Associated Press stories, Page 40
NFL mandates new playing-surface standards by 2028
The playing surfaces at every NFL stadium will have to meet new enhanced standards set through lab and field testing by the start of the 2028 season. NFL field director Nick Pappas detailed the plans for the program Thursday that will provide each team “a library of approved and accredited...
Grand jury rejects new mortgage fraud indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James
NORFOLK, Va. — The Justice Department failed Thursday to secure a new indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James after a judge dismissed the previous mortgage fraud prosecution encouraged by President Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the matter. Prosecutors went back to a grand jury in Virginia...
White House expected to submit plans for new ballroom to planning commission this month
WASHINGTON — The White House is expected to submit plans for President Donald Trump’s new ballroom to a federal planning commission before the year ends, about three months after construction began. Will Scharf, who was named by Trump as chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, said at the panel’s...
Detroit’s own crime-fighter RoboCop finally stands guard in Motor CityVideo
DETROIT — RoboCop has finally found a permanent home in Detroit. A statue looming 11 feet tall and weighing 3,500 pounds began standing guard over the Motor City on Wednesday afternoon. “It was snowstorm, dark and below 30 degrees and there was a steady stream of people driving by,” after...
The best movies of 2025, ranked by AP film writers
The bean counters might say otherwise, but 2025 was a good year for movies. Filmmakers working in and out of the studio system managed to make bold, personal, wildly imaginative and singular works. Some of them even broke through to the mainstream — how extraordinary that “Sinners” is among the...
A single hostage still in Gaza after identification of Thai worker’s remains
JERUSALEM — Remains that militants in Gaza handed to Israel as part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal were those of a Thai agricultural worker, Israeli and Thai officials said Thursday. The return of Sudthisak Rinthalak’s remains leaves just one more hostage to be returned under the agreement....
Trump hosts the leaders of Congo and Rwanda to sign a key deal for peace in eastern Congo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is hosting the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda on Thursday for a deal-signing aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Congo and opening access to the region’s critical minerals for the U.S. government and American companies. The moment provides Trump —...
Trump to visit Pa. pushing efforts to curb inflation as high prices squeeze Americans
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump plans to travel to Pennsylvania on Tuesday to highlight his efforts to reduce inflation even as fears mount about a worsening job market and amid signs that Americans are still feeling squeezed by high prices. A White House official said Trump would be making the...
Where to move that Elf on the Shelf? Parents offer some creative tips
A few years ago, Kurt Neesley of Redondo Beach, Calif., was brainstorming where to put his family’s Elf on the Shelf for his three kids to find the next morning. He decided to make it look like the doll, named Elfie, had painted on their kitchen wall. Neesley used Tootsie...
CBS News to host prime-time ‘town hall’ with Erika Kirk, widow of activist Charlie Kirk
NEW YORK — Turning Point USA leader Erika Kirk will speak about the aftermath of her husband Charlie’s killing in a prime-time “town hall” event televised by CBS News on Dec. 13, the network said Thursday. The event will be moderated by Bari Weiss, the network’s new editor-in-chief and founder...
Pope Leo XIV’s 1st full-length U.S. book, ‘Peace Be with You,’ to be released in February
NEW YORK — The first full-length book by Pope Leo XIV to come out in the U.S. will be published next year. HarperOne announced Wednesday that it had acquired world rights to “Peace Be with You! My Words to the Church and to the World,” scheduled for release on Feb....
Kennedy’s vaccine advisory committee delays vote on hepatitis B shots for newborns
A federal vaccine advisory committee on Thursday voted to delay a decision on whether newborns should still get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they’re born. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, meeting in Atlanta, voted to delay the decision until Friday after committee members voiced confusion about voting...
U.S. filings for jobless benefits fall to 191,000, lowest since September of 2022
WASHINGTON — U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in more than three years last week, potentially complicating the Federal Reserve’s upcoming decision on interest rates. The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits for the week ending Nov. 29 fell to 191,000 from the previous week’s...
