Associated Press stories, Page 2505
As Russia probe began, Trump called on spy chiefs for help
WASHINGTON — Two months before special counsel Robert Mueller was appointed in the spring of 2017, President Donald Trump picked up the phone and called the head of the largest U.S. intelligence agency. Trump told Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, that news stories alleging that Trump’s 2016...
Happy birthday: Queen Elizabeth II turns 93 on Easter Sunday
LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating her 93rd birthday, which this year coincides with Easter Sunday. The queen is marking Easter by attending a service with other senior royals at St. George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle, west of London. She was joined by Prince William and...
Pope denounces ‘cruel violence’ of Sri Lanka Easter attack
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis denounced the “cruel violence” of the Easter Sunday slaughter of Christians and foreigners in Sri Lanka as he celebrated the most joyful moment on the Christian liturgical calendar by lamenting the bloodshed and political violence afflicting many parts of the world. Francis skipped his homily...
Easter Sunday bomb blasts kill more than 200 in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — More than 200 people were killed and hundreds more wounded in eight bomb blasts that rocked churches and luxury hotels in or near Sri Lanka’s capital on Easter Sunday — the deadliest violence the South Asian island country has seen since a bloody civil war ended...
Earth, meet Polo: Ralph Lauren unveils plastic bottle shirt
NEW YORK — Polo Ralph Lauren on Thursday launched a version of its iconic polo shirt made entirely of recycled plastic bottles and dyed through a process that uses zero water. David Lauren, the youngest son of the company’s founder and its chief innovation officer, told The Associated Press ahead...
Study: Genetic test predicts middle-aged obesity risk
NEW YORK — Can a genetic test identify newborns at risk of becoming severely obese by middle age? Researchers say they have come up with one, and that it might allow interventions in childhood to avoid that fate. The test examines more than 2 million spots in a person’s genetic...
Americans’ energy use surges despite climate change concern
WASHINGTON — Americans burned a record amount of energy in 2018, with a 10% jump in consumption from booming natural gas helping to lead the way, the U.S. Energy Information Administration says. Overall consumption of all kinds of fuels rose 4% year on year, the largest such increase in eight...
‘Toxic cocktail’ poisoning water in fire-ravaged city
PARADISE, Calif. — The drinking water in Paradise, Calif., where 85 people died in the worst wildfire in state history, is contaminated with the cancer-causing chemical benzene, water officials said. Officials said they believe the contamination happened after the November firestorm created a “toxic cocktail” of gases in burning homes...
Columbine honors 13 lost with community service, ceremony
LITTLETON, Colo. — Community members in suburban Denver marked the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting Saturday by cleaning neighborhoods, volunteering at shelters, placing flowers at a memorial and attending a remembrance ceremony. The events end a three-day slate of somber gatherings honoring the victims and lending support...
Yellow vest anger burns in France, fueled by Notre Dame fire
PARIS — French yellow vest protesters set fires Saturday along a march through Paris to drive home their message to a government they believe is ignoring the poor: that rebuilding the fire-ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral isn’t the only problem France needs to solve. Like the high-visibility vests the protesters wear,...
5-year-old Michigan boy calls 911 to ask for McDonald’s
WYOMING, Mich. — A 5-year-old Michigan boy had a craving for McDonald’s but his grandmother was sleeping, so he called 911 and made a request. WZZM-TV in Grand Rapids reports Iziah Hall of Wyoming asked the dispatcher: “Can you bring me McDonald’s?” Dispatcher Sara Kuberski said she told him no...
Jake Muzzin, Maple Leafs eye elimination of Bruins in Game 6
BOSTON — Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin has extra motivation to beat Boston on Sunday and eliminate the Bruins in six games: It would mean extra time to spend with his baby daughter. Muzzin’s wife, Courtney, gave birth to a girl, Luna, on Thursday, the off day between Games 4...
Road crew misspells ‘school’ in school crossing
DORAL, Fla. — A road crew in Florida should get an “F” for spelling. A motorist on Thursday spotted the error, realizing that workers in Doral had made a mistake when painting the word “school” at a pedestrian crossing in the road. Instead of S-C-H-O-O-L, it was spelled S-C-O-H-O-L. #UPDATE-...
