Associated Press stories, Page 217
Former Pa. State Police commissioner hired to investigate security breach that led to governor’s mansion arson
PHILADELPHIA — A former commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police who later served as chief of security for the National Football League will conduct an independent security review of the arson attack on the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg, the current head of the state police announced Friday. Jeffrey B. Miller,...
U.S. senator returns from El Salvador trip, says Abrego Garcia case is about far more than one man
WASHINGTON — The dispute over the wrongful deportation and imprisonment of Kilmar Abrego Garcia “is not only about one man” but about Donald Trump’s disregard of the American judicial system as well, Sen. Chris Van Hollen said Friday as he returned from a three-day trip to El Salvador to press...
U.S. has 800 measles cases and outbreaks in several states. Here’s what you should know
The U.S. has 800 cases of measles nationwide as of Friday, and two more states identified outbreaks this week. Texas is driving the high numbers, with an outbreak centered in West Texas that started nearly three months ago and is up to 597 cases. Two unvaccinated elementary school-aged children died...
Judge orders Tufts University student in detention case to be brought to Vermont
A federal judge on Friday ordered that a Turkish Tufts University student detained by immigration authorities in Louisiana to be brought to Vermont by May 1 for a hearing over what her lawyers say was apparent retaliation for an op-ed piece she co-wrote in the student newspaper. U.S. District Judge...
Kawhi Leonard is fresh as streaking Clippers open playoffs
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Kawhi Leonard is fresh in mind and body this year, no longer relegated to watching from the sideline when the Los Angeles Clippers begin the postseason. After appearing in just two playoff games over the last two years, the 33-year-old two-time Finals MVP is healthy and looking...
Trump says Ukraine-Russia talks ‘coming to a head’ and ‘no one is playing’ him in push to end war
PARIS — President Donald Trump on Friday said negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are “coming to a head” and insisted that neither side is “playing” him in his push to end the grinding war. Trump spoke shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the U.S. may “move on”...
Is he Christ? Is he Moses? Superman’s religious and ethical undertones add to his mystique
Superman was born Kryptonian, raised Methodist and sketched into existence by two Jewish teens in 1930s Cleveland. Faith and morality are his DNA. There are no overt religious references in Superman comics. But over eight decades, he’s been viewed as a divine entity, a savior figure — his sacrifice Christ-like,...
The U.S. has a single rare earths mine. Chinese export limits are energizing a push for more
OMAHA, Neb. — America’s only rare earths mine heard from anxious companies soon after China responded to President Donald Trump’s tariffs this month by limiting exports of those minerals used for military applications and in many high-tech devices. “Based on the number of phone calls we’re receiving, the effects have...
Judge won’t take further steps to enforce his order in AP case against Trump administration
WASHINGTON — A federal judge who ordered the Trump administration to stop blocking The Associated Press’ from presidential events refused Friday to take immediate steps to get White House officials to comply — an incremental development in a two-month dispute between the global news agency and administration officials over access....
Strange sell-off in the dollar raises specter of investors losing trust in U.S. under Trump
NEW YORK — Among the threats tariffs pose to the U.S. economy, none may be as strange as the sell-off in the dollar. Currencies rise and fall all the time because of inflation fears, central bank moves and other factors. But economists worry that the recent drop in the dollar...
Capital One $35 billion purchase of Discover Financial gets regulatory approvals
NEW YORK — The pending merger between Capital One and Discover Financial services received approval from several regulators Friday, bringing the $35 billion tie-up closer to completion. The Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency signed off on the deal, which was first announced in February...
U.S. seeks to turn deportations into an efficient business ‘like Amazon’
JENA, La. — Amid rural Louisiana’s crawfish farms, towering pine trees and cafes serving po’boys, nearly 7,000 people are waiting at immigration detention centers to learn whether they will be expelled from the United States. If President Donald Trump’s administration has its way, the capacity to hold tens of thousands...
