Associated Press stories, Page 2387

PAINESVILLE, Ohio — A man accused of pulling an iguana from under his shirt and throwing it at an Ohio restaurant manager has been found competent to face trial on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and animal cruelty. Arnold Teeter also agreed to surrender the injured lizard in exchange for...

BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared unsteady and was visibly shaking Tuesday as she greeted the new Ukrainian leader in the hot sun in Berlin, saying later that she clearly hadn’t drunk enough water. Merkel’s whole body visibly shook and she pursed her lips as she tried to contain...

HONG KONG — Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers and activists rejected a new apology Tuesday by the city’s leader over a highly unpopular extradition bill, demanding that she quit and that the legislation be scrapped completely. Lam’s plea for “another chance” drew a chorus of criticism, though members of pro-Beijing political...

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump captured the Republican Party and then the presidency in 2016 as an insurgent intent on disrupting the status quo. As he mounts his bid for reelection, Trump is offering himself as the outsider once again — but it’s a much more awkward pitch to make...

HARTFORD, Conn. — The father of a victim of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre has won a defamation lawsuit against the authors of a book that claimed the shooting never happened — the latest victory for victims’ relatives who have been taking a more aggressive stance against conspiracy theorists....

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is threatening to remove millions of people living in the country illegally on the eve of formally announcing his re-election bid. In a pair of tweets Monday night, Trump said that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would next week “begin the process of removing the...

SYDNEY — American teenager LaMelo Ball has signed with the Illawarra Hawks for the upcoming National Basketball League season, the second top U.S. prospect to join the Australian league under its Next Stars Program. The 17-year-old guard is rated as one of the best U.S. high school basketball players and...

BLAINE, Minn. — The overarching goal for the fledgling U.S. men’s soccer team, as frequently stated by new coach Gregg Berhalter, has been to improve the perception of this sputtering program within the cutthroat hierarchy of global soccer. Though a strong performance in the CONCACAF Gold Cup probably won’t move...

HARTFORD, Conn. — Lawyers for the families of children and adults killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School disclosed Monday that child pornography was found in electronic files sent to them by conspiracy theorist Infowars host Alex Jones. The pornography was found in email metadata files Jones’ attorneys turned over to...

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Monday ordered another 1,000 American troops to the Middle East, moving to bolster security in a region reeling from hostile attacks on commercial ships that the U.S. has blamed on Iran. Officials said the deployment includes security forces and troops for additional surveillance and intelligence...

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — The stage was among the best in the land. Thousands were watching him. Victory was in his grasp. Gary Woodland didn’t just dream of such a moment. He genuinely expected it would happen. Just not like this. Woodland always imagined being at Allen Fieldhouse, not Pebble...

NEW ORLEANS — Now that six-time All-Star Anthony Davis’ trade request has been honored, it’s time for the New Orleans Pelicans to start a new era by drafting the next face of the franchise. Duke star Zion Williamson is widely seen as the top pro prospect to enter any NBA...

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks have re-signed pending free agent defenseman Erik Karlsson to an eight-year deal. The Sharks announced the deal on Monday, two weeks before Karlsson was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. TSN first reported the deal that is expected...

BEIJING — A strong earthquake hit Sichuan province in southern China late Monday night and some people were injured, officials and news reports said. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake measured magnitude 5.9 and hit about 12 miles from the city of Changning in Sichuan. It was centered at...

CAIRO — Egypt’s state TV says the country’s ousted President Mohammed Morsi has collapsed during a court session and died. The state TV says the 67-year-old Morsi was attending a session Monday in his trial on espionage charges when he blacked out and then died. His body was taken to...

WYALUSING — A man who killed his mother, stepfather and another man before taking his own life in northern Pennsylvania had recently been fired from his job and stopped taking medications, a coroner said. Authorities in Bradford County have said Jesse Lee Northrup, 31, shot Edwin Bidlack, 54, who installed...

NEW YORK — Gloria Vanderbilt, the intrepid heiress, artist and romantic who began her extraordinary life as the “poor little rich girl” of the Great Depression, survived family tragedy and multiple marriages and reigned during the 1970s and ’80s as a designer jeans pioneer, died Monday at the age of...

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is throwing out an Oregon court ruling against bakers who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. The justices’ action Monday keeps the high-profile case off the court’s election-year calendar and orders state judges to take a new look at the dispute...

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Elon Musk says he’s deleting his Twitter account 10 months after his use of the social media site landed him in trouble with U.S. regulators. The Tesla CEO changed his Twitter display name to Daddy DotCom on Father’s Day. Daddy.com is an existing website that provides...

BALD HEAD ISLAND, N.C. — North Carolina officials say a shark bit an 8-year-old boy in what is now the third attack this season along the North Carolina coast. News outlets report the boy was swimming in open water Sunday afternoon when a shark grabbed him by the leg, causing...