elections in state history. The highly anticipated results announced Thursday in Maricopa County Superior Court are among the last in the country to come...
Massive fire at Cambodia hotel casino kills at least 19
POIPET, Cambodia — A massive fire at a Cambodian hotel casino Thursday injured over 60 people and killed at least 19 — a number that officials warned would rise after the search for bodies resumes Friday. The blaze, which started around midnight Wednesday, was put out over 12 hours later...
Another year of mass shootings in the U.S.
Mass shootings have become part of every year’s news, and 2022 was no exception. In May, a man targeted Black shoppers at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 people and injuring three in one of the deadliest racial massacres in recent U.S. history. Then, just days later,...
Penn State, Utah understand opt-outs for Rose Bowl
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Not even the “Granddaddy” of all bowl games is immune from opt-outs. There will be some notable names missing when seventh-ranked Utah faces ninth-ranked Penn State in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2, but the absence of the likes of Utes tight end Dalton Kincaid and Nittany...
Prayers for ailing Benedict in retired pope’s native Bavaria
MARKTL AM INN, Germany — People in Pope Benedict XVI’s Bavarian homeland prayed Thursday for the retired pontiff, a favorite son of the region even 40 years after he left Germany for the Vatican and nearly a decade after his resignation stunned the world. At the St. Oswald church in...
Jan. 6 panel drops Trump subpoena as it wraps up work
WASHINGTON — The House Jan. 6 committee has dropped its subpoena against former President Donald Trump as it wraps up work and prepares to dissolve next week. Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee’s Democratic chairman, wrote in a letter to Trump lawyer David Warrington on Wednesday that he is formally...
Southwest cuts 2,300 flights, schedule in sustained chaos
DALLAS — Southwest Airlines continued to extract itself from sustained scheduling chaos Thursday, canceling another 2,350 flights after a winter storm overwhelmed its operations days ago. The Dallas carrier acknowledged it has inadequate and outdated operations technology that can leave flight crews out of position when adverse weather strikes. Southwest...
Israel swears in Netanyahu as PM of hard-line government
JERUSALEM — Israel on Thursday swore in Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister of the most right-wing and religiously conservative government in the country’s history. Netanyahu took the oath of office moments after Israel’s parliament, or Knesset, passed a vote of confidence in his new government. The coalition, made up of...
Gov. Wolf ends term with strong ratings after tumultuous times
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf will wrap up eight years in office next month, having steered Pennsylvania through unpredictable times when the Democrat made life-and-death decisions in the ravaging covid-19 pandemic and managed the battleground state’s presidential election amid unprecedented Republican efforts to overturn it. Wolf, 74, leaves office with...
Policy, climate, war make 2022 ‘pivot year’ for clean energy
BENGALURU, India — For renewable energy companies in India, it’s a good time to be in business. One of India’s largest renewable energy firms, Renew Power, will be among the corporations big and small hoping for a piece of a $2.6 billion government scheme that encourages the domestic manufacturing of...
E.U. doesn’t follow Italy with covid checks on China arrivals
BRUSSELS — The European Union is assessing Beijing’s rollback of its strict anti-infection controls but refrained Thursday from immediately following EU member Italy in requiring coronavirus tests for airline passengers coming from China. Health officials from the 27-member bloc promised to continue talks on seeking a common approach to travel...
Christmas tree recycling is a good alternative to landfills
Taking down the Christmas tree is only one task after the holiday season. For those with a real tree, figuring out what to do with it can be as easy as placing it by the curb. In most states, it can be the gift that keeps on giving. Discarded Christmas...
Applications for U.S. unemployment aid rose slightly last week
WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits rose only slightly last week with the labor market remaining strong despite the Federal Reserve’s efforts to cool the economy and hiring. Applications for unemployment aid for the week ending Dec. 24 climbed 9,000 to 225,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday....
‘Aftersun,’ ‘Banshees’ lead AP’s best films of 2022
The Associated Press’ Film Writers Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr’s picks for the best movies of 2022: Jake Coyle 1. “Aftersun”: Rarely does such a delicately crafted tale pack such a wallop. Charlotte Wells’ breathtaking feature debut, starring newcomer Frankie Corio and Paul Mescal as an 11-year-old girl and her...
Fire after highway crash in South Korea kills 5, injures 37
SEOUL, South Korea — A freight truck collided with a bus on a highway near the South Korean capital Seoul on Thursday, causing a fire that killed at least five people and injured 37 others, officials said. It wasn’t immediately known what caused the collision and fire, nor what cargo...
Buffalo roads reopen as search for storm victims contines
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Roads reopened Thursday in storm-besieged Buffalo as authorities continued searching for people who may have died or are stuck and suffering after last week’s blizzard. The driving ban in New York’s second-most-populous city was lifted just after midnight Thursday, Mayor Byron Brown announced. “Significant progress has been...
N.Y. Rep.-elect George Santos investigated for lying about his past
NEW YORK — U.S. Rep.-elect George Santos of New York was under investigation by Long Island prosecutors on Wednesday, after revelations surfaced that the now-embattled Republican lied about his heritage, education and professional pedigree as he campaigned for office. Despite intensifying doubt about his fitness to hold federal office, Santos...
Family files missing persons report for Theophilus London
LOS ANGELES — The family of rapper Theophilus London filed a missing persons report with Los Angeles police this week and are asking for the public’s help, saying he hasn’t been seen in months. London’s family and friends believe someone last spoke to the musician in July in Los Angeles,...
Private Afghan universities risk closure after ban on women
KABUL, Afghanistan — A quarter of Afghanistan’s private universities risks closure because of the ban on female students imposed by the Taliban government, a spokesman for the sector said Thursday. Afghanistan’s rulers last week barred women from attending universities effective immediately, dealing another blow to women and girl’s rights and...
Lack of info on China’s covid-19 surge stirs global concern
BEIJING — Moves by several countries to mandate covid-19 tests for passengers arriving from China reflect global concern that new variants could emerge in its ongoing explosive outbreak — and that the government may not inform the rest of the world quickly enough. There have been no reports of new...
Russia launches massive missile barrage across Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — Multiple regions of Ukraine, including its capital, faced a massive Russian missile attack Thursday, the biggest wave of strikes in weeks targeting power stations and other critical infrastructure during freezing weather. Air raid sirens rang out across the country. Ukraine’s military chief, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said preliminary...
