Associated Press stories, Page 2417
Boris Johnson urges support for Brexit deal before knife-edge vote
LONDON — Boris Johnson worked behind the scenes Friday to win enough support to push his new Brexit deal through the fractious British Parliament and pave the way for Britain — finally — to leave the European Union in two weeks. His message to allies and opponents alike: Approve the...
White House: Ukraine aid held up partly over election probe
WASHINGTON — The White House acknowledged that President Trump’s decision to hold up military aid to Ukraine was linked to his demand that Kyiv investigate the Democratic National Committee and the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, a shifting new explanation about events at the heart of the impeachment inquiry. The admission...
Trump says Europe now willing to take IS prisoners in Syria
WASHINGTON — Claiming new progress against Islamic State extremists in Syria, President Donald Trump said Friday that some European nations are now willing to take responsibility for detained IS fighters who are from their countries. “Anyway, big progress being made!!!!” he exclaimed on Twitter. A day earlier, he had proclaimed...
First all-female spacewalking team makes history
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The world’s first all-female spacewalking team made history high above Earth on Friday, working to replace a broken part of the International Space Station’s power grid. As NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir hauled out wrenches, screwdrivers and power-grip tools, it marked the first time...
Fashion show lets Down syndrome models strut their stuffVideo
One model sashayed down the runway with a leather jacket and a guitar, basking in applause from the crowd. Another danced and strutted in a multicolored bomber coat. A toddler had a little help with her modeling turn, holding on to an adult as she wore a peach outfit with...
Syria Kurds accuse Turkey of violating cease-fire
CEYLANPINAR, Turkey — The Kurdish-led administration in northern Syria accused Turkey on Friday of violating a U.S.-brokered cease-fire that went into effect overnight, as fighters from both sides clashed in and around a border town that has been one of the fiercest fronts in the Turkish invasion. The town of...
Officials: Blast at Afghan mosque kills 62 during prayers
KABUL, Afghanistan — An explosion rocked a mosque in eastern Afghanistan as dozens of people gathered to offer Friday players, causing the roof to collapse and killing 62 worshippers, provincial officials said. Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar, said the militant attack wounded 36 others. He said it...
Plane carrying 42 goes off Alaska runway, 2 critically hurt
UNALASKA, Alaska — A commuter airplane carrying 42 people, including a high school swim team, to a remote Aleutian Islands fishing community went off the runway and came to a rest just short of the Bering Sea. Two passengers suffered critical injuries and 10 more were receiving medical care, the...
Astros power past Yankees for 3-1 ALCS lead with Verlander up next
NEW YORK — They have the pitching, and they don’t need the pitches. Certainly, the Houston Astros have confidence for good reason on the brink of another World Series. “It’s Justin Verlander,” reliever Ryan Pressly said. George Springer and Carlos Correa each hit three-run homers and the Astros got another...
Chiefs rally around injured Patrick Mahomes to beat BroncosVideo
DENVER — Reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes injured his right knee in a pileup near the goal line before his Kansas City teammates rallied around their fallen superstar for a 30-6 thrashing of Denver on Thursday night. Backup Matt Moore threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill, and the Chiefs...
Trump, in Texas, bashes Democrats as ‘crazy,’ unpatrioticVideo
DALLAS — President Donald Trump tried to turn impeachment rancor into a political rallying cry Thursday, using a Texas rally to bash Democrats as “crazy” and unpatriotic as they push forward with their investigations. Setting a dire tone, Trump told his supporters, “At stake in this fight is the survival...
Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes injures right knee against BroncosVideo
DENVER — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes injured his right knee injury on a sneak Thursday night against the Denver Broncos. Mahomes stayed down on the field for quite some time after picking up a first down on fourth-and-short in the second quarter. He put an arm around each...
Married NBA refs working to make the right calls at home
TAMPA, Fla. — Lauren Holtkamp and Jonathan Sterling first met a few years ago at a meeting of college basketball referees in Virginia, and when the group when out for some socializing that night she asked him to dance. He declined. The refs now agree: That was a bad call....
