Associated Press stories, Page 29
EU targets Snapchat over child safety and accuses porn sites of failing to block minors
LONDON — European Union regulators are investigating Snapchat over concerns the platform isn’t doing enough to protect kids and exposing them to risks such as increased vulnerability to child predators or recruitment by criminals. The 27-nation EU’s executive Commission said Thursday it was opening a formal investigation into Snapchat under...
Bill Maher will win the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain humor prize following White House denial
WASHINGTON — Bill Maher will win the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the Kennedy Center said Thursday, less than a week after the White House forcefully denied that the comedian, who has had a hot-and-cold relationship with President Donald Trump, would win it. “For nearly three decades, the...
Iran and the U.S. harden their positions over talks to end the nearly month-old war
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran and the United States appeared at an impasse Thursday, hardening their positions over ceasefire talks and setting the stage for another potential escalation in the Middle East war as thousands more U.S. troops neared the region. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump extended his deadline for...
Pittsburgh area 8th grader has the last remaining perfect women’s NCAA bracket
The only perfect bracket left after the opening weekend of the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments — from more than 40 million entries across all the major contests — was produced not by some college basketball expert or betting guru but an eighth grader from suburban Pittsburgh. His name is...
Aaron Judge goes hitless for 1st time in career on opening day; Yankees beat Giants in MLB opener
SAN FRANCISCO — Two-time reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge went hitless on opening day for the first time in his big-league career and had four strikeouts in a game for the first time since September 2024 in the New York Yankees’ 7-0 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday...
Houston embraces ‘home’ Sweet 16 game at Toyota Center as Illinois arrives unfazed
HOUSTON — Houston is in the Sweet 16 for a seventh straight season, and this trip might be its sweetest yet. The second-seeded Cougars meet No. 3 Illinois on Thursday night in the NCAA Tournament’s South Region semifinals at Toyota Center, the home of the Houston Rockets that sits just...
Elite freshmen in spotlight for Arizona-Arkansas Sweet 16 matchup in West Region
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Coach John Calipari has made a career of relying on freshman stars to make long NCAA Tournament runs so the fact that he’s doing it again at Arkansas with Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas should come as little surprise. For Arizona, it’s been a bit of...
At Pentagon Christian service, Pete Hegseth prays for violence ‘against those who deserve no mercy’
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, hosting his first monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon since the Iran war began, prayed Wednesday to have “every round find its mark.” “Every month it is fitting to be right here,” he told the gathered civilian employees and uniformed military personnel. “All...
Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez push bill to impose AI data center moratorium
WASHINGTON — Two high-profile progressive lawmakers introduced a bill Wednesday that would pause new data centers in the United States until national safeguards are in place to protect workers and consumers and ensure the technologies don’t harm the environment. The legislation by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and...
Democratic lawmaker asks judge to take Trump’s name off Kennedy Center
WASHINGTON — A Democratic lawmaker is asking a federal judge to force the Kennedy Center to block and reverse efforts to attach President Donald Trump’s name to the historic performing arts venue. In a motion filed Wednesday, Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio argues that Congress was clear in its intent...
Netflix swings into MLB with Yankees-Giants opening night, betting on 3 marquee events
Netflix’s forays into live sports have already been successful with the NFL and WWE. The streamer is hoping for another home run as its partnership with MLB begins Wednesday night with the opening night game between the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants. The opener is part of a...
Masters coverage to include stats-driven look at Amen Corner on Prime Video
AUGUSTA, Ga. — For those who can’t get enough of the Masters, Augusta National is providing even more coverage this year. Its new deal with Prime Video will include a stats-driven broadcast of Amen Corner. The Masters released its broadcast schedule Thursday for the April 9-12 tournament, which offers its...
Justice Department settles lawsuit from Trump ally Michael Flynn for $1.2 million
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has settled for roughly $1.2 million a lawsuit from Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser to President Donald Trump who pleaded guilty during the Republican’s first term to lying to the FBI about his conversations with a top Russian diplomat and was later pardoned....
