Associated Press stories, Page 45
Thomas scores 20 as West Virginia downs Creighton 87-70 in CBC
LAS VEGAS — DJ Thomas helped lead West Virginia over Creighton on Saturday with 20 points off of the bench in an 87-70 victory in the College Basketball Crown. West Virginia plays Oklahoma, which beat Baylor, 82-69, in the other semifinal, for the CBC title Sunday. Thomas shot 9 for...
UConn reaches 3rd national title game in 4 seasons, beating Illinois 71-62 behind Mullins and Reed
INDIANAPOLIS — Dan Hurley had UConn ready for another Final Four fight night. Again, his Huskies scored a knockout. Fabulous freshman Braylon Mullins made another last-minute 3-pointer — his only basket of the second half — and the Huskies muscled their way past Illinois, 71-62, on Saturday to reach their...
Dawn Staley eyes another title as South Carolina meets UCLA in the NCAA women’s final
PHOENIX — Dawn Staley has fond memories of her first trip as a coach to the NCAA championship game. It ended with South Carolina’s first national title nine years ago. She hopes that UCLA’s first time playing for an NCAA title won’t end the same way for the Bruins, who...
MASTERS ’26: Capsules of notable players at Augusta National
AUGUSTA, Ga. — A capsule look at notable players in the Masters, which starts Thursday at Augusta National (listed in predicted order of finish): Scottie Scheffler Age: 29. Country: United States. World ranking: 1. Worldwide wins: 23. Majors: Masters (2022, 2024), PGA Championship (2025), British Open (2025). Masters appearances: 6....
Mavs rookie Cooper Flagg scores 51
DALLAS — Cooper Flagg didn’t get a call, and his coach and a teammate got kicked out of the game trying to stick up for the rookie No. 1 pick of the Dallas Mavericks. Less than a quarter later, Flagg became the first teenager to score 51 points in an...
Auriemma and Staley clash in tense postgame exchange after South Carolina beats UConn in Final Four
PHOENIX — Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma’s coaching rivalry has had something for everyone on and off the court. It reached a dramatic peak Friday night, and the heated exchange between them stirred all the elements that make their matchups must-see TV. Auriemma said it started at the beginning of...
Artemis II astronauts are more than halfway to the moon as they seek to break Apollo 13’s record
Now more than halfway to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts were toasted by Canada on Saturday as they prepared for their historic lunar fly-around to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts. The three Americans and one Canadian will reach their destination Monday, photographing the mysterious lunar...
Judge halts Trump effort requiring colleges to show they aren’t considering race in admissions
BOSTON — A federal judge has halted efforts by the Trump administration to collect data that proves higher education institutions aren’t considering race in admissions. The ruling from U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV in Boston on Friday granting the preliminary injunction follows a lawsuit filed earlier this...
Trump’s go-it-alone certainty confronts the uncertainties of war
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump did not equivocate in his first live address to Americans about the war in Iran. “We’ve beaten and completely decimated Iran,” he said in a prime-time speech from the White House on Wednesday. “They are decimated both militarily and economically and in every other way.”...
Trump gives Iran 48 hours to open Strait of Hormuz as search continues for missing U.S. pilot
TEL AVIV, Israel — The U.S. military searched for a second day for a pilot shot down over a remote area in Iran, while U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday again threatened Tehran over his Monday deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz: “Time is running out.” The American warplane,...
Floods, landslides triggered by heavy rain in Afghanistan leave 77 dead in 10 days, authorities say
KABUL, Afghanistan — Widespread flooding, landslides and lightning strikes triggered by heavy rain and storms across Afghanistan have left 77 people dead and 137 injured over the past 10 days, the country’s Disaster Management Authority said Saturday. More rain has been forecast for the coming days throughout Afghanistan, and the...
United Airlines raises bag fees amid rising fuel costs and introduces tiered premium fares
Most travelers flying with United Airlines will pay $10 more to check their luggage beginning Friday, as higher jet fuel costs driven by the war in the Middle East push another major U.S. carrier to increase fees. The first piece of checked luggage will now cost customers $45 on flights...
Bondi struggled to prosecute Trump foes. But will a new attorney general make a difference?