Don’t forget pets when preparing for winter’s cold. Here’s what experts recommend
As wintry weather settles in, it brings risks for pets as well as people. Pet owners can take steps to keep their animals warm and safe, including learning about the dangers of extreme temperatures, buying weather-resistant accessories, and stocking up on extra supplies in case of power outages or storms....
Ralph Lauren unveils Team USA’s Olympic uniformsVideo
NEW YORK — Ralph Lauren revealed Team USA’s Milan Cortina Winter Olympics looks Thursday, complete with Americana knit sweaters and plenty of vintage call-backs. The formal opening ceremony look pairs a patterned red, white and blue knit sweater with tailored cream trousers and a matching wool coat. Moving sportier, the...
Asia flood death toll surpasses 1,500 as calls grow to fight deforestation
PADANG, Indonesia — Deaths from last week’s catastrophic floods and landslides in parts of Asia surged past 1,500 Thursday as rescue teams raced to reach survivors isolated by the disaster with hundreds of people still unaccounted for across the region. The tragedy of so much death and destruction was compounded...
Man accused of planting pipe bombs before Jan. 6 Capitol attack is charged with explosives offenses
WASHINGTON — The FBI on Thursday arrested a man accused of placing two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties in Washington on the eve of the U.S. Capitol attack, an abrupt breakthrough in an investigation that for years flummoxed law enforcement and spawned conspiracy...
One Tech Tip: Up your Christmas shopping game with AI tools
Shopping assistant chatbots were a novelty a year ago. Now, they’re everywhere. After rolling out AI-powered assistants, online retailers and tech companies have been adding more artificial intelligence features to make online shopping easier and more convenient. The latest crop of AI-powered shopping services and tools made their debut in...
Putin says there are points he can’t agree to in the U.S. proposal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin says some proposals in a U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine are unacceptable to the Kremlin, indicating in comments published Thursday that any deal is still some ways off. President Donald Trump has set in motion the most intense diplomatic push to stop the...
Hearing in Luigi Mangione’s state murder case sheds new light on his arrest
NEW YORK — Minutes after police approached Luigi Mangione in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, he told an officer he didn’t want to talk, according to video and testimony at a court hearing Thursday for the man charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Although some video and accounts of police interactions...
Admiral says there was no ‘kill them all’ order in boat attack, but video alarms lawmakersVideo
WASHINGTON — A Navy admiral commanding the U.S. military strikes on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean told lawmakers Thursday that there was no “kill them all” order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but a stark video of the attack left grave questions as Congress scrutinizes the campaign that...
Decades-old palm trees in Rio de Janeiro flower for the 1st — and only — time
RIO DE JANEIRO — Towering talipot palms in a Rio de Janeiro park are flowering for the first and only time in their lives, decades after famed Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx introduced them in the 1960s. Towards the end of its life — which can span between 40...
Steve Cropper, guitarist and member of Stax Records’ Booker T and the M.G.’s, dies at 84Video
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Steve Cropper, the lean, soulful guitarist and songwriter who helped anchor the celebrated Memphis backing band Booker T. and the M.G.’s at Stax Records and co-wrote the classics “Green Onions,” “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay” and “In the Midnight Hour,” has died. He was...
Browns QB Deshaun Watson returns to practice for 1st time in more than a yearVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Deshaun Watson was set to practice for the first time this year with the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday, opening the 21-day window for the quarterback to return to the lineup. His practice time will not count against the 53-player active roster. Watson is eligible to be activated...
West Virginia men use pair of 14-0 runs to blow past Coppin State
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Honor Huff and Chance Moore each scored 17 points to lead West Virginia’s 91-49 rout of Coppin State on Wednesday night. Huff hit three 3-pointers in a 4-minute stretch late in the first half, giving the Mountaineers a 40-26 lead. The Eagles scored the last six points...
