Associated Press stories, Page 404
Syria’s insurgency leader tours seized city of Aleppo, as fierce battles intensify near Hama
BEIRUT — The leader of Syria’s most powerful insurgent group Wednesday toured the seized city of Aleppo in a surprise visit for the first time since the group captured large parts of the city last weekend, as fierce fighting intensifies in the government-led counter-offensive in northern Hama. Abu Mohammed al-Golani,...
District of Columbia says Amazon secretly stopped fast deliveries to 2 predominantly Black zip codes
The District of Columbia sued Amazon on Wednesday, alleging the company secretly stopped providing its fastest delivery service to residents of two predominantly Black neighborhoods in Washington while still charging residents millions of dollars for a service that promises the benefit. The complaint filed in District of Columbia Superior Court...
Pete Hegseth fights to save Pentagon nomination as sources say Trump considers Ron DeSantis
WASHINGTON — A defiant Pete Hegseth fought to save his nomination to be Donald Trump’s defense secretary Wednesday as the president-elect considered possible replacements in the face of growing questions about the former Fox News host’s personal conduct and ability to win Senate confirmation. Hegseth met with legislators on Capitol...
‘Amtrak Joe’ Biden uses his visit to Angola to promote a major U.S.-backed rail project in Africa
LUANDA, Angola — Even in the waning days of his presidency and thousands of miles from home, U.S. President Joe Biden is finding ways to celebrate trains. Biden used the third and final day of his visit to Angola on Wednesday to showcase the Lobito Corridor railway, where the U.S....
Trump’s defense pick Pete Hegseth faces deepening scrutiny in Senate
WASHINGTON — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary, spent a second day on Capitol Hill, meeting privately with Republican senators amid rising questions about his ability to effectively lead the Pentagon. Hegseth told reporters Tuesday that he was planning to sit down with senators, even with those...
EU condemns reported Taliban move to suspend medical education for women and girls
The European Union on Wednesday condemned the Taliban for violating human rights and women’s access to education after media reports that the Taliban’s leader has ordered private and public institutions to stop providing medical courses for women and girls in Afghanistan. The Taliban have neither confirmed the order nor responded...
What to know about sinkholes amid fears a Unity woman fell into one
Authorities fear a grandmother from Unity who disappeared while looking for her cat may have been swallowed by a sinkhole. Crews searching for Elizabeth Pollard, 64, learned Wednesday morning that they have to switch up their tactics after the integrity of the mine where they’ve been digging is being compromised....
Trump, Republican senators plan agenda for first 30 days
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump dialed in to what was described as a “love fest” Tuesday with Senate Republicans as they begin laying the groundwork for control of government in the new year, and a potential first-30-days agenda. Trump’s brief call was more celebratory than a prescriptive policy agenda, according...
Chicago house party shooting kills 3 and wounds 5 others, police say
CHICAGO — Eight people were shot, three of them fatally, when gunfire erupted Monday during a house party in Chicago, sending screaming people fleeing from the home, authorities and a witness said. Officers responded about 2:10 p.m. and found that eight people had been shot during a “social gathering” at...
California teacher dies after she was bitten by a bat inside a classroom
DOS PALOS, Calif. — A central California teacher died last month after she was bitten by a bat inside her classroom that presumably had rabies, officials and the woman’s friend said. In the wake of Leah Seneng’s death on Nov. 22, public health officials are warning the public about the...
NHL, players provide optimism for new CBA
The NHL’s collective bargaining agreement does not expire until Sept. 15, 2026. That discussions are set to begin on a new deal in early 2025 is already one step ahead of where hockey has been in labor negotiations in the past. Commissioner Gary Bettman earlier this week said he expects...
Analysis: Browns set sights on Steelers after wasted effort by Jameis Winston vs. BroncosVideo
CLEVELAND — Only the Cleveland Browns. Only a team beset by perpetual problems at quarterback for the better part of two decades can get a record-setting 497-yard, four-touchdown, jaw-dropping, where-did-that-come-from performance on Monday night from Jameis Winston — and still lose. History wrapped in misery. Only the Browns. Winston spoiled...
