Associated Press stories, Page 2374
MLB bans players from Venezuelan Winter League
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball is banning players from participating in the Venezuelan Winter League in one of the first public repercussions of new U.S. economic sanctions against the Venezuelan government. MLB said Thursday it is in contact with the U.S. government to determine how to proceed under the...
Mississippi State names Penn State transfer Tommy Stevens as starting QB
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State named Penn State graduate transfer Tommy Stevens its starting quarterback. Stevens had been competing with junior Keytaon Thompson for the right to start the Aug. 31 season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette at New Orleans. Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead has plenty of familiarity with Stevens from...
Shoplifters locked into California store by employee
CAMARILLO, Calif. — Authorities say shoplifters trying to boost thousands of dollars’ worth of sunglasses from a Southern California store found themselves locked inside by a quick-thinking employee. KNBC-TV reports that four people began stealing from a store at Camarillo Premium Outlets Saturday night when an employee locked them inside...
Serial killer who preyed on gay men executed in Florida
STARKE, Fla. — Gary Ray Bowles, a serial killer who preyed on older gay men during an eight-month spree that left six dead, was executed by lethal injection Thursday at Florida State Prison. The sentence was carried out at 10:58 p.m., according to the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis. Bowles...
Patriots safety Patrick Chung indicted on cocaine possession charge
LACONIA, N.H. — New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung was indicted in New Hampshire on a charge of cocaine possession, according to court paperwork released Thursday. A Belknap County grand jury indicted Chung, 32, on Aug. 8. Members of the Meredith, N.H., police department were called to Chung’s residence June...
Justin Thomas loses cushion, shares lead in Tour Championship
ATLANTA — Xander Schauffele was six shots behind before he ever hit a shot Thursday in the new scoring format for the Tour Championship. His goal was to keep his head down, play good golf and see where he stood to par at the end of two days. The TV...
Cheap combo pill cuts heart, stroke risks, study finds
LONDON — A cheap daily pill that combines four drugs cut the risk of heart attacks, strokes and heart failure in a large study, suggesting it could be a good way to help prevent heart problems especially in poor countries. The pills contained two blood pressure drugs, a cholesterol medicine...
Construction on Arizona replacement border barrier begins
PHOENIX — Construction on a 2-mile portion of replacement fencing funded thanks to President Trump’s national emergency declaration has begun in southern Arizona, one of several projects that will build hundreds of miles of mostly replacement barriers. Crews broke ground on the project Thursday and plan on installing 30-foot (9-meter)...
Report: New Jersey spends most on roads, doesn’t get results
NEWARK, N.J. — New Jersey spends more per mile on its highway system than any other state in the country but isn’t getting its money’s worth, according to a report released Thursday by a nonpartisan public policy group. The report by the Reason Foundation ranked New Jersey’s highways dead last...
Return of the king: Salmon rebounds after California drought
SAN FRANCISCO — Trolling off the California coast, Sarah Bates leans over the side of her boat and pulls out a long, silvery fish prized by anglers and seafood lovers: wild king salmon. Reeling in a fish “feels good every time,” but this year has been surprisingly good, said Bates,...
Walmart to revamp, reopen El Paso store after mass shooting
EL PASO, Texas — Walmart plans to reopen the El Paso store where 22 people were killed in a mass shooting earlier this month, the retail giant said Thursday, but the entire interior of the building will first be rebuilt. The renovated store will include an on-site memorial honoring the...
S. Korea cancels Japan intelligence deal amid trade dispute
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said Thursday it will terminate an intelligence-sharing deal with Japan that focused on classified information about North Korea, a surprise announcement that is likely to set back U.S. efforts to bolster security cooperation with two of its most important allies in the Asian region....
Major carriers, state AGs will work to combat robocalls
NEW YORK — Major phone companies have pledged to do more to fight robocalls plaguing Americans, the country’s state attorneys general say. It’s the latest step from government and industry to combat the growing problem. Americans get nearly 5 billion automated calls from scammers, telemarketers, debt collectors and others every...
Lightning strikes kill 5, injure 100 in Tatra Mountains
Lightning struck across the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland and neighboring Slovakia on Thursday, killing five people and injuring over 100 others in an area popular with hikers and families, authorities said. Witnesses said the thunderstorm came suddenly on a day that began with clear weather. Four people were killed...
North Dakota court overturns life term in cut from womb case
FARGO, N.D. — A judge overstepped by giving a life prison sentence to a man whose girlfriend cut the baby from the womb of an unsuspecting neighbor, the North Dakota Supreme Court ruled Thursday, ordering that the man be resentenced. William Hoehn, of Fargo, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit...
XFL reveals names, logos for 8 teams ahead of league’s 2020 relaunch
The XFL has names for its eight teams, now it needs players. The league, which begins play in February, revealed team logos and names Wednesday. The teams are the Los Angeles Wildcats, New York Guardians, DC Defenders, Dallas Renegades, Houston Roughnecks, St. Louis BattleHawks, Seattle Dragons and Tampa Bay Vipers....
Trump flip-flops on tax cuts, saying U.S. has ‘strong economy’
WASHINGTON — A day after considering cutting taxes to promote economic growth, President Donald Trump changed course and said he would abandon the idea because the nation already had “a strong economy.” Trump’s flip-flop on Wednesday came after recent market volatility and economic uncertainty, and amid a debate about whether...
Invisible army set stage for liberation of Paris from Nazis
PARIS — The Nazis knew everything about the city of Paris that they occupied — almost. They didn’t know about the bunker with a massive door as thick as a bank vault that served as a command post for the chief of the Resistance in the French capital. They didn’t...
Planned Parenthood seeks cash after bailing from U.S. program
SALT LAKE CITY — Planned Parenthood clinics in several states are charging new fees, tapping financial reserves, intensifying fundraising and warning of more unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases after its decision to quit a $260 million federal family planning program in an abortion dispute with the Trump administration. The...
Jury: Pa. troopers didn’t use excessive force in man’s 2015 death
WILKES-BARRE — A federal jury has decided that Pennsylvania State Police troopers didn’t use excessive force when they shot and killed a man in 2015. Jurors on Wednesday ruled against the family of 21-year-old Derek DeGroat in their $18.7 million civil suit. The family filed suit after three state police...
Poll: Trump’s approval rating weak despite economy
NEW YORK — About 6 in 10 Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump’s overall job performance, according to a new poll released Thursday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which finds some support for the president’s handling of the U.S. economy but gives him weak marks on...
Texas executes man in 1998 slaying of college student
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A Texas death row inmate who argued that his conviction was based on junk science was executed Wednesday for the abduction, rape and killing of a suburban Houston community college student more than 20 years ago. Larry Swearingen, 48, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary...
Shooter at large after LA deputy shot at sheriff’s station
LOS ANGELES — Investigators believe a gunshot that wounded a deputy outside a Los Angeles County sheriff’s station on Wednesday was fired from a nearby building complex that provides housing to people with mental health issues, authorities said. Deputy Angel Reinosa, 21, was hit while heading to his car in...
Economic twilight zone: Bonds that charge you for lending
FRANKFURT, Germany — Imagine lending money to someone and having to pay for the privilege of doing so. Or being asked to invest and informed of how much money you’ll lose. Sounds absurd, but increasingly that’s the global bond market these days. A rising share of government and corporate bonds...
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says he’s ending presidential bid
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who made fighting climate change the central theme of his presidential campaign, announced Wednesday night that he is ending his bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination. Inslee announced his decision on MSNBC, saying it’s become clear that he won’t win. He has kept...
