Associated Press stories, Page 452
Federal Reserve cuts key rate by sizable half-point, signaling end to its inflation fightVideo
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday cut its benchmark interest rate by an unusually large half-point, a dramatic shift after more than two years of high rates that helped tame inflation but also made borrowing painfully expensive for American consumers. The rate cut, the Fed’s first in more than...
The marquee cross-country road trips have begun in the expanded Big Ten
LOS ANGELES — Indiana fans converged on the restaurants and hotels of Pasadena’s famed Colorado Boulevard last weekend. On Saturday night, they cheered their Hoosiers to a blowout victory at the Rose Bowl. A big contingent of Southern California fans will invade Ann Arbor, Mich., this weekend, while a slightly...
ACC eyes revenue distribution models that could quell disputes with FSU, Clemson, AP sources say
Atlantic Coast Conference leaders are discussing new ways of divvying up media rights revenue that could potentially resolve legal disputes with Florida State and Clemson, two people familiar with the league’s internal talks told The Associated Press on Tuesday night. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because there is...
What will become of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ musical legacy? Experts weigh in following his indictment
NEW YORK — Sean “Diddy” Combs is widely recognized as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop, but his indictment Tuesday on sex trafficking and racketeering charges further clouds his legacy. For some, it may change their relationship to his music. The indictment, detailing allegations dating back to 2008,...
Trump, Harris taking brief break from campaigning in battleground states
Presidential candidates typically focus much of their travel on battleground states, but Donald Trump on Wednesday is taking his message to a somewhat unlikely place: suburban New York. The Republican presidential nominee and former president is heading to Uniondale, on Long Island, an area that could be key to his...
North Korea test-fired ballistic missiles in latest military display, neighbors say
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Wednesday test-fired multiple ballistic missiles toward its eastern seas, the South Korean and Japanese militaries said, adding to its military demonstrations as tensions with Washington and neighbors escalate. The launches come days after North Korea offered a rare view into a secretive facility...
Lebanon rocked again by exploding devices as Israel declares a ‘new phase’ of war
Walkie-talkies and solar equipment exploded in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon on Wednesday in an apparent second wave of attacks targeting devices a day after pagers used by Hezbollah blew up, state media and officials for the militant group said. At least 14 people were killed and more than...
Trump holds first event since an apparent assassination attempt while Harris does rare interview
FLINT, Mich. — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday made his first public appearance since Sunday’s second apparent assassination attempt against him with an overflow crowd chanting “God bless Trump!” and “Fight, Fight, Fight” as U.S. Secret Service agents surrounded the stage to protect the Republican presidential nominee. “It’s been...
A Southern California man pleads not guilty to setting a fire that exploded into a massive wildfire
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — A California man has pleaded not guilty to starting a fire that authorities said ballooned into a massive wildfire and forced the evacuation of thousands of homes. Online court records show Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34, entered the plea from jail in a video arraignment Tuesday in...
Florida will launch criminal probe into apparent assassination attempt of Trump, Gov. DeSantis says
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida law enforcement officials will launch their own criminal investigation into the apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump that will run parallel to the federal probe, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday. The governor said Florida prosecutors will pursue the most serious charges available...
Dolphins place Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve after latest concussionVideo
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins placed Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve Tuesday after the quarterback was diagnosed with his third concussion in two years. Tagovailoa will be sidelined for at least four games. He will be eligible to return in Week 8 when the Dolphins host Arizona but...
Arizona tribe fights to stop lithium drilling on culturally significant lands
PHOENIX — Members of an Arizona tribe are trying to persuade a federal judge to extend a temporary ban on exploratory drilling for a lithium project near lands they have used for religious and cultural ceremonies for centuries. Leaders of the Hualapai Tribe and supporters appeared Tuesday in U.S. District...
Keeping children safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids
At what age should kids be on social media? Should they be on it at all? If they aren’t, will they be social pariahs? Should parents monitor their conversations? Do parental controls work? Navigating social media as a parent — not to mention a child — is not easy. Using...
