Associated Press stories, Page 2424
NASA conducting spacewalk as world’s 1st spacewalker dies
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Astronauts replaced more oversized batteries outside the International Space Station on Friday, as news broke of the death of the world’s first spacewalker. NASA interrupted live TV coverage of its second spacewalk this week to announce the death of Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov at age 85....
Iran says missiles strike its oil tanker off Saudi ArabiaVideo
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran said Friday two missiles struck one of its oil tankers traveling through the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia, a mysterious assault not immediately corroborated that still spiked oil prices amid months of heightened tensions at sea across the wider Mideast. There was no...
Prince estate: Trump violated promise not to play ‘Purple Rain’Video
Shortly before President Donald Trump took the stage at downtown Minneapolis’ Target Center on Thursday night, Prince’s “Purple Rain” played — even though his estate asked a year ago that the president stop using the late musician’s music. “President Trump played Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ tonight at a campaign event in...
U.S. consumers snap up Italian Parmesan before tariffs hitVideo
MILAN — U.S. consumers who appreciate the tang of aged Italian Parmesan cheese as an aperitif or atop their favorite pasta dish are stocking up ahead of next week’s tariff hike and as dairy producers in the two countries square off. The Italian agricultural lobby Coldiretti said Friday that sales...
West Virginia farmers quadrupled their hemp crop this year
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Farmers more than quadrupled West Virginia’s industrial hemp crop this year. Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt’s office says about 130 farmers grew 641 acres of industrial hemp in 2019, up from 155 acres in 2018. And more’s coming: The department’s statement says more than 400 applications have been...
Appeals court rules House should get Trump financial records
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s financial records must be turned over to the House of Representatives. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said that lawmakers should get the documents they have subpoenaed from Mazars USA. The firm has...
Defense lawyer for Florida pastor dated his client’s accuser
WINTER PARK, Fla. — A Christian radio co-host who is accused of repeatedly raping a girl at his church has hired as his defense attorney a man who later dated the alleged victim. The 59-year-old Rev. Bryan Fulwider pleaded not guilty Thursday to the 30 counts of child sexual abuse,...
Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed wins Nobel peace prize
OSLO, Norway — Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2019 in recognition of his efforts to end his country’s two-decade border conflict with Eritrea. The Norwegian Nobel Institute on Friday also praised the “important reforms” that Abiy, Ethiopia’s leader since April 2018, has...
California winds move south, may force new power outagesVideo
LOS ANGELES — Hot, dry winds sweeping into Southern California raised concerns that the region’s largest utility could widen power shut-offs Friday to prevent its equipment from sparking wildfires, as a new blaze swept through the San Fernando Valley’s northern foothills. Southern California Edison turned off electricity to about 20,000...
Some maples (sugar) are more desirable than others (Norway)
It’s not easy to figure out which maples you want on your property. The good ones are the sugar maples, their leaves ablaze each fall in yellow, red and orange. The less desirable ones are the Norway maples, their leaves green well into fall. I don’t hold that lingering greenness...
Patriots force 4 turnovers, beat Giants to reach 6-0Video
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady had two touchdown runs and moved ahead of Peyton Manning for second place on the NFL’s all-time passing yards list as the New England Patriots pulled away for a 35-14 victory over the New York Giants on Thursday night. The reigning Super Bowl champion Patriots...
Gerrit Cole dominates as Astros eliminate Rays, advance to ALCS vs. YankeesVideo
HOUSTON — All season long, it seemed inevitable. Yankees-Astros for the American League pennant. “It’s the matchup that we wanted,” Houston shortstop Carlos Correa said. “It’s the matchup that everybody wants to watch. It’s must-see TV right there. So everybody is going to be tuning in. It’s going to be...
Republicans stumbling over question at heart of impeachment
DENVER — A simple yes-or-no question keeps tripping up Senate Republicans: Should the president ask foreign countries to investigate political rivals? A month ago the question was a legal and constitutional no-brainer. It’s illegal to accept foreign help in a political campaign, an action that also raises questions about U.S....
