Associated Press stories, Page 1507
Willow Biden joins long and varied line of White House pets
NEW YORK — Welcome, Willow, to a long line of presidential pets. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden have added a green-eyed tabby from Pennsylvania to the White House family, the first feline tenant since President George W. Bush’s controversially named cat India. The 2-year-old Willow joins Commander,...
Auburn AD says Bruce Pearl is Tigers coach ‘for life’
AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn coach Bruce Pearl agreed to a contract extension to remain on the Plains. Athletic director Allen Greene announced in a video on social media along with Pearl on Friday night that “we locked him up,” beneath the words “for life.” The 61-year-old Pearl led the top-ranked...
Zalatoris, Day charge past Rahm to share lead at FarmersVideo
SAN DIEGO — Will Zalatoris and Jason Day charged past Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas on Friday at Torrey Pines to share the third-round lead at the Farmers Insurance Open. Zalatoris posted the day’s best round with a 7-under-par 65, and two-time Farmers champion Day shot a 67. They were...
Coronation: Rangers retire Henrik Lundqvist’s No. 30 in ceremony
The King has taken his throne in the rafters at Madison Square Garden. Henrik Lundqvist became the 11th player to have his number retired by the New York Rangers when a banner with his name and No. 30 was raised at the Garden before the team’s game against the Minnesota...
W.Va. Gov. tells Bette Midler to kiss dog’s ‘heinie’ — and shows itVideo
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice has a message for singer and actress Bette Midler, who called West Virginians “poor, illiterate and strung out” in a tweet after Sen. Joe Manchin refused to support President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Act. The 70-year-old Republican governor ended his televised State of...
Giants hire Bills O coordinator Brian Daboll as head coach
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants hired Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll as their head coach Friday. Daboll, 46, replaces Joe Judge, who was fired two days after the Giants finished a 4-13 season, their fifth straight double-digit losing season. Daboll spent the previous four seasons as...
Ohio group gathers enough signatures in pot legalization effort
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A group seeking to legalize marijuana in Ohio has gathered enough signatures to put the issue in front of legislators, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said on Friday. The Republican-dominated Legislature will now have four months to decide whether to legalize the use and cultivation of...
Swastikas scrawled on Union Station in Washington
WASHINGTON — Vandals scrawled swastikas on the outside of Union Station, the central hub for regional train transportation in the nation’s capital. The graffiti was discovered Friday, one day after International Holocaust Remembrance Day, with crude Nazi symbols marked on columns across the front of the massive building and several...
After huge pandemic losses, governments see rapid rebound
State and local governments lost at least $117 billion of expected revenue early in the pandemic, according to an Associated Press analysis, but many are now awash in record amounts of money, boosted partly by federal aid. In response to the dramatic turnaround, governors, lawmakers and local officials have proposed...
Jan. 6 committee subpoenas fake Trump electors in 7 states
WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection subpoenaed more than a dozen individuals Friday who it says falsely tried to declare Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 election in seven swing states. The panel is demanding information and testimony from 14 people who it says allegedly...
McIlroy, Hatton surge as Harding leads by 2 shots in DubaiVideo
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Chip-ins from Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton fueled their surge into contention at the Dubai Desert Classic on Friday. The player they will try to catch over the weekend is Justin Harding, whose own spectacular shot in the second round came from much farther out....
‘Peacemaker’ puts John Cena film character in topical light
NEW YORK — In last year’s “The Suicide Squad,” John Cena’s Peacemaker is a jingoistic, bigoted superhero. Transferring the DC Comics character to a TV series spinoff gave writer-director James Gunn a forum to hold the flawed character to the light in these days of political divide. Cena, one of...
Judge OKs agreement to destroy gun used by Kyle Rittenhouse
KENOSHA, Wis. — A Wisconsin judge on Friday approved an agreement by lawyers to destroy the assault-style rifle that Kyle Rittenhouse used to shoot three people during a 2020 street protest. Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger said the state crime lab would destroy the gun, probably in April. Judge Bruce...
