Associated Press stories, Page 1337
President declares disaster in New Mexico wildfire zone
LAS VEGAS — Firefighters slowed the advance of the largest wildfire in the U.S. as heavy winds relented Wednesday, while President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration that brings new financial resources to remote stretches of New Mexico devastated by fire since early April. U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez announced...
Review: Halestorm’s new album is a roar (and lots more, too)
“Back From the Dead” by Halestorm (Atlantic) Lzzy Hale, the lead singer and guitarist for the heavy metal band Halestorm, is that rare breed of wild child whose path you cross at your own peril, and her aggressiveness soaks through her music. The band’s new album, “Back From the Dead,”...
Small businesses still struggle to find enough workers
NEW YORK — Some small businesses are still struggling to hire qualified workers, even as Americans return to the U.S. job market in droves. Hiring and retaining employees remains the top challenge for small businesses, according to a survey of 1,100 businesses by Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Voices out...
Explainer: Why is Bob Baffert not in the Kentucky Derby?
Bob Baffert has been the face of American horse racing for nearly 30 years. His success on the sport’s biggest stages and his shock of white hair make him hugely recognizable, even to the average person who doesn’t follow the sport outside of the Kentucky Derby. He trained American Pharoah...
AP analysis finds growing number of poor, high-hazard dams
More than 2,200 dams built upstream from homes or communities are in poor condition across the U.S., likely endangering lives if they were to fail, according to an Associated Press analysis. The number of high-hazard dams in need of repairs is up substantially from a similar AP review conducted just...
WHO reports nearly 15M deaths associated with covid
LONDON — The World Health Organization is estimating that nearly 15 million people were killed either by the coronavirus or by its impact on overwhelmed health systems in the past two years, more than double the official death toll of 6 million. Most of the fatalities were in Southeast Asia,...
OPEC+ opens oil taps gradually as Russian war roils markets
LONDON — OPEC and allied oil-producing countries decided Thursday to stick to a modest increase in production, even as Europe’s proposed phaseout of Russian oil threatens to yank millions of barrels off a global market already thirsty for crude. At an online meeting, the alliance known as OPEC+ — which...
Alabama’s new transgender care felony faces federal test
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A federal judge will hear arguments Thursday on a challenge to Alabama’s plan to outlaw the use of gender-affirming medications to treat transgender youth. U.S. District Judge Liles Burke has scheduled a hearing on a request to block the law’s enforcement while it’s challenged in court. The...
Young Yankees fan given Judge HR ball meets his heroVideo
TORONTO — The young Yankees fan who became a viral sensation this week shed more tears of joy on Wednesday when he met his hero, New York slugger Aaron Judge. It came hours after cameras captured Derek Rodriguez, 9, tearfully hugging Blue Jays fan Mike Lanzillotta after Lanzillotta snagged Judge’s...
‘Seemed like goodbye’: Mariupol defenders make their stand
LVIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian fighters in the tunnels underneath Mariupol’s pulverized steel plant held out against Russian troops Thursday in an increasingly desperate and perhaps doomed effort to deny Moscow what would be its biggest success of the war yet: the complete capture of the strategic port city. The bloody...
Attacks dominate Pennsylvania’s Senate GOP primary debate
HARRISBURG — What could be the final primary debate between Republicans running for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat devolved into a string of attacks over China, abortion and more as the candidates stretched Wednesday night for any perceived advantage in a wide-open and expensive race. In many cases, the five...
Victor Hedman, Lightning beat Maple Leafs to even series
TORONTO — Victor Hedman had a goal and three assists for his first four-point playoff game, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-3, on Wednesday night in Game 2 to even the first-round series. Nikita Kucherov added a goal and two assists, and Brayden Point, Corey...
Hurricanes claim testy win vs. Bruins, take 2-0 series lead
RALEIGH, N.C. — Sebastian Aho and Nino Niederreiter each scored twice, and the Carolina Hurricanes overcame the early loss of goalie Antti Raanta to beat the Boston Bruins, 5-2, on Wednesday night for a 2-0 lead in the first-round series. Jesper Fast had the game’s first goal for Carolina in...