Uber driver not guilty in death of passenger in Denver
DENVER — A jury on Thursday found an Uber driver not guilty of murder in the fatal shooting of a passenger he said attacked him while driving on a freeway in Denver. Jurors sided with Michael Hancock, 31, who argued that he was defending himself against passenger Hyun (Huhn) Kim....
El Paso mass shooting suspect pleads not guilty in 22 deaths
EL PASO, Texas — The 21-year-old man charged with capital murder in the fatal shooting of 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, pleaded not guilty Thursday during a brief initial hearing. Police have said Patrick Crusius of Dallas confessed to the Aug. 3 mass shooting and that...
Stocks climb for 2nd straight day on U.S.-China trade optimism
Stocks closed broadly higher on Wall Street for the second straight day Thursday as the U.S. and China kicked off a new round of negotiations in their long-running trade war. Technology companies and banks led the rally as investors turned hopeful that the 13th round of trade talks will bring...
California hospital chain going to court over high prices
SAN FRANCISCO — One of California’s largest hospital systems is facing a trial over accusations that it has used its market dominance to snuff out competition and overcharge patients for medical bills. The antitrust lawsuit against Sutter Health, which operates 24 hospitals with 5,500 doctors across Northern California, was first...
Wildfire prompts Southern California evacuation
SONOMA, Calif. — The Latest on power outages in California (all times local): 12:55 p.m. A fire has erupted in a Southern California city as strong Santa Ana winds buffet the region. The San Bernardino County Fire Department says the fire erupted in Fontana early Thursday afternoon. Officials say one...
Florida men tied to Rudolph Giuliani arrested on campaign charges
WASHINGTON — Two Florida businessmen tied to President Donald Trump’s lawyer and the Ukraine investigation were charged Thursday with federal campaign finance violations. The charges relate to a $325,000 donation to a group supporting Trump’s reelection. Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, associates of Rudy Giuliani, were arrested Wednesday night trying...
West Virginia mayor won’t rename Christmas parade
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The mayor of West Virginia’s capital city on Thursday reversed a decision to change the name of the annual holiday parade after intense backlash from church leaders and conservatives. Mayor Amy Goodwin announced on Monday that she planned to rename the “Charleston Christmas Parade” the “Charleston Winter...
Empire State Building shows off new $165 million observatory
NEW YORK — The observatory atop the Empire State Building has a dizzying new look with floor-to-ceiling, 360-degree windows 102 floors above New York City. The remodeled observatory opens to the public Saturday. It was unveiled to the media Thursday. More than 4 million annual visitors will get a bird’s-eye...
Bernie Sanders says he will resume campaign ‘as soon as possible’Video
WASHINGTON — Bernie Sanders said Thursday that he’s getting his endurance back and growing “stronger every day” after suffering a heart attack last week, and he promised to return to the presidential campaign trail “as soon as possible.” In the meantime, he’s batting baseballs around the yard. “I am feeling...
Cuba Gooding Jr. faces new charge in NYC sex misconduct case
Cuba Gooding Jr. learned on Thursday that he’s facing a new undisclosed charge in his sexual misconduct case, a development that came as jury selection was set to begin for his trial. At a court hearing in Manhattan, Assistant District Attorney Jenna Long revealed the charge is contained in a...
Aaron Paul: ‘El Camino’ answers ‘What happened to Jesse?’Video
Aaron Paul’s character in the popular series “Breaking Bad” was supposed to get killed off at the end of the first season. But producers had a change of heart after witnessing the strong chemistry between his Jesse Pinkman character and Bryan Cranston’s Walter White in a pilot. The decision to...
UK, Irish leaders see ‘pathway’ to elusive Brexit dealVideo
LONDON — The leaders of Britain and Ireland said Thursday they had spotted a “pathway” to an elusive Brexit deal, keeping hopes of a breakthrough alive just three weeks before the U.K.’s deadline to leave the European Union. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Irish leader Leo Varadkar provided a...
