Associated Press stories, Page 334

NEW YORK — New York City politicians are calling on Whoopi Goldberg to apologize for suggesting on air that a local bakery had declined to make “The View” co-host a batch of desserts for her birthday because of her political beliefs. Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella was among the...

WASHINGTON — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, paid a woman who accused him of sexual assault to head off the threat of a baseless lawsuit, according to Hegseth’s lawyer. Hegseth was accused of sexual assault in 2017 after a speaking appearance at a Republican women’s event...

LOS ANGELES — Moviegoers were not exactly feeling the Christmas spirit this weekend, or at least not based on their attendance at “Red One” showings. The big budget, star-driven action comedy with Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans sold $34.1 million in tickets in its first weekend in theaters, according to...

Firefighters in New York said Sunday that a voluntary evacuation overnight helped them protect more than 160 homes from a stubborn wildfire near the New Jersey border as officials in much of the Northeast coped with hundreds of brush fires in tinder-dry and windy conditions. Communities in New England dealt...

LOS ANGELES — Many of Hollywood’s biggest stars are set to gather in Los Angeles Sunday night for the annual Governors Awards. The event, put on by the film academy’s board of governors, is honoring the late Quincy Jones, James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, filmmaker Richard...

MALAGA, Spain — Rafael Nadal’s impending retirement will loom over the Davis Cup Final 8 from the moment it begins Tuesday in southern Spain. If that weren’t already obvious, just glance at the banner measuring 28,000 square feet (2,600 square meters) — about half the size of a football field...

MANAUS, Brazil — Joe Biden toured the drought-shrunken waters of the Amazon River’s greatest tributary Sunday as the first sitting American president to set foot in the legendary rainforest, while the incoming Trump administration seems poised to scale back the U.S. commitment to combating climate change. The massive Amazon region,...

BEIRUT — A rare Israeli airstrike on central Beirut killed Hezbollah’s chief spokesman on Sunday, an official with the militant group said. Earlier, officials said Israeli strikes killed at least 12 people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been at war with the Palestinian Hamas for over a year....

Bela Karolyi, the charismatic if polarizing gymnastics coach who turned young women into champions and the United States into an international power, died. He was 82. USA Gymnastics said Karolyi died Friday. No cause of death was given. Karolyi and wife Martha trained multiple Olympic gold medalists and world champions...

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — Isaac Boston caught a 2-point conversion pass that deflected off his own lineman’s helmet and gave Central Connecticut State a 35-33 double-overtime victory over Robert Morris on Saturday to send them into a conference championship showdown. The Blue Devils (6-5, 4-1) will host Duquesne, unbeaten in...

PITTSBURGH — Darius Perrantes threw six touchdown passes and Tedy Afful had more than 200 receiving yards as Duquesne clinched a share of the Northeast Conference championship with a 42-21 win over Wagner on Saturday afternoon. The Dukes (8-2) are now 5-0 in conference play and can clinch the outright...

McDonald’s is investing $100 million to bring customers back to stores after an outbreak of E. coli food poisoning tied to onions on the fast-food giant’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers. The investments include $65 million that will go directly to the hardest-hit franchises, the company said. The U.S. Centers for Disease...

BEIJING — Eight people were killed and 17 others injured after a stabbing attack at a vocational school in the eastern Chinese city of Wuxi on Saturday night, local police said. The attack occurred at the Wuxi Vocational Institute of Arts and Technology in Yixing county at around 18:30 local...

HAINES CITY, Fla. — Not long ago, Polk County’s biggest draw was citrus instead of people. Located between Tampa and Orlando, Florida’s citrus capital produces more boxes of citrus than any other county in the state and has devoted tens of thousands of acres to growing millions of trees. But...

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti, a Pittsburgh native, has been rewarded for a historic season with a new eight-year contract worth an annual average of $8 million, university officials announced Saturday. The contract, which runs through 2032, includes a $1 million retention bonus. University officials made the...

KYIV, Ukraine — A high-tech factory in central Russia has created a new, deadly force to attack Ukraine: a small number of highly destructive thermobaric drones surrounded by huge swarms of cheap foam decoys. The plan, which Russia dubbed Operation False Target, is intended to force Ukraine to expend scarce...

BEIRUT — Israeli ground forces reached their deepest point in Lebanon since they invaded six weeks ago before pulling back Saturday after battles with Hezbollah militants, Lebanese state media reported. The clashes and further Israeli bombardment of Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, came as Lebanese and Hezbollah officials study...

ARLINGTON, Texas — Jake Paul won a unanimous decision over Mike Tyson as the hits didn’t match the hype in a fight between a young YouTuber-turned-boxer and the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Friday night. All the hate from the pre-fight buildup was gone, with Paul even stopping to pay homage...

CHICAGO — Isaiah Rivera’s 18 points helped DePaul defeat Duquesne, 84-58, on Friday night. It was the Dukes’ third straight loss to start the season. Rivera went 7 of 9 from the field (4 for 6 from 3-point range) for the Blue Demons (4-0). David Skogman scored 16 points and...

LUCKNOW, India — A fire tore through a neonatal intensive care unit in a hospital in northern India, killing 10 newborn babies and injuring 16 others, authorities said. The fire occurred late Friday at a hospital in Jhansi city in India’s Uttar Pradesh state. Officials said the blaze spread quickly...

EAGAN, Minn. — The kicker carousel has spun frequently around the NFL this fall. The riders keep getting hurt. Traditionally viewed in this tough-guy sport as the quirky specialists who get to steer clear of the danger that lurks on the field, the kicking community has experienced an outsized amount...