Associated Press stories, Page 24
Congress keeps holding all-nighters, creating dysfunction after dark
WASHINGTON — Just as the Senate prepared to launch into a late-night vote series, Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana went to the floor to vent. Frustrated and seemingly exhausted Wednesday, Kennedy said he wanted more time to debate his amendments to a budget resolution to fund immigration enforcement agencies....
Violent tornado tears through Oklahoma town, damaging 40 homes but sparing livesVideo
ENID, Okla. — Raeann Hunt scrambled to her cellar as a tornado bore down on her Oklahoma community. “It is headed right for us,” she recalled thinking, as she peeked outside, unable to contain her curiosity. Huddled inside the dark 8-by-8 foot concrete shelter with her husband, brother-in-law and a...
Trump dispatches Witkoff and Kushner to Pakistan for new talks with Iran’s foreign minister
ISLAMABAD — President Donald Trump is sending his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan to meet with Iran’s foreign minister, the White House said Friday, as officials in the South Asian nation pushed to revive ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran. The talks planned for Saturday come...
Devin Williams gets the win (and the save) after Mets bullpen mixup
NEW YORK — Already struggling to win games, the New York Mets also had difficulty figuring out which pitcher was supposed to be on the mound Thursday night. Closer Devin Williams headed to the mound from the bullpen to start the ninth inning after Bo Bichette’s go-ahead, three-run double. And...
McCollum ruins New York’s night again, leading the Hawks to a victory
ATLANTA — CJ McCollum hit a fadeaway jumper with 12.5 seconds left to ruin New York’s night again, leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 109-108 victory and a 2-1 lead over the Knicks in their first-round playoff series Thursday night. After starring in a Game 2 stunner at Madison Square...
Trump’s ‘gold card’ visa starting at $1 million granted to just 1 person so far, White House says
President Donald Trump’s “gold card” visa, where a foreigner can shell out at least $1 million to legally live and work in the U.S., has been approved for one person, said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick Thursday — appearing to fall a bit short of an earlier claim. After it launched...
Sabres rally to beat Bruins for series lead; Hurricanes go up 3-0
BOSTON — Bowen Byram scored a minute after Boston missed a penalty shot, and Alex Tuch broke a third-period tie to help Buffalo come from behind and beat the Bruins, 3-1, on Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series. Alex Lyon stopped 24 shots in...
Nelly Korda off to fast start with 65 to lead by 2 in Chevron Championship
HOUSTON — Nelly Korda leaned on her putter to save pars early and then poured it on her back nine of Memorial Park for a 7-under-par 65, her best start to a major in four years to take a two-shot lead Thursday in The Chevron Championship. Patty Tavatanakit, who won...
Fitzpatrick brothers 6 shots behind Smalley and Springer at Zurich Classic
AVONDALE, La. — Matt Fitzpatrick, fresh off his RBC Heritage victory, teamed with younger brother Alex to shoot an 8-under-par 64 in better-ball play Thursday in the Zurich Classic, leaving the English duo six shots behind Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer. Smalley and Springer matched the tournament record with a...
Reports: WR George Pickens plans to sign $27.3M franchise tag with Cowboys
FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys receiver George Pickens is planning to sign the $27.3 million franchise tag after the club declared it wouldn’t negotiate a long-term contract this offseason, according to multiple reports Thursday. Pickens has yet to sign the one-year, fully guaranteed contract but intends to put the issue...
Cuban diplomat denies that releasing political prisoners is part of U.S. negotiationsVideo
UNITED NATIONS — Havana will not abide by any American “ultimatums” to release political prisoners as part of new talks, a Cuban diplomat said Thursday, while asserting that leaders are “preparing for all scenarios” if U.S. President Donald Trump makes good on threats to intervene in the island nation. In...
Federal officials charge U.S. soldier with using classified intel to win over $400K bet on Maduro raid
WASHINGTON — A U.S. soldier involved in the military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been charged with using classified information about the mission to win more than $400,000 in an online betting market, federal officials announced Thursday. Gannon Ken Van Dyk was part of the operation to...
