Associated Press stories, Page 1466
Gaming while driving: Tesla allows it, Mercedes does recall
A few days after reports surfaced that Tesla allows drivers to play video games on dashboard touch screens while vehicles are moving, Mercedes-Benz has issued a U.S. recall for a simliar issue. The German automaker said in documents posted Friday by U.S. regulators that the issue affected 227 vehicles and...
Michael Nesmith, the Monkee for all seasons, dies at 78
LOS ANGELES — Michael Nesmith, the singer-songwriter, author, actor-director and entrepreneur who will likely be best remembered as the wool-hatted, guitar-strumming member of the made-for-television rock band The Monkees, has died at 78. Nesmith, who had undergone quadruple bypass surgery in 2018, died at home Friday of natural causes, his...
Explainer: Why U.S. inflation is so high, and when it may ease
WASHINGTON — Inflation is starting to look like that unexpected — and unwanted — houseguest who just won’t leave. For months, many economists had sounded a reassuring message that a spike in consumer prices, something that had been missing in action in the U.S. for a generation, wouldn’t stay long....
2021 in Books: ‘Everything feels very magnified’
A 22-year-old poet became a literary star. The enthusiasms of young people on TikTok helped revive Colleen Hoover’s “It Ends With Us,” and other novels released years earlier. Conservatives pushed to restrict the books permitted in classrooms at a time when activists were working to expand them. And the government...
U.S. consumer inflation up 6.8% in past year, most since 1982
WASHINGTON — Prices for U.S. consumers jumped 6.8% in November compared with a year earlier as surging costs for food, energy, housing and other items left Americans enduring their highest annual inflation rate in 39 years. The Labor Department also reported Friday that prices rose 0.8% from October to November...
U.K. opens door to Assange extradition to U.S. on spying charges
LONDON — A British appellate court opened the door Friday for Julian Assange to be extradited to the United States on spying charges by overturning a lower court decision that the WikiLeaks founder’s mental health was too fragile to withstand incarceration in America. The High Court in London ruled that...
Rastafari want more legal marijuana for freedom of worship
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Mosiyah Tafari banged on drums and chanted psalms with other Rastafari in a ballroom where the smoke of frankincense mixed with the fragrant smell of marijuana — which his faith deems sacred. The ceremony in Columbus, Ohio, marked the 91st anniversary of the coronation of the late...
Court won’t stop Texas abortion ban, but lets clinics sue
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday left in place Texas’ ban on most abortions, but ruled that clinics can sue over the state’s most restrictive abortion law in the nation. The court acted more than a month after hearing arguments over the law that makes abortion illegal after cardiac...
2 stars of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ look back at a classic
NEW YORK — It was just another job for child actor Karolyn Grimes. She was 6 and had already done four movies by the summer of 1946 when filming began on “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The only thing she recalls about the biggest movie of her career was being delighted...
Uber helping detectives solve Florida ‘grandparent scams’
TAMPA, Fla. — Detectives in Tampa are asking Uber to help solve a “grandparent scam” that conned $10,000 from a 75-year-old man who was told his granddaughter needed the money to get out of jail. Uber also is helping the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office find suspects in a long-running con that...
Report: Trump slammed Netanyahu for congratulating Biden
JERUSALEM — Former President Donald Trump earlier this year lashed out with profanity at Benjamin Netanyahu for congratulating President Joe Biden on his victory in the U.S. election, an Israeli newspaper reported Friday. Trump accused the former Israeli leader of disloyalty, saying he had helped Netanyahu in his own elections...
Al Unser, a 4-time winner of Indianapolis 500, dies at 82
Al Unser, one of only four drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 a record four times, died Thursday following a long illness. He was 82. Unser died at his home in Chama, New Mexico, with his wife, Susan, by his side, Indianapolis Motor Speedway said early Friday. He had been...
