Associated Press stories, Page 338
Desperate families await return of 4 female soldiers held by Hamas for 15 months
TEL AVIV, Israel — Hamas announced Friday that it would release four female soldiers held hostage for 15 months in Gaza, as part of an exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners laid out in its ceasefire agreement with Israel. An advocacy group representing the families of hostages confirmed the identities...
Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom out 4-6 weeks with knee injuryVideo
NEWARK, N.J. — New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom will be out 4-6 weeks with a sprained MCL in his knee, the team announced Friday. Markstrom was injured in the second period of the Devils’ 5-1 win over the Bruins on Wednesday when Boston forward Justin Brazeau crashed into him....
Rocker Marilyn Manson won’t be charged after long investigation of sexual assault allegations
LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors said Friday that they will not file charges against Marilyn Manson after a years-long investigation of allegations of sexual assault and domestic violence. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the allegations are too old under the law and the evidence is not sufficient to...
Jaguars hire Bucs OC Liam Coen as head coach after making necessary moves
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Liam Coen as the eighth head coach in franchise history Friday, capping a covert operation that included owner Shad Khan moving on from general manager Trent Baalke and Coen reversing course with the Buccaneers. The sides officially agreed to...
Trump ends Fauci’s security detail and says he’d feel no responsibility if harm befell him
President Donald Trump has ended the federal security detail for Dr. Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease expert who advised him on the COVID-19 pandemic, a person familiar with the matter said Friday. Fauci is the latest in a string of former Trump aides-turned-critics to see their federal protection canceled despite...
Las Vegas to host 2027 College Football Playoff national championship game
LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas will host the 2027 College Football Playoff national championship game. The CFP made the announcement Friday, saying the title game will be played Monday, Jan. 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority celebrated the news by releasing a video of...
Target ending its DEI goals as workplace inclusion gets strong opponent in the White House
NEW YORK — Target said Friday that it would join rival Walmart and a number of other prominent American brands in scaling back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that have come under attack from conservative activists and, as of this week, the White House. The Minneapolis-based retailer said the changes...
Washington state woman arrested in fatal shooting of Vermont Border Patrol agent
The FBI said Friday that it arrested a Washington state woman in the fatal shooting of a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a traffic stop in Vermont earlier this week. Teresa Youngblut, 21, was charged in Monday’s killing of Border Patrol Agent David Maland, the FBI said, noting that Youngblut...
Putin echoes Trump’s claim that conflict in Ukraine could have been avoided had he been in office
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday echoed U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim the conflict in Ukraine could have been prevented had he been in the White House in 2022. He also said Moscow is ready for talks with the U.S. on a broad range of issues. In an...
Las Vegas Raiders negotiating deal to hire Pete Carroll as head coach, AP source says
The Las Vegas Raiders are negotiating a deal to hire Pete Carroll to be their new head coach, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract hasn’t been finalized. The 73-year-old Carroll returns to the...
What to know about the ruling blocking Trump’s order on birthright citizenship
SEATTLE — President Donald Trump’s executive order denying U.S. citizenship to the children of parents living in the country illegally has faced the first of what will be many legal tests. It didn’t fare well. A Justice Department lawyer had barely started making his arguments in a Seattle courtroom Thursday...
Trump proposes ‘getting rid of FEMA’ while touring disaster areas
LOS ANGELES — President Donald Trump surveyed disaster zones in California and North Carolina on Friday and said he was considering “getting rid of” the Federal Emergency Management Agency, offering the latest sign of how he is weighing sweeping changes to the nation’s central organization for responding to disasters. In...
Belarus election poised to extend 30-year rule of ‘Europe’s last dictator’
The last time Belarus staged a presidential election in 2020, authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner with 80% of the vote. That triggered cries of fraud, months of protests and a harsh crackdown with thousands of arrests. Not wanting to risk such unrest again by those opposing his...