Oilers’ Connor McDavid downplays injury despite no points through 1st 2 playoff games
EDMONTON, Alberta — Connor McDavid downplayed getting banged up in Game 2 of the Edmonton Oilers’ first-round series against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night. McDavid’s lower right leg appeared to buckle when he collided early in the second period with teammate Mattias Ekholm, who was attempting to check Anaheim’s...
Trump considers a taxpayer takeover of Spirit Airlines and would aim to resell carrier
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was weighing a taxpayer-funded takeover of Spirit Airlines with the intent of reselling the struggling budget carrier after oil prices drop. The president confirmed his continued interest in offering Spirit a financial lifeline after a lawyer told a U.S. Bankruptcy...
Trump says Lebanon, Israel agree to extend Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire by 3 weeks
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah by three weeks after talks at the White House on Thursday. Trump said the meeting between the ambassadors of Israel and Lebanon to the United States went “very well.” The meeting...
Michael Tilson Thomas, renowned conductor and composer, dies at 81
Michael Tilson Thomas, a leading American conductor for a half-century who headed orchestras in Buffalo, Miami, London and San Francisco while also composing, died Wednesday. He was 81. Tilson Thomas had surgery for a brain tumor in 2021 and resumed his career, then said in February 2025 the tumor had...
Meta slashes 8,000 jobs, or 10% of its workforce, as Microsoft offers buyoutsVideo
Meta is laying off about 8,000 workers, or about 10% of its workforce, the company said Thursday as it continues to ramp up spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure and highly paid AI-expert hires. The company said it was making the cuts for the sake of efficiency and to allow new...
Possible No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa of BYU officially declares for NBA Draft
AJ Dybantsa has made it official: He’s entering the NBA Draft. The BYU forward — widely expected to be a top candidate to be the No. 1 pick — made the announcement Thursday. Dybantsa led the nation by averaging 25.5 points in his lone college season, along with 6.8 rebounds...
Justice Department’s watchdog is reviewing compliance with the law mandating Epstein files release
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department’s internal watchdog announced a review Thursday of the department’s compliance with the law mandating the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, stepping into a politically sensitive saga that has shadowed the Trump administration for the past year. The review from the inspector general’s office will...
Pennsylvania treasurer says ‘no’ to taxpayers footing $1M in security upgrades at Shapiro’s home
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s treasurer refused Thursday to approve payments for more than $1 million in security systems and other upgrades to the private home of Gov. Josh Shapiro, changes that were made after an intruder set fire to the state-owned governor’s residence last year in an attempt to kill the...
Exchange of gunfire inside Mall of Louisiana leaves 1 person dead and 5 wounded
BATON ROUGE, La. — An exchange of gunfire at a food court inside a Louisiana mall on Thursday killed one person and wounded five others and sent workers and shoppers scrambling for safety, police and witnesses said. Authorities described the shooting inside the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge as...
Players say MLB’s robot umpires are shrinking the strike zone
PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald knows that — in theory — Major League Baseball’s new Automated Ball-Strike system shouldn’t favor batters or pitchers. In practice, he thinks one side has gained an advantage. And it’s not the guys throwing the baseball. “It’s what (MLB) wanted — people on...
Federal authorities arrest 2 dozen Mexican Mafia members and associates in California
SANTA ANA, Calif. — More than two dozen members and associates of the Mexican Mafia were arrested Thursday during an early morning crackdown across Southern California, federal authorities said. The FBI and other federal and local agencies executed search and arrest warrants at about 30 locations mostly in Orange County,...
Ex-officer planned to kill Black people in mass shooting at a New Orleans festival, authorities say
NEW ORLEANS — Authorities say a former North Carolina law enforcement officer planned to kill Black people in a mass shooting at a major New Orleans festival but was arrested at a Florida hotel with a handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Authorities in several states did not name...
Why the European Union’s wartime loan is a vital lifeline for cash-strapped Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — Cash-strapped Ukraine has secured a crucial European Union loan that will provide a vital lifeline to sustain its wartime efforts this year. The $106 billion package was formally approved on Thursday, days after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the Ukrainian section of the Druzhba pipeline had been...
