Associated Press stories, Page 1808
Twitter bans suspect Iran account after post threatens Trump
Twitter said Friday it has permanently banned an account that some in Iran believe is linked to the office of the country’s supreme leader after a posting that seemed to threaten former President Donald Trump. In the image posted by the suspect account late Thursday, Trump is shown playing golf...
Tom Brokaw says he’s retiring from NBC News after 55 years
NEW YORK — NBC News veteran Tom Brokaw said Friday that he is retiring from the network after 55 years. Brokaw, author of “The Greatest Generation,” was NBC’s lead anchor at “Nightly News” and for big events for more than 20 years before giving way to Brian Williams in 2004....
Lucky few hit covid-19 vaccine jackpot for rare extra doses
Fortune struck one man in the bakery aisle at the supermarket. Two others were working the night shift at a Subway sandwich shop. Yet another was plucked from a list of 15,000 hopefuls. With millions of Americans waiting for their chance to get the coronavirus vaccine, a lucky few are...
Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes cleared to play in AFC championship
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was cleared Friday from the league’s concussion protocol after his third consecutive day of practice and will be under center when Kansas City plays the Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship game Sunday. Mahomes was hurt in the third quarter of the...
Antonio Brown out for Bucs in NFC title game
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers bolstered their defense for Sunday’s NFC championship game, activating nose tackle Vita Vea from the reserve/injured list. The third-year pro, one of the top run-stoppers in the NFL, has been sidelined since early October with a broken ankle. He resumed practicing with the...
Byron Leftwich helping Tom Brady transform potent Buccaneers offense
TAMPA, Fla. — Byron Leftwich remembers traveling to Lambeau Field for the first time, walking into the legendary stadium and soaking up the atmosphere. “When you think of it, it’s the mecca of football. … It’s like (Madison Square) Garden in basketball. I guess it’s like Wrigley Field in baseball....
Dry January is moist for some at the rocky start of 2021
NEW YORK — A raging pandemic, tumultuous presidential election and deadly Capitol insurrection have combined to make the annual tradition of Dry January more moist than air-tight for some. Not Sarah Arvizo. She considers it her easiest yet. As much as the 32-year-old Manhattanite would love to partake in a...
Man pleads guilty to deaths of 36 people in California warehouse fire
OAKLAND, Calif. — The master tenant of a San Francisco Bay Area warehouse where 36 people perished when a fire ignited during a dance party in 2016 pleaded guilty Friday to the deaths, avoiding a second trial after the first ended in a hung jury. Derick Almena, 50, pleaded guilty...
Oklahoma lawmaker proposes ‘Bigfoot’ hunting season
OKLAHOMA CITY — A mythical, ape-like creature that has captured the imagination of adventurers for decades has now become the target of a state lawmaker in Oklahoma. A Republican House member has introduced a bill that would create a Bigfoot hunting season. Rep. Justin Humphrey’s district includes the heavily forested...
Coronavirus guidelines now the rule at White House
WASHINGTON — Testing wristbands are in. Mask-wearing is mandatory. Desks are socially distanced. The clearest sign that there’s a new boss at the White House is the deference being paid to coronavirus public health guidelines. It’s a striking contrast to Donald Trump’s White House, which was the epicenter of no...
Hank Aaron, baseball’s 1-time home run king, dies at 86
ATLANTA — Hank Aaron, who endured racist threats with stoic dignity during his pursuit of Babe Ruth’s home run record and gracefully left his mark as one of baseball’s greatest all-around players, died Friday. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves, Aaron’s longtime team, said he died peacefully in his sleep....
Nearly $1B Mega Millions prize because of long odds, slow sales
DES MOINES, Iowa — The jackpot for the Mega Millions lottery game has grown to nearly $1 billion ahead of Friday night’s drawing after more than four months without a winner thanks to bad luck, poor odds and reduced play partially blamed on the coronavirus pandemic. It’s only the third...
