Associated Press stories, Page 399
U.S. unemployment claims fall to 211,000, the lowest level since March
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment checks dropped last week to the lowest level since March, suggesting that suggest most workers enjoy unusual job security. Jobless claims dropped by 9,000 to 211,000 last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week average of claims, which strips out...
Impeached South Korean president issues defiant message as he faces possible detention
SEOUL, South Korea — Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, in a message to conservative supporters rallying outside his Seoul residence, vowed to “fight to the end” against “anti-state forces,” while his legal team warned Thursday that police officers attempting to detain him could face arrest by his presidential...
Biden giving 2nd highest civilian award to leaders of Jan. 6 congressional panel
President Joe Biden is bestowing the second highest civilian medal on Liz Cheney and Bennie Thompson — the lawmakers who led the congressional investigation into the violent Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot by Donald Trump’s supporters, and who Trump has said should be jailed. Biden will award the Presidential...
What is the Islamic State group, and what attacks has it inspired by offshoots and lone wolves?
WASHINGTON — The FBI says it recovered the stark black banner of the Islamic State extremist group from the truck that an American man from Texas smashed into New Year’s partygoers in New Orleans’ French Quarter Wednesday, killing 15 people. The investigation is expected to look in part at any...
FBI says driver in New Orleans rampage acted alone, was ‘100%’ inspired by Islamic State groupVideo
NEW ORLEANS — The Army veteran who drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans acted alone, the FBI said Thursday, reversing its position from a day earlier that he likely worked with others in the deadly attack that officials said was inspired by...
10 people are wounded in a shooting outside a New York City nightclub
NEW YORK — Ten people were wounded in a shooting outside a New York City nightclub while they were waiting to get into a private event, police said. About 15 people were standing outside Amazura Concert Hall at 11:15 p.m. Wednesday in Jamaica, Queens, when four men on foot approached...
Azeez Al-Shaair was in ‘really dark place’ after Trevor Lawrence hit
HOUSTON — Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair said he was in a “really dark place” and wondered if he’d ever play football again in the days after he was suspended for three games for his hit on Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence that left the quarterback with a concussion. Speaking to reporters...
No. 6 Ohio State blasts top-ranked Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl, advances to CFP semifinalsVideo
PASADENA, Calif. — Second chances don’t come around often in life, Ohio State coach Ryan Day told his players in a team meeting before the Rose Bowl. After a season in which they fell short at too many key moments, the Buckeyes knew they had one of those second chances...
Jaxson Dart’s final college game comes in Gator Bowl
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jaxson Dart never considered skipping Ole Miss’ bowl game. Not after the Rebels were eliminated from College Football Playoff contention, and not after Dart announced he was leaving school early to enter the NFL Draft. Now, the first-team All-SEC quarterback will suit up for the 16th-ranked Rebels...
Texas avoids huge upset, beats Arizona State 39-31 in double overtime in Peach BowlVideo
ATLANTA — Texas avoided the first big upset of the College Football Playoff, hitting a fourth-and-long touchdown pass to keep the game going and beating Cam Skattebo and Arizona State, 39-31, in double overtime when an interception by Andrew Mukuba finally ended a Peach Bowl quarterfinal classic Wednesday. Skattebo led...
Penn State defense stuffs Ashton Jeanty short of record
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Ashton Jeanty took the handoff on Boise State’s first play and made it just a few steps before being greeted by a wall of dark blue Penn State jerseys that swallowed him up and shoved him backward for no gain. A dream season was about to end...
Firework mortars, gas cannisters stuffed inside Tesla that exploded outside Trump’s Las Vegas hotel
LAS VEGAS — Firework mortars and camp fuel canisters were found stuffed into the back of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel early Wednesday, killing a suspect inside the vehicle and sparking an intense investigation into possible terrorism. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and Clark...
Fireworks explosion in Honolulu area killed 3 people, injured at least 20
HONOLULU — A New Year’s Eve fireworks explosion in a Honolulu-area neighborhood killed at least three people and critically injured 20 others, authorities said. The accident occurred just before midnight outside a home, the Honolulu Fire Department said in a statement. The neighborhood is near Honolulu’s international airport and a...
