Associated Press stories, Page 1543
Sun Belt Conference sees opportunity as AAC looks into rebuildingVideo
The American Athletic Conference, a league born from the fall of Big East football eight years ago, is in rebuilding mode again. This time, it could find some competition in the market from the Sun Belt when it starts courting new members. Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston, three of the...
CDC finds unvaccinated 11 times more likely to die of covid
New U.S. studies released Friday show the covid-19 vaccines remain highly effective against hospitalizations and death even as the extra-contagious delta variant swept the country. One study tracked over 600,000 covid-19 cases in 13 states from April through mid-July. As delta surged in early summer, those who were unvaccinated were...
Red Sox left Chris Sale tests positive for covid, will miss next startVideo
CHICAGO — Boston ace Chris Sale has tested positive for covid-19 again, sidelining the left-hander while the Red Sox fight for positioning in the crowded AL playoff picture. Sale was scheduled to start Sunday in Chicago against the AL Central-leading White Sox. The seven-time All-Star also had a a mild...
No. 2 Daniil Medvedev into 3rd Grand Slam final at U.S. Open
NEW YORK — Daniil Medvedev twice was a point from finding himself tied at a set apiece in his U.S. Open semifinal against Felix Auger-Aliassime. The No. 2-seeded Medvedev surged out of that tight spot, beat a mistake-prone Auger-Aliassime, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2, on Friday and is headed to his third...
Denny Hamlin hopes to carry momentum into NASCAR playoffs stop at RichmondVideo
RICHMOND, Va. — Denny Hamlin has run up front all season, and he figured luck eventually would be on his side and a return to victory lane would follow. His first victory of the season came last weekend in the playoff opener at Darlington and now he is looking to...
Ravens’ Gus Edwards, Marcus Peters headed to IR; Latavius Murray signedVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens are putting running back Gus Edwards and cornerback Marcus Peters on injured reserve with knee injuries. Coach John Harbaugh announced the moves Friday, describing the injuries as season-ending, noncontact ligament tears from practice. “Gus made a cut — left-to-right cut — and landed...
Browns’ Odell Beckham Jr. questionable, Jadeveon Clowney back for openerVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Odell Beckham Jr.’s playing status for Sunday’s opener at Kansas City remains up in the air. Jadeveon Clowney’s good to go. Beckham, who has mounted a quicker-than-projected comeback from knee surgery, was limited in practice Friday and coach Kevin Stefanski said the star wide receiver is questionable...
Dak Prescott, Cowboys show promise, but have to change history
If Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys are going to see Tom Brady again this season, as the star quarterback boldly told the seven-time champ, they’re going to have to change recent history. Some older stuff, too. Those were Prescott’s parting words after Brady led the Buccaneers to the winning...
Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez make romance official in Venice
After weeks of smooching on yachts and holding hands on intimate walks, Jennifer Lopez and old flame turned new again Ben Affleck made it official Friday night on the red carpet for the premiere of Affleck’s “The Last Duel” at the Venice International Film Festival. She was dripping in Cartier...
U.S. gives 1st public look inside base housing Afghans
The Biden administration on Friday provided the first public look inside a U.S. military base where Afghans airlifted out of Afghanistan are being screened, amid questions about how the government is caring for the refugees and vetting them. “Every Afghan who is here with us has endured a harrowing journey...
FDA official hopeful younger kids can get shots this year
The Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine chief said Friday the agency will rapidly evaluate covid-19 vaccinations for younger children as soon as it gets the needed data — and won’t cut corners. Dr. Peter Marks told The Associated Press he is “very, very hopeful” that vaccinations for 5- to 11-year-olds...
Saudi Arabia, 20 years after 9/11: ‘A country in the making’
The Saudi Arabia of today is far different from the Saudi Arabia of Sept. 11, 2001. All but four of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudi citizens, and the Saudi kingdom was the birthplace of Osama bin Laden, the head of al-Qaida and mastermind of the attack 20 years...
