Associated Press stories, Page 2281

HOUSTON — A Jewish death row inmate who was part of the “Texas 7” gang of escaped prisoners and faced execution in less than a week won a reprieve on Friday after claiming the former judge at his trial was anti-Semitic and frequently used racial slurs. The Texas Court of...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — An animal believed to be a bobcat dropped down from a tree and attacked a couple out on their typical early morning walk Friday in a dense, urban part of South Florida, authorities said. Wildlife experts said bobcats are quite common in urban areas although...

CHICAGO — A Chicago judge said Friday he won’t replace a special prosecutor looking into why the state’s attorney’s office abruptly dismissed charges against actor Jussie Smollett, rejecting concerns that campaign money could taint the findings. The judge’s decision during a hearing came days after the special prosecutor, former U.S....

WOODBINE, Ga. — Jury deliberations will resume Saturday morning in the trial of a former Georgia police officer charged in the fatal shooting of a fleeing, unarmed man. Local news media reported jurors in the manslaughter trial of Zechariah Presley adjourned around 8 p.m. Friday without reaching a decision after...

CHICAGO — An Army veteran deported to Mexico after serving time in prison for a drug conviction became a U.S. citizen on Friday. Miguel Perez Jr. held up his citizenship certificate for the cameras after being sworn in, saying, “Here it is.” “It took a whole lot of work and...

LAS VEGAS — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders had a heart attack, his campaign confirmed Friday as the Vermont senator was released from a Nevada hospital. The 78-year-old was at a campaign event Tuesday when he experienced chest discomfort and was taken to a hospital where he was diagnosed with...

BEREA, Ohio — Odell Beckham Jr. would rather not fight. That doesn’t mean he won’t. Cleveland’s star receiver was fined an undisclosed amount by the NFL for his heated skirmish last week with Baltimore cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who appeared to choke Beckham after throwing him to the ground. Beckham and...

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia coach Neal Brown is well versed on his offense’s struggles to make plays downfield. No. 11 Texas, with all its injuries in the secondary, will give the Mountaineers an opportunity to fix that problem Saturday, at least temporarily. “We’ve got to be more productive in...

UNIVERSITY PARK — KJ Hamler’s juking, high-stepping, highlight-reel performance a week ago earned him praise from coaches and teammates. Penn State’s star receiver knows he can catch more than six passes for 108 yards in a game and points to his 58-yard touchdown catch-and-run against Maryland. “I don’t think last...

Wall Street ended a choppy week of trading with a broad rally that drove the Dow Jones Industrial Average more than 370 points higher. The gains Friday also gave the S&P 500 index its best day in seven weeks, though the benchmark index still finished with its third straight weekly...

A Pennsylvania law is ending a requirement that telephone customers who want to remain on the state’s do-not-call registry have had to renew their listing every five years. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday signed changes to the Telemarketer Registration Act that also allow business phone customers to sign up...

HONG KONG — Defiant masked protesters rampaged, police fired tear gas, and a teen was wounded by gunfire hours after Hong Kong’s embattled leader banned masks at rallies, invoking rarely used emergency powers to quell four months of anti-government demonstrations. Challenging the ban, which went into effect Saturday, thousands of...

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Health Department says one person in the state has died from lung injuries associated with vaping and it’s investigating dozens of other suspected or confirmed cases. The state’s health secretary, Dr. Rachel Levine, announced the death Friday and said Pennsylvania has also reported nine confirmed cases...

MONROE, N.Y. — As bagpipers marched silently to the beat of a somber drum, a New York City police officer killed by friendly fire during a struggle with an armed man was honored at his funeral Friday as a hero and a dedicated, compassionate professional who put his heart into...

WASHINGTON — Microsoft said Friday that hackers linked to the Iranian government targeted a U.S. presidential campaign, as well as government officials, media targets and prominent expatriate Iranians. Overall, the hackers attempted to penetrate 241 accounts — four successfully — though none of those penetrated was associated with presidential campaigns...

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday the White House is preparing a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi formally objecting to the Democrats conducting their impeachment inquiry without an official vote. The letter is expected to say the administration won’t cooperate with the probe without that vote — but...

“The Hunger Games” prequel has a title and a book cover. Suzanne Collins’ “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is due out May 19. Scholastic announced the title Friday along with the cover art, which features the now famous mockingjay symbol, along with a snake. Collins announced earlier this year...

Pennsylvania state police say a groom-to-be sexually assaulted one of his guests two days before his wedding. Prosecutors say Daniel Carney is charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of an unconscious person and indecent assault. It wasn’t known Friday if the 28-year-old Stroudsburg man has retained an attorney. Authorities say...

Nearly 1,700 priests and other clergy members that the Roman Catholic Church considers credibly accused of child sexual abuse are living under the radar with little to no oversight from religious authorities or law enforcement, decades after the first wave of the church abuse scandal roiled U.S. dioceses, an Associated...

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is adding an abortion case to its busy election-year docket. The justices have agreed to take up a Louisiana law that could leave the state with just one clinic. The justices won’t hear arguments until the winter. A decision is likely to come by the...