Associated Press stories, Page 215
Erick strengthens into a Category 3 major hurricane approaching Mexico’s coast
ACAPULCO, Mexico — Hurricane Erick powered up into a dangerous Category 3 major hurricane Wednesday evening as it bore down on the southern Mexico coast, threatening to unleash destructive winds, flash floods and a dangerous storm surge on the region in coming hours, forecasters said. Swiftly strengthening from a Category...
Browns rookie QB Shedeur Sanders ticketed after police say he drove 101 mph in Cleveland suburb
STRONGSVILLE, Ohio — Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders is accused of driving a pickup truck 101 mph on a suburban Cleveland interstate earlier this week. The Strongsville Police Department stopped Sanders at about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday in a 60 mph zone on Interstate 71 near the Ohio Turnpike, according to...
Buss family to sell controlling stake of Lakers to Mark Walter for $10B valuation
The Buss family has agreed to sell the controlling stake of the Los Angeles Lakers to TWG Global CEO Mark Walter, doing so with a franchise valuation of $10 billion — the most ever for a professional sports franchise, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Wednesday. As part...
Judge finds Florida attorney general in contempt over immigration law
ORLANDO — A federal judge on Tuesday found Florida’s attorney general to be in civil contempt over her ruling that put on hold a new state law making it a misdemeanor for people living in the U.S. illegally to enter the state. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams said that Florida...
U.S. resumes visas for foreign students but demands access to social media accounts
WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it is restarting the suspended process for foreigners applying for student visas but all applicants will now be required to unlock their social media accounts for government review. The department said consular officers will be on the lookout for posts and messages...
Supreme Court OKs Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for kids, a setback for transgender rights
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, a jolting setback to transgender rights. The justices’ 6-3 decision in a case from Tennessee effectively protects from legal challenges many efforts by President Donald Trump’s Republican administration and state governments to roll back...
Karen Read found not guilty of second-degree murder, guilty of drunken driving in boyfriend’s death
DEDHAM, Mass. — A jury found Karen Read not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges Wednesday in the 2022 death of her Boston police officer boyfriend, a case that attracted legions of true crime followers who erupted in cheers when word of the acquittal spread outside court. The same...
Heat dome will blanket much of U.S., with worrisome temperatures in Midwest
Summer will make a dramatic entrance in the U.S. this week with a heat dome that will bring stifling temperatures and uncomfortable humidity to millions. The heat will be particularly worrisome this weekend across wide stretches of Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa, where forecasters are warning of extreme temperature impacts....
The world’s only twice-a-year shot to prevent HIV could stop transmission — if people can get it
WASHINGTON — The U.S. has approved the world’s only twice-a-year shot to prevent HIV, the first step in an anticipated global rollout that could protect millions – although it’s unclear how many in the U.S. and abroad will get access to the powerful new option. While a vaccine to prevent...
Ravens sign Jaire Alexander following the cornerback’s release by the Packers
Jaire Alexander has signed with the Baltimore Ravens less than two weeks after the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback was released by the Green Bay Packers. The Ravens posted video Wednesday of star quarterback Lamar Jackson enthusiastically greeting Alexander after he signed with the two-time defending AFC North champions. Jackson and...
Hegseth says the Pentagon has given Trump options for Israel-Iran conflict
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers Wednesday that the Pentagon was providing options to President Donald Trump as he decides next steps on Iran but would not say whether the military was planning to assist with Israeli strikes, an action that could risk dragging America into a wider...
Trump says he’s ‘not looking for a fight’ with Iran but stands ready to act if necessary
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump would not say Wednesday whether he has decided to order a U.S. strike on Iran, a move that Tehran warned anew would be greeted with stiff retaliation if it happens. “I may do it, I may not do it,” Trump said in an exchange with...
Medicare and Social Security go-broke dates pushed up due to rising health care costs, new SSA law
WASHINGTON — The go-broke dates for Medicare and Social Security ‘s trust funds have moved up as rising health care costs and new legislation affecting Social Security benefits have contributed to earlier projected depletion dates, according to an annual report released Wednesday. The go-broke date — or the date at...