In ‘Fauci,’ a big-screen portrait of a pandemic superstar
John Hoffman and Janet Tobias’ “Fauci” is the first big-screen documentary of the nation’s top infectious disease expert and ubiquitous face of the covid-19 pandemic. It’s an intimate portrait of a longtime public servant whose notoriety has risen dramatically — and with that, brought heaps of far-right scorn on the...
California firefighters chase new fires ignited by lightning
Firefighters scrambled Friday to quash fires ignited by lightning as thunderstorms with mostly small but welcome amounts of rain rumbled across drought-stricken Northern California, where forests have been burning for weeks. Firefighters were diverted from the huge Caldor Fire south of Lake Tahoe to fight multiple overnight lightning fires throughout...
Measles cases halt Afghan evacuee flights from 2 key bases
The U.S. has halted all U.S.-bound flights of Afghan evacuees from two main bases overseas after discovering a limited measles outbreak among Afghans arriving in the United States, a hitch that American officials warned will have a severe impact on an often-troubled U.S.-run evacuation. U.S. Customs and Border Protection made...
Post-Ida recovery in New Orleans: Beer and beignets are back
NEW ORLEANS — Supply trucks are once again delivering beer on Bourbon Street and the landmark Cafe Du Monde is serving beignets, fried pastries covered with white sugar, even though there aren’t many tourists or locals around to partake of either. With almost all the power back on in New...
Court: DeSantis ban on school mask mandates back in force
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The on-again, off-again ban imposed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to prevent mandating masks for Florida school students amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak is back in force. The 1st District Court of Appeal ruled Friday that a Tallahassee judge should not have lifted an automatic stay...
Woman who admitted to Slender Man attack to be freed
MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin woman who admitted to helping stab a classmate to please the horror character Slender Man will be freed Monday from a mental health institution, a judge ruled Friday. Anissa Weier, 19, will be released after spending almost four years at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute....
17th game puts some NFL records within reach
Derrick Henry now has an extra game to help him surpass Eric Dickerson’s 37-year-old rushing record. The quest for the first 2,000-yard receiving season just got a little bit easier for big-play threats like Stefon Diggs and DeAndre Hopkins. And who knows what Patrick Mahomes can do to the record...
Big 12 welcomes BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston
With Oklahoma and Texas on the way out, the Big 12 announced Friday that it has invited BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston to join the Power Five conference and said it has not ruled out further expansion in the future. The eight continuing members of the Big 12 unanimously...
Trevor Bauer won’t pitch again this season, leave extended by MLB
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer will miss the rest of the season. Major League Baseball and the players’ association extended his administrative leave through the end of the World Series on Friday. Bauer was placed on seven days’ paid leave July 2 under the joint domestic violence, sexual assault...
Israeli police kill suspected Jerusalem Palestinian attacker
JERUSALEM — A Palestinian suspected attacker has died shortly after being wounded by Israeli police gunfire in Jerusalem where he had reportedly tried to stab officers Friday, medical sources said. A spokesperson for Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem confirmed the death. Palestinian media reports identified the dead man as Hazem...
Cam Newton believes covid testing mishap contributed to Patriots’ release
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Former Patriots quarterback Cam Newton says he was caught by surprise by his release in New England and believes his weeklong absence near the end of training camp due to a mishap related to covid-19 testing protocols contributed to coach Bill Belichick’s decision. In a 45-minute video...
Giuliani associate pleads guilty in campaign donation case
NEW YORK — A Florida businessman who made headlines for helping Rudy Giuliani seek damaging information on Joe Biden in Ukraine pleaded guilty Friday to a charge alleging he helped facilitate illegal foreign campaign contributions in an effort to build a marijuana business in the U.S. Igor Fruman, 56, entered...
20 years later, fallout from toxic WTC dust cloud grows
NEW YORK — The dust cloud caught Carl Sadler near the East River, turning his clothes and hair white as he looked for a way out of Manhattan after escaping from his office at the World Trade Center. Gray powder billowed through the open windows and terrace door of Mariama...