Miami in trouble, Alabama rises in College Football Playoff rankings
Miami’s playoff hopes took an all-but-final nosedive while Alabama’s got a boost Tuesday night in the last rankings before the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket is set next weekend. The Hurricanes (10-2) moved down six spots to No. 12 — the first team out of the projected bracket — after...
Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, set to face Penn State, reminiscent of another Hawaiian-born QBVideo
Dillon Gabriel was faced with a quandary when he arrived at Oregon this year. Gabriel had worn No. 8 at Oklahoma before transferring for his sixth season of eligibility. But in Eugene, that number had special significance because it had been worn by Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota. There were...
Chad Chronister, Donald Trump’s pick to run DEA, withdraws name from consideration
NEW YORK — Chad Chronister, Donald Trump’s pick to run the Drug Enforcement Administration, said Tuesday he was withdrawing his name from consideration, becoming the second person selected by the president-elect to bow out quickly after being nominated for a position requiring Senate confirmation. Sheriff Chronister, the top law enforcement...
USWNT beats Netherlands in goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher’s final matchVideo
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Alyssa Naher made two critical saves in her final match for the United States, Lynn Williams scored the go-ahead goal in the 71st minute and the Americans beat the Netherlands 2-1 on Tuesday. The U.S., which won its fifth Olympic gold medal this summer in France,...
President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urge judge to toss his hush money conviction
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers formally asked a judge to throw out his hush money criminal conviction, arguing continuing the case would present unconstitutional “disruptions to the institution of the Presidency.” In a filing made public Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers told Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that dismissal is...
Judge weighs whether to order Fani Willis to comply with lawmakers’ subpoenas over Trump case
ATLANTA — A judge is weighing whether a Georgia state Senate committee has the right to subpoena testimony and documents from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as it looks into whether she has engaged in misconduct during her prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump. The Republican-led committee sent subpoenas to...
San Jose State will play South Florida in the Hawaii Bowl
HONOLULU — San Jose State is headed back to the Hawaii Bowl for a second straight season to face South Florida. Bowl officials on Tuesday announced the matchup for the game set to be played on Dec. 24 on the campus of the University of Hawaii. The Spartans went 7-5...
Creator of ‘2000 Mules’ apologizes to Georgia man falsely accused of ballot fraud in the filmVideo
ATLANTA — The creator of the widely debunked film “2000 Mules” has issued a statement saying “inaccurate information” was provided to him about ballot box surveillance videos featured in the film and apologizing to a Georgia man in one of those videos who was falsely accused of ballot fraud during...
Nearly 30% of U.S. drugstores closed in 1 decade, study shows
Nearly three out of 10 U.S. drugstores that were open during the previous decade had closed by 2021, new research shows. Black and Latino neighborhoods were most vulnerable to the retail pharmacy closures, which can chip away at already-limited care options in those communities, researchers said in a study published...
Ex-ballerina sentenced to 20 years in Florida for manslaughter in husband’s killingVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — A former Florida ballerina has been sentenced to 20 years in prison following her manslaughter conviction for fatally shooting her estranged husband in 2020. Manatee County court records show Circuit Judge Matt Whyte imposed the sentence Tuesday on Ashley Benefield, 32, after rejecting her request for a...
High school recruiting isn’t the only way to build a winner in the era of the transfer portal
Texas A&M signed the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class three years ago believing it had built a potential national title contender. Plenty of players from that heralded 2022 class could indeed be participating in the first 12-team College Football Playoff this month. They just won’t be doing it for the Aggies,...
Penn State’s Abdul Carter, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Indiana’s Curt Cignetti take top Big Ten honors
ROSEMONT, Ill. — Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel was named Big Ten offensive player of the year after leading the top-ranked Ducks to their first perfect regular season since 2010, the conference announced Tuesday. Penn State’s Abdul Carter was named defensive player of the year and Indiana’s Curt Cignetti coach of the...
Jury deliberations begin in veteran Daniel Penny’s trial over using chokehold on Jordan Neely
NEW YORK — Jurors began deliberating Tuesday in the trial of a military veteran charged with using a fatal chokehold to subdue a man whose behavior was alarming passengers on a New York subway train. The anonymous jury is weighing manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide charges in the death of...
