Associated Press stories, Page 312
Helio Castroneves to use ‘world-class driver’ provisional to race in Daytona 500 after qualifying crash
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves will race in the Daytona 500 as a special 41st driver under a new rule that allows for a “world-class driver” to receive a provisional to make the field. The Brazilian did not want to use the provisional and hoped...
Fans in Montreal boo U.S. anthem before 4 Nations Face-Off game vs. FinlandVideo
MONTREAL — Fans in Montreal booed the U.S. national anthem before the Americans’ first game of the 4 Nations Face-Off against Finland on Thursday night. The negative reaction to “The Star-Spangled Banner” came even after the public address announcer at Bell Centre made an announcement asking the crowd to show...
Oklahoma governor says he’ll stop plan to collect kids’ immigration statusVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said he will stop a plan pushed by the state’s top education official to collect the immigration status of children when they register for public school. The Republican governor said Wednesday he is a staunch opponent of illegal immigration, but that policymakers should...
New top-tier men’s soccer league coming to the United StatesVideo
The United Soccer League intends to launch a new men’s professional league in 2027-28 that will play at the top level of soccer in the U.S., the same as Major League Soccer. The USL already has a pair of leagues, the second-tier USL Championship and the third-tier USL League One....
10-minute overtime? Longer TV timeouts? 4 Nations Face-Off is an NHL testing ground
MONTREAL — Canada and Sweden traded chances back and forth, skating up and down the ice for 3-on-3 overtime that provided dazzling entertainment in the opener of the 4 Nations Face-Off. By the time Mitch Marner scored the winner for Canada, more than six minutes had elapsed. Had it been...
Jimmie Johnson seeks to make Legacy a winner after 2 lackluster years as ownerVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The vision of his true NASCAR future crystallized for Jimmie Johnson at last year’s season finale. He climbed into his Toyota at Phoenix for his ninth, nondescript race of the season when he spotted them on pit road, the corporate bigwigs on their way to a...
Moore is bullish on the Saints, but noncommittal on Carr, as his 1st head-coaching gig startsVideo
METAIRIE, La. — Kellen Moore figures his upbringing as a coach’s son outweighs any concerns about his relative youth as he begins his first NFL head coaching job with the New Orleans Saints. “Everyone likes to say it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert,” the 36-year-old Moore said during...
Another year, another All-Star for LeBron: How he ranks in All-Star history
SAN FRANCISCO — There was a conversation Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James had with Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic during last year’s All-Star Game that went viral after microphones picked up the exchange. The question was about who James played with in his first All-Star appearance. “It was me,...
Man whose wife was killed in a hippo attack in Africa sues the U.S. company that booked the trip
A New Jersey man whose wife was killed in a horrific hippopotamus attack last year during a safari in Africa is suing the U.S. company that arranged the trip, alleging it failed to ensure their safety and did not adequately screen and supervise the tour guides. Craig and Lisa Manders...
Order to drop New York Mayor Adams’ case roils Justice Department as high-ranking officials resignVideo
NEW YORK — Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon, and five high-ranking Justice Department officials resigned Thursday after she refused an order to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams — a stunning escalation in a dayslong standoff over the Trump administration prioritizing political aims over criminal...
Judge orders Trump administration to temporarily allow funds for foreign aid to flow again
WASHINGTON — A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily lift a three-week funding freeze that has shut down U.S. aid and development programs worldwide. Judge Amir Ali issued the order Thursday in U.S. district court in Washington in a lawsuit brought by two health organizations that receive...
Russian crypto expert Alexander Vinnik returns to Moscow in Russia-U.S. prisoner swap, reports say
MOSCOW — Alexander Vinnik, a Russian cryptocurrency expert who faced Bitcoin fraud charges in the United States, returned to Russia on Thursday after being freed in a swap that saw Moscow release American Marc Fogel, Russian news agencies reported. Alexander Vinnik arrived in Moscow on a flight from Turkey, where...
Charlie McAvoy and father-in-law Mike Sullivan are cherishing being on the same U.S. 4 Nations team
MONTREAL — Charlie McAvoy and Mike Sullivan have a strong connection off the ice that goes way beyond hockey. McAvoy is married to Sullivan’s daughter, Kiley, who recently gave birth to the couple’s first child. McAvoy plays defense for the Boston Bruins, Sullivan coaches the Pittsburgh Penguins and their careers...