NFL will open season on a Wednesday for 2nd time ever with champion Seahawks as host
The NFL will open the season on a Wednesday night for the second time ever with the defending champion Seattle Seahawks set to host the first game of the 2026 season. The NFL announced Wednesday that the Seahawks will play the traditional opener as Super Bowl champions Sept. 9, a...
Stephen Colbert and son will co-write a ‘Lord of the Rings’ movie
NEW YORK — Stephen Colbert, famous devotee to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth, is co-writing a “Lord of the Rings” movie with his son. Warner Bros. announced early Wednesday that Colbert will script “The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past” along with series veteran Philippa Boyens and Peter McGee,...
Record-high passenger wait times at airports, but no deal yet on the 40th day of the shutdown
WASHINGTON — Air travelers are experiencing the highest wait times ever under the Transportation Security Administration, the agency’s acting head told Congress on Wednesday, as the latest offer to end a funding impasse and put restraints on President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda met fierce resistance. The TSA’s Ha Nguyen...
Pa. teens get probation after using AI to create fake nudes of classmates
LANCASTER — Two teenage boys who used artificial intelligence to create fake nude photos of their classmates at an exclusive private school in Pennsylvania received probation Wednesday after dozens of victims described the images’ traumatizing effect on them. The boys were 14 at the time. They admitted this month that...
Jury finds Instagram and YouTube liable in a landmark social media addiction trialVideo
LOS ANGELES — Meta and YouTube must pay millions in damages to a 20-year-old woman after a jury decided the social media giant and video streamer designed their platforms to hook young users without concern for their well being. The California jury’s decision Wednesday in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit could influence...
March Madness: Here’s one thing you need to know about each of the 16 teams remaining in men’s field
Florida isn’t around to defend its title anymore, but all the other top seeds in this year’s NCAA Tournament are still in contention. And many of them are winning convincingly. In the first week of the NCAA Tournament, games were decided by an average of 15.3 points. According to Sportradar,...
The NFL proposes contingencies for replacement refs in hopes of avoiding another ‘Fail Mary’
The NFL is preparing for the possibility of replacement officials in the 2026 season, proposing a rule change for one season that would allow the replay center in New York to correct any “clear and obvious” mistakes by on-field officials in case of a work stoppage. The competition committee released...
Longest line at Philly airport? Cheesesteaks, not security
PHILADELPHIA — Travelers passing through Philadelphia International Airport on Tuesday may have expected long security lines. But the longest line was made of cheesesteaks. Organizers say they achieved a new Guinness World Record for the longest line of cheesesteak sandwiches, with 1,291 lined up inside a departure hall to mark...
Conservatives gather for CPAC with the right openly divided over the Iran war
GRAPEVINE, Texas — Conservatives are holding one of their largest annual gatherings at a perilous political moment for President Donald Trump and with open division on the right over the war he launched in Iran. While Trump maintains broad support among conservatives, the war in Iran is more than a...
Means’ surgeon general nomination is stalled as senators question her experience and vaccine stance
NEW YORK — Wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means’ nomination to be U.S. surgeon general is stalled a month after senators of both major political parties grilled her on vaccines and other health topics during a tense confirmation hearing, deepening doubts about her ability to secure the votes she needs for...
World Food Prize goes to food safety scientist for preventing millions of cases of foodborne illness
DES MOINES, Iowa — A scientist who pioneered the modern food processing safety standards used around the world was awarded this year’s World Food Prize, the organization announced Wednesday, crediting his work for averting millions of cases of foodborne illness and reducing food waste. Huub Lelieveld of the Netherlands earned...
Beneath Lake Erie, a vast salt mine works overtime to meet winter road demands
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Below Cleveland, in a subterranean world many surface dwellers don’t know exists, miners extract a crucial winter mineral — salt. The Whiskey Island salt mine, owned by food giant Cargill, helps supply road salt across the Northeast and Great Lakes, where a colder, snowier-than-usual winter has driven...
