Associated Press stories, Page 25
Warner Bros. shareholders approve Paramount’s $81 billion takeover of the Hollywood giant
NEW YORK — An $81 billion Warner-Paramount mega merger has received shareholders’ stamp of approval, propelling a deal that could vastly reshape Hollywood and the wider media landscape closer to the finish line. Per a preliminary vote count on Thursday, the overwhelming majority of Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders voted in...
Pirates’ Cruz missile strikes top of right-field foul pole at 116.9 mph, hardest hit ball this seasonVideo
ARLINGTON, Texas — Pittsburgh Pirates star Oneil Cruz told Marcell Ozuna in the on-deck circle in the fifth inning Tuesday night that he would hit a home run, only to watch Texas center fielder Evan Carter make a spectacular, leaping catch over the fence in front of the visitors’ bullpen...
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel is seeking counseling and will miss Day 3 of the NFL draft
New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel is seeking counseling and will not be with the team for Day 3 of the NFL Draft on Saturday, following the publication of photos of the coach and longtime NFL reporter Dianna Russini at an Arizona resort. “As I said the other day, I...
The Gates Foundation is reviewing its Epstein ties as released emails raise questions for funders
NEW YORK — The Gates Foundation is reviewing its ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the organization confirmed Wednesday, as chairman Bill Gates faces mounting scrutiny over his appearances in Justice Department documents related to its investigation of the disgraced financier. Gates, who founded Microsoft, reportedly spoke “candidly” about...
Nuclear energy is having a global revival 40 years after Chernobyl
The 1986 Chernobyl disaster fueled global fears about nuclear power and slowed its development in Europe and elsewhere. Four decades later, however, there’s a revival around the world, a trend that has been given a big boost by war in the Middle East. Over 400 nuclear reactors are operational in...
Trump reclassifies state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug in a historic shift
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s acting attorney general on Thursday signed an order reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug, a major policy shift long sought by advocates who said cannabis should never have been treated like heroin by the federal government. The order signed by Todd Blanche does...
U.S. jobless claim filings rise modestly to 214,000 last week, remain at historically healthy levels
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits inched up last week but remains within the historically healthy range of recent years. U.S. jobless aid applications for the week ending April 18 rose by 6,000 to 214,000, up from the previous week’s 208,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday....
Trump orders U.S. military to ‘shoot and kill’ Iranian small boats choking Strait of HormuzVideo
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats that deploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz, he said Thursday, a day after Iran again displayed its ability to thwart traffic through the channel. Trump’s post on social media...
Senate passes budget plan for ICE and Border Patrol in bid to reopen Homeland Security Department
WASHINGTON — The Senate took the first steps in a new effort to reopen the Department of Homeland Security early Thursday, voting to adopt a budget plan that would fund ICE and Border Patrol over Democratic objections and sending it to the House. The entire department has been shut down...
Immigration officer is charged with assault after protest outside Colorado ICE facility, DA says
An immigration officer has been charged with third-degree assault and criminal mischief following an investigation into how he treated a protester who said the officer put her in a chokehold. Multiple videos from bystanders show a masked agent grabbing and pulling Franci Stagi across the street during a protest in...
New York Times says FBI investigated reporter after article about director Kash Patel’s girlfriend
NEW YORK — The New York Times says the FBI investigated whether one of its reporters, Elizabeth Williamson, violated laws against stalking after she wrote a story nearly two months ago about how federal agents had been assigned to protect and give rides to FBI Director Kash Patel’s girlfriend. The...
Pentagon says Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving, the latest departure of a top defense leader
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon announced Wednesday that the Navy’s top civilian official, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, is leaving his job. In a statement posted to social media, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Phelan was “departing the administration, effective immediately.” Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao will become acting secretary of...
Stocks rally to records, but Brent oil also tops $100 on worries about the Iran war
NEW YORK — The U.S. stock market rallied to more records Wednesday after GE Vernova, Boston Scientific and other big companies joined the parade reporting fatter profits for the start of the year than analysts expected. But caution still hung over Wall Street, and oil prices rose on uncertainty about...
