Associated Press stories, Page 320
The Chiefs gave Kareem Hunt and Matt Araiza another chance. Both players are making the most of itVideo
NEW ORLEANS — There were moments not long ago when Kareem Hunt wondered whether he would ever carry a football in an NFL game again. There were times when Matt Araiza wondered whether he would ever punt one. Yet through a combination of need and want, the Chiefs provided both...
Trump administration plans to slash all but a fraction of USAID jobs, officials say
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration presented a plan Thursday to dramatically cut staffing worldwide for U.S. aid projects as part of its dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, leaving fewer than 300 workers out of thousands. Two current USAID employees and one former senior USAID official told The...
Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel, a close U.S. ally. Neither the U.S. nor Israel is a member of or recognizes the court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin...
New kickoff rule gets chance on Super Bowl stage after last year’s game had no returnsVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Last season’s Super Bowl featured just about everything. There were trick plays, clutch performances and plenty of high drama as Kansas City rallied for a 25-22 overtime win against San Francisco. The one thing missing — a single kickoff return. All 13 kickoffs went for touchbacks, marking...
Judge temporarily blocks Trump plan offering incentives for federal workers to resign
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s plan to push out federal workers by offering them financial incentives, the latest tumult for government employees already wrestling with upheaval from the new administration. The ruling came hours before the midnight deadline to apply for the deferred...
House lawmakers push to ban AI app DeepSeek from government devices
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan duo in the the U.S. House is proposing legislation to ban the Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek from federal devices, similar to the policy already in place for the popular social media platform TikTok. Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Darin LaHood, R-Ill., on Thursday introduced the...
Bears owner Virginia McCaskey, daughter of George Halas, dies at 102Video
Virginia McCaskey, who inherited the Chicago Bears from her father, George Halas, but avoided the spotlight during four-plus decades as principal owner, has died. She was 102. McCaskey’s family announced through the team that she died Thursday. She had owned the Bears since her father’s death Oct. 31, 1983. “While...
Bond set at $20M for man accused in shooting at Ohio warehouse that killed 2 and wounded 4
NEW ALBANY, Ohio — A warehouse worker said in a frantic 911 call that he was shot in the neck and then took the gun from a co-worker after he had shot several others. Two people died and four were injured in the Ohio shooting that sent panicked employees fleeing....
NCAA changes transgender policy to limit women’s competition to athletes assigned female at birthVideo
The NCAA changed its participation policy for transgender athletes Thursday, limiting competition in women’s sports to athletes assigned female at birth only. The move came one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls and women’s sports. The order gives...
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred says some fans concerned over lack of salary cap
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says he is getting emails from fans concerned over the sport’s lack of a salary cap following an offseason spending spree by the Los Angeles Dodgers that sparked increased attention over the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement in December 2027. “This...
Winter storms bring flooding and ‘thunder ice’ in several statesVideo
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Storms spawned at least one brief tornado, sent creeks over their banks and caused flash flooding Thursday in portions of West Virginia and Kentucky, while a wintry mix coated trees and roads in ice and even dropped “thunder ice” in several states. Residents and storm spotters in...
Musk uses his X ownership and White House position to push Trump priorities, intimidate detractors
WASHINGTON — The emergence of X owner Elon Musk as the most influential figure around President Donald Trump has created an extraordinary dynamic — a White House adviser who’s using one of the world’s most powerful information platforms to sell the government’s talking points while intimidating its detractors. In recent...
2nd federal judge in 2 days blocks President Trump’s birthright citizenship order
SEATTLE — A second federal judge in two days has blocked President Donald Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship for the children of parents who are in the U.S. illegally, decrying what he described as the administration’s attempt to ignore the Constitution for political gain. U.S. District Judge John C....
How to cook the perfect boiled egg, according to science
NEW YORK — Scientists say they’ve cracked the code for boiling the perfect egg. It’s a recipe you can test for yourself — though the timing isn’t ideal with soaring egg prices in the United States from a bird flu outbreak. The perfect boiled egg has a velvety yolk paired...
From fighting disease to protecting the Amazon rainforest, USAID has big impact across the globe
The Trump administration’s decision to close the U.S. Agency for International Development has drawn widespread criticism from congressional Democrats and raised questions and concern about the influence billionaire ally Elon Musk wields over the federal government. The United States is by far the world’s largest source of foreign assistance, although...
Devoted nap-takers explain the benefits of sleeping on the job
NEW YORK — They snooze in parking garages, on side streets before the afternoon school run, in nap pods rented by the hour or stretched out in bed while working from home. People who make a habit of sleeping on the job comprise a secret society of sorts within the...
Ohio State’s Ryan Day agrees to contract extension through 2031 paying him $12.5 million annually
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State coach Ryan Day, who led the Buckeyes to the national championship just over two weeks ago, has agreed in principle to a seven-year contract valued at $12.5 million a year, the school announced Thursday. The contract, pending approval by the university’s Board of Trustees, runs...
Ukraine says its long-range drones hit Russian airfield as France delivers Mirage fighter jets
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces struck an airfield in southern Russia that was being used to launch Iran-designed Shahed drones, Ukraine’s General Staff claimed Thursday. France meanwhile said it had delivered the first batch of Mirage fighter jets to Ukraine and the Netherlands sent more F-16s. The nighttime attack on...
Panama’s president denies making a deal that U.S. ships can transit canal for free
PANAMA CITY — Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino on Thursday denied the U.S. State Department’s claim that his country had reached a deal allowing U.S. warships to transit the Panama Canal for free. Mulino said he had told U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Wednesday that he could neither...
Egypt lobbies against Trump plan to empty Gaza of Palestinians as Israel makes preparations
CAIRO — Israel says it has begun preparations for the departure of Palestinians from Gaza despite international rejection of President Donald Trump’s plan to empty the territory of its population. Egypt has launched a diplomatic blitz behind the scenes against the proposal, warning it would put its peace deal with...
Trump unleashes a supercharged MAGA agenda and Republicans come aboard
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump is testing how far Republicans are willing to go in supporting his supercharged “Make America Great Again” agenda, tearing down government agencies and taking actions fundamentally at odds with once-traditional party principles. For now, Republicans are marching largely in lockstep. They are backing Cabinet...
U.S. is freezing and La Nina usually eases warming. Earth just set another heat record anyway
WASHINGTON — The world warmed to yet another monthly heat record in January, despite an abnormally chilly United States, a cooling La Nina and predictions of a slightly less hot 2025, according to the European climate service Copernicus. The surprising January heat record coincides with a new study by a...
Judge temporarily blocks Trump plan offering incentives for federal workers to resign
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s plan to push out federal workers by offering them financial incentives, the latest twist in a chaotic and distressing saga playing out for millions of government employees. The ruling came hours before the midnight deadline for them to...
Honeywell, one of the few remaining U.S. industrial conglomerates, will split into 3 companies
Honeywell, one of the last remaining U.S. industrial conglomerates, will split into three independent companies, following in the footsteps of manufacturing giants like General Electric and Alcoa. The company said Thursday that it will separate from its automation and aerospace technologies businesses. Including plans announced earlier to spin off its...
U.S. officials advise travelers to be careful in Uganda because of Ebola
NEW YORK — U.S. health officials on Wednesday urged Americans traveling to Uganda to take precautions because of an Ebola outbreak — and said they are helping Ugandan health officials respond to the threat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention travel alert does not call on travelers to steer...
