Associated Press stories, Page 1518
Blinken to visit Ukraine as U.S.-Russia tensions escalateVideo
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Ukraine this week and meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as tensions between the U.S. and Russia escalate over a possible Russian invasion of its neighbor, the State Department said Tuesday. Blinken will be in Kyiv on a hastily arranged trip to...
Biden year 1 takeaways: Grand ambitions, humbling defeats
Joe Biden’s long arc in public life has always had one final ambition: to sit behind the Resolute Desk of the Oval Office. He achieved it — albeit, at 78, as the oldest person to assume the presidency. After the turbulence and chaos of his predecessor, Donald Trump, Biden was...
Suspended professor who made profanity-filled video threatens to sue if he’s not reinstated
DETROIT — A Michigan professor who was suspended after making a profanity-filled video for his students is threatening to file a lawsuit if Ferris State University doesn’t quickly lift the sanction. An attorney for Barry Mehler warned the school in a letter Tuesday, saying the history teacher is protected by...
Matt Stafford propels Rams past Cardinals in playoff routVideo
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Matthew Stafford passed for 202 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score in his first playoff victory, and the Los Angeles Rams roared out of the wild-card round with a 34-11 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night. Odell Beckham Jr. and Cooper Kupp...
Nets guard Kryie Irving steadfast in decision not to get vaccinated for covid-19Video
CLEVELAND — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving insists an injury to teammate Kevin Durant won’t change his stance on not getting the covid-19 vaccine. Irving, who only recently returned to action after a drawn-out stalemate over getting vaccinated, said Monday following a loss to the Cavaliers that he has no...
Abortion clinics challenging Texas law dealt new setback
NEW ORLEANS — A federal appeals court on Monday steered a decision about Texas’ strict abortion law to the state’s Republican-majority Supreme Court, dealing opponents another defeat and raising their concerns that the near-total ban on abortions will remain intact for the foreseeable future. The Texas law that bans abortion...
Winter storm whipping northeast U.S. with snow, thunderstormsVideo
NEW YORK — A dangerous winter storm brought significant snowfall, strong thunderstorms and blustery wind to the northeastern United States on a holiday Monday. The storm system dropped a foot or more of snow in parts of New York state, Ohio and Pennsylvania Sunday night through Monday morning after pummeling...
Novak Djokovic lands in Serbia as questions arise over French Open
BELGRADE, Serbia — Novak Djokovic returned home Monday after being thwarted from defending his Australian Open title only to face a new predicament: He could be barred from the French Open this year, too, if he’s still not vaccinated against covid-19. A plane carrying the No. 1-ranked player touched down...
Las Vegas Raiders oust GM Mike Mayock after 3 seasons
The Las Vegas Raiders fired general manager Mike Mayock after three seasons and will begin a search for a coach and GM following their second playoff berth in the past 19 seasons. The Raiders announced the move to get rid of Mayock on Monday, two days after losing their wild-card...
North Korea fires short-range missiles in 4th launch this monthVideo
North Korea fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea Monday in its fourth weapons launch this month, South Korea’s military said, with the apparent goal of demonstrating its military might during paused diplomacy with the United States and pandemic border closures. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North...
D-line thinned by injuries as Bengals prepare for Titans
CINCINNATI — After the Bengals won a playoff game for the first time in three decades last Saturday, coach Zac Taylor and a few players delivered game balls to three Cincinnati sports bars as a way of thanking fans who stuck with them through the bad times. “I think the...
Out of this world: 555.55-carat black diamond lands in Dubai
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Auction house Sotheby’s Dubai has unveiled a diamond that’s literally from out of this world. Sotheby’s calls the 555.55-carat black diamond — believed to have come from outer space — “The Enigma.” The rare gem was shown off on Monday to journalists as part of...
Official: Alec Baldwin surrenders phone for shooting probe
SANTA FE, N.M. — Alec Baldwin has surrendered his cellphone to authorities as part of the investigation into a fatal shooting on a New Mexico film set last fall, a law enforcement official said. Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Juan Rios said Baldwin’s phone was turned over Friday to...
