Associated Press stories, Page 481
Marijuana legalization fails in Florida as numerous states approve citizen voting amendments
A costly campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida failed Tuesday and California voters took a step toward tough crime laws as voters in dozens of states weighed more than 140 measures appearing on the ballot alongside races for president and top state offices. Florida was one of several states...
Bomb threats briefly disrupt voting in swing states as Trump makes baseless Election Day claims
WASHINGTON — A mostly smooth Election Day nationwide was marred in multiple battleground states Tuesday by a series of bomb threats and baseless claims of wrongdoing by former President Donald Trump. The bomb threats in parts of Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania turned out to be hoaxes, but forced evacuations and...
Braves stars Ronald Acuna Jr., Spencer Strider not expected to be ready by 2025 openerVideo
SAN ANTONIO — Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. and pitcher Spencer Strider are not expected to recover from injuries in time for Atlanta’s season opener at San Diego on March 27. Acuna, the 2023 NL MVP, tore his left ACL on May 26 and the 26-year-old slugger had surgery...
Penn State police investigate cellphone incident involving Jason Kelce and fanVideo
Penn State University police are investigating an altercation between retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce and a fan over a cellphone that occurred over the weekend before the game between the Nittany Lions and Ohio State. The police department’s incident log includes an entry registered Saturday in which an “officer...
Republican Jim Justice flips U.S. Senate seat from West Virginia after Manchin retirement
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Jim Justice won a U.S. Senate race from West Virginia on Tuesday, flipping a seat to the Republican Party after Joe Manchin decided not to seek reelection. Justice, who boldly predicted victory long before the election, defeated Democrat Glenn Elliott, a lawyer and former mayor of the...
Oregon gets top billing in College Football Playoff’s opening rankings; Penn State 6thVideo
Undefeated Oregon got top billing and Penn State was sixth Tuesday in the first set of rankings on the road to college football’s new 12-team playoff. A 13-member selection committee released its first top-25 list, and saw what most of the country has seen this year — that with a...
Preseason Big 12 top-5 teams Utah, Oklahoma St., Kansas and Arizona at bottom of league standingsVideo
An early season matchup between Oklahoma State and Utah generated national attention and was touted as a possible Big 12 championship game preview. League newcomer Utah was the conference favorite in the preseason media poll. Oklahoma State, with star running back Ollie Gordon II, was picked to finish third. After...
Trump wins the White House in a political comeback rooted in appeals to frustrated voters
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts. With a...
Unexpectedly, news outlets wind up having a relatively traditional election night experience
For all the concerns about a tumultuous process that could leave Americans waiting for days to learn who its next president would be, news outlets instead experienced an election night that hewed close to tradition. Fox News Channel was the first to declare Donald Trump had reclaimed the presidency at...
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has surgery to repair labrum tear in shoulder after World Series injuryVideo
SAN ANTONIO — Shohei Ohtani had arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to repair a labrum tear in his left shoulder, following an injury the Los Angeles Dodgers star suffered during Game 2 of the World Series on Oct. 26. The Dodgers say the Japanese two-way player is expected to be ready for...
With Big Ten, other power conferences abolishing divisions, chances for rematches increaseVideo
It didn’t take Penn State players long to turn their attention toward what lies ahead even with the sting still setting in following yet another gut-wrenching loss to Ohio State — this one in front of a record crowd at Beaver Stadium on Saturday. They made it clear: They hope...
‘Fat Leonard,’ Navy contractor behind one of the military’s biggest scandals, sentenced to 15 years
SAN DIEGO — Former military defense contractor Leonard “Fat Leonard” Francis was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison for masterminding a decade-long bribery scheme that swept up dozens of U.S. Navy officers, federal prosecutors said. U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino also ordered Francis to pay $20 million in...
Jerry Jones says Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is likely headed to IRVideo
FRISCO, Texas — Dallas’ Dak Prescott is likely out at least four games in an anticipated move to injured reserve because of the star quarterback’s strained hamstring. Prescott sustained the injury in the second half of a 27-21 loss to Atlanta. The Cowboys (3-5) play NFC East rival Philadelphia (6-2)...