Igloo recalls over a million coolers after handle hazard causes fingertip amputation injuries
NEW YORK — Igloo is recalling more than 1 million of its coolers sold across the U.S., Mexico and Canada due to a handle hazard that has resulted in a handful of fingertip injuries, including some amputations. The now-recalled “Igloo 90 Qt. Flip & Tow Rolling Coolers” have a tow...
Hamas says it will free 3 more hostages as planned, paving the way to resolve ceasefire dispute
CAIRO — Hamas said Thursday it would release three more Israeli hostages as planned, paving the way toward resolving a major dispute over the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The militant group had threatened to delay the next release of captives, accusing Israel of failing to meet its obligations to...
Shapiro sues over Trump administration spending freezes on grants and loans
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Thursday sued agencies under President Donald Trump, saying they are illegally and unconstitutionally withholding billions in federal aid from the state that had already been approved by Congress. Shapiro, a Democrat, filed the lawsuit despite the fact that federal courts have repeatedly rejected...
A humpback whale briefly swallows kayaker in Chilean Patagonia — and it’s all captured on cameraVideo
PUNTA ARENAS, Chile — A humpback whale briefly swallowed a kayaker off Chilean Patagonia before quickly releasing him unharmed. The incident, caught on camera, quickly went viral as one of the most remarkable footage in Chile in recent years. Last Saturday, Adrián Simancas was kayaking with his father, Dell, in...
Brooke Rollins confirmed as Trump’s agriculture secretary as tariff fights loom
WASHINGTON — Conservative lawyer Brooke Rollins was confirmed Thursday as secretary of agriculture. Rollins, who served as chief for domestic policy during President Donald Trump’s first administration, was confirmed overwhelmingly by the Senate in a 72-28 vote. Rollins will now lead a department tasked with overseeing nearly all aspects of...
Jets announce they’ve told Aaron Rodgers they’re moving forward without him
The New York Jets announced Thursday they told quarterback Aaron Rodgers they are moving on without him next season. While Rodgers hasn’t said whether he intends to continue playing for a 21st NFL season, the Jets — with new general manager Darren Mougey and coach Aaron Glenn in charge —...
Vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sworn in as Trump’s health chief after close Senate vote
WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in Thursday as President Donald Trump’s health secretary after a close Senate vote, putting the prominent vaccine skeptic in control of $1.7 trillion in federal spending, vaccine recommendations and food safety as well as health insurance programs for roughly half the country....
McDavid to Crosby to MacKinnon, Canada’s power play opens the 4 Nations Face-Off with a bang
MONTREAL — Canada’s absurdly talented power play did not take long to make a difference at the 4 Nations Face-Off on Wednesday night. With Sweden’s William Nylander in the penalty box for high-sticking, Connor McDavid got the puck to Sidney Crosby, who found Nathan MacKinnon wide open with a no-look...
Chocolate love has its price on Valentine’s Day as cocoa costs make hearts shudder, not flutter
BRUGES, Belgium — Valentine’s Day chocolates always seek to show how deep your love is. This year, it might just also show how deep your pockets are. With the price of cocoa beans setting unprecedented records on the commodities market, it will certainly turn the gift of love into a...
U.S. egg prices hit a record high of $4.95 and are likely to keep climbing
OMAHA, Neb. — Egg prices hit a record high as the U.S. contends with an ongoing bird flu outbreak, but consumers didn’t need government figures released Wednesday to tell them eggs are terribly expensive and hard to find at times. The latest monthly consumer price index showed that the average...
It’s a publishing fairy tale. ‘Hansel and Gretel’ is reimagined by Stephen King and Maurice Sendak
An upcoming edition of “Hansel and Gretel” combines the dark and singular talents of two literary giants who apparently never met: Stephen King and the late Maurice Sendak. HarperCollins Publishers announced Thursday that the King-Sendak re-imagining of the famed Brothers Grimm tale about two lost children in a frightening forest...
Gas explosion at Taiwan food court kills 4 and injures 26
TAIPEI, Taiwan — A gas explosion at a department store in Taiwan on Thursday killed four people and injured 26, fire authorities said. The blast occurred at the food court on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store in Taichung city, the Taichung Fire Bureau said. The...
