Associated Press stories, Page 1690
Title rewards Giannis Antetokounmpo’s commitment to Bucks
MILWAUKEE — This could have been the offseason in which Giannis Antetokounmpo entered the free-agent market and perhaps teamed up with another superstar to try winning multiple NBA titles together. Antetokounmpo instead will spend the summer celebrating a championship he won with the team that picked him. Leading the Milwaukee...
Tokyo Games boast nearly equal gender participation for 1st time
Grace Luczak had left competitive rowing and taken a job in the private sector when a move toward gender equity at the Tokyo Games lured her back into a boat. A women’s rowing event was added to create a more inclusive Olympics, which meant four additional seats on the U.S....
Maria Taylor leaving ESPN after failing to reach contract extension
Maria Taylor is leaving ESPN after the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on a contract extension. Taylor had been with ESPN since 2014 but her contract expired Tuesday. Her last assignment for the network was Tuesday night at the NBA Finals, where she was the pregame and...
Cocaine disguised as cake seized from vehicle in Maine
A New York man and a Maine woman are facing charges over cocaine disguised as a cake that was seized from their vehicle, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency said Wednesday. Acting on a tip, police stopped the car on Interstate 295 in Gardiner on Tuesday, and a drug-sniffing dog found...
Infrastructure bill fails first vote; Senate to try again
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans rejected an effort Wednesday to begin debate on the big infrastructure deal that a bipartisan group of senators brokered with President Joe Biden. But supporters in both parties remained hopeful of a better chance soon. Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York had scheduled the...
Covid-19 cases in U.S. triple over 2 weeks amid misinformationVideo
MISSION, Kan. — Covid-19 cases tripled in the United States over two weeks amid an onslaught of vaccine misinformation that is straining hospitals, exhausting doctors and pushing clergy into the fray. “Our staff, they are frustrated,” said Chad Neilsen, director of infection prevention at UF Health Jacksonville, a Florida hospital...
Judge: $150M initially for victims in Florida condo collapse
Victims and families who suffered losses in the collapse of a 12-story oceanfront Florida condominium will get a minimum of $150 million in compensation initially, a judge said Wednesday. That sum includes about $50 million in insurance on the Champlain Towers South building and at least $100 million in proceeds...
Pennsylvania defends new, no-bid deal for contact tracing
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania health officials on Wednesday defended their decision to award another no-bid deal for covid-19 contact tracing after a serious data breach involving the state’s previous vendor, calling it an urgent priority with cases rising and schools preparing to reopen for fall. The Department of Health awarded a...
Browns QB Baker Mayfield not stressing about contract situation
GATES MILLS, Ohio — Baker Mayfield is letting everyone else stress over his contract situation and future with the Browns. He’s got other priorities. “I’m about winning,” Mayfield said Tuesday while hosting more than 300 youngsters at his football camp. “And I think everything will play itself out. I’m not...
Federal judge blocks Arkansas trans youth treatment ban
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked enforcement of Arkansas’ ban on gender confirming treatments for transgender youth while a lawsuit challenging the prohibition proceeds. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in May asking U.S. District Judge Jay Moody in Little Rock to strike...
GOP may boycott Jan. 6 probe after Pelosi blocks members
WASHINGTON — House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy says the GOP won’t participate in a House investigation of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol if Democrats won’t accept the members he appointed. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday rejected two of McCarthy’s five picks to the panel, Indiana Rep. Jim...
U.K. man arrested in Spain, charged in U.S. with Twitter hack
WASHINGTON — A British man has been charged in the United States in connection with a Twitter hack last summer that compromised the accounts of prominent politicians, celebrities and technology moguls, the Justice Department said Wednesday. Joseph O’Connor, 22, was arrested in the coastal resort town of Estepona, Spain, on...
Pelosi moves to block Trump allies from Jan. 6 committee
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is rejecting two Republicans tapped by House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy to sit on a committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, citing the “integrity” of the probe. Pelosi said in a statement Wednesday that she would not accept the appointments of Indiana Rep....
