Associated Press stories, Page 1118
Rail strike averted: Biden signs bill enforcing agreement
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed a bill Friday to avert a freight rail strike that he said could have plunged the U.S. into a catastrophic recession. At the White House, Biden signed a measure passed Thursday by the Senate and Wednesday by the House. It binds rail companies and...
Democrats move to make South Carolina, not Iowa, 1st voting state
WASHINGTON — Democrats voted Friday to remove Iowa as the leadoff state on the presidential nominating calendar and replace it with South Carolina starting in 2024, a dramatic shakeup championed by President Joe Biden to better reflect the party’s deeply diverse electorate. The Democratic National Committee’s rule-making arm made the...
FBI director raises national security concerns about TikTok
WASHINGTON — FBI Director Chris Wray is raising national security concerns about TikTok, warning Friday that control of the popular video sharing app is in the hands of a Chinese government “that doesn’t share our values.” Wray said the FBI was concerned that the Chinese had the ability to control...
Man arrested in fatal shooting of Migos rapper Takeoff
HOUSTON — Police have arrested a 33-year-old man in the fatal shooting of rapper Takeoff, who was killed last month outside a bowling alley in Houston. Houston police announced Friday that Patrick Xavier Clark has been charged with murder in connection with Takeoff’s death. Police Chief Troy Finner said Clark...
Explainer: Deaths of 4 Idaho students fuel online sleuths
BOISE, Idaho — The deaths of four University of Idaho students nearly three weeks ago has riled up thousands of would-be armchair sleuths, many of whom are posting speculation and unfounded rumors about the fatal stabbings online. Relatively few details have been released in the horrific case that has left...
Negotiations begin for a global treaty on plastic pollution
On Friday afternoon more than 2,000 experts will wrap up a week of negotiations on plastic pollution at one of the largest global gatherings ever to address what even industry leaders in plastics say is a crisis. It was the first meeting of a United Nations committee set up to...
Explainer: How will College Football Playoff expansion work?
The College Football Playoff will include 12 teams, starting with the 2024 season. An expansion plan that was crafted for two years and haggled over for another 18 months finally cleared all the obstacles needed to go from idea to reality. The CFP announced Thursday that the current four-team system...
Panthers owner David Tepper scrutinized in criminal probe
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper and his real estate company are the focus of a criminal investigation to see if they misused any public money in their failed effort to build a practice facility for the NFL team. The York County Sheriff’s Office said state agents and...
Russia rejects pullout from Ukraine as condition for talks
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia said Friday that Western demands it should pull out completely from Ukraine as part of any future talks to end the war effectively rule out any such negotiations, as Russian strikes continued and a Ukrainian official set his country’s battle losses at up to 13,000 troops....
Review: Julia Bullock walks her own path in solo album debutVideo
“Walking in the Dark,” Julia Bullock (Nonesuch) No one who has followed Julia Bullock’s career will be surprised that her first solo album is made up of unconventional and deeply personal choices. The Black American soprano, one of the most talented singers of her generation, proudly defies easy categorization. At...
Prosecution resumes closing argument at Trump Org. trial
NEW YORK — Prosecutors resumed their closing argument Friday in the Trump Organization’s criminal tax fraud trial, promising to share previously unrevealed details about Donald Trump’s knowledge of a tax dodge scheme hatched by one of his top executives. “Donald Trump knew exactly what was going on with his top...
Deshaun Watson has better shot winning with Browns than fixing image
Deshaun Watson has a better chance of leading the Cleveland Browns to their first Super Bowl title than rebuilding his public image. The disgraced quarterback wouldn’t address his 11-game suspension for sexual misconduct or his league-mandated therapy sessions on Thursday in his first comments since returning to the Browns. “I...
U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter to draw on Dutch lessons at World Cup
DOHA, Qatar — Gregg Berhalter felt like a student when he signed with the Dutch club Zwolle 28 years ago. The U.S. coach plans to apply the lessons he learned when the Americans play the Netherlands on Saturday for a berth in the World Cup quarterfinals. “I went to Holland...
