Associated Press stories, Page 144
Scottie Scheffler with a 64 sets a daunting target at the British Open
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — The rain pounded Royal Portrush right when Scottie Scheffler poured in a birdie putt on his first hole Friday at the British Open. No matter. Nothing stopped the world’s No. 1 player on his way to a 7-under-par 64 to build a one-shot lead going into...
Trump appointees pushed more marble in Fed building renovation White House now attacks
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has looked to the marble finishes and hefty price tag of the Federal Reserve headquarters to claim grounds to fire Chair Jerome Powell, with whom he has tussled for years over interest rates. But the extensive use of marble in the building is, at least...
Man accused of stockpiling bombs, using Biden photo for target practice, pleads guilty
NORFOLK, Va. — A Virginia man pleaded guilty Friday in a federal case that accused him of stockpiling the largest number of finished explosives in FBI history and of using then-President Joe Biden’s photo for target practice. Brad Spafford pleaded guilty in federal court in Norfolk to possession of an...
Education Department will release some frozen grants supporting after-school and summer programs
WASHINGTON — The Education Department will release some previously withheld grant money for after-school programs, days after 10 Republican senators sent a letter imploring the Office of Management and Budget to allow the funds to be sent to states. President Donald Trump’s administration on July 1 withheld more than $6...
Judge restores Democrat to Federal Trade Commission, ruling her firing by Trump was illegal
A federal judge has restored a Democrat to the Federal Trade Commission, ruling that President Donald Trump illegally fired her earlier this year in his efforts to exert control over independent agencies across the government. U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan ruled late Thursday that federal law protects FTC commissioners from...
Trump administration seeks release of Epstein grand jury records but not Justice Department files
WASHINGTON — Under intense pressure from President Donald Trump’s own supporters, his administration now says it will push a court to unseal secret documents related to Jeffrey Epstein’s case in an effort to put to rest for good a political crisis largely of its own making. But even if those...
‘It’s just how I am’: Tyrrell Hatton chunters and curses his way into contention at the British Open
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — He curses out loud, he slams his clubs, he castigates himself — and his ball. All sometimes on the same hole. Tyrrell Hatton, a combustible English golfer, can divide opinion with his on-course conduct but few can argue about the quality of his game. And this...
Wisconsin elections officials find clerk broke laws over uncounted ballots
MADISON, Wis . — Wisconsin elections officials declared Thursday that the former clerk of the state’s capital city broke several laws related to not counting nearly 200 absentee ballots in the November presidential election, but they stopped short of recommending criminal charges be brought. The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission voted...
Germany deports 81 Afghan nationals to their homeland in 2nd flight since the Taliban’s return
BERLIN — Germany deported dozens of Afghan men to their homeland on Friday, the second time it has done so since the Taliban returned to power and the first since a new government pledging a tougher line on migration took office in Berlin. German authorities said a flight took off...
Civil rights work is slowing as Trump dismantles the Education Department, agency data shows
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration insists it hasn’t wavered in its duty to protect the civil rights of America’s children even as it dismantles the Education Department. Yet its own data shows the agency has resolved far fewer civil rights cases than in past years despite families filing more complaints....
House Republicans grasp for response to demands for transparency in Epstein case
WASHINGTON — House Republicans were grasping late Thursday to formulate a response to the Trump administration’s handling of records in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case, ultimately putting forward a resolution that carries no legal weight but nodded to the growing demand for greater transparency. The House resolution, which could...
House approves Trump’s $9 billion cut to public broadcasting, foreign aid
WASHINGTON — The House gave final approval to President Donald Trump’s request to claw back about $9 billion for public broadcasting and foreign aid early Friday as Republicans intensified their efforts to target institutions and programs they view as bloated or out of step with their agenda. The vote marked...