Chiefs open up offense against Pittsburgh, eye Buffalo next
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs had to learn to dink and dunk their way through this entire season, contrary to every instinct of go-for-broke quarterback Patrick Mahomes, as opposing defenses simply refused to let themselves get beaten deep. You can bet they relished the opportunity to open...
South Carolina still No. 1 in women’s Top 25; Oklahoma jumps 9 spots
South Carolina remained the No. 1 team in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll released Monday. The Gamecocks received 28 of the 30 first-place votes from a national media panel after beating Texas A&M and Arkansas last week. South Carolina is off until hosting Vanderbilt next Monday. There was...
Flights sent to assess Tonga damage after volcanic eruptionVideo
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand and Australia were able to send military surveillance flights to Tonga on Monday to assess the damage a huge undersea volcanic eruption left in the Pacific island nation. A towering ash cloud since Saturday’s eruption had prevented earlier flights. New Zealand hopes to send...
Gonzaga back at No. 1 in AP Top 25; Auburn up to No. 2
A wild week of upsets led to big changes in the AP Top 25. Amid the chaos, a familiar team returned to the top. Preseason No. 1 Gonzaga climbed back to the top of The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll released Monday, ending Baylor’s five-week run. The Bulldogs had...
Western Pa. native, Pitt grad helped shine new light on betrayal of Anne Frank
AMSTERDAM — A cold case team that combed through evidence for five years in a bid to unravel one of World War II’s enduring mysteries has reached what it calls the “most likely scenario” of who betrayed Jewish teenage diarist Anne Frank and her family. Their answer, outlined in a...
On MLK Day, Janet Yellen says U.S. economy is unfair to Black people
ATLANTA — The U.S. economy “has never worked fairly for Black Americans — or, really, for any American of color,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a speech delivered Monday, one of many by national leaders acknowledging unmet needs for racial equality on Martin Luther King Day. Major events for...
In Greece, unvaccinated people 60 and up face monthly fines
ATHENS, Greece — Greece imposed a vaccination mandate Monday for people 60 and older, as the country’s vaccination rate remains below the European Union average and a spike in infections has put sustained pressure on Greek hospitals. Older people failing to get vaccinated will face penalties, starting at a 50-euro...
Pandemic hasn’t slowed China’s love for U.S. lobster
PORTLAND, Maine — China is showing no signs of slowing its demand for American lobster this year despite disruption to the supply chain and international trade caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Chinese demand for the crustaceans grew dramatically during the 2010s in part because of the expansion of the country’s...
Russia denies looking for pretext to invade Ukraine
MOSCOW — Russia’s top diplomat on Monday angrily rejected the U.S. allegations that it was preparing a pretext to invade Ukraine as Russian troops have remained concentrated near the border. The White House said Friday that U.S. intelligence officials had concluded that Russia had already deployed operatives to rebel-controlled eastern...
With Novak Djokovic gone, Naomi Osaka starts her Australian Open defenseVideo
MELBOURNE, Australia — The Australian Open started Monday without nine-time champion Novak Djokovic and, finally, the focus was on forehands and backhands instead of his fight to avoid deportation because he isn’t vaccinated against covid-19. And it got started in a big way, with a combined 64 matches scheduled on...
Hideki Matsuyama caps big rally with eagle to win Sony Open in playoffVideo
HONOLULU — Hideki Matsuyama made up a five-shot deficit on the back nine and then won the Sony Open in a playoff with one of the best shots he never saw, a 3-wood into the sun to 3 feet for an eagle to beat Russell Henley on Sunday. The eighth...
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz disbands diversity group created after 2020 probeVideo
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz disbanded an alumni advisory committee that was created after a 2020 investigation found evidence of racial bias against Black players in his program and bullying behavior by some of his assistants. The Gazette reported Ferentz’ decision to end the committee came...
