Associated Press stories, Page 2641
Carnival in Spanish towns
ALSASUA, Spain (AP) — Dozens of devil-like figures dance and convulse at the sound of cowbells, chasing onlookers with pitchforks in Alsasua as part of this northern Spanish town’s Carnival. Alsasua is one of several villages in this remote region in the foothills of Pyrenees Mountains that still honor these...
Feds charge dozens in widespread U.S. college admissions scam
BOSTON — A fast-moving college admissions scandal moved from bombshell indictments to guilty pleas in a matter of hours, yet the full fallout from the federal case against the rich and famous could take months or more to unfold. Big names such as actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin headline...
Trump sees advantage in debate over Israel, anti-Semitism
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump can’t get enough of Rep. Ilhan Omar. As Democrats try to turn the page after the freshman lawmaker’s remarks, criticized by some as anti-Semitic, ignited an embarrassing, intra-party fight, the Republican president is trying to prolong and weaponize the issue for his 2020 campaign, asserting...
Compromise seeks to limit president’s emergency declarations
WASHINGTON — The White House and Republican senators sought compromise on limiting presidents’ powers to unilaterally declare national emergencies, as chances improved that President Donald Trump might avoid a long-expected rejection by Congress of his effort to divert billions more for building barriers along the Mexican border. As a Thursday...
New Pentagon transgender rule sets limits for troops
WASHINGTON — The Defense Department has approved a new policy that will largely bar transgender troops and military recruits from transitioning to another sex, and require most individuals to serve in their birth gender. The memo outlining the new policy was obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, and it comes...
3-story building collapses in Nigeria with children inside
LAGOS, Nigeria — Frantic rescue efforts were underway in Nigeria on Wednesday after a three-story school building collapsed while classes were in session, with scores of children thought to be inside. Witnesses said nearly a dozen students had been pulled from the ruins, but it was not yet clear if...
California’s new governor signs moratorium on executions
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The 737 inmates on the largest death row in the nation got a reprieve from California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday when he signed an executive order placing a moratorium on executions. Newsom also withdrew the lethal injection regulations that death penalty opponents already have tied up...
Report: Jets agree to $52.5M deal with ex-Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell
NEW YORK — Le’Veon Bell sat out a full season while considering where he’d make his next playmaking moves. Well-rested, motivated and armed with a new contract, the star running back is joining Sam Darnold and the New York Jets. Bell agreed to a deal early Wednesday morning, a person...
Saint Mary’s knocks off No. 1 Gonzaga for WCC title
LAS VEGAS — Saint Mary’s ended the nation’s longest winning streak and Gonzaga’s six-year reign as West Coast Conference Tournament champions, grinding out a 60-47 victory in the title game Tuesday night. Saint Mary’s (22-11) all but shut down the nation’s highest-scoring team by slowing the game and forcing Gonzaga...
Freshman duo combines for 49 points as Pitt tops Boston College in ACC tourney
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Pitt coach Jeff Capel gave his freshman backcourt simple instructions Tuesday night: Attack the hole. The strategy worked as Trey McGowens scored 26 points, Xavier Johnson added 23 and the Panthers defeated Boston College, 80-70, in the first round of the ACC Tournament. Pitt faces Syracuse on...
Reports: Browns to acquire star receiver Odell Beckham from Giants
CLEVELAND — Odell Beckham Jr. is about to run a deep route out of New Jersey and straight to Cleveland. The star wide receiver is bound for the Browns to be a target for quarterback Baker Mayfield. The Browns agreed to acquire Beckham in a blockbuster trade, two people familiar...
New Mexico bill would create first state-run pot shops in U.S.
SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico would become the first U.S. state to set up its own government-operated marijuana stores and subsidize medical cannabis for the poor under a bill brokered between Republicans and Democrats, as a new wave of states weighs legislation that would legalize recreational sales and consumption....