UN: Afghanistan’s economy is collapsing ‘before our eyes’
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. humanitarian chief warned that Afghanistan’s economic collapse “is happening before our eyes” and urged the international community to take action to stop “the freefall” before it leads to more deaths. Martin Griffiths said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday that donor nations...
This date in sports history: Dec. 10
1939 — The Green Bay Packers register the first shutout in an NFL championship game by beating the New York Giants 27-0. 1961 — Billy Cannon of the Houston Oilers rushes for 216 yards, catches five passes for 114 yards and scores five touchdowns in a 48-21 victory over the...
Denver Broncos great Demaryius Thomas dies at 33
ATLANTA — Demaryius Thomas overcame a troubled childhood. He managed to shine as a receiver in Georgia Tech’s run-oriented offense. By the time his NFL career was over, he had earned five straight Pro Bowl honors and a Super Bowl ring with the Denver Broncos. The football world mourned Friday...
Senate passes bill easing way for debt limit increase
WASHINGTON — The Senate moved ahead Thursday with legislation that would create a one-time, fast-track process for raising the debt limit, overcoming a Republican filibuster and likely averting another last-minute rush to avoid a devastating federal default. The bill fits the two goals that Republican leader Mitch McConnell had set...
California adopts tough standards for trucks, lawn equipment
SACRAMENTO — Forget speeding tickets — California truck drivers will soon have to watch out for pollution tickets. State regulators on Thursday voted to crack down on heavy duty trucks weighing more than 14,000 pounds — those big semi-trailers that make up just 3% of all vehicles in California but...
Biden calls on leaders to end ‘backward slide’ of democracy
WASHINGTON — President Biden expressed alarm at a “backward slide” of democracy around the globe on Thursday, calling on fellow world leaders to work with him to bolster democratic institutions as his administration grows increasingly concerned about China’s and Russia’s push for global influence. Biden’s comments to more than 100...
AP-NORC Poll: Income is up, but Americans focus on inflation
WASHINGTON — Americans’ overall income has accelerated since the pandemic, but so has inflation — and a new poll finds that far more people are noticing the higher prices than the pay gains. Two-thirds say their household costs have risen since the pandemic, compared with only about a quarter who...
55 dead after truck smuggling migrants crashes in Mexico
TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico — Rescue workers arriving at a road accident in southern Mexico found a horrific scene: A tractor trailer jammed with as many as 200 migrants crashed into the base of a steel pedestrian bridge, killing 55 and injuring dozens. The migrants inside the tipped-over trailer were tossed...
Judge: Texas abortion law’s enforcement mechanism not valid
AUSTIN — A Texas judge said Thursday the enforcement mechanism behind the nation’s strictest abortion law— which rewards lawsuits against violators by awarding judgments of $10,000 — is unconstitutional in a narrow ruling that still leaves a near-total ban on abortions in place. State District Judge David Peeples of Austin...
Jussie Smollett convicted of staging attack, lying to police
CHICAGO — Former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett was convicted Thursday on charges he staged an anti-gay, racist attack on himself nearly three years ago and then lied to Chicago police about it. In the courtroom as the verdict was read, Smollett stood and faced the jury, showing no visible reaction....
Philly lawyer may join GOP field running for U.S. Senate seat
HARRISBURG — George Bochetto, a prominent Philadelphia lawyer and Republican whose cases have often landed in the public spotlight, said Thursday that he is seriously considering running for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat. In a brief interview, Bochetto, 69, said he is “looking at it very, very seriously and it’s...
Court rejects Trump’s efforts to keep records from 1/6 panel
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court ruled Thursday against an effort by former President Donald Trump to shield documents from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. In a 68-page ruling, the three-judge panel tossed aside Trump’s various arguments for blocking through executive privilege records that...
California pushes composting to lower food waste emissions
DAVIS, Calif. — Banana peels, chicken bones and leftover veggies won’t have a place in California trashcans under the nation’s largest mandatory residential food waste recycling program that’s set to take effect in January. The effort is designed to keep landfills in the most populous U.S. state clear of food...
