Associated Press stories, Page 1372
Ukraine says Moscow is forcibly taking civilians to Russia
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine accused Moscow on Friday of forcibly taking thousands of civilians from the shattered port city of Mariupol to Russia so that they can be used as “hostages” to pressure Kyiv to give up. A month into the invasion, meanwhile, the two sides traded heavy blows in...
Texas loses high court case over prayer during executions
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with a Texas death row inmate seeking to have his pastor be allowed to pray out loud and touch him during his execution. The high court’s decision won’t keep John Henry Ramirez from being executed. But the justices in an 8-1 decision...
New rules aim to decide U.S. asylum cases in months, not years
The Biden administration on Thursday unveiled new procedures to handle asylum claims at the U.S. southern border, hoping to decide cases in months instead of years. The rules empower asylum officers to grant or deny claims, an authority that has been limited to immigration judges for people arriving at the...
That’ll do: Ash Barty signs off on tennis at 25, ranked No. 1
BRISBANE, Australia — Ash Barty signaled the end of the photo opportunities at her retirement news conference in her typically low-fuss, matter-of-fact style: “Righto, that’ll do.” A day after revealing in a video posted on social media that she was quitting the women’s tennis tour after spending the last two...
NATO helps Ukraine prepare for chemical attack
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the military alliance is stepping up its defenses against chemical and nuclear weapons as concern mounts that Russia might use such weapons in Ukraine. Stoltenberg says that NATO leaders agreed at their summit Thursday to send equipment to Ukraine to help protect it against a...
Ketanji Brown Jackson on track for confirmation, but GOP votes in doubt
WASHINGTON — After more than 30 hours of hearings, the Senate is on track to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. But Democrats seem unlikely to confirm her with a robust bipartisan vote, dashing President Joe Biden’s hopes for a grand reset after...
U.S. to welcome up to 100,000 from Ukraine
WASHINGTON — A U.S. official says the United States will welcome up to 100,000 refugees from Ukraine as 3.5 million flee Russia’s invasion. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement later Thursday. The White House has been saying for weeks that the U.S. would accept...
Russian stock market, crushed by war, opens with big limits
NEW YORK — The Russian stock market opened Thursday for limited trading under heavy restrictions for the first time since Moscow invaded Ukraine, coming almost a month after prices plunged and the market was shut down as a way to insulate the economy. Trading of a limited number of stocks,...
Americans applying for jobless aid is lowest since 1969
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week fell to its lowest level in 52 years as the U.S. job market continues to show strength in the midst of rising costs and ongoing virus pandemic. Jobless claims fell by 28,000 to 187,000 for the week ending...
U.S. states seek to ease inflation burden with direct payments
PORTLAND, Maine — With inflation raging and state coffers flush with cash, governors and lawmakers across the U.S. are considering a relatively simple solution to help ease the pain people are feeling at the gas pump and grocery store — sending money. At least a dozen states have proposed giving...
Rich countries getting new covid vaccine before poorer ones
NEW DELHI — The company behind a covid-19 vaccine touted as a key tool for the developing world has sent tens of millions of doses to wealthy nations but provided none yet to the U.N.-backed effort to supply poorer countries, a sign that inequity persists in the global response to...
North Korea says it test-fired biggest ICBM, U.S. adds sanctionsVideo
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Friday it test-fired its biggest-yet intercontinental ballistic missile under the orders of leader Kim Jong Un, who vowed to expand the North’s “nuclear war deterrent” while preparing for a “long-standing confrontation” with the United States. The report by North Korean state media came...
Americans want Biden to be tougher on Russia: AP-NORC poll
WASHINGTON — As President Joe Biden meets with key allies in Brussels to coordinate a stronger response to Russia’s monthlong assault on Ukraine, a new poll shows Americans have yet to rally around his leadership. Concern about Russia has swelled and support for a major U.S. role in the conflict...