A U.S. citizen was held for pickup by ICE even after proving he was born in the country
MIAMI — A U.S. citizen was arrested in Florida for allegedly being in the country illegally and held for pickup by immigration authorities even after his mother showed a judge her son’s birth certificate and the judge dismissed charges. The man was released after his case received widespread coverage. Juan...
Federal judge pausing Trump administration’s plans for mass layoffs at the CFPB
WASHINGTON — A federal judge who blocked the Trump administration from dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ruled Friday that the bureau can’t go forward immediately with plans to mass fire hundreds of employees. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said she is “deeply concerned” that administration officials aren’t complying...
Students at Florida State gather at memorials, prepare to retrieve belongings after deadly shooting
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Students dropped off balloons, candles and teddy bears at a memorial Friday morning near Florida State University’s student union where a 20-year-old opened fire, killing two men and wounding six others. Some returned to retrieve their belongings less than a day after after they had barricaded classroom...
From old guys chasing the Stanley Cup to new players breaking in, what to watch in the NHL playoffs
The puck drops on the first round of the NHL playoffs Saturday when Winnipeg hosts St. Louis followed by the must-see matchup of Colorado and Dallas. The other six series get going next week, from the Toronto-Ottawa Battle of Ontario to Tuesday’s opener of another cross-state showdown between Tampa Bay...
NHL sets another attendance record, topping 23 million fans for the 1st time
NEW YORK — The NHL has set another attendance record and surpassed 23 million fans for the first time. The league on Friday reported an attendance figure of 23,014,458 over the 1,312-game regular season. That represents 96.9% capacity over 32 teams with the Montreal Canadiens making up the biggest share...
10,000 pages of records related to the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy are released
WASHINGTON — About 10,000 pages of records related to the 1968 assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy were released Friday, continuing the disclosure of national secrets ordered by President Donald Trump. Kennedy was fatally shot on June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles moments after giving a...
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is speeding toward another close encounter with an asteroid
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s Lucy spacecraft will swoop past a small asteroid this weekend as it makes its way to an even bigger prize: the unexplored swarms of asteroids out near Jupiter. It will be the second asteroid encounter for Lucy, launched in 2021 on a quest that will...
U.S. intelligence contradicts Trump claims linking gang to Venezuelan government to speed deportations
WASHINGTON — A new U.S. intelligence assessment found no coordination between Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan government, contradicting statements that Trump administration officials have made to justify their invocation of the Alien Enemies Act and deporting Venezuelan migrants, according to U.S. officials. The classified assessment from the National Intelligence...
Trump floats U.S.-Europe meeting as Vance visits Italy for 2nd day of talks on tariffs
ROME (AP) — A back-to-back round of U.S.-Italy talks on tariffs shifted to Rome on Friday as U.S. Vice President JD Vance met with Premier Giorgia Meloni and the White House suggested a broader U.S.-Europe summit was under consideration. “I’ve been missing you,” Meloni jokingly told Vance as he entered...
Oklahoma City to mark 30 years since the bombing that killed 168 people and shook America
A bomb with a force powerful enough to instantly destroy much of a nine-story building shattered a quiet Oklahoma City morning and sent a shock wave through America. Saturday is the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, the deadliest homegrown attack in United States history that exposed a dark...
Rubio says U.S. will drop Ukraine-Russia peace efforts if no progress within days
PARIS — Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the U.S. may “move on” from trying to secure a Russia-Ukraine peace deal if there is no progress in the coming days, after months of efforts have failed to bring an end to the fighting. He spoke in Paris after...
Crews restore power to nearly all clients after island-wide blackout hit Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Power was restored to 98.8% of clients early Friday after an island-wide blackout hit Puerto earlier this week, authorities said. More than 1.45 million customers had electricity less than 48 hours after the outage hit, according to Luma Energy, which oversees the transmission and distribution...
Israeli strikes kill at least 17 in Gaza; Huckabee makes 1st appearance as U.S. ambassador
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes across Gaza killed at least 17 people early Friday including children, hospital workers said, as the new U.S. ambassador to Israel made his first public appearance in Jerusalem. Among the dead were 10 people in Jabaliya, including eight from the same house, according...