WASHINGTON — Pam Bondi is out of her job after failing to deliver criminal cases against President Donald Trump’s political enemies. But there’s no guarantee her successor will have any better success at placating the president. Over the last year, Bondi’s Justice Department has encountered resistance from judges, grand jurors...
A fast-growing wildfire in windy Southern California triggers evacuations
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A smoky and fast-growing wildfire Friday in windy Southern California has prompted multiple evacuation orders and warnings. The Springs Fire broke out at around 11 a.m. Friday and by the evening had grown to about 5.47 square miles , with fire crews starting to contain it. The...
Robert MacIntyre has big finish, builds 4-shot lead in Texas Open
SAN ANTONIO — Robert MacIntyre added the Valero Texas Open this year to be sharp for the Masters, and he looked every bit of that Friday with four birdies in his last five holes for an 8-under-par 64 and a four-shot lead over Ryder Cup teammate Ludvig Aberg. MacIntyre felt...
South Carolina snaps UConn’s 54-game win streak in NCAA semis
PHOENIX — Ta’Niya Latson scored 16 and Agot Makeer added 14 points and South Carolina played stifling defense to beat UConn, 62-48, on Friday night, ending the Huskies’ 54-game winning streak and advancing to the women’s NCAA Tournament championship game. The Gamecocks will face the winner of Texas and UCLA...
As freed prisoners celebrate in Cuba, human rights groups demand clarity and release of protesters
HAVANA — Katia Arias buzzed with hope on Friday morning as she gathered at the gates of a prison on the outskirts of Havana, waiting with other families for their loved ones to be freed in one of the biggest prison releases by the Cuban government in years. When her...
Orcas never seen before in Seattle delight whale watchers with a visit
SEATTLE — When tourists travel to Seattle, it’s common to take in the Space Needle and the downtown skyline from Puget Sound. It’s an itinerary that a newly arrived pod of killer whales appears to be following too. Three orcas that had not been recorded previously in the Seattle area...
Powerhouses Arizona, Michigan meet in Final Four in matchup with championship feel
INDIANAPOLIS — More than 24 hours before the first shot flew at a Final Four that really feels like a five-team affair, Arizona already had a win. The Wildcats kept their coach from bolting to that fifth team — North Carolina. Tommy Lloyd dropped the news of the contract extension...
Illinois tries to erase memories of previous matchups with UConn heading into Final Four
INDIANAPOLIS — Illinois coach Brad Underwood doesn’t need any reminders about what happened the last two times his team faced UConn. He can just plug in the game tapes, rewind them and watch them again. Back in November, the Huskies led wire-to-wire in a 74-61 victory. Two years ago in...
Trump administration to rejoin offshore drilling agencies separated after 2010 Gulf oil spill
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Friday it is combining two agencies that were separated in the aftermath of the 2010 Gulf oil spill. The Interior Department said the overhaul would increase efficiency and speed up permitting for offshore oil and gas drilling. The new Marine Minerals Administration will bring...
12-year-old arrested in death of a classmate who was hit in the head by a metal water bottle
A 12-year-old has been arrested in connection with the death of a classmate who was hit in the head with a metal water bottle during an alleged bullying incident at a Los Angeles school, authorities said Friday. The juvenile, whose age and gender have not been made public, was arrested...
President Trump signs executive order that aims to stabilize college sports
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday aimed at restoring “order, fairness and stability” to college athletics. The order directs federal agencies to bolster the effectiveness of key rules on transferring, eligibility and pay-for-play by evaluating whether violations of such rules render a university unfit for federal grants and...
Lawyers say up to 75 women expected to benefit from Bank of America settlement in Epstein sex abuse
NEW YORK — Lawyers say up to 75 women who were sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein since 2008 may benefit from a $72.5 million fund set up as part of a settlement Bank of America reached with lawyers representing the women. U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff gave the deal...
New Jersey state troopers rescue bear cub from highway ditch
UNION TOWNSHIP, N.J. — State police troopers came to the rescue of a bear cub found in a ditch along the side of a major interstate highway in northern New Jersey. Troopers from the Perryville station responded shortly before 1:40 p.m. Wednesday to milepost 12.2 on I-78 eastbound in Union...