Chiefs to start Carson Wentz at QB against Denver, which would clinch playoff berth with win
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs will start backup Carson Wentz at quarterback on Sunday in Denver in a game that means nothing to Kansas City, which has already clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, but could mean everything to the Broncos. Chiefs coach Andy Reid announced...
Penn State takes simple approach during ride into CFP semifinals
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Football coaches, perhaps more than other sports, are huge proponents of structure, routine and consistent messaging. Since the early days of his time in Happy Valley, Penn State’s James Franklin has adhered to the philosophy of 1-0. Yes, it’s a cliche. One day at a time, one...
Sugar Bowl CFP quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame postponed after deadly truck attack
NEW ORLEANS — The College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame was postponed a day because of an attack about a mile away from the Superdome early Wednesday, when authorities say a truck driver deliberately plowed into a New Year’s crowd and killed 15...
Dominant season for the NFC North will leave a 14-win team as a wild card
There’s never quite been a division like this season’s NFC North and there has never been a wild-card team like whoever loses the division title showdown between Detroit and Minnesota. Led by the Lions and Vikings, both 14-2, the NFC North is set to be the winningest division since the...
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni set to rest Saquon Barkley in finale, end chance at NFL rushing record
PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley appears set to sit out the Philadelphia Eagles final regular-season game Sunday, denying the running back his chance at breaking Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season rushing record. Barkley would finish the season with 2,005 yards rushing, just 101 yards shy of breaking Dickerson’s record of 2,105 yards...
Jimmy the Baptist: Carter redefined ‘evangelical,’ from campaigns to race and women’s rights
PLAINS, Ga. — Before reaching the 1978 peace deal between Egypt’s Anwar Sadat and Israel’s Menachem Begin, Jimmy Carter managed months of intense preparation, high-stakes negotiations at Camp David and a field trip to the Gettysburg battlefield to demonstrate the consequences of war. But looking back on his most celebrated...
New Orleans New Year’s Day ramming is latest attack to use vehicle as deadly weapon
NEW ORLEANS — Police say a person who drove a pickup truck at high speed into a crowd of people celebrating the new year in New Orleans early Wednesday was hell-bent on creating carnage. While a motive for the attack that killed at least 10 people has yet to be...
South Korea air crash investigators extract black box data as grieving families mourn victims
SEOUL, South Korea — Grieving relatives of the victims of the South Korea plane crash gathered at the site to pay respects to their loved ones on New Year’s Day, as officials said they’ve extracted data from one of the retrieved black boxes to find the exact cause of the...
Israeli strikes kill 12 in Gaza including children as war grinds into the new year
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes killed at least 12 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, officials said Wednesday, as the nearly 15-month war ground on into the new year. One strike hit a home in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza, the most isolated and...
‘This is evil’: Driver rams New Year’s revelers in New Orleans, killing 15
NEW ORLEANS — An Army veteran driving a pickup truck that bore the flag of the Islamic State group wrought carnage on New Orleans’ raucous New Year’s celebration, killing 15 people as he steered around a police blockade and slammed into revelers before being shot dead by police. The FBI...
No. 5 Penn State bottles up Jeanty, beats No. 8 Boise State in Fiesta Bowl
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Penn State defenders clogged every hole, stretched out every outside run, closed with ferocity. Everywhere that Ashton Jeanty turned, he ran into Nittany Lions. The Heisman Trophy runner-up still went over 100 yards, but he sure had to work for it. Drew Allar threw three touchdown passes...
U.S. beats Canada to finish 1st in its group at world junior championshipVideo
OTTAWA, Ontario — Danny Nelson scored the eventual game-winner in the third period and Trey Augustine made 38 saves, leading the United States to a 4-1 win over Canada on Tuesday night and into the top spot in Group A at the world junior hockey championship. Cole Hutson and Cole...
