Associated Press stories, Page 303
Trump and Musk aren’t the first to make deep cuts, Clinton-era Reinventing Government saved billions
DENVER — A new administration swept into Washington and announced plans to shake it up, using corporate know-how and new technology to streamline the federal bureaucracy. It offered millions of government employees buyouts and slashed costs to balance the budget. It might sound like the controversial cost-cutting push led by...
Hegseth defends Trump’s firings of Pentagon leaders and says there may be more dismissals
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is defending President Donald Trump ‘s firing of the nation’s senior military officer and a wave of dismissals at the Pentagon, insisting that they weren’t unusual despite accusations that the new administration is injecting politics into the military. “Nothing about this is unprecedented,” Hegseth...
Mikaela Shiffrin gets historic 100th World Cup race win and ties record for most podiums
SESTRIERE, Italy — Mikaela Shiffrin is 100% the best in skiing’s World Cup history book. Shiffrin’s record-extending 100th career World Cup race win Sunday fulfilled a quest put on hold by a serious crash in November. Back to racing in her favored slalom event, Shiffrin kept and added to her...
What happens to the leadership of the Catholic Church when a pope becomes sick or incapacitated?
VATICAN CITY — While the Vatican has detailed laws and rituals to ensure the transfer of power when a pope dies or resigns, they do not apply if he is sick or even unconscious. And there are no specific norms outlining what happens to the leadership of the Catholic Church...
Pope Francis in critical condition with early kidney failure but remains alert as prayers pour in
ROME — Pope Francis remained in critical condition Sunday and blood tests showed early kidney failure but he remains alert, responsive and attended Mass, the Vatican said, as the 88-year-old pontiff battles pneumonia and a complex lung infection. In a late update, the Vatican said Francis hadn’t had any more...
NHL will hold its first decentralized draft at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 27-28Video
LOS ANGELES — When the NHL draft comes to Los Angeles this summer, expect a lot more Gary Bettman. The 2025 NHL Draft will take place June 27 and 28 at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theatre, the league announced Saturday, and Bettman — the NHL’s commissioner since 1993 — will be...
Aldrich Potgieter hangs on to 1-shot lead in Mexico OpenVideo
VALLARTA, Mexico — Aldrich Potgieter had the lead going into the final round of the Mexico Open — minus the cushion he enjoyed — after a sloppy finish Saturday that made him settle for a 4-under-par 67 and a one-shot advantage over Brian Campbell at Vidanta Vallarta. Potgieter, a 20-year-old...
Briscoe tries to move past devastating penalties and Blaney to start on pole in NASCAR Atlanta raceVideo
HAMPTON, Ga. — A massive fine left Chase Briscoe facing a huge points deficit heading into Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Even so, Briscoe insisted he feels no new pressure. He said he already felt an urgency to win this week because those are the expectations...
Juan Soto hits a 426-foot home run in 1st at-bat for New York MetsVideo
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Juan Soto wasted little time in showing off his power for his new team. Again. Soto homered in his first spring training at-bat for the New York Mets, hitting a solo shot to left-center field in the first inning against Houston on Saturday. The Mets...
Michigan state lawmaker beats out loyal Trump ally charged in fake elector case for GOP party chair
DETROIT — Michigan Republicans gathered in Detroit on Saturday to elect a new chair who will lead the party into the 2026 midterms in the battleground state, when several key races will be decided including a critical U.S. Senate seat. A state lawmaker beat out two other candidates, including a...
JT Toppin, No. 9 Texas Tech overcome a slow start to beat West Virginia
LUBBOCK, Texas — JT Toppin scored 22 points, freshman Christian Anderson had a season-high 21 points with five 3-pointers in his first career start and ninth-ranked Texas Tech beat West Virginia, 73-51, on Saturday. Toppin and the Red Raiders (21-6, 12-4 Big 12) overcame a slow start, with the 6-foot-9...
Yanic Konan Niederhauser scores 24 points as Penn State defeats Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — Yanic Konan Niederhauser scored 24 points, Penn State had a dominant 17-minute stretch in the middle of the game, and the Nittany Lions defeated Minnesota, 69-60, on Saturday. The Gophers led 24-15 after Lu’Cye Patterson’s 3-pointer with nine minutes remaining in the first half, but they managed just...
