Associated Press stories, Page 1258
Elton John opens last leg of goodbye tour in PhiladelphiaVideo
PHILADELPHIA — I think it’s gonna be a long, long time until we see another songwriter and performer like Elton John. Wrapping up a 50-plus year career with a farewell tour, the British pianist and vocalist has created some of the most memorable and enduring music in the history of...
U.S. agencies temporarily barred from enforcing LBGTQ guidance
A judge in Tennessee has temporarily barred two federal agencies from enforcing directives issued by President Joe Biden’s administration that extended protections for LGBTQ people in schools and workplaces. U.S. District Judge Charles Atchley Jr. in an order on Friday ruled for the 20 state attorneys general who sued last...
U.S. soprano, offended by blackface, pulls out of Italy opera
ROME — Soprano Angel Blue says she won’t perform in an opera in Italy this month because blackface was used in the staging of a different work this summer on the same stage. The U.S. singer posted a note on her angeljoyblue Instagram page saying she will be bowing out...
Jan. 6 panel subpoenas Secret Service for erased texts
WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Capitol riot has subpoenaed the Secret Service for text messages agents reportedly deleted around Jan. 6, 2021, as the panel probes former President Donald Trump’s actions at the time of the deadly siege. The committee chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said the committee...
Biden says U.S. ‘will not walk away’ from Middle East
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — President Joe Biden, speaking at a summit of Arab leaders, said Saturday that the United States “will not walk away” from the Middle East as he tries to ensure stability in a volatile part of the world and boost the global flow of oil to reverse...
Russia steps up attacks across Ukraine’s north, east, south
KRAMATORSK, Ukraine — Ukrainian authorities across the country reported new Russian missile strikes and shelling Saturday that killed at least 16 more civilians, deaths that came after Russia’s top military announced it was stepping up its onslaught against its neighbor. The Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday that Defense Minister Sergei...
Hard-throwing Kumar Rocker ready for his second MLB draft
TROY, N.Y. — Kumar Rocker is ready for a second go-round in the MLB draft. A year after he was the lone first-round pick to not sign with a team, the hard-throwing right-hander and former Vanderbilt star is fresh from a brief professional tune-up that has him on track to...
2 kids among 6 dead in Montana highway pileup, 8 others hurt
Two children are among the six people who died in a Montana pileup after a Friday evening dust storm caused blackout conditions on Interstate 90, a major route in both Montana and the Western U.S. Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. Jay Nelson said investigators so far have found no other factors...
Corey LaJoie wants to prove strong end at Atlanta was no fluke
LOUDON, N.H. — Ten years ago, Corey LaJoie won more races in a NASCAR regional series season than Chase Elliott. LaJoie even won more races that season than Kyle Larson. LaJoie finished as runner-up — just 16 points back — to Larson in the season points standings. Larson wrapped up...
Chez Reavie has late eagle, leads Barracuda ChampionshipVideo
TRUCKEE, Calif. — Chez Reavie holed a long chip shot for eagle on the par-5 sixth hole and took a three-point lead Friday in the Barracuda Championship. Reavie had a 19-point round in the modified Stableford scoring system event at Tahoe Mountain Club, getting five points for the eagle and...
British Open notes: Former champs at St. Andrews all miss cut
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — The last four British Open champions who won their titles on the Old Course missed the cut at St. Andrews on Friday. Zach Johnson (2015), Louis Oosthuizen (2010), Tiger Woods (2005, 2000) and John Daly (1995) all finished over par after two rounds. The cut was...
MLB to pay minor leaguers $185 million to settle lawsuitVideo
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball agreed to pay minor leaguers $185 million to settle a federal lawsuit alleging violations of minimum wage laws, a case that progressed through the courts for eight years without reaching a trial. An early estimate is that perhaps 20,000 players could share the money....