Infowars host Alex Jones files for personal bankruptcy
Infowars host Alex Jones filed for personal bankruptcy protection in Texas on Friday as he faces nearly $1.5 billion in court judgments over conspiracy theories he spread about the Sandy Hook school massacre. Jones filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in bankruptcy court in Houston. His filing lists $1 billion...
Stocks set to drop after jobs data fans inflation worries
Wall Street is set to fall when trading opens Friday on renewed worries about inflation after a report showed wages for U.S. workers are accelerating faster than expected. Futures for U.S. stock indexes fell sharply immediately after the government released the stronger-than-expected data on both wages and hiring. The report...
U.S. hiring stayed strong in November as employers add 263,000 jobs
WASHINGTON — The nation’s employers kept hiring briskly in November despite high inflation and a slow-growing economy — a sign of resilience in the face of the Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate hikes. The economy added 263,000 jobs, while the unemployment rate stayed 3.7%, still near a 53-year low, the...
Pentagon debuts its new stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider
WASHINGTON — America’s newest nuclear stealth bomber is making its public debut after years of secret development and as part of the Pentagon’s answer to rising concerns over a future conflict with China. The B-21 Raider is the first new American bomber aircraft in more than 30 years. Almost every...
Review: Will Smith-led ‘Emancipation’ is an action thrillerVideo
It comes as some relief that Antoine Fuqua’s “Emancipation,” starring Will Smith as a runaway slave in Civil War-era Louisiana, is not, at least traditionally speaking, an Oscar movie. Despite the film’s important historical backdrop, its awards-season timing and its inevitable connection to last March’s Academy Awards ceremony, the site...
China fines former NBA star Lin over quarantine comments
BEIJING — Former NBA star Jeremy Lin, who plays for a Chinese team, was fined 10,000 yuan ($1,400) for criticizing quarantine facilities, China’s professional league and a news report said Friday, as the government tries to stop protests against anti-virus controls that are among the world’s most stringent. Also Friday,...
Elon Musk suspends Kanye West’s Twitter account
Early Friday, Kanye West’s Twitter account was suspended after the rapper posted a picture of a swastika merged with the Star of David. New Twitter CEO Elon Musk confirmed the suspension in a tweet replying to West’s post of an unflattering photo of the billionaire, which West called his “final...
Bidens entertain more than 330 guests at 1st state dinnerVideo
WASHINGTON — The first White House state dinner of President Joe Biden’s administration drew big names Thursday from fashion, entertainment, politics and business who turned out to help celebrate French President Emmanuel Macron and the return of large social events after the pandemic. There were kisses all around as the...
82-year-old woman arrested for not paying $77 trash bill
VALLEY, Ala. — An 82-year-old Alabama woman was arrested for not paying a $77.80 trash bill. Court records show the Valley woman was arrested Sunday for not paying the garbage service bill that covered the months of June, July and August. She was charged with a misdemeanor offense of “failure...
Josh Allen, Bills have no problems with Patriots
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and the Buffalo Bills beat the New England Patriots, 24-10, on Thursday night for their first AFC East victory of the season. Devin Singletary had a 1-yard touchdown run to help the Bills (9-3) win their third straight and take a...
Mike White making name for himself (again) as Jets’ starting QB
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Mike White was greeted by his wide-eyed twin toddlers when he finally got home to his apartment last Sunday. They had no idea their father had put on a dazzling performance during which New York Jets fans chanted his name while he led the team to...
Kahliel Spear’s 27 points lead Robert Morris over Wright State in Horizon League opener
FAIRBORN, Ohio — Kahliel Spear’s 27 points helped Robert Morris defeat Wright State, 80-59, on Thursday night. Spear added five rebounds, three steals and three blocks for the Colonials (3-5), who snapped a four-game losing streak and opened Horizon League play with a win. “It was a great team effort,”...
