Associated Press stories, Page 1654
Villarreal beats Man U on penalties for Europa League titleVideo
GDANSK, Poland — Villarreal goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli decided a marathon shootout by converting his own spot kick and then saving one from counterpart David de Gea as the Spanish team beat Manchester United 11-10 on penalties Wednesday to win the Europa League final. After a 1-1 draw following extra time,...
Woman in racist Central Park confrontation sues over firing
NEW YORK — The white woman who was widely condemned and fired after a videotaped dispute with a Black birdwatcher in Central Park filed a lawsuit against her former employer, accusing the company of not doing an investigation before her termination because of her race and gender. In her federal...
NFL expects full stadiums this season; 2022 salary cap set at $208.2MVideo
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says the league expects full stadiums this season, and players and staff are being encouraged to receive the covid-19 vaccine. “One of the things we’ve obviously learned over the last year is not to make projections too far out,” Goodell said Wednesday following virtual meetings with...
Stocks close modestly higher after choppy day on Wall Street
A choppy day of trading on Wall Street ended with stocks closing higher Wednesday, reversing much of the S&P 500’s modest pullback the day before. The benchmark index ended just under 0.2% higher after wavering between small gains and losses. Retailers and other companies that rely on consumer spending made...
Mickey Callaway banned through at least 2022 after harassment probe
NEW YORK — Former New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway was suspended by Major League Baseball on Wednesday through at least the end of the 2022 season following an investigation of sexual harassment allegations. Shortly after MLB’s announcement of the suspension, the Los Angeles Angels said they had fired Callaway,...
Karine Jean-Pierre makes history giving White House briefingVideo
WASHINGTON — Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday became the first openly gay woman to deliver the White House press briefing and only the second Black woman in history to take on the role. Jean-Pierre, the White House principal deputy press secretary, had briefed reporters aboard Air Force One, but Wednesday marked...
New Era apologizes, pulls hats mocked on social media
NEW YORK — New Era says it pulled a lampooned line of Major League Baseball hats from its website Tuesday and is apologizing for design inaccuracies on the caps meant to pay homage to communities with big league clubs. New Era spokesman Mark Maidment said in a statement Wednesday to...
Mother of Capitol Police officer who died after Jan. 6 urges 1/6 commissionVideo
WASHINGTON — Republicans are poised to block legislation that would create a commission on the Jan. 6 insurrection, despite both a bipartisan effort to salvage the bill and a last-minute push by the mother of a Capitol Police officer who collapsed and died after the siege. Senate Majority Leader Chuck...
Pennsylvania drops legal action against restaurants over pandemic
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Department of Health has dropped its legal action against more than 40 restaurants that were accused of defying state orders to close indoor dining and maintain social-distancing protocols. The Health Department had filed two separate complaints alleging that restaurants were violating pandemic restrictions that Gov. Tom...
West Virginia transgender athlete law challenged in court
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A federal lawsuit was filed Wednesday challenging West Virginia’s new ban on transgender athletes from competing in female sports in middle and high schools and colleges. The American Civil Liberties Union and its West Virginia chapter filed the lawsuit on behalf of an 11-year-old transgender girl who...
Investigation finds no intentional act to derail Pa. sex-abuse vote
HARRISBURG — An internal investigation into an apparent bureaucratic blunder by Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration that scuttled a statewide voter referendum sought by victims of childhood sexual abuse found no evidence of a deliberate attempt to derail it. The Office of Inspector General’s report, released Wednesday, said agents interviewed 22...
Michigan man exonerated of murder after 32 years in prison
DETROIT — A man was exonerated Wednesday after 32 years in prison when authorities agreed that he was wrongly convicted of a fatal stabbing in suburban Detroit based on faulty evidence, including a bite mark on the victim. For years, Gilbert Poole Jr. had challenged his first-degree murder conviction with...