Biden tells Dems to quickly pass pared-down economic package
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden seemed to bow Friday to Sen. Joe Manchin’s demand for a slimmed-down economic package, telling Democrats to quickly push the election-year measure through Congress so families could “sleep easier” and enjoy the health care savings it proposes. Biden’s statement came hours after Manchin, the West...
2 suspects arrested in probe of deadly 7-Eleven shootings
LOS ANGELES — Authorities said Friday that two suspects have been arrested in a series of deadly robberies at Southern California 7-Eleven convenience stores where two people were killed and three wounded. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced the arrests on social media. A press conference is scheduled for...
Mexico captures infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero
MEXICO CITY — Infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was behind the killing of a U.S. DEA agent in 1985, has been captured by Mexican forces nearly a decade after walking out of a Mexican prison and returning to drug trafficking, an official with Mexico’s navy confirmed Friday. The...
3 men cleared in 1995 killing of NYC subway token clerk
NEW YORK — After decades in prison, three men were cleared Friday in one of the most horrifying crimes of New York’s violent 1990s — the killing of a clerk who was set on fire in a subway toll booth. A judge dismissed the murder convictions of Vincent Ellerbe, James...
Richie Incognito retires after turbulent 15-year NFL career
HENDERSON, Nev. — Four-time Pro Bowl guard Richie Incognito has retired after a turbulent 15-year NFL career. Incognito announced the decision Friday at the headquarters of the Las Vegas Raiders. The 39-year-old played his final three seasons with the Raiders. He also had two stints with the Buffalo Bills and...
Lawyer: 30 women settle Deshaun Watson-related claims against Texans
HOUSTON — Thirty women who had accused the Houston Texans of turning a blind eye to allegations their former star quarterback Deshaun Watson was sexually assaulting and harassing women during massage sessions have settled their legal claims against the team, their attorney said Friday. The terms of the settlements between...
Emotional exit for Woods, big chance for Smith at St. AndrewsVideo
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Tiger Woods made an early and emotional departure Friday from the British Open, possibly for the last time at St. Andrews. Cameron Smith can only wonder if the 150th Open will be his arrival as an undisputed elite player. Smith already won The Players Championship this...
Jim Thorpe reinstated as sole winner for 1912 Olympic golds
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Jim Thorpe has been reinstated as the sole winner of the 1912 Olympic pentathlon and decathlon in Stockholm — nearly 110 years after being stripped of those gold medals for violations of strict amateurism rules of the time. The International Olympic Committee announced the change Friday on...
LIV defectors in contention for claret jug at British OpenVideo
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Golf’s breakaway bunch have turned, it seems, into a band of brothers. The rebels who have created a major rift in the world of golf by defecting to the Saudi-funded LIV series are working together for a common cause at the British Open this week. “Everybody,...
Georgia DA considers seeking Trump testimony in 2020 probe
ATLANTA — The Georgia prosecutor investigating potential criminal interference in the 2020 presidential election is considering requesting that former President Donald Trump testify under oath to a grand jury, while several people already subpoenaed as part of the probe have received letters informing them that they’re at risk of being...
Biden says he raised Khashoggi murder with crown prince
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — President Joe Biden said he brought up the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in his meeting Friday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, rejecting the idea that he was ignoring the kingdom’s human rights abuses as he tries to reset a critical diplomatic relationship. “I said,...
Scherzer, Harper, others discuss how NL DH rule changes gameVideo
Max Scherzer misses hitting. He misses pitching to pitchers. And yet the New York Mets right-hander is just fine with the full-time addition of the designated hitter to the National League as of this season, nearly 50 years after the American League adopted it. “The biggest benefit,” the three-time Cy...
Fetterman trolls Oz with big funds, Snooki
HARRISBURG — Democrat John Fetterman posted a massive $11 million fundraising haul during the second quarter. He’s on an advertising spree that’s made him a near-constant presence on television in Pennsylvania. And he grabs attention with snarky, irreverent social media posts. Most recently, he employed MTV’s “Jersey Shore” star Nicole...
