Associated Press stories, Page 1630
Zdeno Chara, 44, returning to Islanders on 1-year contract
Zdeno Chara pondered his future, talked to his family and decided a blast from his past was the right choice for where to play a 24th NHL season. Chara agreed to terms with the New York Islanders on a one-year deal Saturday, returning 25 years later to the organization that...
Heavy police presence as protesters trickle in for DC rally
WASHINGTON — In the shadow of a fortified Capitol, a few hundred demonstrators turned up Saturday for a rally to support those charged in January’s riot, but were vastly outnumbered by the media and a heavy police presence. U.S. Capitol Police were taking no chances, with hundreds of officers brought...
Fearful U.S. residents in Afghanistan hiding out from Taliban
Every night in yet another house in Afghanistan’s capital, a U.S. green card-holding couple from California take turns sleeping, with one always awake to watch over their three young children so they can flee if they hear the footsteps of the Taliban. They’ve moved seven times in two weeks, relying...
Official: U.S. will fly ‘massive’ number of Haitians to Haiti
DEL RIO, Texas — The Biden administration plans on “massive movements” of Haitian migrants in a small Texas border city on flights to Haiti starting Sunday, an official said Friday, representing a swift and dramatic response to thousands who suddenly assembled under and around a bridge. Details are yet to...
Pennsylvania Democrats sue over GOP election ‘investigation’
HARRISBURG — Democrats in Pennsylvania’s state Senate sued Friday evening in a state court to block a Republican-approved subpoena seeking voter information and to put a stop to what Republicans call a “forensic investigation” of last year’s presidential election. Democrats had said they would sue within days after the Republican-controlled...
Q&A: Jeff Ament feels alive again with Pearl Jam’s return
Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament came out of the band’s pandemic sabbatical — which he spent recording a solo album, painting and dabbling in Olympics analysis with his friend Kenny Mayne — to catch some live music this summer. He saw Guns N’ Roses and Brandi Carlile rocking the stage...
New York millionaire Robert Durst guilty of best friend’s murder
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — A Los Angeles jury convicted Robert Durst on Friday of murdering his best friend 20 years ago, a case that took on new life after the New York real estate heir participated in a documentary that connected him to the slaying that was linked to his wife’s...
Hendrick Motorsports stars dodging NASCAR playoff elimination at BristolVideo
A surprisingly strong start to the playoffs for Joe Gibbs Racing — two races, two wins and two drivers locked into the second round — has put Hendrick Motorsports in a precarious position headed into the first elimination race. Alex Bowman and William Byron both start Saturday night’s race at...
Newberry: A tribute to the trailblazers of college football
ATLANTA — When racial protests rocked the nation last summer, the College Football Hall of Fame became a target of the anger. The glass facade that looks out over Centennial Olympic Park was shattered. The gift shop was vandalized. The final toll was a quarter-million dollars in damage. Fortunately, nothing...
FDA advisory panel rejects widespread Pfizer booster shots
WASHINGTON — An influential federal advisory panel overwhelmingly rejected a plan Friday to offer Pfizer booster shots against covid-19 to most Americans, dealing a heavy blow to the Biden administration’s effort to shore up people’s protection amid the highly contagious delta variant. The vote by the committee of outside experts...
Pentagon reverses itself, calls deadly Kabul drone strike an error
The Pentagon retreated from its defense of a drone strike that killed multiple civilians in Afghanistan last month, announcing Friday that a review revealed that only civilians were killed in the attack, not an Islamic State extremist as first believed. “The strike was a tragic mistake,” Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie,...
Payton: Saints to spend Week 3 at TCU, then return home
NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints have decided to continue practicing at TCU next week in preparation for their Week 3 game at New England before returning to their New Orleans-area headquarters in Week 4, when they will host the New York Giants in the Superdome, coach Sean Payton...
