Associated Press stories, Page 1476

YouTube announced a wide crackdown of vaccine misinformation Wednesday that booted popular anti-vaccine influencers from its site and deleted false claims that have been made about a range of immunizations. The video-sharing platform said it will no longer allow users to baselessly speculate that approved vaccines, like the ones given...

MIAMI — Beachgoers along the east coast of the United States should beware of life-threatening surf and rip currents this weekend as Hurricane Sam turns northward, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday. Forecasters expect the Category 4 hurricane to remain at sea, but with top wind of 130 mph, it’s...

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Federal prosecutors assert that everybody who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 should be evaluated individually when deciding whether a prison sentence is warranted. On Wednesday, a judge accepted the Justice Department’s assessment that two friends from Ohio fall into a category of rioters who...

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Legislature voted Wednesday to again extend hundreds of regulatory waivers that Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration had approved under its pandemic-related disaster emergency authority. The House and Senate voted unanimously to add another six months to a prior extension they granted, as the delta variant of the...

WASHINGTON — Senior Pentagon officials said Wednesday the collapse of the Afghan government and its security forces in August could be traced to a 2020 U.S. agreement with the Taliban that promised a complete U.S. troop withdrawal. Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of Central Command, told the House Armed Services...

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Wednesday that it successfully tested a new hypersonic missile it implied was being developed as nuclear capable, as it continues to expand its military capabilities and pressure Washington and Seoul over long-stalled negotiations over its nuclear weapons. The missile test early Tuesday was...

IRONTON, La. — The land on which Audrey Trufant Salvant’s home sits in the small Louisiana town of Ironton has become an island in a sea of mud and snake-infested marsh grass. Nearby houses are disconnected from their foundations, a refrigerator is lodged sideways in a tree, and dozens of...

The NCAA women’s basketball tournament will start using “March Madness” in marketing and branding beginning this season. Using the phrase, which has been associated with the men’s tournament for years, was one of the recommendations stemming from an external review of gender equity issues of the tournaments. The report released...

ROSEMONT, Ill. — The college sports leaders who run the College Football Playoff have about four months to come to an agreement on a new format if expansion is to be implemented for the 2024 season. If they can’t get it done by then, any change to the way major...

BILLINGS, Mont. — Death’s come knocking a last time for the splendid ivory-billed woodpecker and 22 more birds, fish and other species: The U.S. government is declaring them extinct. It’s a rare move for wildlife officials to give up hope on a plant or animal, but government scientists say they’ve...

LONDON — A prosecutor argued Wednesday that a serving London police officer handcuffed a woman on the pretext of breaking covid-19 lockdown rules before he kidnapped and killed her. Wayne Couzens, 48, appeared at London’s Central Criminal Court charged with the kidnap, rape and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard, who...

THESSALONIKI, Greece — Police in northern Greece have arrested six people and detained at least 40 others following clashes involving youths backed by an extreme right-wing political group. The youths entered a vocational high school and hurled gasoline bombs, flares and rocks at a rival gathering organized by left-wing university...

QUITO, Ecuador — A battle between prison gangs in the coastal city of Guayaquil killed 30 inmates and injured 47, according to Ecuadorian officials. Police Commander Fabian Bustos told reporters that a police and military operation had regained control of the prison after five hours. He said several weapons had...

WASHINGTON — The newly installed chief of the U.S. Capitol Police says the force, still struggling six months after an insurrection that left its officers battled, bloodied and bruised, “cannot afford to be complacent.” The risk to lawmakers is higher than ever. And the threat from lone-wolf attackers is only...

MANILA, Philippines — Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is officially hanging up his gloves. The eight-division world champion and Philippines senator on Wednesday announced his retirement from the ring. “As I hang up my boxing gloves, I would like to thank the whole world, especially the Filipino people for supporting Manny...

MONTGOMERY — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday defended her state’s plan to use pandemic relief funds to build new prisons —saying the $400 million expenditure is both allowed and needed — while a legislative committee swiftly advanced the construction plan. Ivey issued a response to U.S. House Judiciary Committee...

CINCINNATI — Luke Fickell understands that idle weeks can come in handy during a grueling college football season. He’s just not sure that the week off enjoyed by his Cincinnati players came at the best time. The No. 7 Bearcats were off last week after improving to 3-0 by coming...

WASHINGTON — Pfizer has submitted research to the Food and Drug Administration on the effectiveness of its covid-19 vaccine in children but the shots may not be available until November. The company said Tuesday it provided health regulators with data from a recent study of its vaccine in children 5...

RIDGEFIELD, Wash. — A southwest Washington man who pleaded guilty in a scheme in which he enticed and pressured teens into sending him sexually explicit photos and videos has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Joshua Punt, of Ridgefield, pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court in...

A bill that would allow parents in Pennsylvania to exempt their children from wearing a mask at school cleared a state Senate committee on Tuesday as Republican lawmakers started making good on their pledge to counter the governor’s statewide mask mandate. The legislation would hand the ultimate decision on masking...