Associated Press stories, Page 1303
Suspect in Albuquerque Muslim killings denies involvement
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — When pulled over by New Mexico police, the suspect in the killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque denied any connection to the crimes that shook the city and its small Muslim community — and told authorities he was so unnerved by the violence that he was...
What’s next for Alex Jones after $49M Sandy Hook verdict?
DALLAS — The nearly $50 million defamation verdict against Alex Jones for his years of lies about the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre is far from a final reckoning. Jones’ attorneys plan to appeal and try to lower the price tag a Texas jury put on his false claim that...
Biden signs ‘burn pits’ help for vets; a personal win tooVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, whose elder son Beau died of cancer years after deploying to Iraq, signed legislation on Wednesday expanding federal health care services for millions of veterans who served at military bases where toxic smoke billowed from huge “burn pits.” “We owe you,” Biden said. “You’re the...
Lower prices offer Americans slight reprieve from inflationVideo
WASHINGTON — Falling prices for gas, airline tickets and clothes gave Americans a little bit of relief last month, though overall inflation is still running at close to its highest level in four decades. Consumer prices jumped 8.5% in July compared with a year earlier, the government said Wednesday, down...
Iranian operative charged in plot to murder John BoltonVideo
WASHINGTON — An Iranian operative has been charged in a plot to murder former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton in presumed retaliation for a U.S. airstrike that killed the country’s most powerful general, offering $300,000 to “eliminate” the Trump administration official, the Justice Department said Wednesday. Shahram Poursafi, identified...
Stacey Abrams tests positive for covid, has mild symptoms
ATLANTA — Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has covid-19, her campaign said Wednesday. Abrams campaign spokesperson Alex Floyd said Abrams tested positive for the respiratory illness Wednesday morning after giving a public speech on the economy Tuesday night in Atlanta. Abrams tests daily for covid, Floyd said, and had...
Russian oil shipments to central Europe expected to resume
PRAGUE — Oil shipments from Russia through a critical pipeline to several European countries should resume soon after a problem over payments for transit was resolved, Slovakia’s Economy Minister Richard Sulik said on Wednesday. “I expect the oil shipments to resume in hours,” Sulik said. Russian state pipeline operator Transneft...
Serena Williams’ legacy involves plenty of wins, plenty else
A couple of days before Serena Williams claimed the 22nd of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles at Wimbledon in 2016, she was asked what she makes of it when people refer to her as one of history’s greatest female athletes. Her reply: She prefers being characterized as “one of...
Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman out indefinitely with medical issue
Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson knows his Demon Deacons must prepare to run their high-scoring offense without quarterback Sam Hartman. Beyond that, it’s unclear how long the veteran will be gone. The school said Wednesday that Hartman will miss “an extended period of time” for treatment of what it described...
Beluga whale lost in French river euthanized during rescue
PARIS — A beluga whale that became a French celebrity after a wrong turn took it up the Seine River had to be euthanized Wednesday after experiencing health complications during an urgent rescue operation, authorities said. The sparkling white marine mammal appeared deep inside France last week, having accidentally veered...
Wall Street hits 3-month high as inflation cools
NEW YORK — Stocks rallied to three-month highs Wednesday on Wall Street as investors welcomed a government report showing that inflation cooled more than expected last month. The encouraging inflation update sparked speculation that the Federal Reserve may not have to remain as aggressive about hiking interest rates as feared....
Wildfire in southwestern France: 6,000 people evacuated
PARIS — Firefighters were battling a wildfire in southwestern France on Wednesday in a region known for its pine forests that was ravaged by flames last month. The blaze forced the evacuation of about 6,000 people and destroyed at least sixteen houses. A major highway near the city of Bordeaux...
USPS to request rate increase due to inflation, DeJoy says
WASHINGTON — Inflation is going to add over $1 billion to the U.S. Postal Service budget, necessitating a request for another rate increase in January, but the service is well prepared for the November election, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said Tuesday. The Postal Service has already delivered about 40 million...
Donald Trump ‘took the Fifth.’ What does it actually mean?
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump showed up Wednesday for questioning under oath in New York’s civil investigation into his business practices. But he quickly made clear he wouldn’t be answering. The ex-president issued a statement saying he had done nothing wrong but was invoking the Fifth Amendment’s protection...
Trump says he took the 5th Amendment in New York investigationVideo
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination as he testified under oath Wednesday in the New York attorney general’s long-running civil investigation into his business dealings, the former president said in a statement. About an hour after arriving at Attorney General Letitia James’ Manhattan offices, Trump...
Police: New Jersey hospital executive had weapons stockpile in hospital closet
SECAUCUS, N.J. — The marketing director of a northern New Jersey hospital is facing weapons charges after a bomb threat yielded what police said was a cache of weapons in the hospital. According to police in Secaucus, the bomb threat — which later was determined to be bogus — was...
Sean McVay reveals he has contract extension with Rams
IRVINE, Calif. — Coach Sean McVay said he has finalized his contract extension with the Los Angeles Rams. McVay and the Rams didn’t reveal the terms of the long-expected deal, but the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl reaffirmed his long-term commitment to Los Angeles after practice Tuesday in...
Beaned Little League batter rises to console upset pitcherVideo
WACO, Texas — A Little League batter rose from a beaning to console the upset pitcher in a dramatic scene at a Little League regional tournament game Tuesday in Waco, Texas. The incident happened during a Little League Southwest Regional Playoff final. Right-hander Kaiden Shelton of Pearland, Texas, was facing...
Nebraska woman charged with helping daughter have abortion
OMAHA — A Nebraska woman has been charged with helping her teenage daughter end her pregnancy at about 24 weeks after investigators uncovered Facebook messages in which the two discussed using medication to induce an abortion and plans to burn the fetus afterward. The prosecutor handling the case said it’s...
Federal judge denies LIV golfers bid for PGA Tour postseason
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A federal judge in California ruled three golfers who joined Saudi-backed LIV Golf will not be able to compete in the PGA Tour’s postseason. Judge Beth Labson Freeman made her decision Tuesday afternoon in San Jose after attorneys for the sides each spoke for about an...
Pa. Rep. Scott Perry says FBI took his cellphone after Trump property search
U.S. Rep. Scott Perry said his cellphone was seized Tuesday morning by FBI agents carrying a search warrant. The circumstances surrounding the seizure were not immediately known. Perry, though, has been a figure in the congressional investigation into President Donald Trump’s actions leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol...
Former Twitter worker convicted of spying for Saudi Arabia
SAN FRANCISCO — A former Twitter employee has been convicted of failing to register as an agent for Saudi Arabia and other charges after accessing private data on users critical of the kingdom’s government in a spy case that spanned from Silicon Valley to the Middle East. Ahmad Abouammo, a...
Bill Richardson hopeful for Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan swap
WASHINGTON — Bill Richardson, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a frequent emissary in hostage negotiations, said Tuesday he was hopeful about the chances of a two-for-two prisoner swap that could result in Russia’s release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan. In...
Congress can get Trump tax records, federal appeals court rules
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court sided Tuesday with a House committee seeking access to former President Donald Trump’s tax returns, rejecting Trump’s contention that Congress was overstepping. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit agreed with a lower court judge’s decision...
U.S. will stretch monkeypox vaccine supply with smaller doses
WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials on Tuesday authorized a new monkeypox vaccination strategy designed to stretch limited supplies by allowing health professionals to vaccinate up to five people — instead of one — with each vial. The so-called dose-sparing approach uses just a fraction of the typical amount of the...
