Associated Press stories, Page 2216
In Disney version of ‘Extreme Makeover,’ castle gets updatedVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Even Cinderella needs an “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Disney officials said Monday that the iconic Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World in Florida would be renovated over the next several months. The most noticeable changes will be the addition of gold trim to most of the castle...
Trump commutes former Illinois Gov. Blagojevich’s sentenceVideo
CHICAGO — President Donald Trump has gone on a clemency blitz, commuting the 14-year prison sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and pardoning former NYPD commissioner Bernie Kerik. Trump also says he has granted clemency to financier Michael Milken, who pleaded guilty for violating U.S. securities laws. Kerik served...
Misguided virus fears hitting Asian American businesses
NEW YORK — In Arizona, a burgeoning Asian American community fields xenophobic calls about a planned night market featuring Asian street foods. In New York, a dim sum restaurant owner worries he won’t make rent. In the San Francisco Bay Area, a local Asian American-owned restaurant chain is mulling temporarily...
U.S. sanctions Russian oil trading firm for role in Venezuela
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced sanctions Tuesday on a Russian state-controlled brokerage that has helped the Venezuelan government skirt an American oil embargo and enabled President Nicolas Maduro keep his grip on power in the South American country. Administration officials said Rosneft Trading S.A. and its president, Didier Casimiro,...
Bouwmeester back in St. Louis, ‘on the road to recovery’
ST. LOUIS — Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester is back in St. Louis after collapsing on the bench during a game in Anaheim last week and said in a statement Tuesday that he is “on the road to recovery.” Bouwmeester, 36, collapsed during the first period of the Feb. 11 game...
Judge refuses to delay sentencing of Roger StoneVideo
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Tuesday refused to delay sentencing for Roger Stone on his conviction for witness tampering and lying to Congress. The decision by Judge Amy Berman Jackson came after President Donald Trump tweeted in defense of his longtime ally and said Stone’s conviction “should be thrown...
S.C. authorities: Neighbor strangled missing girl, killed selfVideo
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A 6-year-old girl who disappeared from her front yard after school was strangled by a neighbor who then killed himself, authorities said Tuesday. Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher told reporters Tuesday that Faye Marie Swetlik died just a few hours after she was abducted. “The loss of...
1 person dead when high speed train hits car in Florida
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — One person died Tuesday morning when a car was hit by a high speed train in South Florida, officials said. The Brightline train, which operates between Miami and West Palm Beach, struck the car at an intersection in Pompano Beach about 10:12 a.m. Tuesday, said sheriff’s...
Trump pardons Edward DeBartolo Jr., son of ex-Penguins owner
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday pardoned Edward DeBartolo Jr., the former San Francisco 49ers owner convicted in a gambling fraud scandal who built one of the most successful NFL teams in the game’s history. DeBartolo Jr., who owned the San Francisco 49ers during their 1980s-1990s dynasty, was involved...
White House Correspondents’ Dinner returns to comedic roots
WASHINGTON — Comedians are making their return to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after last year’s hiatus. Kenan Thompson of “Saturday Night Live” and Hasan Minhaj of Netflix’s “Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj” will headline this year’s dinner, which takes place April 25. Presidents and first ladies have traditionally attended...
Government troops, rebels exchange fire in eastern UkraineVideo
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists blamed each other for an outbreak of fighting in the country’s rebel-held east on Tuesday. Ukraine’s military said in a statement that the separatists attempted to advance into the Ukraine-controlled territory but were repelled. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy denounced the attack as a...
Woman dead in another mall shooting in Thailand
BANGKOK — Gun violence struck in a Thai shopping mall for the third time in six weeks on Tuesday when a man fatally shot a woman working at a beauty clinic in a Bangkok mall and wounded another. The motive for the shooting was believed to be jealousy, and the...
Rebel attack in eastern Congo kills 15 civilians and soldierVideo
BENI, Congo — Rebels have killed 15 civilians and a soldier in the latest overnight attack on a village in eastern Congo, a local official said Tuesday, while frightened residents fled. “They surprised the people in their homes,” the administrator of Beni territory, Donat Kasereka Kibwana, told the Associated Press,...