Tampa Bay, Seattle to meet in 1st NFL game in GermanyVideo
LONDON — The first regular-season NFL game in Germany will be between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks at the home of soccer club Bayern Munich. The game will take place at the Allianz Arena on Nov. 13, the NFL said Wednesday. Frankfurt will also be staging a...
Another rally sees Real Madrid defeat Manchester City, clinch spot in Champions League finalVideo
MADRID — The “Si se puede! (Yes we can!)” chants gradually faded at the Santiago Bernabéu as the minutes passed and Real Madrid looked beaten. As the end of regulation approached, many in the stands — and on the field — were close to giving up as Manchester City defended...
Donald Trump Jr. meets with Jan. 6 committee
WASHINGTON — The oldest son of former President Donald Trump has met with the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to two people familiar with the matter. The interview Tuesday with Donald Trump Jr. comes as the bipartisan House committee moves closer to...
Matt Kenseth, Hershel McGriff and Kirk Shelmerdine join NASCAR Hall of Fame
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Matt Kenseth was doing yardwork when wife, Katie, came outside with her phone in hand, letting him know he just had been selected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. A short while later Kenseth “celebrated” the night by cooking dinner for his daughters. “I never really thought...
Trainer Tim Yakteen brings 2 top horses to 1st Kentucky Derby in chargeVideo
ARCADIA, Calif. — Tim Yakteen has been to the Kentucky Derby with good horses before. Now the trainer is at Churchill Downs in charge for the first time with two top contenders previously trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. Yakteen worked two stints earlier in his career as an...
Turner Sports prepared for its first Stanley Cup Playoffs
Liam McHugh is familiar with the rigors of hosting studio shows during the Stanley Cup playoffs, especially those nights when games go to the multiple overtimes on the West Coast. McHugh is in for some relief this season. With Turner Sports and ESPN picking up the playoffs after 16 years,...
Markets cheer after Jerome Powell downplays even larger rate hikes
NEW YORK — The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged more than 900 points and the S&P 500 had its biggest gain in two years Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell downplayed the likelihood of an even larger interest rate hike after announcing the sharpest rate increase since 2000. The...
Oath Keeper from North Carolina pleads guilty to seditious conspiracy
WASHINGTON — A North Carolina man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to conspiring with other members of the far-right Oath Keepers militia group to forcefully halt the peaceful transfer of power after President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. William Todd Wilson, 44, is the third Oath Keepers member to plead guilty...
‘Good vibes’ for Rory McIlroy as he defends at soggy Wells Fargo
POTOMAC, Md. — Wearing black rain pants on a soggy, foggy Wednesday morning, Rory McIlroy still had a bounce in his step and plenty of reasons to smile as he chatted with reporters, signed autographs and posed for selfies outside the clubhouse at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. He is...
Arizona officials blast Attorney General Mark Brnovich for election report
PHOENIX — Republican officials who oversee elections in Maricopa County issued a blistering retort Wednesday to GOP Attorney General Mark Brnovich accusing the state’s top lawman of abusing his position and misleading the public about the 2020 election to advance his U.S. Senate campaign. The county officials issued a nine-page...
Fox chews through fence, kills 25 flamingos, duck at National Zoo
WASHINGTON — Zookeepers at the National Zoo made a macabre discovery this week, when they entered the outdoor enclosure that housed 74 flamingos. A wild fox from neighboring Rock Creek Park had apparently chewed a hole in the metal mesh fencing and wreaked havoc, killing 25 flamingos and injuring three...
Georgia man charged with murder after daughter dies in hot car
SNELLVILLE, Ga. — A Georgia man was charged with second-degree murder Wednesday when his 8-month-old daughter died after she was left in a hot car while he went to retrieve a gun from the police department and ended up getting arrested, authorities said. Davied Japez McCorry Whatley, 20, went to...