House gives final approval to Trump’s $9 billion cut to public broadcasting and foreign aid
WASHINGTON — The House gave final approval to President Donald Trump’s request to claw back about $9 billion for public broadcasting and foreign aid early Friday as Republicans intensified their efforts to target institutions and programs they view as bloated or out of step with their agenda. The vote marked...
Lloyd Howell steps down as executive director of NFL Players Association
Lloyd Howell has resigned as executive director of the NFL Players Association, citing distractions his leadership has caused in recent weeks. “Two years ago, I accepted the role of Executive Director of the NFLPA because I believe deeply in the mission of this union and the power of collective action...
Trump mired in Epstein controversy as Wall Street Journal reports on 2003 letter
WASHINGTON — The controversy over President Donald Trump ‘s handling of records from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation entered a new dimension Thursday as his administration struggles to make good on its promises to release details on the sex trafficking case involving a one-time friend of the now-president. Trump promised a...
Rushing to save swimmers, former baseball player and police officer loses his life
PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. — Chase Childers, a former minor league baseball player and ex-police officer, has died after rushing into the ocean to save swimmers in a rip current, according to police in South Carolina and a GoFundMe page for his family. Trying to help a family of five, Childers...
Stephen Colbert says CBS is ending his ‘Late Show’ in May 2026Video
CBS is axing “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” in May 2026, the host told an audience at a taping Thursday. The announcement came two days after Colbert spoke out against Paramount Global, parent company of his network CBS, settling with President Donald Trump over a “60 Minutes” story. “I...
Damian Lillard returns to the Trail Blazers on a 3-year deal worth $42 million
PORTLAND, Ore. — Damian Lillard is back where he started. Lillard signed a three-year deal worth $42 million to return to the Portland Trail Blazers, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because...
Trump administration hands over Medicaid recipients’ personal data, including addresses, to ICE
WASHINGTON — Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will be given access to the personal data of the nation’s 79 million Medicaid enrollees, including home addresses and ethnicities, to track down immigrants who may not be living legally in the United States, according to an agreement obtained by The Associated Press....
Veteran 1B Rowdy Tellez works out with Texas Rangers in anticipation of joining their roster
ARLINGTON, Texas — Veteran first baseman Rowdy Tellez took part in a workout with the Texas Rangers on Thursday, with the anticipation that he will be added to their roster before the first game after the All-Star break. Tellez signed a minor-league deal with the Rangers on July 5, a...
An Idaho judge has lifted a sweeping gag order in Bryan Kohberger’s quadruple murder case
BOISE — An Idaho judge lifted a sweeping gag order Thursday in Bryan Kohberger’s quadruple murder case. Kohberger avoided a potential death sentence by pleading guilty earlier this month to the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students at a rental home near campus in 2022. A coalition...
Felix Baumgartner, the 1st skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound, dies in crash in Italy
MILAN — Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner, the first skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound during a 24-mile leap through the stratosphere more than a decade ago, was killed in a crash Thursday along the eastern coast of Italy, according to an official where the crash occurred. He...
U.S. says it destroyed 500 metric tons of expired food aid but it won’t affect future distribution
WASHINGTON — The State Department says its destruction of 500 metric tons of emergency food aid that was stored in a warehouse in the Middle East was required because it had expired and that the move will not affect the distribution of similar assistance moving forward. The high energy biscuits...
Beef prices have soared in the U.S. — and not just during grilling season
OMAHA, Neb. — Anyone firing up the grill this summer already knows hamburger patties and steaks are expensive, but the latest numbers show prices have climbed increasingly fast. And experts say consumers shouldn’t expect much relief soon either. The average price of a pound of ground beef rose to $6.12...
McIlroy makes amends in Portrush homecoming with first-round 70 at British Open
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Rory McIlroy was experiencing that sinking feeling again on the first hole at Royal Portrush. OK, the returning hometown hero hadn’t hit his drive out-of-bounds this time. No spectator’s phone had been smashed. He hadn’t made a quadruple bogey, either. So, for sure, this wasn’t as...
