Associated Press stories, Page 1366
Facts and figures on the teams in the NCAA Final FourVideo
There’s no room for a surprise team at this Final Four. Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and Villanova have combined for 17 national championships. Each of the schools has won at least three titles, making this the first Final Four in which each of the teams already had won multiple championships....
Academy: Will Smith refused to leave Oscars, broke conduct codeVideo
NEW YORK — The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences said Sunday that Will Smith was asked to leave the Oscars after hitting Chris Rick but refused. Many have questioned why Smith was allowed to remain seated front row at the Academy Awards after the incident. On Wednesday, the...
Alex Jones faces fines for skipping Sandy Hook deposition
HARTFORD, Conn. — A Connecticut judge on Wednesday said Infowars host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones will be fined $25,000 to $50,000 per weekday until he appears for a deposition in a lawsuit brought by relatives of some victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Jones’ testimony is being...
Stocks fall, breaking a 4-day winning streak on Wall Street
Technology companies led stocks lower Wednesday on Wall Street, ending a four-day winning streak for the market, after an economic report stoked worries about the health of the economy. The S&P 500 fell 0.6% after having been down nearly 1.1% at one point. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2%,...
Forum gets tense in GOP’s sharp-elbowed U.S. Senate primaryVideo
HARRISBURG — The first public appearance between the highest-profile Republicans running for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania quickly became chippy Wednesday, as themes playing out in millions of dollars in sharp-elbowed TV attack ads played out on a small forum stage. The campaign is one of this year’s premier Senate contests...
7 hurt in Arkansas tornado; Deep South braces for more stormsVideo
Severe storms that included at least two tornadoes injured several people, damaged homes and businesses and downed power lines in Arkansas and Missouri overnight as twisters and hurricane-force winds were forecast in much of the Deep South on Wednesday. No deaths were reported from the storms late Tuesday and early...
With at least 1 GOP vote, Ketanji Brown Jackson likely to be confirmed
WASHINGTON — Maine Sen. Susan Collins said Wednesday she will vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, giving Democrats at least one Republican vote and all but assuring that Jackson will become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. Collins met with Jackson a second time this week after...
Report: Great white shark killed California bodyboarder
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — A bodyboarder was attacked by a great white shark in central California on Christmas Eve and died within minutes, official reports have concluded. Tomas Abraham Butterfield, 42, was bitten in the head, chest and shoulder in the Morro Bay attack and died from “complications of...
Grammy predictions: AP writers debate who’ll triumph Sunday
The number of nominees for the Grammys’ top awards keeps growing, up to 10 this year, making the competition stronger, but predictions a lot trickier. Are too many pop artists going to split the vote, making an upset more likely? Can we even count on past wins as a guide?...
Prosecutors rest their case in Gov. Whitmer kidnap trial
A man accused of leading a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was “antigovernment” and believed officials were out to “line their own pockets,” his longtime companion testified Wednesday before prosecutors rested their case. Chastity Knight spoke to jurors on the 13th day of trial in federal court in...
Bruce Willis, diagnosed with aphasia, steps away from acting
NEW YORK — Bruce Wills is stepping away from acting after a diagnosis of aphasia, a condition that causes loss of the ability to understand or express speech, his family announced Wednesday. In a statement posted on Willis’ Instagram page, the 67-year-old actor’s family said Willis was recently diagnosed with...
Russia bombards areas where it pledged to scale back
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces bombarded areas around Kyiv and another city just hours after pledging to scale back operations in those zones to promote trust between the two sides, Ukrainian authorities said Wednesday. The shelling — and intensified Russian attacks on other parts of the country — tempered optimism...
Police: 6 killed in Pennsylvania pileup of 80 vehicles
POTTSVILLE — A deadly pileup involving 80 vehicles on a Pennsylvania interstate during a snow squall killed six people, state police said Wednesday. “There were 6 fatalities involved in this crash. Identities of the victims will be released once death notifications have been made to their families,” state police in...
Number of Ukraine refugees passes worst-case U.N. estimate
MEDYKA, Poland — The number of people who have fled Ukraine since Russian troops invaded has surpassed 4 million, the United Nations reported Wednesday as shelling continued in places where Moscow had vowed to ease its military operations. “I do not know if we can still believe the Russians,” refugee...
FIFA, Qatar prepare for unprecedented World Cup finals draw
DOHA, Qatar — A World Cup like no other in its 92-year history will take shape this week at an unprecedented tournament draw. When FIFA and host nation Qatar stage the draw ceremony show Friday, three of the 32 entries will be placeholders because the three-year qualifying program was delayed...
California governor rejects parole for Manson family member
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday blocked parole for Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten, reversing a panel’s recommendation that she be freed after spending a half-century in prison. Van Houten, 72, “currently poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison at this time,” Newsom...
‘The Flash’ actor Ezra Miller arrested at Hawaii karaoke bar
HONOLULU — An actor known for playing “The Flash” in “Justice League” films was arrested at a Hawaii karaoke bar, where police say Ezra Miller yelled obscenities, grabbed a mic from a singing woman and lunged at a man playing darts. Miller took issue late Sunday with people singing the...
Into the wild: Animals the latest frontier in covid fight
GRAND PORTAGE, Minn. — To administer this covid test, Todd Kautz had to lay on his belly in the snow and worm his upper body into the narrow den of a hibernating black bear. Training a light on its snout, Kautz carefully slipped a long cotton swab into the bear’s...
What the law says about presidential records
WASHINGTON — Revelations of a roughly eight-hour gap in official records of then-President Donald Trump’s phone calls on the day of last year’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol are raising fresh questions about the diligence — or lack thereof — of his record keeping. The committee investigating the Jan. 6,...
GOP’s Senate campaign chief won’t back down from party fight
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Rick Scott likes to think of himself as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War. Barely halfway through his first Senate term, the Florida Republican is already leaning into a fight against his own party’s leadership as he navigates a delicate alliance with former President Donald...
Saints sign veteran QB Andy Dalton as possible Jameis Winston backupVideo
METAIRIE, La. — The Saints signed veteran quarterback Andy Dalton, giving New Orleans a second experienced signal-caller behind returning starter Jameis Winston. Dalton, whose signing was announced Tuesday by Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, is a former starter in Cincinnati and is now with his fourth team in four years...
Marshall, ODU, Southern Miss get OK to exit C-USA for Sun Belt
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Conference USA has agreed to allow Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss to expedite their move to the Sun Belt. The resolution announced in a brief, joint statement Tuesday allows the three schools to withdraw from Conference USA by the end of the current academic year. Marshall,...
Buffalo police: 3 officers hit by gunfire during chase
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Three Buffalo police officers were hit by gunfire Tuesday after a motorist fled a traffic stop and led them on a chase through the city’s streets, firing at officers from the vehicle, authorities said. Officers shot and wounded the driver at an intersection in front of a...
Kansas heads to Final Four with 2020 still on its mindVideo
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Christian Braun’s eyes opened wide when he learned that after Kansas had beaten Miami to return to the Final Four such a raging party had broken out back in Lawrence that authorities had to shut down Massachusetts Street, the popular bar and restaurant district near campus. It...
North Carolina, Duke set for 1st NCAA Tournament meeting in Final FourVideo
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Duke and North Carolina are taking their much-talked-about and often-debated men’s basketball rivalry on the road to a place it has never been. The neighboring schools are preparing for another first in a series filled with big-name players and intense finishes: playing each other in the...