FBI investigating suspicious packages sent to election officials in more than 12 states
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The FBI and U.S. Postal Service on Tuesday were investigating suspicious packages that have been sent to or received by elections officials in more than 10 states, but there were no immediate reports that any of the packages contained hazardous material. The latest packages were sent...
Senate Republicans again block legislation to guarantee women’s rights to IVFVideo
WASHINGTON — Republicans have blocked for a second time this year legislation to establish a nationwide right to in vitro fertilization, arguing that the vote is an election-year stunt after Democrats forced a vote on the issue. The Senate vote was Democrats’ latest attempt to force Republicans into a defensive...
Florida sheriff fed up with school shooting hoaxes posts boy’s mugshot to social mediaVideo
TALLAHASSEE — A Florida sheriff fed up with a spate of false school shooting threats is taking a new tactic to try get through to students and their parents: he’s posting the mugshot of any offender on social media. Law enforcement officials in Florida and across the country have seen...
Harris says woman’s death after delayed abortion treatment shows consequences of Trump’s actions
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris said Tuesday that the death of a young Georgia mother who died after waiting 20 hours for a hospital to treat her complications from an abortion pill shows the consequences of Donald Trump’s actions. Amber Thurman’s death, first reported Monday by ProPublica, occurred just...
Kroger, Albertsons prepare to make a final federal court argument for their merger
PORTLAND, Ore. — The federal government urged a U.S. District Court judge on Tuesday to temporarily prevent a proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons, saying in closing arguments the combination would “almost certainly” benefit shareholders and not everyday shoppers. Lawyers for the Federal Trade Commission and for the supermarket chains...
Report: Railroads, regulators must address the dangers of long trains
OMAHA, Neb. — As freight trains have grown ever longer, the number of derailments related to the forces created when railcars push and pull against each other also increased, so the National Academies of Sciences said Tuesday in a long-awaited report that regulators, Congress and the industry should reexamine the...
Casualties in Myanmar push Southeast Asia’s death toll from Typhoon Yagi past 500
BANGKOK — Floods and landslides in Myanmar triggered by last week’s Typhoon Yagi and seasonal monsoon rains have claimed at least 226 lives, with 77 people missing, state-run media reported Tuesday. The new figures push the total number of dead in Southeast Asia from the storm past 500. The accounting...
College football guarantee games pay millions to small-budget schools but opportunities could shrink
Ohio State and Kent State, separated by 135 miles in the same state, occupy extreme ends of the spectrum of major college football. Buckeyes football pulled in $127 million in revenue in 2023. Golden Flashes football has a budget of about $9 million. Still, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork...
Guardians closer Emmaneul Clase breaking bats, records, making strong case to win AL Cy Young
CLEVELAND — Emmanuel Clase is breaking bats and records at an almost equal rate. He’s become baseball’s grim reaper, the cream of the closer crop. Cleveland’s right-hander with a devilish cut fastball not seen since Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera’s dominant days with the New York Yankees is having a...
Hezbollah hit by a wave of exploding pagers and blames Israel. At least 9 dead, thousands injuredVideo
BEIRUT — Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday, killing at least nine people — including an 8-year-old girl — and wounding several thousand, officials said. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to...
Judge orders Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to be jailed in sex trafficking and racketeering charges
NEW YORK — Sean “Diddy” Combs presided over a sordid empire of sexual crimes, coercing and abusing women for years while using blackmail and shocking acts of violence to keep his victims in line, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday. The music mogul pleaded not guilty, standing to speak, after...
Florida State is college football’s most disappointing team, and it’s not even close
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Few expected Florida State to run the table again in the Atlantic Coast Conference and coast into the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff. Not after losing quarterback Jordan Travis, running back Trey Benson, receivers Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson, and a handful of standout defenders. However, no...
