Associated Press stories, Page 234
Former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, who pleaded guilty to federal tax fraud, dies at 69
NEW YORK — Bernard Kerik, who served as New York City’s police commissioner on 9/11 and later pleaded guilty to tax fraud before being pardoned, has died. He was 69. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed his death on Thursday on social media, saying it came “after a private battle with...
Ex-Pennsylvania judge gets prison term for shooting, wounding her ex-boyfriend as he slept
HARRISBURG — A former magistrate judge in Pennsylvania convicted of shooting and wounding her ex-boyfriend in the head as he slept has been sentenced to 13 1/2 to 30 years in prison. Sonya McKnight was convicted last month on attempted homicide and aggravated assault charges. She resigned her post during...
White House acknowledges problems in RFK Jr.’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ report
WASHINGTON — The White House will fix errors in a much-anticipated federal government report spearheaded by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which decried America’s food supply, pesticides and prescription drugs. Kennedy’s wide-ranging “Make America Healthy Again” report, released last week, cited hundreds of studies, but...
Kraken hire Lane Lambert as coach, replacing Dan Bylsma
SEATTLE — The Seattle Kraken hired Lane Lambert on Thursday night as the third coach in team history. Lambert replaces Dan Bylsma, fired after one season. The 60-year-old Lambert was most recently a head coach for the New York Islanders from 2022 until he was fired Jan. 20, 2024. He...
SEC amps up fines to $500,000 for rushing field, storming court
MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. — The Southeastern Conference is ratcheting up penalties on schools whose fans storm the field or rush the court, doing away with an escalating fine system and now charging $500,000 per incident. “The motivation was ‘field rushing is field rushing, the first time or the 18th time,’”...
Ben Griffin stays hot on punishing Memorial courseVideo
DUBLIN, Ohio — Ben Griffin resumed the great play that brought him his first individual PGA Tour victory last week, hitting two shots in the water and still posting a 7-under-par 65 on Thursday in the Memorial on a course with rough as dense as a U.S. Open. Griffin isn’t...
Man who says far-right content led him to threaten election officials is sentenced to 3 years
DENVER — A man who blamed exposure to far-right extremist content for his online threats to kill Democratic election officials in Colorado and Arizona was sentenced to three years in prison Thursday. U.S. District Judge S. Kato Crews said the penalty for such “keyboard terrorism” needed to be serious enough...
In Barkov They Trust: Panthers, led by captain, back in Stanley Cup Final
The entire play took eight seconds and basically summed up why the Florida Panthers have enormous, nonstop belief in Aleksander Barkov. Third period, Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, score tied 3-3. Barkov picks up the puck in the right corner. He skates around the end boards as Carolina...
Already numb to tariff twists, U.S. importers see legal decisions as another price of doing business
NEW YORK — Businesses rattled by President Donald Trump’s on again, off again tariffs absorbed more jolts on Thursday after a U.S. appeals court temporarily blocked a federal court order that would have halted most of his taxes on foreign imports. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International...
Thunder’s week-long gap between games: Help or hurt NBA Finals chances?
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder have a week off before playing again in the NBA Finals. How the Thunder — who defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 4-1, in the Western Conference finals — handle that stretch could set the tone for the championship series against either the Indiana Pacers...
Justin Fields: ‘I can be great’ in Jets’ offense, but there’s plenty of work to do
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Justin Fields has been the face of a franchise, a disappointing draft pick, a promising newcomer and an eager backup. And that’s all in the span of his first four NFL seasons. The 26-year-old quarterback has never lost his confidence through it all and sees a...
A man charged in a 2013 Pennsylvania campus sex assault hires a lawyer to review possible plea deal
GETTYSBURG — An American who was extradited from France this year to face allegations of a 2013 campus sexual assault after the accuser went public with her story hired a private lawyer to review a potential plea deal, lawyers in the case said in court Thursday. Ian Cleary, 32, of...