Nadal, Medvedev to meet in history-making Australian final
MELBOURNE, Australia — Rafael Nadal is within one victory of a men’s record 21st Grand Slam singles title. He’ll have to beat second-seedeed Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final on Sunday to make history. And Medvedev is chasing a piece of history of his own after beating Stefanos Tsitispas...
‘Tiger King’ Joe Exotic resentenced to 21 years in prison
OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal judge resentenced “Tiger King” Joe Exotic to 21 years in prison on Friday, reducing his punishment by just a year after an appeals court ordered a new sentence. Joe Exotic — whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage — was convicted in a murder-for-hire case involving...
Russia says U.S. ignored its security demands over Ukraine
MOSCOW — Russia said Friday it will not start a war in Ukraine but warned that the U.S. and NATO have ignored its demands and left little room for compromise in the crisis. President Vladimir Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron that the West has failed to consider Russia’s key...
Ex-cop’s trial for Breonna Taylor raid offers new chance for justice
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The only criminal trial to arise from the botched police raid that left Breonna Taylor dead gets underway Friday as hundreds of potential jurors gather at a Louisville courthouse in what activists see as a chance for justice. The former Louisville officer facing trial, Brett Hankison, was...
Young, hungry Bengals off to Kansas City to face grizzled Chiefs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs have been in this position before. Walking across the cold Arrowhead Stadium parking lot, dressing in their revamped locker room, strolling through the narrow tunnel and spilling onto the field for the AFC title game. In fact, the Chiefs have done it...
Star-studded LA Rams host surging 49ers in NFC title game
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Aaron Donald has been around long enough to know he might not get this chance again. The same goes for everybody in the Los Angeles Rams’ constellation of stars around him. Late in his eighth NFL season as the best defensive lineman of his generation, Donald’s career...
WWE star Becky Lynch balances motherhood, beatdowns nearing Royal Rumble
Becky Lynch may have met her match for her toughest foe yet. Bianca Belair and Liv Morgan? Nah, defeated and dumped down the depth chart. Ric Flair? Not quite, largely because it’s a one-sided, old man yelling-at-the-clouds rivalry on the Nature Boy’s part. OK, Ronda Rousey? Hey, if the former...
Former Penn State kicker Robbie Gould shining in ‘Goulden’ years with 49ers
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — When the San Francisco 49ers placed the franchise tag on Robbie Gould three years ago, the kicker had a decision to make. He could re-sign or hang up his cleats after a long, successful career and head back home to the Chicago area to be with...
Mike Macdonald returning to Ravens as defensive coordinator
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens hired Mike Macdonald as their defensive coordinator, bringing him back from the college ranks after a season at Michigan. The Ravens announced the move Thursday night. The 34-year-old Macdonald was Michigan’s defensive coordinator last season, when the Wolverines won the Big Ten and...
Sarah Palin dines out again in New York days after positive virus test
NEW YORK — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was spotted dining out at a New York City restaurant two days after testing positive for the coronavirus. The 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee’s visit Wednesday to the upscale Manhattan eatery Elio’s drew attention from photo-snapping bystanders. It came shortly after she...
No. 1 Rahm shares lead with Thomas, Schenk at Torrey PinesVideo
SAN DIEGO — Top-ranked Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas made the birdies they needed to keep pace on the easier North Course at Torrey Pines on Thursday and shared the lead with hard-charging Adam Schenk after two rounds of the Farmers Insurance Open. Schenk made eight straight birdies to shoot...
Key Pennsylvania Dems to miss Biden visit, cite scheduling conflicts
HARRISBURG — President Joe Biden will appear Friday in Pittsburgh as an opening step in a broader campaign to promote the White House’s achievements in key states before the midterm elections. But two of the three leading Democrats on Pennsylvania’s statewide ballot this spring who were invited to appear with...
