Associated Press stories, Page 348
Nintendo says its new Switch 2 console will be released in 2025
LOS ANGELES — Gaming giant Nintendo revealed its newest console Thursday in a highly anticipated announcement gamers had been waiting for since rumors of its release first spread years ago. But the initial reaction to the Nintendo Switch 2 was lackluster, and the company’s Tokyo-traded shares slumped 4.3% on Friday....
Tony Award-winning British actor Joan Plowright, widow of Laurence Olivier, dies at 95
LONDON — Award-winning British actor Joan Plowright, who with her late husband Laurence Olivier did much to revitalize the U.K.’s theatrical scene in the decades after World War II, has died. She was 95. In a statement Friday, her family said Plowright died the previous day at Denville Hall, a...
How Trump’s political and business interests will intersect in the White House
As he assumes the presidency for a second time, Donald Trump brings with him a broad expanse of business relationships and financial entanglements — and the possibility that those associations could influence his decision-making in the White House. Trump’s team dismisses such concerns. “President Trump removed himself from his multibillion-dollar...
Israel’s security Cabinet recommends approval of ceasefire in Gaza; deal is now with full Cabinet
JERUSALEM, Israel — Israel’s security Cabinet recommended approval Friday of a Gaza ceasefire deal after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed an agreement had been reached that would pause the 15-month war with Hamas and release dozens of hostages held by militants there. Netanyahu’s office Friday evening said the meeting of...
Biden got an Oval Office letter from Trump and may leave one in the desk himself. It’d be a first
WASHINGTON — Ronald Reagan probably didn’t realize he was starting a tradition when he wrote a note congratulating his successor and left it in the Oval Office desk drawer after two terms as president. He did that for George H.W. Bush, his successor and vice president of eight years. Bush...
Progressives are frustrated by Biden’s final-days warning of billionaire influence
NEW YORK — The Democratic Party’s left wing has warned for decades that America is moving toward an oligarchy in which a handful of billionaires controls much of the nation’s wealth and political power. President Joe Biden elevated such concerns from the Oval Office for the first time this week,...
Army expects to meet recruiting goals, in dramatic turnaround, and denies ‘wokeness’ is a factor
WASHINGTON — The Army expects to meet its enlistment goals for 2025, marking a dramatic turnaround for a service that has struggled for several years to bring in enough young people and has undergone a major overhaul of its recruiting programs. In an interview with The Associated Press, Army Secretary...
Biden sets record by commuting sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted on nonviolent drug charges
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Friday that he was commuting the sentences of almost 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses, using his final days in office on a flurry of clemency actions meant to nullify prison terms he deemed too harsh. The recent round of clemency gives Biden...
Fetterman was elected to challenge convention. Now, he’s challenging his fellow Democrats
HARRISBURG — When Democrat John Fetterman got elected to Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat, many backers hoped he’d challenge convention and the status quo. He did and has — just not in the way many had expected. Fetterman has broken with his party on some policy matters and warmed to President-elect...
Arkansas governor wants to revive state’s Medicaid work requirements under Trump administration
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday she wants to impose work requirements on some Medicaid recipients, hoping to revive and expand a restriction that was blocked by the courts but could get a new life under the Trump administration. Sanders’ comments come as fellow Republicans in...
Title IX memo throws wrench in plans for schools to pay NIL money directly to athletes
NASHVILLE — Plans for colleges to pay athletes directly for their name, image and likeness deals would run afoul of Title IX, the Department of Education said in guidance issued Thursday that adds more confusion to the shifting landscape in college sports. The nine-page memo from the department’s Office for...
Defending Australian Open champ Aryna Sabalenka advances
MELBOURNE, Australia — It wasn’t often pretty, but two-time defending Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka extended a few impressive streaks Friday while becoming one of the first players to advance to the fourth round of the year’s opening Grand Slam tournament. In a tougher-than-expected match, Sabalenka beat Clara Tauson, 7-6...