Student loan payments have restarted. Here’s how to manage the impact to your credit score
NEW YORK — Millions of Americans are seeing their credit scores drop now that the U.S. government has resumed referring missed student loan payments for debt collection. But there are things you can do to help your score rebound. Courtney Alev, consumer advocate at Credit Karma, said it’s understandable that...
Pete Crow-Armstrong dazzles once again as Cubs add to NL Central lead
CHICAGO — Pete Crow-Armstrong heard more thunderous chants of “P-C-A!” and “M-V-P!” He is still getting used to the adulation. “I’m still kind of new to the ovations and whatnot. I don’t quite know how to respond all the time,” a sheepish Crow-Armstrong said. Looks like he might get some...
‘A well-oiled machine’: How the Florida Panthers’ team-first mentality led to another Stanley Cup
SUNRISE, Fla. — Aleksander Barkov hoisted the Stanley Cup, skated with it for a few moments and then handed it to a grinning Nate Schmidt, in his first year with the Florida Panthers and raising hockey’s hallowed trophy for the first time. Before any repeat winner touched it, every Panther...
List of the top summer movies since ‘Jaws’ turned it into blockbuster season in 1975
LOS ANGELES — “Jaws” turns 50 this week, and its legacy of the summer movie blockbuster remains strong. The titles that have packed the most summer moviegoers into theaters since 1975 represent some of the best known films of the last half century, including five “Star Wars” movies, Pixar favorites...
Air India faces turbulence as plane crash prompts deeper checks and disruptions
NEW DELHI — Air India is facing fresh turbulence following last week’s fatal crash as additional safety inspections on its Dreamliner fleet have led to flight delays, cancellations and growing passenger anxiety. India’s aviation safety regulator ordered deeper checks on Boeing 787 aircrafts operated by the airline soon after its...
Kyiv rescuers find more bodies as death toll from latest Russian aerial attack climbs to 28
KYIV, Ukraine — Emergency workers pulled more bodies Wednesday from the rubble of a nine-story Kyiv apartment building demolished by a Russian missile, raising the death toll from the latest attack on the Ukrainian capital to 28. The building in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district took a direct hit and collapsed during...
In stressful times, our anxiety can rub off on pets. Causes and cures for pet anxiety
In this age of heightened anxiety, many of us turn to our pets for emotional support. But is our behavior increasing our furry friends’ fears? The answer isn’t simple, says Frankie Jackson, a veterinary nurse and animal behavior consultant, and the owner of Canine Counseling in Smyrna, Georgia. She said...
U.S. unemployment claims dipped to 245,000 last week, hovering at historically low levels
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits dipped to 245,000 last week, hovering at historically low levels, the Labor Department said Wednesday. U.S. jobless claims ticked down from 250,000 the week before. Economists had expected last week’s claims to match that at 250,000. The four-week average of...
Iran’s leader rejects call to surrender, saying U.S. intervention would cause ‘irreparable damage’
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s supreme leader on Wednesday rejected U.S. calls for surrender in the face of more Israeli strikes and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause “irreparable damage to them.” European diplomats prepared to hold talks with Iran on Friday. The second public...
Fed leaves key rate unchanged as it awaits the impact of tariffs and Trump again scolds Jerome Powell
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve officials expect inflation to worsen in the coming months but they still foresee two interest rate cuts by the end of this year, the same as they projected in March. The Fed kept its key rate unchanged for the fourth straight meeting Wednesday, and said the...
Firms led by U.S. military veterans deliver aid in Africa and Gaza, alarming humanitarian groups
ON A PLANE OVER UPPER NILE STATE, South Sudan — Swooping low over the banks of a Nile River tributary, an aid flight run by retired American military officers released a stream of food-stuffed sacks over a town emptied by fighting in South Sudan, a country wracked by conflict. Last...
On brink of free agency, Florida’s Sam Bennett wins Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP
SUNRISE, Fla. — Sam Bennett won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP on Tuesday night after leading all players in goals scored to help the Florida Panthers win a second consecutive Stanley Cup championship. Bennett scored 15 goals during a postseason run that culminated with a victory in Game...
