Associated Press stories, Page 276
Last-second layup lifts Alabama State over Saint Francis in First Four
DAYTON, Ohio — Amarr Knox’s layup with a second left lifted Alabama State to its first NCAA Tournament win Tuesday night, 70-68 over Saint Francis in a matchup of No. 16 seeds at the First Four. Knox scored 16 points to help the Hornets (20-15) earn a date with No....
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams return to Earth after 9 months stuck in spaceVideo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Stuck in space no more, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returned to Earth on Tuesday, hitching a different ride home to close out a saga that began with a bungled test flight more than nine months ago. Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into the Gulf...
Federal judge blocks Trump administration from banning transgender people from military service
WASHINGTON — A federal judge blocked enforcement of President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender people from military service on Tuesday, the latest in a string of legal setbacks for his sweeping agenda. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington, D.C., ruled that Trump’s order to exclude transgender troops from...
Previously classified files related to JFK assassination released
DALLAS — Previously classified documents related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy were released Tuesday evening following an order by President Donald Trump shortly after he took office. The 1,123 files were posted on the website of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. The vast majority...
West Virginia loses coach Darian DeVries to Indiana
Indiana hired Darian DeVries as their new coach, school officials announced Tuesday. DeVries spent this past season as West Virginia’s coach. He spent the previous six at Drake. DeVries replaces former Indiana star Mike Woodson, who announced last month he would be stepping down at the end of his fourth...
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani deliver in MLB season opener
TOKYO — Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw five strong innings, Shohei Ohtani had two hits and scored twice and the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs, 4-1, on Tuesday in MLB’s season opener at the Tokyo Dome. Playing in front of their home country, Yamamoto and Cubs...
2-time Super Bowl champ Brandon Graham retires after 15 seasons with Eagles
Brandon Graham’s career in Philadelphia began with criticisms that he was a first-round bust and ended with him being one of the most beloved Eagles players of his generation. Graham retired Tuesday following a 15-year career in Philly that was highlighted by his role in the defensive play that helped...
Judge rules DOGE’s USAID dismantling likely violates the Constitution
WASHINGTON — The dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development by billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency likely violated the Constitution, a federal judge ruled Tuesday as he indefinitely blocked DOGE from making further cuts to the agency. The order requires the Trump administration to restore email and...
EPA plans to eliminate scientific research team, could fire more than 1,000 employees
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate its scientific research office and could fire more than 1,000 scientists and other employees who help provide the scientific foundation for rules safeguarding human health and ecosystems from environmental pollutants. As many as 1,155 chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists —...
Roberts rejects Trump’s call for impeaching judge who ruled against his deportation plans
WASHINGTON — In an extraordinary display of conflict between the executive and judiciary branches, Chief Justice John Roberts rejected calls for impeaching judges shortly after President Donald Trump demanded the removal of one who ruled against his deportation plans. The rebuke from the Supreme Court’s leader demonstrated how controversy over...
Johni Broome of Auburn, Cooper Flagg of Duke unanimous picks to lead the AP All-America team
One is a fifth-year senior who began his career at a mid-major, the other a first-year wunderkind recruited by everyone. The first is a now leading a program on the rise, while the other is the unmistakable star for a traditional power. Johni Broome of Auburn and Cooper Flagg of...
Louisiana man asks for last-minute court ruling to halt nitrogen gas execution
BATON ROUGE, La. — Hours before a Louisiana man is scheduled to be put to death Tuesday, his attorneys are hoping for a last-minute court ruling to halt the state’s first execution by nitrogen gas. Louisiana plans to use the new method to put Jessie Hoffman Jr., 46, to death...
The Rise of the SEC: How a league known for the gridiron became became kings of college basketball
Porter Moser spent three seasons in the Big 12 before shepherding Oklahoma to the Southeastern Conference, making the longtime coach uniquely suited to compare the erstwhile best conference in America to the current king of college hoops. “The things is, there is no bottom,” Moser explained. “That’s what we felt...
