Associated Press stories, Page 379
Beyoncé’s performance highlights Netflix’s NFL debut on Christmas DayVideo
Beyoncé provided more excitement than either game during Netflix’s NFL debut on Christmas Day. Riding into her halftime appearance on a white horse, the 32-time Grammy winner rocked her hometown Houston crowd with a nearly 13-minute performance on Wednesday. She surprised fans by bringing along Shaboozey to perform “Sweet Honey...
Snowy owl rescued from car grille by Minnesota woman who saved another bird hours earlier
Annabell Whelan woke up Tuesday and frantically checked on her holiday overnight guest — Nowl the snowy owl, who she rescued from the grille of a car the day before. Whelan was out with her boyfriend’s family Monday in Duluth, Minnesota, when she saw the owl “just hanging out there,...
Azerbaijani airliner crashes in Kazakhstan, killing 38 with 29 survivors, officials sayVideo
An Azerbaijani airliner with 67 people onboard crashed Wednesday near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, killing 38 people and leaving 29 survivors, a Kazakh official said. Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbaev disclosed the figures while meeting with Azerbaijani officials, the Russian news agency Interfax reported. The Embraer 190 was en...
Dead body found in wheel well of United plane from Chicago to Maui
KAHULUI, Hawaii — Maui police are investigating the discovery of a dead body in the wheel well of a United Airlines plane after it landed in Maui, the airline and police department said in statements on Wednesday. The body was found in the wheel well of one of the main...
Jackpot for Mega Millions surges past $1B after no numbers match on Christmas Eve drawing
Hang onto those stocking-stuffer lottery tickets. The Mega Millions jackpot has surpassed $1 billion after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Christmas Eve. That means the estimated jackpot for Friday’s drawing is $1.15 billion, potentially the fifth-largest jackpot in the game’s history. “We know that many people will...
Players have mixed feelings about being on the road on Christmas as NFL adds more holiday games
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Asked if there was any special meaning to playing on Christmas for a second straight season, Lamar Jackson paused for several seconds before answering. That said it all. “I mean, it is,” he finally replied, trying to be diplomatic. “That means we’re good. But at the...
1,000-yard rushers are keeping pace with 1,000-yard receivers for a change in the NFL
Led by free-agent bargains Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, the number of big-play running backs is rivaling the number of high-production wide receivers for a change. With two weeks remaining in the season, there are 11 players who have reached the 1,000-yard milestone in both rushing and receiving, a far...
Fate of Trump’s Cabinet picks unclear as Republicans prepare to take power in Senate
WASHINGTON — The fate of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet is still unclear after Republican senators spent much of December carefully dodging questions about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ‘s views on vaccines, accusations of sexual misconduct against Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard’s 2017 meeting with then-President Bashar Assad of Syria. While...
King Charles III is set to focus on healthcare workers in his traditional Christmas message
LONDON — King Charles III and close members of the royal family attended Christmas Day services Wednesday at a church on Sandringham, the estate on the windswept North Sea coast that has served as a retreat for the royals for generations. The monarch, who is suffering from cancer, waved to...
Pope urges ‘all people of all nations’ to silence arms and overcome divisions in Christmas address
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis in his traditional Christmas message on Wednesday urged “all people of all nations” to find courage during this Holy Year “to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions” plaguing the world, from the Middle East to Ukraine, Africa to Asia. The pontiff’s “Urbi et...
South Florida beats San Jose State in Hawaii Bowl when Mac Harris knocks down pass in 5th overtime
HONOLULU — Bryce Archie found Keshaun Singleton over the middle to give South Florida the lead in the fifth overtime and Mac Harris batted down a pass in the end zone to give the Bulls a 41-39 victory over San Jose State on Tuesday night in the Hawaii Bowl. It...
Biden signs a bill officially making the bald eagle the national bird of the U.S.