Austin wins Senate confirmation as 1st Black Pentagon chief
WASHINGTON — Lloyd J. Austin, a West Point graduate who rose to the Army’s elite ranks and marched through racial barriers in a 41-year career, won Senate confirmation Friday to become the nation’s first Black secretary of defense. The 93-2 vote gave President Joe Biden his second Cabinet member; Avril...
Schumer: Trump impeachment trial to begin week of Feb. 8
Opening arguments in the Senate impeachment trial for Donald Trump on the charge of incitement of insurrection for the Capitol riot will begin the week of Feb. 8. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the schedule Friday evening after reaching an agreement with Republicans, who had pushed to delay the...
Google threatens to pull search engine in Australia
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Google on Friday threatened to make its search engine unavailable in Australia if the government went ahead with plans to make tech giants pay for news content. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison quickly hit back, saying “we don’t respond to threats.” “Australia makes our rules for...
Stocks slip on Wall Street as worldwide rally takes a pause
NEW YORK — Wall Street is tapping the brakes on its record-setting rally this week, as markets worldwide take a pause on Friday. The S&P 500 was 0.1% lower in afternoon trading, a day after inching up to its second straight all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down...
It’s a secret: California keeps key virus data from public
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has from the start said his coronavirus policy decisions would be driven by data shared with the public to provide maximum transparency. But with the state starting to emerge from its worst surge, his administration won’t disclose key information that will help determine...
Congress poised for quick action on Biden’s Pentagon nominee
WASHINGTON — The Democratic-controlled Congress has easily passed legislation required to confirm retired Gen. Lloyd Austin as President Joe Biden’s secretary of defense, brushing aside concerns that his retirement occurred inside the seven-year window that safeguards civilian leadership of the military. It would be the first measure to be signed...
This Date in Sports History: Jan. 22
1920 — The New York Yankees announce they will be the first team to wear uniform numbers, according to the player’s position in batting order. 1960 — Paul Pender beats Sugar Ray Robinson in a 15-round split decision to capture the world middleweight boxing title. 1962 — Bob Feller and...
Amid cancellation talk, Tokyo Olympics ‘focused on hosting’
TOKYO — IOC President Thomas Bach and local organizers are pushing back against reports that the postponed Tokyo Olympics will be canceled. Now set to open July 23, the Tokyo Games were postponed 10 months ago at the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and now the event appears threatened again....
Shanghai locks down 2 major hospitals over cases
BEIJING —Shanghai has imposed lockdowns on two of China’s best-known hospitals after they were linked to new coronavirus cases. Outpatient services have been suspended and Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center and Renji Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, have been cordoned off, along with some surrounding...
FBI: Michigan man with hockey stick assaulted Capitol cops during riot
DETROIT — A Michigan man carrying a hockey stick during the U.S. Capitol riot struck police officers who were outdoors trying to protect the building, the FBI said Thursday. Michael Foy of Wixom was charged with five crimes, including assault and obstruction of law enforcement, for his alleged role in...
Myreon Jones helps Penn State to 1st Big Ten win
UNIVERSITY PARK — Izaiah Brockington and Myreon Jones scored 17 points apiece, Jones making three clinching free throws in the waning seconds, and Penn State held off a resurgent Rutgers, 75-67, on Thursday night for its first Big Ten win this season. Seth Lundy chipped in 16 points with 10...
Robert Saleh’s Jets path shaped by 9/11: ‘I’m supposed to be here’
NEW YORK — Robert Saleh was trudging along in his professional life nearly 20 years ago, trying to find satisfaction and direction. His brother’s harrowing experience during the 9/11 attacks changed all that. Now, Saleh is the coach of the New York Jets, coming to the city that shaped his...
5 killed in blaze at Indian producer of covid-19 vaccineVideo
PUNE, India — At least five people were killed in a fire that broke out Thursday at a building under construction at Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, officials said. The company said the blaze would not affect production of the covid-19 vaccine. Murlidhar Mohol, mayor of...
