Associated Press stories, Page 198
Miki Sudo wins 11th women’s title in annual Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest
The Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest is back, and famed competitive eater Joey “Jaws” Chestnut is hoping for a comeback 17th win on Friday. The 41-year-old, from Westfield, Indiana, was not in last year’s event due to a contract dispute involving a deal he struck with...
Rural hospitals brace for financial hits or even closure under Republicans’ $1 trillion Medicaid cut
OMAHA, Neb. — Tyler Sherman, a nurse at a rural Nebraska hospital, is used to the area’s aging farmers delaying care until they end up in his emergency room. Now, with Congress planning around $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts over 10 years, he fears those farmers and the more than...
Democrats see Trump’s big bill as key to their comeback. It may not be so easy
WINDSOR HEIGHTS, Iowa — It is big and it is beautiful, President Donald Trump says. But for many Democratic leaders, the tax break and spending cut package passed by Trump’s Republican allies in Congress on Thursday represents the key to the Democratic Party’s resurgence. Even before the final vote, Democratic...
EPA puts on leave 139 employees who spoke out against policies under Trump
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday put on administrative leave 139 employees who signed a “declaration of dissent” with its policies, accusing them of “unlawfully undermining” the Trump administration’s agenda. In a letter made public Monday, the employees wrote that the agency is no longer living up to its mission...
Mets add pitchers Paul Blackburn, Dedniel Núñez to long injured list
NEW YORK — Already running low on pitching, the New York Mets added starter Paul Blackburn and reliever Dedniel Núñez to a crowded injured list Thursday in their latest flurry of roster moves. Núñez has a right elbow sprain and could require Tommy John surgery for the second time in...
Nationals slugger James Wood joins Ronald Acuña Jr., Cal Raleigh in Home Run Derby
WASHINGTON — Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood became the third player to announce he will take part in the Home Run Derby. The derby will be held on July 14, the night before the All-Star Game, at Truist Park in Atlanta. Wood joins Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mariners...
Dodgers’ Muncy on injured list with knee bruise
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy went on the injured list Thursday with a left knee bone bruise. He left in the sixth inning Wednesday night after a collision with Chicago White Sox center fielder Michael A. Taylor, who was attempting a steal. Muncy took a...
What’s in Trump’s big bill?
WASHINGTON — Republicans muscled President Donald Trump’s tax and spending cut bill through the House on Thursday, the final step necessary to get the bill to his desk by the GOP’s self-imposed deadline of July 4. At nearly 900 pages, the legislation is a sprawling collection of tax breaks, spending...
Angels place rookie second baseman Christian Moore on injured list with sprained thumb
ATLANTA — The Los Angeles Angels placed rookie second baseman Christian Moore on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a sprained left thumb. Moore left the Angels’ 8-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night with the injury. Moore dove for Ozzie Albies’ ground ball in the sixth inning,...
Man charged with killing former Minnesota House speaker says he looks forward to ‘truth’ coming out
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The man charged with killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband June 14, and wounding a state senator and his wife, said Thursday he’s looking forward to the facts coming out about what happened that day. During a court appearance, Vance Boelter waived...
Supreme Court clears way for deportation to South Sudan of several immigrants with no ties there
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for the deportation of several immigrants who were put on a flight in May bound for South Sudan, a war-ravaged country where they have no ties. The decision comes after the court’s conservative majority found immigration officials can quickly deport...
Confederacy group sues Georgia park for planning an exhibit on slavery and segregation
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — The Georgia chapter of a Confederacy group filed a lawsuit this week against a state park with the largest Confederate monument in the country, arguing officials broke state law by planning an exhibit on ties to slavery, segregation and white supremacy. Stone Mountain’s massive carving depicts...
Young players in key roles in Marlins’ improvement
MIAMI — After Eury Pérez struck out his season-high seventh batter Thursday, the 6-foot-8 Marlins right-hander pumped his fist and looked up at the stands at Miami’s loanDepot Park. It was another win for the Marlins — their ninth in 10 games — and the first victory of the season...