WASHINGTON — The bald eagle, a symbol of the power and strength of the United States for more than 240 years, earned an overdue honor on Tuesday: It officially became the country’s national bird. President Joe Biden signed into law legislation sent to him by Congress that amends the United...
NFL on Netflix: Christmas Day games are a 1st for streaming giant
Netflix will have one of its biggest days Wednesday since the site launched in 1998 when it airs two NFL games for the first time. “NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix” begins with a two-hour pregame show at 11 a.m., before Pittsburgh hosts Kansas City. Baltimore faces Houston in the second...
Ex-Eagles player pleads guilty to federal fraud charges related to pandemic aid programs
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Former Philadelphia Eagles running back Wendell Smallwood Jr. has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges after he was accused of submitting fraudulent tax returns and applications for hundreds of thousands of dollars in covid-19 pandemic aid programs. The signed plea agreement was approved Friday by a federal...
Movie Review: ‘Nosferatu’ evokes the days when vampires weren’t cute or sexy, just scary and thirstyVideo
Oh, the weather outside is frightful. But don’t head to the multiplex to stay warm. Not if you’re seeing “Nosferatu,” anyway. Bring your hand warmers, toe warmers, heart warmers and soul warmers — this update of the 1922 silent vampire classic will chill you to the bone. But it may...
Bill Clinton is out of the hospital after being treated for the flu
WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton was discharged from a Washington hospital on Tuesday and will be home for Christmas after he was admitted the day before with a fever. Clinton is being treated for the flu, Angel Urena, Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, said in a statement about his...
Centuries-old angels uncovered at Boston church made famous by Paul Revere
BOSTON — Straddling the scaffolding high up in a historic Boston church, murals conservator Gianfranco Pocobene is working to uncover eight angels that were hidden under layers of paint for more than a century. The painted angels — with round childlike faces and wings — once were among the defining...
NFL players who use platform to share their faith say it’s their duty to spread their love of Jesus
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Jake Bates was standing on the turf in his hometown of Houston when asked to reflect on an unlikely journey from learning how to sell bricks to making game-winning kicks for the Detroit Lions. Bates used his platform as an NFL player to spread his love...
Caitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women’s sports
Caitlin Clark raised the profile of women’s basketball to unprecedented levels in both the college ranks and the WNBA, and Tuesday she was named the AP Female Athlete of the Year for her impact on and off the court. After leading Iowa to the national championship game, Clark was the...
Masters gets 9 more players from top 50 in the world ranking. Glover narrowly gets in
Lucas Glover held down the 50th spot in the final world ranking of the year, making him one of nine players who will be added to the invitation list to play in the Masters. The field has eight more players than it did at this time a year ago. The...
Swiss Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger dies in avalanche
Sophie Hediger, a member of Switzerland’s snowboard cross team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, has died following an avalanche at a mountain resort, the country’s skiing federation said on Tuesday. The incident occurred on Monday at the Arosa resort in Switzerland. Hediger, 26, competed at the Beijing Games in...
N.C. man charged with murder in fatal shooting of officer at supermarket, police say
GREENSBORO, N.C. — A North Carolina man has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a police officer who was responding to a report of a man with a gun in a supermarket, authorities announced Tuesday. Tarell Isaac McMillian, 34, has been charged with first-degree murder in the...
Man accused in burning death of a woman on a New York subway awaits arraignment
NEW YORK — A man accused of setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway train and then watching her die after she was engulfed in flames is awaiting arraignment Tuesday. Sebastian Zapeta, 33, is facing murder and arson charges in the woman’s death. Federal immigration officials...
Bethlehem marks a second subdued Christmas Eve during the war in Gaza
BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Bethlehem marked another somber Christmas Eve on Tuesday in the traditional birthplace of Jesus under the shadow of war in Gaza. The excitement and cheer that typically descends on the West Bank during Christmas week were nowhere to be found. The festive lights and giant tree...
Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights
WASHINGTON — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide Tuesday because of a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne about an hour after the...
