Associated Press stories, Page 416
U.S. Embassy in London returns to normal after police blow up a package
LONDON — The U.S. Embassy in London returned to normal operations Friday afternoon after police carried out the controlled explosion of a suspicious package that was found in the area earlier in the day. London Metropolitan police later said it was a “hoax device.” “An investigation will now follow,” police...
DirecTV calls off acquisition of rival Dish, possibly ending a yearslong pursuit
DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company. The deal was reliant on Dish bond holders agreeing to trade in the debt they held for debt in the new company, a swap that would have cost them...
Proposed deal on climate cash at UN summit highlights split between rich and poor nations
BAKU, Azerbaijan — A new draft of a deal on cash to curb and adapt to climate change released Friday afternoon at the United Nations climate summit pledged $250 billion by 2035 from wealthy countries to poorer ones. The amount pleases the countries who will be paying, but not those...
McDonald’s to expand U.S. value menu as fast food chains battle for bargain seekers
McDonald’s will expand its U.S. value menu early next year as it continues to try to win back inflation-weary customers. Starting Jan. 7, the burger chain will let customers buy one full-priced item from a limited value menu and get another item on that menu for $1. Items on the...
No. 4 Penn State puts off playoff talk as it prepares for tough trip to MinnesotaVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — With Penn State’s strong push for a spot in the College Football Playoff still a couple of wins from completion, the biggest roadblock to a bid for the Nittany Lions in this favorable final third of their schedule has arrived: a trip to Minnesota. That’s why this week,...
Folgueiras’ 19 help Robert Morris knock off Cornell 86-76Video
ITHACA, N.Y. — Alvaro Folgueiras had 19 points in Robert Morris’ 86-76 win over Cornell on Thursday night. Folgueiras added 12 rebounds — which gave him four double-doubles this season — and three steals for the Colonials (5-2), who won their fifth in a row. Amarion Dickerson scored 15 points...
Frustrated Bengals still looking for ways to win close games
CINCINNATI — After the Cincinnati Bengals let yet another close game slip away, Joe Burrow acknowledged this is the most frustrating season of his NFL career. Someone asked why. “Self-explanatory,” Cincinnati’s star quarterback said. That it is. Burrow is playing great football. He’s making spectacular throws on the run and...
Ravens’ Jackson, Chargers’ Herbert will take center stage once Harbaugh Bowl kicks off Monday nightVideo
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Most of the attention surrounding Monday night’s showdown between the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers has been centered on the first coaching matchup since 2012 between John and Jim Harbaugh. Once the game kicks off, all the focus will be on quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and...
Police report reveals assault allegations against Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for defense secretary
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Pete Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report made public late Wednesday. Hegseth, a former...
Remains found in Pennsylvania in 1973 are identified as a missing 14-year-old
LEBANON — A girl’s remains found under brush and a plastic tarp in the Pennsylvania woods 51 years ago were identified by state police Thursday as 14-year-old Ruth Elizabeth Brenneman, who was last seen leaving for school in fall 1973. State police said genetic genealogy helped determine the identity of...
Trump chooses Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Gaetz withdraws
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his other choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration. Bondi is a longtime Trump ally and was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment...
Ohtani wins 3rd MVP award, 1st in NL; Judge wins second AL MVP in 3 seasonsVideo
NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani won his third MVP Award and first in the National League, and Aaron Judge earned his second American League honor on Thursday. The L.A. Dodgers’ Ohtani was a unanimous MVP for the third time, receiving all 30 first-place votes and 420 points in voting by...
Alex Ovechkin is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks with a broken left legVideo
Alex Ovechkin has a broken left fibula and is expected to be out four to six weeks, an injury that pauses the Washington Capitals superstar captain’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record. The Capitals updated Ovechkin’s status Thursday after he was evaluated by team doctors upon returning from...
Penn State wins trademark case over retailer’s use of vintage logos, images
PHILADELPHIA — Penn State has won a closely watched trademark fight over an online retailer’s use of its vintage sports logos and images. A Pennsylvania jury awarded Penn State $28,000 in damages on Wednesday over products made and sold by Vintage Brand and Sportswear Inc., two firms co-founded by former...
Republicans rally around Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Pentagon pick, as Gaetz withdraws for attorney generalVideo
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill rallied around Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Pentagon pick, on Thursday even as new details surfaced about allegations that he had sexually assaulted a woman in 2017. The GOP embrace of Hegseth came as another controversial Trump nominee, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration...
FBI, DHS leaders won’t testify publicly about national security threats before the SenateVideo
WASHINGTON — The leaders of the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security declined to testify publicly at a scheduled Senate committee hearing Thursday on global threats to national security, a break from standard protocol of open testimony before the panel. “Their choice to not provide public testimony about their...
MLB will test robot umpires at 13 spring training ballparks hosting 19 teamsVideo
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball will test robot umpires as part of a challenge system during spring training at 13 ballparks hosting 19 teams, which could lead to regular-season use in 2026. MLB has been experimenting with the automated ball-strike system in the minor leagues since 2019 but is...
NFL issues security alert to teams, players’ union after recent burglariesVideo
The NFL issued a security alert to teams and the players’ union Thursday following recent burglaries involving the homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo obtained by the Associated Press, the league says homes of professional athletes across multiple sports have become “increasingly targeted for...
A kayaker faked his own death and fled overseas. Now he’s telling how he did itVideo
GREEN LAKE, Wis. — A Wisconsin man who faked his own drowning this summer so he could abandon his wife and three children has been communicating with authorities daily from Eastern Europe, even telling them how he did it, but has not committed to returning home, a sheriff said Thursday....
Elon Musk’s budget crusade could cause a constitutional clash in Trump’s 2nd term
WASHINGTON — When Elon Musk first suggested a new effort to cut the size of government, Donald Trump didn’t seem to take it seriously. His eventual name for the idea sounded like a joke too. It would be called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a reference to an...
West Virginia tries to secure bowl eligibility in final home game against UCF
UCF (4-6, 2-5 Big 12) at West Virginia (5-5, 4-3) Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (ESPNU) BetMGM College Football Odds: UCF by 3. Series record: West Virginia leads 3-0. What’s at stake? West Virginia can become bowl eligible with a win. UCF, coming off a bye week, needs to win both of...
New Hampshire court hears cases on transgender girls playing girls sports and the right to protest
CONCORD, N.H. — Two lawsuits about transgender girl athletes — one challenging a state ban at schools and the other on the right to protest transgender athletes’ participation on girls teams — were the subject of hearings in federal court in New Hampshire on Thursday. The first case is about...
Putin says Russia has tested a new intermediate range missile in a strike on Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday that Moscow has tested a new intermediate-range missile in a strike on Ukraine, and he warned that it could use the weapon against countries that have allowed Kyiv to use their missiles to strike Russia. The Russian strike on Ukraine on...
Georgia AG Chris Carr launches Republican bid in 2026 governor’s race
ATLANTA — Georgia’s Republican attorney general, Chris Carr, said Thursday that he’s running for governor in 2026, becoming the first major candidate from either party to announce a bid. Prominent Republicans and Democrats are eyeing the seat, which will be open in two years after term-limited Republican Gov. Brian Kemp...
Gaetz withdraws as Trump’s pick for attorney general
WASHINGTON — Matt Gaetz withdrew Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general following continued scrutiny over a federal sex trafficking investigation that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation’s chief federal law enforcement officer. The abrupt withdrawal is a setback to Trump’s push to...
