Associated Press stories, Page 407
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...
Baby mammoth preserved for 50,000 years unveiled in Russia’s Siberia
MOSCOW — The remains of a 50,000-year-old baby mammoth uncovered by melting permafrost in Russia’s Siberia have been unveiled to the public. Nicknamed Yana, the female mammoth weighs over 220 pounds and is 47 inches tall and 79 inches long. Scientists believe that Yana was only 1 year old when...
Sudan’s war is ‘deepening and widening’ a famine crisis, hunger monitoring report says
CAIRO — Famine is spreading in Sudan due to a war between the military and a notorious paramilitary group that has wrecked the country and created the world’s largest displacement crisis, a global hunger-monitoring group said Tuesday. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said it detected famine in...
A blast at a Turkish armaments factory kills at least 12 people
ISTANBUL — An explosion at an armaments factory in northwest Turkey left at least 12 dead and four injured Tuesday morning. The blast occurred in the facility located in the province of Balikesir, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. Balikesir Governor Ismail Ustaoglu said the explosion collapsed the capsule production...
American imprisoned in Russia sentenced to new 15-year jail term for espionage
MOSCOW — A Russian-born U.S. citizen already imprisoned in Russia on a bribery conviction has been handed a second 15-year jail term for espionage, Russian news agencies reported Tuesday. A Moscow court brought espionage charges against Gene Spector in August 2023, although details surrounding the case were not made public....
‘Rust’ shooting: Prosecutors withdraw appeal of dismissed case against Alec Baldwin
SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico prosecutors won’t pursue an appeal of a court’s decision to dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie, the Santa Fe District Attorney’s Office announced Monday. Special Prosecutor Kari Morrissey...
George Dimopoulos shines in double OT, Northern Illinois wins Idaho Potato Bowl
BOISE, Idaho — Freshman wide receiver George Dimopoulos threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Dane Pardridge on the first play of double overtime, and Jordan Hansen ended the game on a fourth-down sack to give Northern Illinois a 28-20 victory over Fresno State on Monday in the Idaho Potato Bowl....
Man dies after large wave traps him under debris on California beachVideo
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — A man died Monday after a large wave trapped him beneath debris on a California beach, likely related to the storm pummeling the West Coast that brought high surf and flooding to central California, officials said. First responders were called to Sunset State Beach, a state...
Judge rules Arkansas law allowing criminal charges against librarians is unconstitutional
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A federal judge on Monday struck down key parts of an Arkansas law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing “harmful” materials to minors. U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks found that elements of the law are unconstitutional. “I respect the court’s ruling...
Burt, huge reptile who put croc in ‘Crocodile Dundee,’ dies
Burt, the huge crocodile that rose to fame with a cameo in the movie “Crocodile Dundee” and continued to impress visitors with his fiery temper and commanding presence, has died. Burt died over the weekend, the Crocosaurus Cove reptile aquarium in Darwin, Australia, said. He was at least 90 years...
