Associated Press stories, Page 363
Hawaii law enforcement ask lawmakers for staff and money to crack down on illegal fireworks
HONOLULU — Hawaii authorities on Tuesday asked lawmakers for money to hire eight people and pay for a $2 million expansion of a forensic lab to crack down on the persistent rampant smuggling of illegal fireworks like those that killed four people and injured about 20 more at a Honolulu...
No more unbeatens: No. 8 Florida topples top-ranked Tennessee
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Alijah Martin scored 18 points, Denzel Aberdeen added 16 and No. 8 Florida thumped top-ranked Tennessee, 73-43, on Tuesday night to knock off the last unbeaten team in Division I basketball. Alex Condon chipped in 12 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double this season as...
No. 21 West Virginia men lose big to Arizona
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — KJ Lewis scored a career-high 21 points, and Arizona beat No. 21 West Virginia, 75-56, on Tuesday night for its fifth straight win. Jaden Bradley added 15 points, and Anthony Dell’Orso scored 10 for the Wildcats (9-5, 3-0 Big 12). Javon Small led West Virginia (11-3, 2-1)...
Exxon Mobil Corp. sues California attorney general for defamation over plastic recycling claims
SAN FRANCISCO — Exxon Mobil Corp. filed a federal defamation lawsuit against California Attorney General Rob Bonta and several environmental groups, months after Bonta sued the oil and gas giant alleging that it deceived the public for half a century by promising the plastics it produced would be recycled. The...
Justin Verlander agrees to $15 million, 1-year deal with Giants
SAN FRANCISCO — Justin Verlander and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a $15 million, one-year contract, according to a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the deal was pending a physical. It’s the latest big...
Lawyers collecting $148M judgment from Rudy Giuliani say World Series rings must be given up
NEW YORK — Lawyers for two former Georgia election workers who are owed $148 million in damages after suing Rudy Giuliani for defamation said Tuesday that evidence proves their clients are entitled to three World Series rings that the former New York City mayor says he gave to his son....
NASA proposes cheaper, quicker way to get Mars rocks and soil to Earth
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA is pitching a cheaper and quicker way of getting rocks and soil back from Mars, after seeing its original plan swell to $11 billion. Administrator Bill Nelson presented a revised scenario Tuesday, less than two weeks before stepping down as NASA’s chief when President-elect Donald...
Adam Scott has full plate in Saudi negotiations over LIV Golf
HONOLULU — Adam Scott made it back to Kapalua and returned to the top 20 in the world ranking, and it’s a wonder how he managed with so much on his plate. This coincided with his first full year on the PGA Tour board, and it was a lot. The...
Jets interview Rex Ryan, who led franchise to its last playoff appearance, for head coaching job
Rex Ryan has returned to the New York Jets — for an interview, at least. The former Jets coach and current ESPN analyst, who led the franchise to its last playoff appearance to cap the 2010 season, met with the team Tuesday about its head coaching vacancy. Ryan went 50-52,...
James Franklin, Marcus Freeman look to become 1st Black coaches to win national titleVideo
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — In college basketball, the scene of a Black coach cutting down the nets on their way to a national title is not new, even if it is still a relative rarity. John Thompson led Georgetown to the championship in 1984, the first of four Black coaches...
Biden administration finalizes clean electricity tax credits, says Trump should keep in place
New tax credits are available for companies that generate clean electricity, the Biden administration announced Tuesday, while arguing it would be a mistake for President-elect Donald Trump to try to undo them. The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service released final rules for the clean electricity investment and production...
Man who exploded Tesla Cybertruck outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas used generative AI, police say
LAS VEGAS — The highly decorated soldier who exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas used generative AI including ChatGPT to help plan the attack, Las Vegas police said Tuesday. A laptop, cellphone and watch are still under review nearly a week after 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger...
Flying taxis are on the horizon as aviation soars into a new frontierVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — When he was still a boy making long, tedious trips between his school and his woodsy home in the mountains during the 1980s, JoeBen Bevirt began fantasizing about flying cars that could whisk him to his destination in a matter of minutes. As CEO of Joby Aviation,...
How removing unpaid medical bills from credit reports could help consumers
NEW YORK — Lenders will no longer be able to consider unpaid medical bills as a credit history factor when they evaluate potential borrowers in the U.S. for mortgages, car loans or business loans, according to a rule the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized Tuesday. Removing medical debts from consumer...
Raiders fire coach Antonio Pierce after he goes 4-13 in lone full season
HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders fired Antonio Pierce on Tuesday after just one season as their full-time coach, the latest in a line of coaching changes over the past several years. “We appreciate Antonio’s leadership, first as an interim head coach and this past season as the head...
Democrat elected speaker of tied Pennsylvania House after GOP candidate bows out
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania lawmakers on Tuesday returned Democratic Speaker Joanna McClinton to lead the chamber for the new session after the Republican floor leader bowed out to resolve a deadlock. Democrats won 102 seats in November, a single-vote majority, but one of their members was absent from swearing-in day after...
Smart bird feeders gain popularity and spark interest in bird-watching
CONCORD, N.H. — Marin Plank truly had no interest in birds when she gave her husband a camera-equipped bird feeder for his birthday. But by Christmas, she had become so obsessed with birds that most of the gifts she received this year — books, stickers, notecards — were related. “This...
Dangerously strong wind forces Biden to cancel event announcing new national monuments
LOS ANGELES — Dangerously strong wind forced President Joe Biden to cancel a trip Tuesday to the Eastern Coachella Valley, where he was to announce the creation of two new national monuments in California that will honor Native American tribes. Winds began gaining strength across Southern California as forecasters warned...
How to talk to your family about inheritance
Beyond the general discomfort of talking about death, the topic of inheritance brings in a whole other set of sticky issues. Research finds that parents’ and children’s expectations for bequests are rarely aligned, even among those who have a good relationship, which is why it’s so important to get on...
LGBTQ+ rights group reports progress at U.S. companies despite conservative backlash
NEW YORK — A national rights group said Tuesday that more U.S. companies are providing strong benefits and protections to LGBTQ+ employees despite an ongoing effort by conservative activists to get high-profile brands to stop participating in the organization’s annual workplace report card. The education arm of the Human Rights...
Judge temporarily blocks release of special counsel report on Trump cases amid simmering court fight
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the public release of special counsel Jack Smith’s report on investigations into Donald Trump as an appeals court weighs a challenge to the disclosure of a much-anticipated document just days before the president-elect reclaims office. The ruling from U.S. District Judge...
NFL playoffs feature veteran running backs producing successful second acts with new teams
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Those veteran running backs who changed addresses in the offseason have given themselves a chance to showcase the difference they can make in the postseason. Plenty of contenders capitalized on a crowded market by adding proven ball carriers. The moves paid major dividends. Now players such...
New labels will help people pick devices less at risk of hacking
WASHINGTON — The federal government is rolling out a consumer labeling system designed to help Americans pick smart devices that are less vulnerable to hacking. Under the voluntary program, called the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark Initiative, manufacturers can affix the label on their products if they meet federal cybersecurity standards....
Biden administration set to announce ‘substantial’ final weapons package for Ukraine
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is set to announce a massive, final weapons aid package for Ukraine as part of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to Germany on Thursday to meet with representatives of about 50 partner nations who have come to Ukraine’s defense since Russia invaded nearly three years...
U.S. opens another Tesla probe, latest focused on tech that remotely returns car to driver
NEW YORK — U.S. regulators have opened an investigation into 2.6 million Tesla after reports of crashes involving the use of company technology that allows drivers to remotely command their vehicle to return to them, or move to another location, using a phone app. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration...