ACC’s new coaches at Virginia Tech, California, Stanford get 1st looks at teams in spring drills
James Franklin is eager to replicate success from a long run at Penn State now that he is preparing for his first season at Virginia Tech as one of the ACC’s three incoming coaches. That included hiring the man he ultimately replaced — Brent Pry, fired last year in his...
U.S. health officials nix publication of a study on covid vaccine effectiveness
NEW YORK — U.S. health officials stopped the publication of a study on whether the covid-19 vaccine was keeping adults from becoming sick enough to have to go to the hospital. A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesman on Wednesday confirmed the decision to halt publication, citing a...
Spring quarterback battles fading away in Big Ten
Quarterback competitions traditionally have been the focal point of spring football when a team has lost its starter from the previous season. Look no further than the Big Ten to see how those battles are becoming a thing of the past. There will be eight new starters in the conference...
Federal rescue package in works for Spirit Airlines
The Trump administration is nearing a rescue package for Spirit Airlines that could give the U.S. government the option to own as much as 90% of the carrier once it emerges from bankruptcy, according to people familiar with the matter. The agreement, which has not yet been finalized, would offer...
Federal appeals court blocks California law requiring federal agents to wear identification
LOS ANGELES — A federal appeals court issued an order Wednesday blocking a California law passed in 2025 requiring federal immigration agents to wear a badge or some form of identification. The Trump administration filed a lawsuit in November challenging the law, arguing that it would threaten the safety of...
Chemical leak at a West Virginia plant kills 2 people and sends 30 others to hospitals, officials say
INSTITUTE, W.Va. — A chemical leak at a West Virginia silver recovery business on Wednesday killed two people and sent about 30 others to hospitals, including one in serious condition, authorities said. The leak occurred at the Catalyst Refiners plant in Institute as workers were preparing to shut down at...
Searchers find the body of 1 of 6 missing crew from a ship that overturned during a typhoon
SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands — Searchers found the body of one of the six missing crew members from a cargo ship that overturned near the Northern Mariana Islands during a typhoon and were looking for the rest, hoping they might have made it to a life raft. U.S. Air Force...
Dave Mason, co-founder of Traffic known for ‘We Just Disagree’ and ‘Feelin’ Alright,’ dies at 79Video
NEW YORK — Dave Mason — the co-founder of the psychedelic British band Traffic, songwriter behind classic rock hits “Feelin’ Alright” and “Hole in My Shoe,” and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer — died Sunday at his home in Gardnerville, Nevada. He was 79. His death was confirmed by...
Trump raises prospect of federal support or merger as Spirit Airlines struggles with costs and debt
President Donald Trump on Tuesday suggested that the federal government could help keep a struggling Spirit Airlines afloat, while also encouraging a buyer to step in and rescue the budget carrier. “Spirit’s in trouble and I’d love somebody to buy Spirit. It’s 14,000 jobs,” Trump said in a CNBC interview....
Supreme Court rules for Michigan in its fight to shut down an aging energy pipeline
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with Michigan in ruling that the state’s lawsuit seeking to shut down a section of an aging pipeline beneath a Great Lakes channel will stay in state court. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for a unanimous court that the Enbridge energy company waited...
Rep. David Scott, a Georgia Democrat seeking a 13th term in Congress, dies at age 80
ATLANTA — U.S. Rep. David Scott, a Georgia Democrat and the first Black chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, has died. He was 80. Scott, who was seeking his 13th term in Congress despite challenges from within his party, was once a leading voice for Democrats on issues related to...
U.K. passes bill that will eventually ban cigarette purchases
LONDON — Opponents of smoking got a breath of fresh air as Parliament passed a bill that will put cigarettes out of reach for future generations. “The end of smoking, and the devastating harm it causes, is no longer uncertain — it’s inevitable,” Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on...