India builds wall along slum ahead of Trump visit
AHMEDABAD, India — A 1,640-foot brick wall has been hastily erected in India’s Gujarat state ahead of a visit by President Donald Trump, with critics saying it was built to block the view of a slum area inhabited by more than 2,000 people. “Since they are spending so much money...
Jury to begin deliberating in Harvey Weinstein’s rape trialVideo
NEW YORK — A jury is expected to begin deliberations Tuesday in Harvey Weinstein’s trial after often-emotional testimony from multiple women who accused him of sexual assault. The panel of five women and seven men will begin to weigh the evidence that Weinstein raped a woman in a Manhattan hotel...
Queen Elizabeth II’s nephew and wife agree to divorceVideo
LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II’s nephew and his wife have amicably agreed to end their marriage, the couple said in a statement. The Earl of Snowden, David Armstrong-Jones, and his wife Serena, the Countess of Snowden, agreed to separate after more than 25 years of marriage. Armstrong-Jones is the son...
EU puts Cayman Islands, others on tax blacklistVideo
BRUSSELS — The European Union has added four countries and jurisdictions to its blacklist of tax havens , including the British overseas territory Cayman Islands. EU finance ministers decided to also add Palau, Panama and the Seychelles to the list of jurisdictions that have not implemented the necessary tax reforms...
Watchman sentenced to 16 years in killing of Florida tourist
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — A hotel watchman has been convicted of killing a Florida tourist staying at an Airbnb lodging in Costa Rica and was sentenced to 16 years in prison. The court in Pavas found on Monday that Bismark Espinoza Martínez had taken advantage of his position at...
Police: Mishandling of firearm leads to boy’s shooting death in Ohio
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A 12-year-old boy was fatally shot at an Ohio home in what appeared to be a tragedy involving a mishandled firearm, police said Tuesday. Columbus police said they were called to the home a few miles west of downtown on Monday evening and found the injured boy,...
Boy Scouts file for bankruptcy over sex-abuse lawsuits
Barraged by hundreds of sex-abuse lawsuits, the Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday in hopes of working out a potentially mammoth victim compensation plan that will allow the hallowed, 110-year-old organization to carry on. The Chapter 11 filing in federal bankruptcy court in Wilmington, Delaware, sets in...
Ryan Newman has non-life-threatening injuries after Daytona 500 crashVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ryan Newman was involved in a ghastly crash on the final lap of the Daytona 500 on Monday night, hospitalizing him with non-life-threatening injuries. NASCAR delivered the news nearly two hours after Newman was extricated from his car, saying he is in serious condition at nearby...
Denny Hamlin becomes 1st driver in 25 years to repeat at Daytona 500Video
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ryan Newman flipped across the finish line, his Ford planted upside down and engulfed in flames, a grim reminder of a sport steeped in danger that has stretched nearly two decades without a fatality. At the finish line, Denny Hamlin made history with a second straight...
Ball State professor suspended for calling police on black studentVideo
MUNCIE, Ind. — A white professor at an Indiana university who called police to his classroom after a black student refused to change seats will not be teaching for the remainder of the semester, the school said in a written statement. No formal charges or disciplinary action was immediately taken...
Inmate death at Ohio prison being investigated as homicide
LONDON, Ohio — The weekend death of an inmate at an Ohio prison is being investigated as a homicide. Robert Leach Jr., 23, died after “an incident” midday Saturday at Madison Correctional Institution, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction confirmed by email Monday. Spokeswoman JoEllen Smith...
U.S. House Speaker Pelosi warns allies against using HuaweiVideo
BRUSSELS — No NATO ally should succumb to the temptation of letting Chinese tech giant Huawei into their next-generation cellular networks, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday at Allied headquarters, turning U.S. opposition to Huawei into a bipartisan effort. Pelosi said the invasion of privacy that would result from...