NASCAR’s championship field heads to Phoenix with no clear favorite to win Cup titleVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Roger Penske already won two sports car championships this season and heads to Phoenix Raceway with two chances to win a third consecutive NASCAR Cup Series title with Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney in the winner-take-all season finale. The two Penske drivers will try to make it...
NFL trade deadline: Commanders acquire Lattimore; Lions get Za’Darius Smith; Steelers add WilliamsVideo
Marshon Lattimore, Za’Darius Smith and Tre’Davious White were sent to winning teams. Jonathan Mingo and Khalil Herbert are going to a place where they will play more. NFL teams, especially contenders, were active before Tuesday’s trade deadline at 4 p.m. The NFC East-leading Commanders made a move to help them...
Alex Ovechkin scoring, helping teammates during Capitals’ hot startVideo
ARLINGTON, Va. — Alex Ovechkin approached linemates Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas after the second game of the Washington Capitals’ season to do some film study. The trio who had never before played together watched their shifts from that game, and Ovechkin thought they needed to be more predictable, hesitate...
The AP has called winners in elections for more than 170 years. Here’s how it’s done
WASHINGTON — One question will be asked over and over on election night: Who won? The Associated Press will answer that question for nearly 5,000 contested races across the United States and up and down the ballot, from president and state ballot measures to a variety of local offices. The...
Aryna Sabalenka clinches the WTA year-end No. 1 ranking for the first time when Iga Swiatek loses
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Aryna Sabalenka clinched the year-end No. 1 spot in the women’s rankings for the first time when Iga Swiatek lost at the WTA Finals on Tuesday. Sabalenka, a 26-year-old from Belarus, was assured of finishing 2024 atop the WTA without swinging her racket on Tuesday, thanks...
Real Madrid and AC Milan pay tribute to victims of deadly Valencia floods in Champions League match
MADRID — Real Madrid and AC Milan honored the victims of the deadly floods in Valencia before their Champions League match on Tuesday. Players from both teams entered the field wearing shirts with the words “We are all Valencia,” written in Spanish on Madrid’s kits and in Italian on AC...
Abortion rights advocates win in 7 states and clear way to overturn Missouri ban but lose in 3
WASHINGTON — Voters in Missouri cleared the way to undo one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion bans in one of seven victories for abortion rights advocates, while Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota defeated similar constitutional amendments, leaving bans in place. Abortion rights amendments also passed in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland...
Republicans take Senate majority for first time in 4 years
WASHINGTON — Republicans seized control of the U.S. Senate late Tuesday after flipping Democratic held seats, holding onto GOP incumbents and wresting away the majority for the first time in four years. The unexpected battleground of Nebraska pushed Republicans over the top. Incumbent GOP Sen. Deb Fischer brushed back a...
Hurricane Rafael expected to rapidly intensify as it barrels toward Cuba
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Hurricane Rafael swirled past the Cayman Islands and was expected to rapidly intensify until making landfall on Wednesday in western Cuba, where it’s forecast to hit as a Category 2 hurricane. It was another stroke of bad news for Cuba, which has been struggling with...
Commanders acquiring cornerback Marshon Lattimore from Saints, AP sources say
The Washington Commanders are acquiring cornerback Marshon Lattimore in a deal with the New Orleans Saints ahead of the NFL trade deadline, according to three people with knowledge of the move. Washington is sending third-, fourth- and sixth-round picks to New Orleans and getting a fifth back along with Lattimore,...
Election Day voting unfolds generally smoothly with some scattered issues and delays
WASHINGTON — Election Day voting unfolded largely smoothly across the nation Tuesday with only scattered reports of delays from extreme weather, ballot printing errors and technical problems. Most of the hiccups occurring by midday were “largely expected routine and planned-for events,” said Cait Conley, senior adviser to the director of...
Western officials suspect Russia was behind plot to put incendiary packages on cargo planes
WARSAW, Poland — Western security officials suspect Russian intelligence was behind a plot to put incendiary devices in packages on cargo planes headed to North America, including one that caught fire at a courier hub in Germany and another that ignited in a warehouse in England. Poland said last month...