Biden asks U.S. intelligence officials to investigate covid-19 origin
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday asked U.S. intelligence officials to “redouble” their efforts to investigate the origins of the covid-19 pandemic, including the unlikely possibility that the origins of the virus trace to a Chinese lab. After months of minimizing the possibility as a fringe theory, the Biden...
Trevor Lawrence says Tim Tebow is ‘a guy you want to be around’
Trevor Lawrence is excited to have Tim Tebow as a teammate. The Jacksonville Jaguars signed Tebow last week, giving the former Florida star and 2007 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback an opportunity to revive his pro career as a tight end catching passes from their rookie No. 1 overall pick. “He looks...
Judge upholds jail sentence for Penn State ex-president Graham Spanier
HARRISBURG — The former Penn State president who was forced out as the school’s top administrator when Jerry Sandusky was arrested a decade ago will soon have to report to jail after a judge on Wednesday upheld a sentence issued four years ago. The judge ordered Graham Spanier to begin...
8 dead in shooting at rail yard serving Silicon ValleyVideo
SAN JOSE, Calif. — An employee opened fire Wednesday at a California rail yard serving Silicon Valley, killing eight people before ending his own life, authorities said. The shooting took place around 6:30 a.m. in two buildings that are part of a light rail facility for the Valley Transportation Authority,...
Change may allow scientists to grow human embryos longer
LONDON — New guidelines released Wednesday remove a decades-old barrier to stem cell research, recommending that researchers be allowed to grow human embryos longer under limited conditions. The “14-day rule,” an international ethical standard that limits laboratory studies of human embryos, has been in place for decades and has been...
Grammys change rules for album of the year award
The Recording Academy has updated its rules for the album of the year Grammy, giving more producers and songwriters a better chance at winning the top award. The academy announced Wednesday that any producer, songwriter, engineer or featured artist on an album nominated for album of the year will also...
Pope kisses Auschwitz survivor’s tattoo
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has kissed the tattoo of an Auschwitz survivor during a general audience on Wednesday. Lidia Maksymowicz, a Polish citizen who was deported to Auschwitz from her native Belarus by the age of 3, showed the pope the number tattooed on her arm by the Nazis,...
Wisconsin Republicans to hold hearing on UW abortion ban
MADISON, Wis. — All University of Wisconsin System and UW health workers would be banned from performing abortions or training others to perform abortions under a Republican bill up for a public hearing Wednesday in a state legislative committee. The bill’s chief sponsor. Sen. Andre Jacque, said the measure is...
Taliban warns departing U.S. against new bases in region
ISLAMABAD — The Taliban on Wednesday warned the departing U.S. military against setting up bases in the region, and Pakistan vowed no American bases will be allowed on its territory. Pakistan also said drone strikes from Pakistani territory were also a non-starter. The statements come amid speculation the United States,...
Ford: Electric vehicles to be 40% of global sales by 2030
DETROIT — Ford expects 40% of its global sales to be battery-electric vehicles by 2030 as it adds billions to what it’s spending to develop them. Ahead of a presentation to Wall Street on Wednesday, the automaker says it will add about $8 billion to its EV development spending from...
Amazon to buy MGM, studio behind James Bond and ‘Shark Tank’
NEW YORK — Amazon is going Hollywood. The online shopping giant is buying MGM, the movie and TV studio behind James Bond, “Legally Blonde” and “Shark Tank,” with the hopes of filling its video streaming service with more stuff to watch. Amazon is paying $8.45 billion for MGM, making it...
Wayne Gretzky will be part of Turner’s NHL studio
“The Great One” is headed from the front office to a cable television studio. Turner Sports has reached a multi-year agreement with Wayne Gretzky to be a studio analyst when its coverage of the National Hockey League begins in October. He will appear during key moments in the regular season...
Former Sen. John Warner dies at 94, married Elizabeth Taylor
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Former Sen. John W. Warner of Virginia, a centrist Republican who served as Navy secretary and one of the Senate’s most influential military experts, has died at 94, his longtime chief of staff said Wednesday. Warner died Tuesday of heart failure at home in Alexandria, Virginia, with...