Pennsylvania decertifies Fulton County’s voting system after ‘audit’
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s top election official has decertified the voting machines of a small southern county that disclosed that it had agreed to requests by local Republican lawmakers and allowed a software firm to inspect the machines as part of an “audit” after the 2020 election. The action by Acting...
Bette Midler, Berry Gordy among new Kennedy Center honorees
The Kennedy Center Honors will return in December with a class that includes Motown Records creator Berry Gordy, “Saturday Night Live” mastermind Lorne Michaels and actress-singer Bette Midler. Organizers expect to operate at full capacity, after last year’s ceremony was delayed for months and later conducted under covid-19 restrictions. This...
Pa. Supreme Court deals blow to outdated claims of child sexual abuse
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s high court on Wednesday dealt a blow to victims of child sexual abuse who had hoped to revive their otherwise outdated claims, throwing out a lawsuit by a woman whose lower court legal victory had given hope to similarly situated victims who sued in the wake of...
Explainer: What’s making mid-Atlantic songbirds sick?
WASHINGTON — A mysterious ailment has sickened and killed thousands of songbirds in several mid-Atlantic states, including Pennsylvania, since late spring. While scientists are still racing to confirm the cause, it seems juvenile birds may be most susceptible. The U.S. Geological Survey, which oversees responses to some natural hazards and...
Expansion Seattle Kraken make Jeremy Lauzon top pick
SEATTLE — The Seattle Kraken chose Boston defenseman Jeremy Lauzon with the first pick in their expansion draft Wednesday night. They introduced pending free agent Chris Driedger as their first goaltender and passed on Montreal’s Carey Price. Driedger agreed to terms on a $10.5 million, three-year contract to join Seattle....
Sue Bird, Eddy Alvarez to carry American flag at Olympic opening ceremony
Four-time Olympic women’s basketball gold medalist Sue Bird and baseball player Eddy Alvarez were chosen as U.S. flag bearers for the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Friday night. Alvarez, who won a silver medal in speedskating at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, and Bird were chosen by a vote of...
Sweden clobbers U.S. women’s soccer team in Olympic opener
TOKYO — Sweden didn’t have to bunker down on defense against the Americans this time. Stina Blackstenius scored a pair of goals and the Swedes stunned the United States at the Olympics with a 3-0 victory Wednesday in the women’s soccer tournament. The Americans, ranked No. 1 in the world...
Japan, U.S., South Korea reaffirm cooperation on North Korea
TOKYO — The United States, Japan and South Korea on Wednesday reaffirmed their commitment to work together on North Korea’s denuclearization and other regional threats but made no progress in bringing closer together the two U.S. allies. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who held talks in Tokyo with...
Seemingly safe GOP incumbents under attack from right-wing
OKLAHOMA CITY — Republican U.S. Sen. James Lankford would seem to have all the conservative credentials he’d need to coast to reelection in deep-red Oklahoma. A devout Baptist, Lankford was the director of the nation’s largest Christian youth camp for more than a decade. He speaks out regularly against abortion...
Ford, Argo AI to deploy autonomous vehicles on Lyft network
DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. and a self-driving vehicle company it partly owns will join with the Lyft ride-hailing service to offer autonomous rides on the Lyft network. The service using Ford vehicles and a driving system developed by Pittsburgh-based Argo AI will begin in Miami later this year and...
Report: U.K. border officers to stop routine covid checks
LONDON — U.K. border officers have been directed to stop routinely checking whether travelers from many countries have tested negative for covid-19, British media reported Wednesday, citing leaked government documents. While the change is designed to reduce waiting times for airport immigration checks, it has raised concerns about importing new...
Behind 50 points from Giannis, Bucks beat Suns to end 50-year NBA title drought
MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo ended one of the greatest NBA Finals ever with 50 points — and a championship Milwaukee waited 50 years to win again. Antetokounmpo had 50 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots as the Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 105-98 on Tuesday night to win the...