U.S. envoy Gordon Sondland claims Rudy Giuliani was given role on Ukraine policy
WASHINGTON — The U.S. ambassador to the European Union told House impeachment investigators Thursday that President Trump instructed him and other envoys to work with his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, on Ukraine policy and that he was “disappointed” by the directive. He spoke to lawmakers for around 10 hours. Lawmakers...
Plan to close New York’s notorious Rikers jail complex by 2026 approvedVideo
NEW YORK — New York City lawmakers voted Thursday to close the notorious Rikers Island jail complex, which has become synonymous with violence and neglect, and replace it with four smaller jails intended to be more modern and humane. The City Council voted 36-13 to replace the complex with four...
West Virginia billionaire governor’s family farms get subsidyVideo
LEWISBURG, W.Va. — A farming business owned by the family of West Virginia’s billionaire governor has received $125,000 in soybean and corn subsidies, the maximum allowed from a federal program meant to help American farmers through the U.S. trade war with China. There is no evidence Gov. Jim Justice did...
Bumpy road for Nationals manager leads to ‘beautiful place’Video
WASHINGTON — Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez is an optimistic sort, a live-in-the-moment guy who loves his mantras and his mottos, whether it’s telling players to “go 1-0 today” or to “stay in the fight.” Rough as things were when Washington was 19-31 and people were wondering whether Martinez was...
NFL season rockets Pennsylvania to new sports betting record
HARRISBURG — Sports betting in Pennsylvania blew through its previous monthly record with the start of the NFL season. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said Thursday that gamblers bet a record $194.5 million in September at nine casinos and two off-track betting parlors where sports betting is approved. That was...
Juul halts sales of fruit, dessert flavors for e-cigarettesVideo
WASHINGTON — Juul Labs stopped selling fruit and dessert flavors Thursday, acknowledging the public’s “lack of trust” in the vaping industry. The voluntary step is the company’s latest attempt to weather a growing political backlash blaming its flavored-nicotine products for hooking a generation of teenagers on electronic cigarettes. Juul, the...
Mike Pence says Turkey agrees to cease-fire in Syria
ANKARA, Turkey — Vice President Mike Pence announced Thursday that Turkey has agreed to a cease-fire to allow the Kurdish forces it was battling to safely withdraw from an area in northern Syria. Pence spoke after he and other U.S. officials met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara....
Trapper plays with alligator until it tires, pulls it from pool
PARKLAND, Fla. — A Florida animal trapper says he corralled a large alligator by playing with it until it got tired after it hopped into a residential swimming pool. Celebrity trapper Paul Bedard, who is contracted with the state’s nuisance alligator program, said Thursday that he was dispatched to a...
‘Patsy and Loretta’ highlights bond between iconic singersVideo
Writer-director Callie Khouri is drawn to stories about female friendships and country music, and her latest television film “Patsy and Loretta” combines those passions into the true story of a friendship between two of country music’s most powerful voices. The biopic about Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, which airs Oct....
Romania’s autumn fairs delight all ages, incomes
TITU, Romania (AP) — Romania’s autumn fairs are a loud, colorful reminder that summer has come to an end. And for many families in poorer areas of the country, they are one of the few affordable events of the year. Fairs like the one in Titu, northwest of Bucharest, which...
Singer Gretchen Wilson forced to leave New Mexico hotel
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Country singer Gretchen Wilson was removed from a New Mexico hotel after she performed at a weekend music festival. The Las Cruces Sun-News reported Wednesday that police were called to Hotel Encanto in Las Cruces around 3 a.m. Sunday after numerous noise complaints about Wilson’s room....
Dave Matthews reacts to getting Rock Hall nomination
LOS ANGELES — Dave Matthews is having a hard time imagining his band being included on the same Rock & Roll Hall of Fame list as other musical icons such as Whitney Houston. The Dave Matthews Band frontman said their recent nomination for the Hall’s 2020 class was unexpected and...
