Associated Press stories, Page 14
Trump administration admits a glaring error in its accusations about New York health care fraud
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump’s administration this week acknowledged it made a significant error in figures it used to help justify a fraud probe into New York’s Medicaid program, a glaring mistake that undercuts a federal campaign to tackle waste, mostly in Democratic-led states. The error, one of at...
Wisconsin beats North Dakota to reach its first Frozen Four final since 2010
LAS VEGAS — Simon Tassy and Ryan Botterill scored 27 seconds apart in the first period and Wisconsin defeated North Dakota 2-1 on Thursday to put the Badgers in the Frozen Four title game for the first time since 2010. The Badgers (24-12-2), seeded third in their region, will play...
Justin Rose fades at Masters, still joins Scottie Scheffler in the hunt
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Justin Rose is back in contention at the Masters, one year after his playoff loss to Rory McIlroy. Might be better off that he’s not back in the lead, too. Rose has held at least a share of the first-round lead a record five times at Augusta...
Updated rules for CDC vaccine advisory panel reflect Kennedy skepticism
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has updated the charter of a key federal vaccine advisory committee in ways that may increase the voices of anti-vaccine activists, the latest in a series of moves that critics say are undermining confidence in life-saving shots. The changes published Thursday come after a recent...
Hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa dies at 68
Afrika Bambaataa, a man widely considered one of the main pioneers of hip-hop, died on Thursday in Pennsylvania of prostate cancer, according to his lawyer. He was 68. Bambaataa’s sudden death was met with an outpouring of condolences from friends, family and fans across the world, who paid tribute to...
Masters’ 15th hole known as Firethorn turns prickly by serving up 3 quadruple bogeys
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Fred Couples is playing the Masters for the 41st time, and he can’t remember ever hitting into the water on the par-5 15th with a wedge in his hand — twice in a row. It wrecked the surprisingly great round of the 1992 Masters champion — a...
Xander Schauffele’s shot lands in a viewer’s merchandise bag. It doesn’t stop him from making par
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Maybe gift shopping really is out of control at the Masters. Xander Schauffele’s tee shot on the par-5 eighth hole Thursday at Augusta National ended up in somebody’s merchandise bag, just a few feet to the left of the fairway. Schauffele used a tee to mark the...
Well-timed bets on Polymarket tied to the Iran war draw calls for investigations from lawmakers
NEW YORK — Calls are increasing inside Congress for investigations into the prediction market platform Polymarket after the latest instance where groups of anonymous traders made strategic, well-timed bets on a major geopolitical event hours before it occurred. On Wednesday, The Associated Press reported that at least 50 brand new...
Rory McIlroy has another reason to celebrate with best Masters start in 15 years to share early lead
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy began his title defense in the Masters with a tee shot that rolled next to a spectator’s seat. Another one was in the trees. His tee shot on the seventh hole went into the 17th fairway. The prevailing thought was not concern, not the slightest...
Big Ten earns nearly $70M in March Madness incentives after sweeping titles
The Big Ten Conference amassed nearly $70 million from NCAA distributions that will be paid for team appearances and performances in the 2026 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. That is by far the most among conferences, largely because the Big Ten swept the national championships — Michigan won the men’s...
Federal judge finds Pentagon violating court order to restore access to reporters
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday ruled that the Defense Department is violating his earlier order to restore access to the Pentagon for reporters, a setback in the administration’s efforts to impede the work of journalists. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman sided with The New York Times for the...
Attorney for man shot by ICE in California says his client denies being a gang member
The attorney for a man shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during an arrest in central California said Thursday that his client was recovering after three surgeries for multiple gunshot wounds and that he denies being a gang member. Attorney Patrick Kolasinski said federal prosecutors have told him...
Former NYPD officer gets 3 to 9 years in prison for throwing a cooler that caused fatal crashVideo
NEW YORK — A former New York City police sergeant was sentenced Thursday to three to nine years in prison for tossing a picnic cooler full of ice and drinks at a fleeing suspect, who then crashed his motorized scooter and died. Erik Duran, 38, was convicted of manslaughter in...
