Associated Press stories, Page 1693
Russian troops start pulling back from Ukrainian border
MOSCOW — Russian troops began pulling back to their permanent bases Friday after a massive buildup that caused Ukrainian and Western concerns. On Thursday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu declared the sweeping maneuvers in Crimea and wide swaths of western Russia over, and ordered the military to pull the troops...
SpaceX launches 3rd crew in under year, fly on reused rocket
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched four astronauts into orbit Friday using a recycled rocket and capsule, the third crew flight in less than a year for Elon Musk’s rapidly expanding company. The astronauts from the U.S., Japan and France should reach the International Space Station early Saturday morning, following...
Albuquerque seeks $200K from Trump campaign for security
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, has referred former President Donald Trump’s campaign to a collection agency over nonpayment of a bill related to security costs for a campaign rally he held in 2019. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said the bill for $211,175.94 covers security costs stemming...
Low on beds, oxygen, India adds global high 314,000 coronavirus casesVideo
NEW DELHI — India reported a global record of more than 314,000 new infections Thursday as a grim coronavirus surge in the world’s second-most populous country sends more and more sick people into a fragile health care system critically short of hospital beds and oxygen. The 314,835 infections added in...
Explosion at New Hampshire gender reveal party rocks several towns
KINGSTON, N.H. — One New Hampshire family’s gender reveal party was definitely a blast. Kingston police said they received reports of a loud explosion Tuesday that could be heard in several towns and as far away as Massachusetts. They responded to Torromeo quarry where they found people who acknowledged holding...
Man pleads guilty in fatal shootings of 8 from Ohio familyVideo
A man pleaded guilty in the murders of his child’s mother and seven other members of her family on Thursday, the fifth anniversary of when the shootings were discovered in southern Ohio. Edward “Jake” Wagner pleaded guilty to 23 counts in Pike County court in a deal with prosecutors that...
Les McKeown, who fronted the Bay City Rollers, dies at 65Video
LONDON — Les McKeown, the former lead singer of the 1970s Scottish pop sensation Bay City Rollers, has died suddenly at the age of 65, his family said Thursday. A statement from his family posted on social media said: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of...
Oscar slate holds ‘firsts’ for Asian actors, filmmakers
It may be hard to believe that there are still many “firsts” left to check off after 93 years of the Academy Awards, and yet this year there were a handful for Asian actors and filmmakers. Steven Yeun (“Minari”) became the first Asian American actor to be nominated for best...
Research on shaken baby syndrome helps free 15-year inmate
A California man imprisoned for 15 years in the death of his month-old son is free after prosecutors and a judge agreed that the scientific research underlying what was once called “shaken baby syndrome” has changed significantly in recent years. Clifton Jones, 45, was released this month from Soledad State...
Screws tighten for home buyers in March, prices surge 17.2%
Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell for the second consecutive month in March because there are so few on the market, and the fierce competition for those that do exist is pushing prices to new highs. Existing home sales fell 3.7% last month from February to a seasonally-adjusted rate...
Countering Biden, GOP pitches $568B for infrastructureVideo
WASHINGTON — A group of Senate Republicans on Thursday unveiled a public works proposal with a much smaller price tag and a narrower definition of infrastructure than what President Joe Biden has proposed, highlighting the stark differences between the two sides that will be difficult to bridge in the coming...
Authorities believe remains are those of missing Amish teen Linda StoltzfoosVideo
LANCASTER — Authorities strongly believe that remains found a day earlier in a grave along railroad tracks in southern Pennsylvania are those of a young Amish woman who disappeared last summer, a county prosecutor said Thursday. Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams told a news conference that a coroner has...
EPL looks to deploy moves to stop future Super League threat
LONDON — Having rapidly mobilized to thwart rebel clubs from joining a breakaway European competition, the Premier League is taking steps to prevent the so-called “Big Six” from attempting something similar in the future. England’s biggest clubs have often used threats of joining a Super League as a power play...
FCS draft prospects generally opted not to play this spring
There’s a common thread linking most of the Football Championship Subdivision players who expect to hear their name called in the NFL draft. They didn’t participate in their schools’ pandemic-delayed spring season. “Ultimately, it just comes down to athletes taking care of their bodies,” North Dakota State offensive tackle Dillon...
Consumer Reports tricks Tesla to drive with no one at wheel
Consumer Reports said Thursday it was able to easily trick a Tesla into driving in the car’s Autopilot mode with no one at the wheel. Its test came just days after a Tesla crashed in Texas, killing the two men in the car. Authorities say neither of the men were...
Russia orders troop pullback but keeps weapons near Ukraine
MOSCOW — Russia’s defense minister on Thursday ordered troops back to their permanent bases following massive drills amid tensions with Ukraine, but said they should leave their weapons behind in western Russia for another exercise later this year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the Russian pullback along their border. After...
Prince fans pay respects at Paisley Park 5 years after deathVideo
CHANHASSEN, Minn. — Paisley Park, where Prince lived and worked, welcomed back select fans Wednesday to mark the fifth anniversary of his death from inside his creative sanctuary. Some wore custom Prince clothes and shoes and left flowers and other mementos as tributes to the late superstar. The sprawling studio’s...
Covid-19 hospitalizations tumble among U.S. senior citizens
WASHINGTON — Covid-19 hospitalizations among older Americans have plunged 80% since the start of the year, dramatic proof the vaccination campaign is working. Now the trick is to get more of the nation’s younger people to roll up their sleeves. The drop-off in severe cases among people 65 and older...
High court moves away from leniency for minors who murder
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court made it easier Thursday to sentence minors convicted of murder to life in prison without the possibility of parole, a ruling that reflects a change in course driven by a more conservative group of justices. In a dissent, a liberal justice accused her colleagues of...
D.C. statehood approved by House as Senate fight looms
WASHINGTON — A decades-long movement to reshape the American political map took a further step Thursday as the House of Representatives approved a bill to make the nation’s capital the 51st state. Voting along party lines with minority Republicans in opposition, the House approved the bill 216-208. That’s likely the...
China, Russia join U.S. vowing emission cuts at climate summit
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden convened leaders of the world’s most powerful countries on Thursday to try to spur global efforts against climate change, drawing commitments from Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin to cooperate on cutting emissions despite their own sharp rivalries with the United States....
Supreme Court cuts back FTC power to seek ill-gotten gains
WASHINGTON — A unanimous Supreme Court on Thursday cut back the Federal Trade Commission’s authority to recover ill-gotten gains, overturning a nearly $1.3 billion award against a professional race car driver who was convicted of cheating consumers through his payday loan businesses. The high court’s ruling takes away what the...
Turkey probes cryptocurrency exchange for possible $2B fraud
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish prosecutors launched an investigation into a cryptocurrency exchange Thursday over allegations it may have defrauded some 390,000 investors of an estimated $2 billion. The office of Istanbul’s chief prosecutor said it was probing the Thodex cryptocurrency exchange following complaints from users who could not access their...
Prototype of first U.S. dollar coins going up for auction
A piece of copper that was struck by the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia in 1794 and was a prototype for the fledgling nation’s money will go up for auction Friday. Businessman and Texas Rangers co-chairman Bob Simpson owns the item, which is known as the “No Stars Flowing Hair Dollar.”...
Tokyo Olympics torch relay has first positive covid-19 case
TOKYO — Tokyo Olympics organizers said Thursday that a policeman tested positive for covid-19 a day after his assignment last week at the Olympic torch relay. It is the first positive test connected to the relay since it began March 25 from northeastern Fukushima prefecture. Organizers say the policeman, who...