Greensburg native Rocco Mediate in 2nd going into final round of Champions event
Greensburg native Rocco Mediate is in position for his fourth PGA Tour Champions victory, but he will have to catch Scott McCarron to get it. McCarron birdied the par-5 18th hole Saturday to take a three-stroke lead over Mediate in the PGA Tour Champions’ Mitsubishi Electric Classic. The 53-year-old McCarron...
MLB all in on ‘letting the kids play,’ to dismay of some
When Tim Anderson spiked his bat and yelled toward his White Sox teammates, MLB’s self-described “spicy” Twitter account was among the first to weigh in. “LET THE KIDS PLAY,” proclaimed Cut4 , the offbeat arm of MLB’s social media portfolio with nearly 1 million followers. The tweet Wednesday included video...
George Zimmerman banned from Tinder dating app
The ex-neighborhood watch volunteer who killed an unarmed black teen in Florida in 2012 has been banned from the dating app Tinder. An emailed statement from Tinder cited users’ safety as a reason for removing George Zimmerman’s profile. An article by Tampa, Florida, weekly Creative Loafing says Zimmerman used a...
Oregon county pays $100K over Blue Lives Matter flag
PORTLAND, Ore. — An Oregon county has agreed to pay $100,000 to a black employee who sued alleging she was harassed after asking that a Blue Lives Matter flag not be displayed in the office. Karimah Guion-Pledgure said in her January lawsuit against Multnomah County that the flag demeans the...
110 Kosovars, mostly children and women, returned from Syria
PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo authorities announced Saturday they have brought back from Syria 110 Kosovar citizens, mostly women and children, with the assistance of the United States. Justice Minister Abelard Tahiri, top policeman Rashit Qalaj and a health official told journalists early Saturday that “a planned operation to bring back...
Boy Scout ranch focuses on wildfire recovery as season nears
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Tucked away in the foothills of the southern Rockies, the Philmont Scout Ranch has become a holy grail, its stretches of untamed wilderness and challenging backcountry treks drawing more than 1 million Boy Scouts and other adventurers from across the United States over the past 80 years....
Northern Irish police arrest 2 over killing of journalist
LONDON — Police in Northern Ireland on Saturday arrested two teenagers in connection with the fatal shooting of a journalist during rioting in the city of Londonderry. The men, aged 18 and 19, were detained under anti-terrorism legislation and taken to Belfast for questioning, the Police Service of Northern Ireland...
Rep: Adele, husband Simon Konecki have separated
NEW YORK — Adele and her husband Simon Konecki have separated. The pop singer’s representatives Benny Tarantini and Carl Fysh confirmed the news Friday in a statement to The Associated Press. “Adele and her partner have separated,” the emailed statement said. “They are committed to raising their son together lovingly....
Fake news? Mueller isn’t buying it
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump and his team love to deride unfavorable stories as “fake news,” but it’s clear from Robert Mueller’s report that the special counsel isn’t buying it. While there are a few exceptions, Mueller’s investigation repeatedly supports news reporting that was done on the Russia probe...
Storms in South kill girl in Florida, bring tornado threat
ATLANTA — A strong storm system barreling through the South on Friday killed an 8-year-old girl in Florida and threatened to bring tornadoes to large parts of the Carolinas and southern Virginia. A tree fell onto a house in Woodville, Florida, south of Tallahassee, killing the girl and injuring a...
Parents who starved and shackled children sentenced to life
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The eldest son and daughter of a couple who starved and shackled 12 of their children spoke publicly for the first time Friday, alternately condemning and forgiving their parents before a judge sentenced the pair to up to life in prison. Since being freed from their prison-like...
Officials: South Carolina school girl died of natural causes
WALTERBORO, S.C. — South Carolina authorities said Friday that the death of a fifth grade girl at school last month was due to natural causes and not a fight with another student, which they described as lasting only seconds. But the family of the girl disagreed, saying she was repeatedly...