Trump revels in mass federal firings and jeers at Biden before adoring conservative crowd
OXON HILL, Md. — President Donald Trump said Saturday that “nobody has ever seen anything” like his administration’s sweeping effort to fire thousands of federal employees and shrink the size of government, congratulating himself for “dominating” Washington and sending bureaucrats “packing.” Addressing an adoring crowd at the Conservative Political Action...
2 police officers killed during traffic stop in Virginia Beach
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Two police officers in Virginia were shot and killed during a traffic stop late Friday night, authorities said. Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said at a news conference on Saturday that officers Cameron Girvin and Christopher Reece were killed after stopping a vehicle for expired...
A decades-old rocket-propelled grenade kills 2 toddlers who found it in the Cambodian countryside
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A rocket-propelled grenade believed to be more than 25 years old killed two cousins, a girl and a boy both 2 years old, when it blew up Saturday near their homes in rural northwestern Cambodia, officials said. The accident happened in Siem Reap province’s Svay Leu...
Thieves used a stolen card to buy a $523,000 French lottery ticket. The victim wants to share the winnings
PARIS — Thieves used a stolen card to buy a winning French lottery ticket worth $523,000. But they vanished before cashing in — and now they’re among France’s most famous fugitives. The man whose card was stolen, identified in police documents as Jean-David E., is offering to split the cash...
Pope Francis in critical condition after long respiratory crisis, requiring oxygen at high flow
ROME — Pope Francis was in critical condition Saturday after he suffered a long asthmatic respiratory crisis that required high flows of oxygen, the Vatican said. The 88-year-old Francis, who has been hospitalized for a week with pneumonia and a complex lung infection, also received blood transfusions after tests showed...
Israel delays the release of Palestinian prisoners after Hamas frees 6 hostages
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel delayed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners without explanation Saturday after Hamas released the last six living hostages expected under the ceasefire ‘s first phase, with a week remaining in the initial stage. Freed were three Israeli men seized from the Nova music festival...
Shooting at Air Force Base in New Mexico kills airman, wounds another
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A shooting at a U.S. Air Force base in New Mexico early Saturday morning left one airman dead and another wounded, authorities said, adding that it was not an act of terrorism or an attack by an outsider. Officials at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque said...
Eddie Fisher, an All-Star reliever with the Chicago White Sox in 1965, dies at age 88
ALTUS, Okla. — Eddie Fisher, the right-hander whose 15-year major league career included an All-Star selection for the Chicago White Sox and a World Series title with Baltimore, has died. He was 88. The Lowell-Tims Funeral Home & Crematory in Altus says Fisher died Monday after a brief illness. Born...
Officer killed after a gunman took hostages at UPMC hospital in York
YORK — A man armed with a pistol and carrying zip ties entered a Pennsylvania hospital’s intensive care unit on Saturday and took staff members hostage before he was killed by police in a shootout that also left an officer dead, authorities said. Three staffers at UPMC Memorial Hospital, including...
Source: White House, Ukraine nearing rare earth elements deal that would tighten relationship
WASHINGTON — The White House and Ukraine have made significant progress toward reaching an agreement that would provide the U.S. with access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and tighten the long-term relationship between Kyiv and Washington, according to a person familiar with the matter. The progress in talks comes after...
Trump fires chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump abruptly fired Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday, sidelining a history-making fighter pilot and respected officer as part of a campaign to rid the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks....
Jaguars hire Rams’ James Gladstone as GM, reuniting him with coach Liam Coen
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Los Angeles Rams executive James Gladstone as their general manager Friday, reuniting him with new coach Liam Coen. Gladstone, 34, held the position of director of scouting strategy in LA since 2019, working alongside Rams general manager Les Snead during the draft process....
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner might support a salary cap proposal tied to payroll minimum
TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner might support a salary cap proposal as long as it contains a provision mandating minimum payrolls. “I have been on the record already saying that I would consider supporting a cap depending on what the cap is and contingent on the...
