Associated Press stories, Page 1244
Amari Cooper catches on with Browns, quickly connects with Deshaun WatsonVideo
BEREA, Ohio — In his short time with Deshaun Watson, Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper has gained an appreciation for the quarterback’s skills. Cooper’s impressed with Watson as a runner, passer and playmaker. “He can do everything,” Cooper said Thursday. “I call him the magician.” Now, he’s hoping Watson doesn’t...
All-Star Andrew Benintendi won’t say whether will get vaccinated with YanksVideo
NEW YORK — Andrew Benintendi wouldn’t say whether he will get vaccinated for covid-19 now that he’s with the first-place New York Yankees rather than the last-place Kansas City Royals. A day after New York acquired the 28-year-old All-Star from the Royals for three minor-league pitchers, Benintendi was hitting leadoff...
Joe Manganiello gets family mysteries solved on PBS show
LOS ANGELES — Joe Manganiello marveled at the years-old mysteries in his family that were solved through DNA by researchers on PBS’ “Finding Your Roots,” including a revelation involving the actor’s paternal grandfather. It was so surprising that host Henry Louis Gates Jr. had to call Manganiello with the news...
Commanders owner Dan Snyder testifies before House committeeVideo
Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder testified before a congressional committee investigating the NFL team’s history of workplace misconduct Thursday, speaking for more than 10 hours in a deposition conducted virtually and in private. A spokesperson for the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and a spokesperson for Snyder independently verified his...
Defense contractor held without bail in ID theft mystery
HONOLULU — A U.S. defense contractor and his wife charged with fraudulently living for decades under the stolen identities of two dead infants told family they were going into the witness protection program before abruptly abandoning their house and leaving Texas about 40 years ago, a federal prosecutor said Thursday....
Tony Finau, Taylor Pendrith share Rocket Mortgage leadVideo
DETROIT — Tony Finau sent an approach from 250 yards soaring over trees and onto the seventh green at Detroit Golf Club, going for the reward and ignoring the risk with a difficult shot. The way he has been playing over the last week, it made a lot of sense....
Ravens’ Lamar Jackson says there could be ‘cutoff’ point for negotiationsVideo
BALTIMORE — Lamar Jackson’s contract negotiations are lingering into training camp, and the Baltimore quarterback says at a certain point, it could be time to put those talks aside. “There’s probably going to be a cutoff at some point, yes,” Jackson said Thursday. The latest update from the Ravens’ star...
Joe Biden, Xi Jinping could meet in person, U.S. official says
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping are exploring meeting in person, a senior administration official said after the leaders spent more than two hours Thursday talking through the future of their complicated relationship, with tension over Taiwan once again emerging as a flashpoint. Biden conducted the phone...
Russia attacks Kyiv area for 1st time in weeksVideo
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces launched a missile attack on the Kyiv area for the first time in weeks Thursday and pounded the northern Chernihiv region as well, in what Ukraine said was revenge for standing up to the Kremlin. Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, announced a counteroffensive to take back the...
Donald Trump says Saudi-funded LIV Golf creates ‘gold rush’ for playersVideo
BEDMINSTER, N.J. — Former President Donald Trump played another round at his home course Thursday, this one different from so many others. He was part of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Invitational pro-am, put on by a breakaway league he says is creating a “gold rush” for players. The third LIV...
Giants’ Saquon Barkley believes potential is there for another big yearVideo
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Saquon Barkley strode to the podium in the New York Giants field house in a pair of white socks and wearing his trademark No. 26 necklace. The seemingly ever-present smile was quickly visible. The Penn State product was the same as always Thursday on the second...
$1.1B Mega Millions jackpot latest in history of lotteries
DES MOINES, Iowa — At over $1 billion, the Mega Millions jackpot is among the largest lottery prizes ever up for grabs, making it the latest focus of lotteries that have been conducted in the U.S. and around the world for centuries. Only two prizes have grown larger than the...