U.S. home sales in 2024 fell to the lowest level in nearly years as prices, mortgages soar
LOS ANGELES — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell in 2024 to a nearly 30-year low for the second time in as many years as elevated mortgage rates, rising home prices and few properties on the market freeze prospective homebuyers out of the market. The National Association of Realtors...
Who is Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop who upset Trump during an inaugural prayer service?
WASHINGTON — The Right Rev. Mariann Budde made headlines this week after she angered President Donald Trump with her sermon during an inaugural prayer service. It was not the first time the cleric has publicly disagreed with Trump, but it became a striking moment in what is usually a staid...
UN suspends all trips into Houthi-held areas of Yemen over staffers being detained
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Nations on Friday suspended all travel into areas held by Yemen’s Houthi rebels after more of their staff were detained by the rebels. The Houthis already have detained U.N. staffers, as well as individuals associated with the once-open U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen’s...
Australian Open: Madison Keys can win her first Slam title and stop Aryna Sabalenka’s 3-peat
MELBOURNE, Australia — The Madison Keys who will play two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka for the title at the Australian Open on Saturday night is not the same Madison Keys who was the runner-up at the U.S. Open back in 2017, the one other time the American participated in a...
Thousands of endangered tortoises are rescued in Madagascar after their sanctuary is flooded
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — A community in southern Madagascar has pulled together to save thousands of critically endangered tortoises swept away from their sanctuary and left swimming for their lives in floods this month caused by a tropical cyclone. The 12,000 radiated and spider tortoises that were housed at...
Novak Djokovic quits mid-match and walks off to boos, putting Alexander Zverev in Australian Open final vs. Jannik Sinner
MELBOURNE, Australia — Spectators booed an injured Novak Djokovic as he left the court in Rod Laver Arena after quitting one set into his Australian Open semifinal against Alexander Zverev on Friday. Dealing with what he said was a torn muscle, Djokovic lost the opening set 7-6 (5) when he...
Afghan refugees urge Pakistan to ease visa regime after Trump pauses U.S. resettlement programs
ISLAMABAD — Afghan refugees on Friday appealed to Pakistan’s premier to ease a visa regime on humanitarian grounds after President Donald Trump paused the U.S. refugee programs. Many Afghans whose visas have either expired or will expire soon fear arrest and deportation. “We don’t know exactly when the pause of...
Bills might be better, but Chiefs are favored for a reason
LAS VEGAS — The Kansas City Chiefs are slight favorites to beat the Buffalo Bills on Sunday and get a shot at winning an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl. But that doesn’t mean Kansas City is the better team. “I agree with that,” CBS SportsLine handicapper Bruce Marshall said. “I...
Ravens’ Mark Andrews ‘absolutely gutted’ by his performance in playoff loss to Bills
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Mark Andrews is “absolutely gutted by what happened” in last weekend’s divisional playoff loss at the Buffalo Bills, the veteran Baltimore Ravens tight end said in a social media post Thursday. A wide-open Andrews dropped a potential tying 2-point conversion in the final two minutes of...
Ludvig Aberg, Lanto Griffin share lead after fierce coastal wind interrupts Farmers Insurance OpenVideo
SAN DIEGO — Ludvig Aberg and Lanto Griffin shared the lead Thursday at Torrey Pines in the Farmers Insurance Open after ferocious wind forced an 86-minute delay and prevented dozens of players from finishing the second round. First-round leader Aberg fought to a 3-over-par 75, while Griffin had a 72...
Saudi crown prince says kingdom intends to invest $600 billion in U.S. during call with Trump
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said the kingdom wants to invest $600 billion in the United States over the next four years, comments that came after President Donald Trump put a price tag on returning to the kingdom as his first foreign trip. Trump’s 2017 trip to Saudi Arabia upended a...
LeBron James picked for 21st straight All-Star Game, extending NBA recordVideo
LeBron James is extending his All-Star records. The NBA revealed the starters — some of them, anyway — for the revamped All-Star Game on Thursday night, and there wasn’t much in the way of surprises. James is now officially an All-Star for the 21st year. The other starters: — New...
