Associated Press stories, Page 1120
IRS won’t tax most relief payments made by states last year
The IRS announced Friday that most relief checks issued by states last year aren’t subject to federal taxes, providing 11th hour guidance as tax returns start to pour in. A week after telling payment recipients to delay filing returns, the IRS said it won’t challenge the taxability of payments related...
Toronto mayor steps down after affair with ex-staffer
TORONTO — The mayor of Canada’s largest city has stepped down after acknowledging he had an affair with a former staffer. Toronto Mayor John Tory said at a late Friday night news conference that he developed a relationship with an employee in his office. The 68-year-old was known as a...
AP source: Trump team turns over items marked as classified
WASHINGTON — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump have in recent months voluntarily turned over to federal investigators additional papers marked as classified as well as a laptop belonging to a Trump aide, a person familiar with the situation said Friday night. The legal team also provided an empty folder...
Ousted election clerk hit with ethics lawsuit in New Mexico
SANTA FE, N.M. — A local elections regulator in rural New Mexico who was recently declared missing from work and replaced is now facing possible sanctions from a commission that oversees ethics and conduct by government officials. The civil lawsuit against Yvonne Otero was filed Tuesday by the State Ethics...
New AI voice-cloning tools ‘add fuel’ to misinformation fire
NEW YORK — In a video from a Jan. 25 news report, President Joe Biden talks about tanks. But a doctored version of the video has amassed hundred of thousands of views this week on social media, making it appear he gave a speech that attacks transgender people. Digital forensics...
Lawyer: Trump conditionally offers DNA to compare against accuser’s dress
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump is willing to provide a DNA sample to be compared against stains on the dress of a woman who accused him of rape, though only under certain conditions, his lawyer said Friday. Attorney Joseph Tacopina told a Manhattan federal court judge in a...
Andy Reid aims to lead Chiefs past former team in Super BowlVideo
PHOENIX — Andy Reid already proved he can win the big game in Kansas City after coming up short several times throughout his 14 seasons in Philadelphia. Leading the Chiefs to a victory over the Eagles in the Super Bowl on Sunday further would cement his Hall of Fame credentials...
Florida doctors’ board tightens ban on gender-affirming care
ORLANDO, Fla. — A prohibition against puberty blocking hormones and gender-affirming surgeries for minors in Florida was tightened further after a board overseeing doctors eliminated an exception for research Friday at the request of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration. Some members of the public attending the meeting in Tallahassee shouted...
Lawsuit seeks white woman’s arrest in Emmett Till kidnapping
JACKSON, Miss. — A relative of Emmett Till is suing to try to make a Mississippi sheriff serve a 1955 arrest warrant on a white woman in the kidnapping that led to the Black teenager’s brutal lynching. The torture and killing of Till in the Mississippi Delta became a catalyst...
Biden to visit Poland for anniversary of Ukraine war
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will travel to Poland this month to rally allies one year after Russia’s assault on Ukraine, the White House announced, as he aims to sustain a coalition that has supported Kyiv’s defenses. The visit, scheduled for Feb. 20-22, comes as signs point to waning support...
U.S. jet shoots down unknown object flying off Alaska coast
WASHINGTON — A U.S. military fighter jet shot down an unknown object flying off the remote northern coast of Alaska on Friday on orders from President Joe Biden, White House officials said. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the object was downed because it was flying at...
Tiger Woods returns to Riviera to play 1st event of the year
Tiger Woods is returning to competition for the first time without the use of a cart since July, announcing Friday he will play at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles. Woods was hopeful of playing next week’s tournament at Riviera, where he is the host of an event that typically...
Recovering Twins welcome Maeda back, seek healthier season
MINNEAPOLIS — When Kenta Maeda first takes the mound for Minnesota in the 2023 season, his wait between appearances will have passed 19 months. The Twins are more than eager to return the right-hander to their rotation, part of a welcome-back theme surrounding this team entering spring training after an...
Blackhawks F Patrick Kane unsure about possible trade
CHICAGO — While Patrick Kane is deciding if he is OK with leaving the Chicago Blackhawks — his only NHL home — the veteran forward is keeping track of the rest of the league. So, yeah, he definitely noticed the New York Rangers trading for fellow winger Vladimir Tarasenko on...
Here’s how to legally bet on the Super Bowl
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Sports betting is now legal in two-thirds of the country, and more Americans than ever before have an opportunity to place a legal bet on Sunday’s Super Bowl. With sports betting ads blitzing the airwaves with come-ons and promotions, things might be a bit confusing, especially...
Siakam, Edwards, Fox added to NBA All-Star Game roster
NEW YORK — Toronto forward Pascal Siakam, Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards and Sacramento guard De’Aaron Fox have been added to the player pool for the All-Star Game as injury replacements. Commissioner Adam Silver’s office announced the picks Friday, after they were first reported by ESPN. Siakam, Edwards and Fox replace...
GM: Hornets to rely on player development, not free agency
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Hornets are projected to have approximately $40 million in salary cap space this coming offseason, but that doesn’t mean owner Michael Jordan’s club will be big players in free agency come July. Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak said Charlotte’s focus moving forward will be on...
Miles and Keleigh Teller choose joy in new Super Bowl ad
LOS ANGELES — With a new Super Bowl ad, “Top Gun: Maverick” star Miles Teller and his wife, Keleigh, are trying to remind viewers that sometimes in life’s trying moments, you can choose to make the best of things. The couple star in a commercial for Bud Light, where they...
White House says no Biden interview prior to Super Bowl
NEW YORK — President Joe Biden apparently won’t be giving a pregame interview for the Super Bowl, which is being broadcast by Fox on Sunday. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday that Biden had been “looking forward” to an interview with the little-known streaming service Fox Soul, but...
Spring training’s start brings pitch clocks, shift limits
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Jeff McNeil thinks he’ll adapt quickly to baseball’s big shift — really, an anti-shift. “I’m playing a normal second base now instead of in short right field. I’ve been playing second base my whole life so it shouldn’t be too hard to adjust to,” the New...
FBI searches Pence’s Indiana home in classified docs probe
WASHINGTON — The FBI searched former Vice President Mike Pence ‘s Indiana home on Friday as part of the federal probe into classified records, according to two people familiar with the law enforcement action. The search followed the discovery last month of documents with classified markings by attorneys at the...
How the ‘boneless wing’ became a tasty culinary lie
NEW YORK — One day in 2020, at the pandemic’s height, an earnest-looking man with long hair the color of Buffalo sauce stepped up to a podium in Lincoln, Nebraska, to address his city council during its public comment period. His unexpected topic, as he framed it: It was time...
Indian government withdraws appeal to hug cows on Valentine’s Day
NEW DELHI — India’s government on Friday withdrew its appeal to citizens to mark Valentine’s Day next week not as a celebration of romance but as “Cow Hug Day” to better promote Hindu values. The appeal had attracted widespread criticism from political rivals and on social media. A terse statement...
Celebs tout ice baths, but science on benefits is lukewarm
The coolest thing on social media these days may be celebrities and regular folks plunging into frigid water or taking ice baths. The touted benefits include improved mood, more energy, weight loss and reduced inflammation, but the science supporting some of those claims is lukewarm. Kim Kardashian posted her foray...
Super Bowl ads keep it light by using nostalgia and stars
NEW YORK — Super Bowl ads are more than just breaks between gameplay during the biggest sporting event of the year: they offer a glimpse of the country’s zeitgeist, along with how major industries are faring. This year, crypto ads and automakers are advertising less since those industries are facing...