California wildfires burn into groves of giant sequoia trees
THREE RIVERS, Calif. — California wildfires have burned into at least four groves of gigantic ancient sequoias in national parks and forests, though cooler weather on Friday helped crews trying to keep the flames away from a famous cluster containing the world’s largest tree. The fires lapped into the groves...
Colorado school shooter to be sentenced to life in prison
DENVER — A former high school student convicted of first degree murder and other charges for a 2019 shooting attack inside a suburban Denver high school that killed one student and injured eight others is set to be sentenced to mandatory life in prison without parole on Friday. Devon Erickson...
Sotheby’s puts rare U.S. Constitution copy for auction
NEW YORK — A very special document will be auctioned off later this year — a rare copy of the U.S. Constitution. Sotheby’s announced Friday — appropriately on Constitution Day — that in November it will put up for auction one of just 11 surviving copies of the Constitution from...
SpaceX’s 1st private crew motivates cancer kids from orbit
SpaceX’s first space tourists are taking in sweeping views of Earth that few have witnessed and motivating children with cancer. The capsule’s four passengers are flying exceedingly high, even by NASA standards. SpaceX got them into a 363-mile orbit following Wednesday night’s launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. That’s 100...
Organizer of Capitol rally this weekend looks to rewrite Jan. 6 history
WASHINGTON — The architect of a Washington protest planned for Saturday that aims to rewrite history about the violent January assault on the U.S. Capitol is hardly a household name. Matt Braynard worked as an analyst for the Republican Party, crunched data for a small election firm and later started...
Navalny app removed from online stores as Russian polls open
An app created by allies of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny disappeared from Apple and Google stores on Friday as polls opened across Russia for three days of voting in a parliamentary election. Russian authorities are seeking to suppress the use of Smart Voting, a project designed by Navalny...
Biden angers France, EU with new Australia, UK initiative
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s decision to form a strategic Indo-Pacific alliance with Australia and Britain to counter China is angering France and the European Union. They’re feeling left out and seeing it as a return to the Trump era. The security initiative, unveiled this week, appears to have brought...
Fact check: Biden’s shaky claims on jobs, gasoline
WASHINGTON — Boasting that government policies can make a difference in improving the economy, President Joe Biden went too far Thursday in taking credit for job growth since taking office. He also made a dubious suggestion that wrongdoing is behind higher gasoline prices — something that his administration will seek...
White House warns that debt limit showdown could hurt states
The White House is warning state and local governments about severe cuts to disaster relief, Medicaid, infrastructure grants. school money and other programs if Congress fails to raise the U.S. debt limit. A fact sheet for state and local officials that was obtained by The Associated Press is an attempt...
Milley: Calls to China were ‘perfectly’ within scope of job
ATHENS, Greece — The top U.S. military officer said Friday that calls he made to his Chinese counterpart in the final stormy months of Donald Trump’s presidency were “perfectly within the duties and responsibilities” of his job. In his first public comments on the conversations, Gen. Mark Milley such said...
Taliban orders male students, teachers to school
ISTANBUL - The Taliban’s education ministry says all male students grades six to 12 and male teachers should resume classes starting Saturday. The statement Friday published on Facebook did not include girls of that age, and the lack of guidance highlighted ongoing concerns that the Taliban might impose restrictions on...
Virginia Tech, West Virginia battle for Black Diamond Trophy
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Black Diamond Trophy has been in No. 15 Virginia Tech’s possession since the current players were preschoolers. It’s time to dust off the prize that has symbolized the rivalry between the Hokies (2-0) and West Virginia (1-1), which began in 1912 but has been played sparingly...
No. 10 Penn State to draw on crowd against No. 22 Auburn
STATE COLLEGE — Sean Clifford’s confidence has grown with each play this fall, and Penn State’s quarterback is about to get a big ego boost. It’ll come from the more than 107,000 fans who’ll pack Beaver Stadium on Saturday night for a rare Big Ten-SEC regular-season showdown between the No....