Failures push Justin Fields as he tries to take next step for BearsVideo
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Justin Fields showed up to training camp with his sights set squarely on his future and his mind on a notable failure. The quarterback comes into his second season with the Chicago Bears hoping to convince a new general manager and coach that he is the...
Nationals’ Josh Bell among top trade targets with deadline approachingVideo
WASHINGTON — Dave Martinez writes Josh Bell’s name on the Washington Nationals lineup card virtually every single game this season and plans to keep doing so. “I look at it like that every day until something else happens,” Martinez said. Something could happen to change that very soon. While Juan...
Cardinals remove Kyler Murray’s independent-study addendumVideo
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals trusted Kyler Murray’s football ability so much that they were comfortable giving the quarterback a contract that was worth nearly a quarter billion dollars. Now — after an ample dose of embarrassment for the organization — the Cardinals also decided they trust him to...
Explainer: What’s behind the storming of Iraq’s parliament?
BAGHDAD — The followers of the influential populist Shiite cleric came by the thousands to storm Iraq’s parliament. Just as quickly, the protesters dispersed at his command. Mass mobilization and control is a well-worn strategy of Muqtada al-Sadr, a mercurial figure who has emerged as a powerful force in Iraq’s...
5 dead, 66 migrants rescued from waters near Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — At least five migrants drowned and another 66 were rescued on Thursday after a suspected human smuggling boat dropped the group off in waters near an uninhabited island west of Puerto Rico, officials said. Federal and local authorities were still on the scene searching for...
Attacks in central Mali kill 3 civilians, 15 soldiers
BAMAKO, Mali — At least three civilians and 15 soldiers have been killed in separate attacks in central Mali, the army said, the latest round of attacks as insecurity worsens in the West African nation. Two attacks Wednesday targeted Mali army positions in the center of the country, and the...
Conference USA’s state of transition: 6 of 11 schools in final year
ARLINGTON, Texas — Western Kentucky football coach Tyson Helton was part of Conference USA’s inaugural season in 1996, as a freshman quarterback on his father’s team at Houston that shared the first title. He was also previously an assistant coach for two other teams in the league that is now...
U.S. economy shrank 0.9% last quarter, its 2nd straight drop
WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy shrank from April through June for a second straight quarter, contracting at a 0.9% annual pace and raising fears that the nation may be approaching a recession. The decline that the Commerce Department reported Thursday in the gross domestic product — the broadest gauge of...
JetBlue agrees to buy Spirit for $3.8 billion
JetBlue has agreed to buy Spirit Airlines for $3.8 billion in a deal that would create the nation’s fifth largest airline if approved by U.S. regulators. The agreement Thursday comes a day after Spirit’s attempt to merge with Frontier Airlines fell apart. Spirit had recommended its shareholders approve a lower...
Shell posts record earnings again as energy prices soar
LONDON — Shell posted record profits Thursday for a second straight quarter as the energy giant benefited from soaring prices of oil and natural gas fueled by Russia’s war in Ukraine. London-based Shell said it’s second-quarter adjusted earnings — which exclude one-time items and fluctuations in the value of inventories...
Panthers want QB Baker Mayfield to stay aggressive, avoid mistakesVideo
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Baker Mayfield developed a reputation in Cleveland as a bit of a gunslinger, willing to make the occasional risky throw downfield if it meant possibly making a big play. The No. 1 overall draft pick in 2018 may be asked to do things a little differently with...
Ravens begin camp hoping to rebound from injury-filled 2021Video
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Now in his 15th season as coach of the Baltimore Ravens, John Harbaugh understands the need to keep the message fresh. “The principles are still the same, but we present them differently,” he said. “The way you say it, the words you use, you try to...
Kurt Busch to miss NASCAR race at Indy with concussion-like symptomsVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kurt Busch will miss Sunday’s NASCAR race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with concussion-like symptoms and be replaced again by Ty Gibbs in the Toyota for 23XI Racing. The team said Wednesday that Busch has not been cleared to race for a second consecutive week. He crashed in...