Gene-edited food quietly arrives in restaurant cooking oil
NEW YORK — Somewhere in the Midwest, a restaurant is frying foods with oil made from gene-edited soybeans. That’s according to the company making the oil, which says it’s the first commercial use of a gene-edited food in the U.S. Calyxt said it can’t reveal its first customer for competitive...
2,200 quarantined over mumps outbreak at immigration centers
PHOENIX — Over 2,200 people exposed to the mumps virus in at least two immigration detention facilities have been quarantined, authorities said Tuesday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say the 25-day quarantine began March 7 at facilities in Pine Prairie, La., and Aurora, Colo. The outbreak has renewed long-held concerns...
Pennsylvania opens investigation into gas liquids pipeline
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s attorney general said Tuesday that his office has opened an investigation into construction on a 350-mile natural gas liquids pipeline project across southern Pennsylvania that has been blamed for polluting waterways in dozens of places and causing sinkholes near homes. Attorney General Josh Shapiro took the investigation...
NHL: Maple Leafs’ Morgan Rielly didn’t utter gay slur at official
TORONTO — Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly didn’t direct a gay slur at referee Brad Meier during the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the NHL said Tuesday after an investigation. Television cameras picked up what sounded like a slur with 1 minute, 51 seconds left in the second...
Push for broader LGBT rights slowed by lack of GOP support
NEW YORK — The LGBT rights movement’s top legislative priority, a comprehensive nondiscrimination bill, will be introduced in Congress on Wednesday, but the excitement will be tempered by political reality: The bill could well be doomed, at least for this year, by lack of Republican support. That dynamic mirrors the...
Pilots have reported issues in U.S. with new Boeing jet
Airline pilots on at least two flights have reported that an automated system seemed to cause their Boeing planes to tilt down suddenly, the same problem suspected of contributing to a deadly crash in Indonesia. The pilots said that soon after engaging the autopilot on Boeing 737 Max 8 planes,...
Man killed after trying to ‘ambush’ police in Kalamazoo
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A man who “wanted to ambush” police was killed Tuesday inside a plasma donation center in southwestern Michigan during a shootout that injured an officer, authorities said. A Kalamazoo officer was shot in the torso, but his injury wasn’t life-threatening due to a bulletproof vest, said Karianne...
Venezuelans turn highway off ramp into cellphone hotspot
CARACAS, Venezuela — A highway shoulder in Venezuela’s capital has turned into one of the city’s most sought-after destinations. It’s one of the few places residents could find the slightest cellphone signal strong enough to reach loved ones around the world during the country’s worst blackout. “My siblings who live...
Venezuelan government targets Guaido over national blackout
CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido is under investigation for the alleged sabotage of the country’s power grid, the chief prosecutor said Tuesday, as the government sought to pressure an adversary who blames corruption and mismanagement for nearly a week of national blackouts. The announcement by Tarek William...
Trump laments complexity of modern airlines in wake of crash
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump lamented the complexity of modern airplanes Tuesday in the wake of two deadly crashes in the past five months, appearing to speculate on the cause of the disasters before aviation experts from the United States and elsewhere complete their investigations. The president commented as several...
U.S. stock indexes end mostly higher, extending market’s gains
Technology and health care companies led U.S. stock indexes mostly higher Tuesday, building on the market’s solid gains from a day earlier. Boeing weighed down the Dow Jones Industrial Average for a second day as shares in the aircraft maker fell amid safety concerns following another deadly crash involving its...
Longest U.S.-Taliban peace talks see ‘progress’ in Qatar
DOHA, Qatar — The longest peace talks between the United States and the Taliban to end America’s 17-year war in Afghanistan concluded Tuesday night in Qatar, with both sides saying progress had been made. The nearly two weeks of talks produced two draft agreements between the militants and the U.S....
Dick’s to halt sales of rifles, ammo at 125 of its stores
CORAOPOLIS — Dick’s Sporting Goods said Tuesday that it will stop selling hunting rifles and ammunition at 125 of its stores, replacing the gear with merchandise it believes will sell better at those locations. CEO Edward Stack said the move comes after the sporting goods retailer replaced hunting merchandise in...