Texans bring DeMeco Ryans’ swarm defense into Kansas City
HOUSTON — When DeMeco Ryans became coach of the Houston Texans before last season, the two-time Pro Bowl linebacker brought his swarm defense with him. It’s an identity the Texans have embraced as they prepare for their second straight trip to the divisional round of the playoffs Saturday where they’ll...
Alex Ovechkin breaks the record for most goalies scored on, beating Leevi Merilainen to reach 179Video
OTTAWA, Ontario — Alex Ovechkin broke the NHL record for the most goaltenders scored on, beating Leevi Merilainen in overtime to give the Washington Capitals a 1-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night. Merilainen became the 179th goalie Ovechkin has scored against, breaking a tie with Jaromir Jagr...
Texas judge says states can revive challenge to abortion pill access nationwide
The Texas judge who previously halted approval of the nation’s most common method of abortion ruled Thursday that three states can move ahead with another attempt to roll back federal rules and make it harder for people across the U.S. to access the abortion drug mifepristone. Idaho, Kansas and Missouri...
Eagles’ Saquon Barkley faces Rams again after big 1st game
PHILADELPHIA — Sean McVay dissected the ways the Rams could stop Saquon Barkley — only the ninth 2,000-yard rusher in NFL history — when he considered the consequences if they did not. “If they get a bead on what you’re doing,” McVay, the Super Bowl champion Rams coach said, “they...
Biden won’t enforce TikTok ban, official says, leaving fate of app to Trump
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden won’t enforce a ban on the social media app TikTok that is set to take effect a day before he leaves office on Monday, a U.S. official said Thursday, leaving its fate in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump. Congress last year, in a law...
J.T. Poston goes 10 under for a 1-shot lead among the usual low scores at The American ExpressVideo
LA QUINTA, Calif. — J.T. Poston shot a 10-under-par 62 to take a one-stroke lead over Justin Lower in the opening round of The American Express on Thursday. Poston carded nine birdies and an eagle on the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West in the Palm Springs-area desert. Lower was...
Stage set for Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, Bills’ Josh Allen to square off in divisional roundVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Baltimore coach John Harbaugh has enjoyed the fortune of competing on the NFL’s biggest stages to appreciate the setting and magnitude of what’s on the line for the Ravens and Bills in Buffalo on Sunday. There’s the quarterback matchup pitting arguably the NFL’s two leading MVP...
Speaker Johnson appoints new Intelligence chairman after surprise shakeupVideo
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson appointed Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., as the new chairman of the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday after asserting that the panel needed a fresh start. “He has earned the respect of his colleagues through his years of faithful service on the committee and his...
Vikings face more QB questions with Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthyVideo
EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings have entered yet another offseason with significant questions around their quarterback depth chart, an unsettledness that was supposed to be calmed last year when they drafted J.J. McCarthy. Sam Darnold played so well over 16 games after McCarthy’s rookie-year-robbing injury that the Vikings were...
Ash, other dangers mean LA area residents who fled fires a week ago won’t be going home soonVideo
LOS ANGELES — It has been more than a week since two massive fires forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes in the Los Angeles area, and officials said Thursday residents won’t be going home soon. As the search continues for human remains in the leveled neighborhoods,...
Texans visit Chiefs in divisional round, 5 years after matchup during KC’s run to Super BowlVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Andy Reid remembers quite well the previous time the Texans visited Kansas City for a divisional playoff game. He was still considered among the best coaches to have never won the Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes was still a young, record-setting quarterback full of potential. The Texans...
Lions aim to kick off run to Super Bowl vs. Commanders
DETROIT — The Detroit Lions are riding high, elevated to a status they’ve never had as Super Bowl favorites. Detroit will host the Washington Commanders on Saturday night in the divisional round as the NFC’s No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history, an advantage it earned by...
Cowboys reportedly add familiar name to list in coaching search
The Dallas Cowboys requested permission to interview Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore in their search to replace Mike McCarthy, a person with knowledge of the team’s plans said Thursday. The Cowboys also are planning to interview two former NFL head coaches in Robert Saleh and Leslie Frazier, the person...