Ukrainian president to press Biden, NATO for more support
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy called on people worldwide to gather in public Thursday to show support for his embattled country as U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders met for talks focused on pressuring Russia to end the invasion that is entering its second month. “Come...
Biden seeks new sanctions, help for Ukrainians in EuropeVideo
BRUSSELS — As war rages on in Ukraine, President Joe Biden will huddle with key allies in Brussels and Warsaw this week to talk through plans for imposing punishing new sanctions on Russia and dealing with an extraordinary humanitarian crisis, while developing a consensus on how they would respond if...
Suit filed over threat to ban Native Americans from South Dakota hotel
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Hundreds of demonstrators gathered Wednesday outside a federal courthouse in a South Dakota city to cheer the filing of a federal lawsuit over a hotel owner’s pledge to ban Native Americans from the property. The protesters held a rally and prayer meeting in a Rapid City...
Ex-prosecutor: Trump ‘guilty of numerous felony violations’
NEW YORK — A prosecutor who had been leading a criminal investigation into Donald Trump before quitting last month said in his resignation letter that he believes the former president is “guilty of numerous felony violations” and he disagreed with the Manhattan district attorney’s decision not to seek an indictment....
Villanova, Michigan return to site of 2018 NCAA Tournament championshipVideo
SAN ANTONIO — Collin Gillespie, Jermaine Samuels and Villanova are back in the city of the Alamo for the first time since winning the national championship there four years ago. Even the opponent is the same, though in a different arena for this somewhat unexpected Sweet 16 matchup against Michigan....
Duke-Texas Tech matchup in NCAA Tournament features contrast in coaching pathsVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — When Texas Tech coach Mark Adams got his first head coaching job in 1981, Mike Krzyzewski was getting ready for his second season at Duke. While Krzyzewski was winning five NCAA titles, three Olympic gold medals and setting records for most wins by a men’s coach in...
Ole Miss QB Matt Corral throws for NFL teams at pro dayVideo
OXFORD, Miss. — Mississippi quarterback Matt Corral showed off his right arm and his apparently healthy right ankle for NFL teams. Corral threw for representatives of almost every NFL team at the Ole Miss pro day on Wednesday, including at least four head coaches: Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, Atlanta’s Arthur Smith,...
U.S. consulate sees WNBA star Brittney Griner in Russian detention facilityVideo
The U.S. State Department said Wednesday that a U.S. Embassy official visited with WNBA star Brittney Griner, who remains detained near Moscow, to check on her condition. State Department spokesperson Ned Price told CNN the official found Griner “to be in good condition.” Price did not identify the official who...
Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit to call Prime Video’s NFL packageVideo
Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit will be the announcing team when Prime Video takes over the “Thursday Night Football” package in September. Michaels moves to Prime from NBC. His contract with NBC ended last month after he was in the booth for his 11th Super Bowl. “This is the new...
Bail denied for Montgomery County woman in crash that killed Pa. state troopers, man
PHILADELPHIA — A judge has denied bail to a woman charged with third-degree murder in an early morning crash on a Philadelphia interstate that claimed the lives of two Pennsylvania troopers and a civilian. Jayana Tanae Webb, 21, of Eagleville was ordered held pending an April 5 hearing on charges...
Cinderella Saint Peter’s enjoying spotlight at NCAA TournamentVideo
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Saint Peter’s University is so small, one could motor down John F. Kennedy Boulevard and drive right past it without noticing. A pedestrian walkway bears the name of the Jesuit-run school, but it’s easy to miss the 5-foot letters amid an urban forest of apartment buildings,...
Browns QB Baker Mayfield goes from No. 1 pick to unwantedVideo
CLEVELAND — Baker Mayfield was once the No. 1 overall draft pick. He’s not anyone’s choice at the moment. He’s a quarterback without a team. Cleveland’s starter the past four seasons, Mayfield lost his job last week when the Browns pulled off a trade that shook the NFL by acquiring...