Alabama’s bench could be key to the Tide making another deep run in the NCAA tourney
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — With versatile point guard Mark Sears and mustachioed forward Grant Nelson, Alabama has two of the more recognizable players in the NCAA Tournament. The duo led the Crimson Tide to the Final Four last year and returned to school in hopes of delivering the program’s first national...
Pope pens letter to the editor while in hospital as Vatican prepares for King Charles’ visit
ROME — Pope Francis said in a letter published Tuesday that his lengthy illness has helped make “more lucid” to him the absurdity of war, as his top deputy shot down any suggestion of resignation and plans progressed for an upcoming meeting with Britain’s King Charles III. Italian daily Corriere...
Trump calls for impeaching the federal judge who ruled against his deportations
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a federal judge who tried to stop his deportation plans should be impeached, escalating his conflict with a judiciary that’s been one of the few restraints on his administration’s aggressive plans. Trump has routinely criticized judges, especially as they limit his efforts...
Hungary’s parliament bans Pride events in a new assault on LGBTQ+ rights
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungarian lawmakers on Tuesday passed a law banning Pride events and allowing authorities to use facial recognition software to identify attendees, continuing a crackdown by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s right-wing populist party on the country’s LBGTQ+ community. The measure passed in a 136-27 vote. The law, supported...
Top House Democrats seek DOGE details, questioning if it operates ‘outside the bounds’ of U.S. law
WASHINGTON — Top Democrats on the House Judiciary and House Oversight committees have filed a lengthy Freedom of Information Act request questioning whether the Trump administration’s DOGE Service is operating “outside the bounds of federal law,” The Associated Press has learned. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Rep. Gerald Connolly...
Stuck astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore finally on their way back to Earth
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s two stuck astronauts headed back to Earth with SpaceX on Tuesday to close out a dramatic marathon mission that began with a bungled Boeing test flight more than nine months ago. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams bid farewell to the International Space Station — their...
Trump’s funding freeze leaves U.S. allied Afghan refugees struggling for the basics
LAUREL, Md. — The rent is due, but Rahmani has no money to pay it. The Afghan father of two worked for a U.S.-backed organization in Kabul, which put him at risk of Taliban retribution. Now he is among thousands of newly arrived refugees who lost financial assistance when the...
Trump says his administration is set to release JFK files with no redactions
DALLAS — President Donald Trump says files related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy will be released Tuesday without any redactions, making good on a promise he made during his campaign. Trump told reporters Monday that his administration will be releasing 80,000 files, though it’s not clear...
Trump and Putin spoke for more than an hour as U.S. seeks Russian sign-off on plan to end Ukraine war
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a lengthy phone conversation on Tuesday as the White House pushes for Russia to sign off on its 30-day ceasefire proposal aimed at ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The White House and Kremlin did not offer any immediate...
Heat-Knicks game is delayed after Tracy Morgan gets sick at Madison Square Garden
NEW YORK — Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan got sick in the second half of Monday night’s Heat-Knicks game, interrupting the action at Madison Square Garden. There was a pause in play with 6:09 left in the third quarter while workers cleaned up the area around Morgan’s seat. The delay...
March Madness tips off with First Four in Dayton
DAYTON, Ohio — North Carolina was a controversial selection for the NCAA Tournament, but the Tar Heels can silence some skeptics with a win over San Diego State on Tuesday night at the First Four. The winner will face No. 6 seed Mississippi on Friday in Milwaukee. The Tar Heels...
PepsiCo buys prebiotic soda brand Poppi to gain foothold in functional drinks
PepsiCo said Monday it’s acquiring the prebiotic soda brand Poppi for $1.95 billion. The acquisition gives PepsiCo a fast-growing brand in the popular functional beverage category. “More than ever, consumers are looking for convenient and great-tasting options that fit their lifestyles and respond to their growing interest in health and...
