Associated Press stories, Page 454
‘The Mentalist’ star Simon Baker admits drinking and driving in Australia
MULLUMBIMBY, Australia — Australian actor and director Simon Baker, best known for his role as Patrick Jane in the CBS drama series “The Mentalist,” avoided a conviction Wednesday after pleading guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol near his rural home. The 55-year-old appeared in the...
Francine weakens moving inland from Gulf Coast after hurricane winds cause power outagesVideo
MORGAN CITY, La. — Francine weakened Thursday after striking Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, sent storm surge rushing into coastal communities and raised flood fears in New Orleans and beyond as drenching rains spread over the northern...
What to know about Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Music superstar Taylor Swift has officially launched her Kamala Harris era. Shortly after the Democratic nominee and former President Donald Trump finished their first, and likely only, presidential debate Tuesday evening, Swift, who is nearing the end of her “Eras Tour,” released a lengthy Instagram post announcing...
Kamala Harris, gun owner, talks firearms at debate
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris surprised some viewers during her debate with Donald Trump when she said that she’s a gun owner, raising the fact to counter her Republican opponent’s accusation that she wants to confiscate firearms. “Tim Walz and I are both gun owners,” Harris said, referencing her...
College football Week 3: Colorado needs a win to quell negative vibe in wake of loss to Huskers
Did Shedeur Sanders throw his offensive line under the figurative bus in his comments after Colorado got clobbered at Nebraska? Was it poor form for Deion Sanders to post pictures of himself on social media the next day? And did “Coach Prime” really instruct the CU band to hold off...
Passing in Week 1 reached its lowest level for any week in the NFL since 2007
From rookies struggling in their first career starts to high-paid quarterbacks not living up to their contracts to rusty veterans coming off injuries, the passing in Week 1 of the NFL season looked to be from a different era. More than half the starting quarterbacks in the NFL failed to...
U.S. inflation reaches a 3-year low as Federal Reserve prepares to cut interest ratesVideo
WASHINGTON — The post-pandemic spike in U.S. inflation eased further last month as year-over-year price increases reached a three-year low, clearing the way for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates and likely shaping the economic debate in the final weeks of the presidential race. The report, released Wednesday by...
A look at false and misleading claims made during Trump and Harris’ debate
In their first and perhaps only debate, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris described the state of the country in distinctly different ways. As the two traded jabs, some old false and misleading claims emerged along with some new ones. Here’s a look. Trump inflates numbers around...
To pumped-up Democrats, Harris was everything Biden was not in confronting Trump in debate
WASHINGTON — To many Democrats, Kamala Harris was everything Joe Biden was not in confronting Donald Trump on the debate stage: forceful, fleet of foot, relentless in going after her opponent. In a pivot from Biden’s debate meltdown in June, Democrats who gathered in bars, watch parties and other venues...
Trump insists Russia’s war should end. But he won’t say if he wants Ukraine to win
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump spoke heatedly in the presidential debate about wanting Russia’s war in Ukraine to be over — but twice refused to directly answer a question about whether he wanted U.S. ally Ukraine to win. Trump also falsely claimed Tuesday that the war had killed “millions”...
Key takeaways from a debate that featured tense clashes and closed with a Taylor Swift endorsement
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump and Kamala Harris faced each other on the debate stage Tuesday night for the first — and possibly the last — time. The Democratic vice president opened the faceoff with a power move, marching across the stage to Trump’s lectern to shake his hand. “Kamala Harris,”...
U.S. commemorates 9/11 attacks with victims in focus and politics in viewVideo
NEW YORK — With presidential candidates looking on, some 9/11 victims’ relatives appealed to them Wednesday for accountability as the U.S. marked an anniversary laced with election-season politics. In a remarkable tableau, President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris stood together at ground zero just...
Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris for president after debate ends
WASHINGTON — Taylor Swift, one of the music industry’s biggest stars, endorsed Kamala Harris for president shortly after the debate ended on Tuesday night. “I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm...