Nationals slugger James Wood joins Ronald Acuña Jr., Cal Raleigh as participants in Home Run Derby
WASHINGTON — Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood became the third player to announce he will take part in the Home Run Derby. The derby will be held July 14, the night before the All-Star Game, at Truist Park in Atlanta. Wood joins Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mariners catcher...
Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. arrested by ICE for deportation, federal officials say
Famed Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. has been arrested for entering the United States illegally and will be deported to Mexico, where he faces organized crime charges, U.S. federal officials said Thursday. The arrest comes only days after the former middleweight champion lost a match against Jake Paul in...
Michael Madsen, ‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ star, dies at 67
LOS ANGELES — Michael Madsen, whose menacing characters in “Reservoir Dogs” and “Kill Bill” made him a standout in Quentin Tarantino’s films, has died. He was 67. Madsen was found unresponsive in his home in Malibu, California, on Thursday morning and pronounced dead, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Watch Commander...
Hakeem Jeffries took his ‘sweet time’ holding the floor to delay Trump’s tax bill
WASHINGTON — There’s no filibuster in the House, but Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries essentially conducted one anyway. Jeffries held the House floor for more than eight hours Thursday, taking his “sweet time” with a marathon floor speech that delayed passage of Republicans’ massive tax and spending cuts legislation and gave...
Firefighters race to contain wildfires in Greece as thousands evacuated, 2 die in Turkey
ATHENS, Greece — Firefighters battled blazes Thursday near Athens and on the island of Crete, where thousands were forced to flee holiday resorts, while blazes in neighboring Turkey claimed at least two lives. More than 5,000 tourists, hotel workers and residents were evacuated from the Ierapetra area along Crete’s southern...
Average long-term U.S. mortgage rate falls to 6.67%, the lowest level since early April
NEW YORK — The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage fell for the fifth straight week to its lowest level since early April, an encouraging sign for potential buyers who have wrestled with rising home prices. The long-term rate fell to 6.67% from 6.77% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie...
Guardians’ Luis Ortiz placed on leave by MLB amid gambling investigation, AP sources say
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary leave on Thursday due to a gambling investigation by Major League Baseball, two people with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press. The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the nature of the investigation. The...
NASA identifies newly discovered object as an interstellar comet that will keep a safe distance
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA has discovered an interstellar comet that’s wandered into our backyard. The space agency spotted the quick-moving object with the sky-surveying Atlas telescope in Chile earlier this week, and confirmed it was a comet from another star system. It’s officially the third known interstellar object to...
How Ukraine can cope with the U.S. pause on crucial battlefield weapons
KYIV, Ukraine — The decision by the United States to pause some weapons shipments to Ukraine has come at a tough time for Kyiv: Russia’s bigger army is making a concerted push on parts of the roughly 620-mile front line and is intensifying long-range drone and missile attacks that increasingly...
Putin and Trump discuss Iran and Ukraine in 6th phone call this year, Kremlin official says
MOSCOW — U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Iran, Ukraine and other issues on Thursday in a “frank and constructive” phone call, the Kremlin said, in their sixth publicly disclosed chat since Trump returned to the White House. While discussing the situation around Iran and in...
8 remain hospitalized from skydiving plane’s crash shortly after takeoff from New Jersey airport
CAMDEN, N.J. — Three men remained hospitalized in critical condition and five others were listed as serious Thursday, the morning after a skydiving plane with 15 people aboard crashed into a wooded area near a small airport in southern New Jersey. The single engine Cessna 208B radioed about having engine...
U.S. labor market continues to surprise as the unemployment rate falls
U.S. employers added 147,000 jobs in June as the American labor market continues to show surprising resilience despite uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s economic policies. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1% from 4.2% in May, the Labor Department said Thursday. Hiring rose modestly from a revised 144,000 in May...