USPS to suspend pension contributions, seeks 4-cent stamp price hike
The U.S. Postal Service said Thursday it has informed federal budget officials it will temporarily suspend its employer contributions to Federal Employees Retirement System annuities, allowing it to keep making payroll, paying suppliers and delivering the mail. The Postal Service also wants to increase postage rates, including raising the price...
Trump administration proposes gutting rules targeting coal plant ash that threatens groundwater
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday proposed weakened rules governing the safe disposal of ash produced by burning coal. Those regulations were strengthened under the Biden administration as part of a wider crackdown on pollution from coal-fired power plants. The Trump administration proposed easing standards for monitoring and protecting groundwater...
U.S. abortion opponents want Trump’s FDA to act on abortion pill restrictions
/ U.S. abortion opponents are increasingly frustrated with the lack of action by President Donald Trump’s administration to stem the flow of abortion pills prescribed online that they view as undermining state abortion bans. A court ruling this week in a lawsuit the Louisiana attorney general brought against Trump’s Food...
Melania Trump delivers statement at the White House denying knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimesVideo
WASHINGTON — First lady Melania Trump is denying ties to Jeffrey Epstein and knowledge of his sex crimes, saying Thursday that the “stories are completely false” and calling accusations that she was somehow involved “smears about me.” Reading an extraordinary statement at the White House, Melania Trump said she and...
AP study: MLB average salary hits a record $5.34M as the Mets lead spending again
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball’s average salary rose 3.4% on opening day to a record $5.34 million, according to a study by The Associated Press, and the New York Mets topped spending at the season’s start for the fourth straight year. Mets outfielder Juan Soto is the highest-paid player...
For a 2nd time, Trump seeks to eliminate federal funding for tribal colleges and universities
For the second year in a row, the Trump administration is proposing slashing federal funding for tribal colleges and universities. President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2027 budget proposal calls for a $1.5 trillion increase to defense spending and would carve billions of dollars out of programs that fulfill trust and...
Former NYPD officer gets 3 to 9 years in prison for throwing a cooler that caused fatal crash
NEW YORK — A former New York City police sergeant was sentenced Thursday to three to nine years in prison for tossing a picnic cooler full of drinks at a fleeing suspect, who then crashed his motorized scooter and died. The ex-officer, Erik Duran, was convicted of manslaughter in the...
Netanyahu authorizes direct talks with Lebanon ‘as soon as possible’
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he has authorized direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible,” as a tentative ceasefire in the Iran war staggered under the weight of Israel’s bombardment of Beirut. Netanyahu said he gave the order in response to...
‘Revolution’ or ‘chaos’: The massive stakes if a Republican becomes California governor
LOS ANGELES — If conservative commentator Steve Hilton is elected California’s next governor, as President Donald Trump wants, it would mark a “political revolution” for the liberal state, the candidate said. The state’s Democrat-controlled Legislature, “after all their years of lecturing us about democracy,” would be forced to work with...
Netanyahu authorizes direct talks with Lebanon in potential boost to ceasefire efforts
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — In a potential boost to Middle East ceasefire efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he authorized direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” aimed at disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbors. The two countries have technically been...
Russian court criminalizes the activities of the Nobel Prize-winning rights group Memorial
Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday effectively criminalized the activities of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning rights group Memorial, the latest step in an unrelenting crackdown on dissent and civil society organizations in the country amid its war in Ukraine. Following a closed-door hearing, the court ruled on a petition from the...
Travelers face higher costs and fewer flight options as jet fuel prices swing
A new reality is setting in for travelers worldwide: rising fees, fewer flight options and difficult decisions about whether a trip is worth the cost. The culprit is volatile oil and jet fuel prices, which have spiked sharply since the war in the Middle East began and fighting near the...