Harris, Trump detail their starkly different visions in a tense, high-stakes debateVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Sparring on politics and personality, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump showcased their starkly different visions for the country on abortion, immigration and American democracy as they met for the first time Tuesday for perhaps their only debate before November’s presidential election. The Democratic vice president moved repeatedly to...
Dave Grohl says he’s father to a new daughter outside his 21-year marriage
LOS ANGELES — Dave Grohl says he recently fathered a daughter outside his 21-year marriage to Jordyn Blum, with whom he has three older daughters. “I’ve recently become the father of a new baby daughter, born outside of my marriage. I plan to be a loving and supportive parent to...
Judge orders former NFL star Adrian Peterson to turn over assets to pay $12M debtVideo
HOUSTON — Former NFL running back Adrian Peterson was ordered by a Texas judge to turn over personal assets to help pay a debt that has ballooned to more than $12 million. A court-appointed receiver has been seeking to collect money from Peterson as part of a judgment from a...
Personal assistant convicted of dismembering his boss is sentenced to 40 years to life
NEW YORK — A personal assistant convicted of killing and dismembering his former tech entrepreneur boss after stealing about $400,000 from him was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years to life in prison, Manhattan’s district attorney said. Tyrese Haspil, 25, was found guilty in June of murder, grand larceny and other...
Ohio sending troopers and $2.5 million to city inundated with Haitian migrants
COLUMBUS — The governor of Ohio will send law enforcement and millions of dollars in healthcare resources to the city of Springfield as it faces a surge in temporary Haitian migrants that has landed it in the national spotlight. Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday he doesn’t oppose the...
Mauricio Pocchetino hired to succeed Gregg Berhalter as U.S. men’s national team coachVideo
Former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was hired Tuesday to succeed Gregg Berhalter as U.S. men’s national team coach, 21 months before the Americans host the 2026 World Cup. A 52-year-old Argentine, Pochettino became the 10th U.S. coach in 14 years and its first foreign-born leader since Jurgen Klinsmann...
Police are questioning Florida voters about signing an abortion rights ballot petition
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — State police are showing up at Florida voters’ homes to question them about signing a petition to get an abortion rights amendment on the ballot in November, and a state health care agency has launched a website targeting the ballot initiative with politically charged language. Critics say...
Speaker Johnson pushes ahead on funding bill with proof of citizenship mandate despite dim prospects
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed Tuesday to press ahead with requiring proof of citizenship for new voters as part of a bill to avoid a partial government shutdown in three weeks, though the measure appeared likely to be voted down. Democrats overwhelmingly oppose the measure. Enough Republicans were...
Most students in a Georgia district return to class nearly a week after a school shootingVideo
WINDER, Ga. — Many students in Georgia’s Barrow County headed back to class Tuesday, six days after a shooting killed two teachers and two students at the school district’s Apalachee High School northeast of Atlanta. No return date has been set for the 1,900 students at that high school, but...
Americans’ inflation-adjusted incomes rebounded to pre-pandemic levels last year
WASHINGTON — The inflation-adjusted median income of U.S. households rebounded last year to roughly its 2019 level, overcoming the biggest price spike in four decades to restore most Americans’ purchasing power. The proportion of Americans living in poverty also fell slightly last year, to 11.1%, from 11.5% in 2022. But...
Deion Sanders denies asking Colorado band not to play in favor of son’s musicVideo
BOULDER, Colo. — Instead of chatting about how the world saw Colorado get ” our butts kicked” by Nebraska, Deion Sanders opened his weekly news conference talking about the school’s fight song. It’s just the latest sign of how no topic is too remote in a program run by Sanders....
Cuomo defends covid-19 nursing home decisions in combative House committee hearingVideo
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo began testifying Tuesday in a combative congressional subcommittee hearing centered on his handling of the covid-19 pandemic as the virus began to spread through the state’s nursing homes in 2020. Members of the Republican-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released a report...