Trump administration cancels $766 million Moderna contract to fight pandemic flu
The Trump administration has canceled $766 million awarded to drugmaker Moderna Inc. to develop a vaccine against potential pandemic influenza viruses, including the H5N1 bird flu. The company said it was notified Wednesday that the Health and Human Services Department had withdrawn funds awarded in July 2024 and in January...
Appeals court allows Trump to continue collecting tariffs under an emergency powers law for now
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Thursday allowed President Donald Trump to continue collecting tariffs under an emergency powers law for now, as his administration appeals an order striking down the bulk of his signature set of economic policies. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit granted an...
Supreme Court backs Utah oil railroad expansion and scales back a key environmental law
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court backed a multibillion-dollar oil railroad expansion in Utah Thursday in a ruling that scales back a key environmental law for projects around the country. The 8-0 decision comes after an appeal to the high court from backers of the project, which is aimed at quadrupling...
Victoria’s Secret U.S. website is down as lingerie seller addresses ‘security incident’
NEW YORK — Victoria’s Secret has taken down its U.S. website and says some in-store services will also be unavailable as it addresses an unspecified “security incident.” A message to customers remained in place of the popular lingerie brand’s normal shopping site Thursday, stating that the Ohio-based company had halted...
French Open 2025: Coco Gauff’s serve is not at its best but she gets the breaks for a win
PARIS — Coco Gauff kept getting herself in some trouble with shaky serving in the French Open’s second round, and she kept putting herself back in position to win by breaking right back Thursday. The second-seeded Gauff, pursuing her first title at Roland-Garros, eliminated 172nd-ranked qualifier Tereza Valentova of the...
March Madness bracket expansion would add value and could be decided in next few months, Baker says
ORLANDO — NCAA President Charlie Baker sees value in expanding the NCAA Tournament by a handful of teams and wants to reach a decision on the matter in the next few months, he said Thursday. Baker spoke during Big 12 spring meetings, where conference leaders are discussing everything from the...
Special Tony for educators goes to NYC high school teacher who urges students to ‘step out the box’
NEW YORK — The special Tony Award that honors educators is going to a New York public high school teacher who shows how theater skills can apply to a career in the arts — and also far away from it. “My platform is career focused,” says Gary Edwin Robinson. “So,...
Federal judge extends order blocking Trump administration ban on foreign students at Harvard
BOSTON — A federal judge on Thursday extended an order blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to bar Harvard University from enrolling foreign students. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs extended the block she imposed last week with a temporary restraining order, which allows the Ivy League school to continue enrolling international...
Average rate on a U.S. 30-year mortgage rises to 6.89%, its highest level since early February
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. rose this week to its highest level since early February, further pushing up borrowing costs for homebuyers. The rate increased to 6.89% from 6.86% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 7.03%. Borrowing...
Judge considers whether Florida’s attorney general should be held in contempt over immigration law
MIAMI — A federal judge was considering Thursday whether Florida’s attorney general disobeyed her order prohibiting the enforcement of a new state law making it a misdemeanor for people in the U.S. illegally to enter Florida, and whether he should be held in contempt and sanctioned. U.S. District Judge Kathleen...
Hit by Trump trade wars, U.S. economy falls 0.2% in 1st quarter, an upgrade from initial estimate
WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy shrank at a 0.2% annual pace from January through March, the first drop in three years, as President Donald Trump’s trade wars disrupted business, the government said Thursday in a slight upgrade of its initial estimate. First-quarter growth was brought down by a surge in...
Israel authorizes more settlements in the occupied West Bank. Strikes on Gaza kill 13, officials say
JERUSALEM — Israel said Thursday it would establish 22 Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, including the legalization of outposts already built without government authorization. Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip meanwhile killed at least 13 people overnight, local health officials said. Israel captured the West Bank, along with...
U.S. academic partnership with China, under strain for years, faces its biggest threat
HONG KONG — Frayed by tariff wars and political battles, the academic ties between the U.S. and China are now facing their greatest threat yet as the Trump administration promises to revoke visas for an unknown number of Chinese students and tighten future visa screening. In a brief statement Wednesday,...
