Associated Press stories, Page 243
Russia’s top court lifts terror group designation on Afghanistan’s Taliban
MOSCOW — Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday lifted a ban on Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, a group that was designated as a terrorist organization more than two decades ago. The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops were in the final weeks of withdrawing from...
Scientists find possible chemical signs of life on a faraway planet
LONDON — Astronomers have found possible chemical signs of life on a distant planet outside our solar system, though they caution more work is needed to confirm their findings. The research, led by scientists at the University of Cambridge, detected evidence of compounds in the exoplanet’s atmosphere that on Earth...
Lee Corso to retire from ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ after 4-decade run
Lee Corso’s nearly four-decade run on ESPN’s “College GameDay” is coming to an end. Corso, the longtime ESPN broadcaster and folksy former coach widely known for his endearing expressions and elaborate headgear picks, is set to retire after a career with the show that began in 1987, ESPN announced Thursday....
Florida State gunman used deputy mom’s former service weapon to kill 2 and wound 6, authorities sayVideo
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The 20-year-old son of a sheriff’s deputy opened fire Thursday at Florida State University with his mother’s former service weapon, killing two people and wounding at least six others, investigators said. Officers quickly arrived and shot and wounded the shooter after he refused to comply with commands,...
UnitedHealth’s worst drop in decades weighs on U.S. indexes even as most stocks tick higher
NEW YORK — The worst plunge for UnitedHealth Group’s stock in more than a quarter century is weighing on Wall Street, even as most stocks ticked higher. The S&P 500 was 0.1% lower in its final day of trading for a holiday-shortened week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down...
Trump administration takes aim at Harvard’s international students and tax-exempt status
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration has escalated its ongoing battle with Harvard, threatening to revoke the university’s ability to host international students as the president called for withdrawing Harvard’s tax-exempt status. The Department of Homeland Security ordered Harvard late Tuesday to turn over “detailed records” of its foreign student...
Actor Michelle Trachtenberg died of complications from diabetes, says NYC medical examiner
NEW YORK — Actor Michelle Trachtenberg died as a result of complications from diabetes, New York City’s medical examiner said Wednesday. The office said in a statement that it amended the cause and manner of death for the 39-year-old New York City native following a review of laboratory test results....
Israeli strike kills family of 10 in Gaza as UN raises alarm over food cutoff
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip overnight into Thursday killed at least 23 people, including a family of 10, local health officials said. The United Nations meanwhile raised alarm over the mounting impact of Israel’s six-week-old blockade preventing all food and other supplies from entering...
Russia strikes Dnipro as Ukrainian officials seek security pledges in Paris
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces launched a massive drone attack on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, killing three people including a child and wounding dozens, officials said Thursday. The strike was the latest in a string of Russian attacks that have caused civilian casualties and intensified in recent weeks,...
Federal judge will hear arguments as groups try to block Trump’s executive order on elections
NEW YORK — A federal judge on Thursday will hear arguments in three cases from national Democrats and voting rights groups that are challenging President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on elections, which, among other changes, would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. The Democratic...
Trump suggests he can remove Fed Chair Powell, saying he’s ‘not happy’ with him over interest rates
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump attacked Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday for not cutting interest rates and said he could fire him if he wanted to, renewing a threat from his first term that could cause a major legal showdown over the issue of the central bank’s longstanding...
California judge set to decide whether the Menendez brothers deserve reduced sentences
LOS ANGELES — Erik and Lyle Menendez could learn this week whether they’ll get reduced sentences — and the chance for freedom — nearly 30 years after they were convicted of murdering their parents. A Los Angeles judge will preside over the resentencing hearing expected to last two days starting...
UN nuclear watchdog says U.S.-Iran talks at a ‘very crucial’ stage
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program are “in a very crucial” stage, the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said Thursday while on a visit to the Islamic Republic. The comments by Rafael Mariano Grossi of the...
Officials demand answers as crews work to restore power after another Puerto Rico blackout
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Crews worked early Thursday to restore power to Puerto Rico after a blackout across the entire island that affected the main international airport, several hospitals and hotels filled with Easter vacationers The outage that began past noon Wednesday left 1.4 million customers without electricity and...
Head Start funding lags by nearly $1 billion this year, causing some preschool closures
Head Start centers across the U.S. have received nearly $1 billion less in federal money compared with this time last year — and a lag in funding this week has caused some preschool classrooms for low-income children to close. The federal government has distributed $1.6 billion for Head Start from...
Spencer Carbery coached the Capitals to 1st in the East. His NHL colleagues rave about how he did itVideo
WASHINGTON — Spencer Carbery integrated several offseason additions to perfection, helped the Washington Capitals become the first NHL team to qualify for the playoffs this season and navigated Alex Ovechkin’s successful pursuit of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record. All that makes Carbery a prime candidate to win the Jack...
Island-wide blackout hits Puerto Rico as residents prepare for Easter weekend
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — An island-wide blackout hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday as the largely Catholic residents of the U.S. territory prepared to celebrate the Easter weekend, officials said. All 1.4 million clients on the island were without power, Hugo Sorrentini, spokesman for Luma Energy, which oversees the transmission...
Scottie Scheffler rested, ready to defend title at Hilton HeadVideo
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Scottie Scheffler was the star attraction of a parade just two days after the Masters. This one was all about a red plaid jacket from Harbour Town, not a green jacket from Augusta National. The tradition of the RBC Heritage is for the defending champion...
A colossal squid is caught on camera for the first time in the deep sea
A colossal squid has been caught on camera for the first time in the deep sea by an international team of researchers steering a remotely operated submersible. The sighting was announced Tuesday by the Schmidt Ocean Institute. The squid filmed was a juvenile about 1 foot in length at a...
Experts make new recommendations on RSV and meningitis vaccines, but it’s unclear what happens next
ATLANTA — A federal panel of experts on Wednesday recommended an expansion of RSV vaccinations for adults and a new combination shot as another option to protect teens against meningitis. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices also voted to recommend a shot to protect travelers from a mosquito-borne illness called...
Trump administration plans to end IRS Direct File program for free tax filing, AP sources say
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration plans to eliminate the IRS’ Direct File program, an electronic system for filing tax returns directly to the agency for free, according to two people familiar with the decision. The program developed during Joe Biden’s presidency was credited by users with making tax filing easy,...
How war, money and the quest for discovery entwined U.S. government and universities
NEW YORK — The showdown between the Trump administration and Harvard University is spotlighting bare-knuckled politics and big dollar figures. But in the battle of the moment, it’s easy to lose sight of a decades-long alliance between the U.S. government and the nation’s most prominent universities, forged to fight a...
U.S. stocks drop as Nvidia slides and the fog of Trump’s trade war thickens
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks fell Wednesday after Nvidia warned new restrictions on exports to China will chisel billions of dollars off its results, while companies around the world said President Donald Trump’s trade war is clouding forecasts for how they and the economy will do this year. The S&P...
Justin Rose coping with ‘torment’ of Masters close callVideo
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — The farther Justin Rose drove from Augusta National only made him realize how close he came to winning the Masters. His phone kept buzzing on the way to Hilton Head Island, one text after another, all of them with the same message that applauded his...
Fort Benning takes back its old name, but to honor a different soldier
FORT BENNING — The Army officially restored the name Fort Benning to its storied training post in Georgia, only this time to honor an 18-year-old corporal who fought in World War I rather than a Confederate general. A ceremony to make the name change official was held Wednesday at the...
