Associated Press stories, Page 498

LANCASTER — Former champion Yuka Saso leaned on her putter to survive a brutally tough start to the U.S. Women’s Open on Thursday, an opening round that featured Nelly Korda making a 10 on her third hole and only four players barely beating par. Saso had three big par putts...

WASHINGTON — Chief Justice John Roberts on Thursday declined an invitation to meet with Democratic senators to talk about Supreme Court ethics and the controversy over flags that flew outside homes owned by Justice Samuel Alito. Roberts’ response came in a letter to the senators a day after Alito separately...

DALLAS — There have been wild swings of momentum in the Western Conference final, and something that has happened only one other time this late in the NHL playoffs. After Edmonton and Dallas both came back from multiple-goal deficits to win while splitting the past two games, this is now...

NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts marks the end of the former president’s historic hush money trial, but the fight over the case is far from over. Now comes the sentencing and the potential for a prison sentence. A lengthy appellate process. And all the while,...

The conference finals and Bronny James’ decision to remain in the draft are far from the only things dominating NBA conversations lately. In fact, both have been trumped by the drama surrounding where fans will be able to watch games for at least the next decade. The NBA media rights...

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has given Ukraine the go-ahead to use American weaponry to strike inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, according to three U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The officials, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, underscored that the U.S. policy calling...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The NCAA and a coalition of states suing the organization announced a proposed settlement of a lawsuit Thursday that would allow athletes to be immediately eligible to play no matter how many times they transfer and give them an extra year of eligibility. Under the agreement, a...

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday gave homeowners another chance to force Bank of America and other large banks to pay interest on mortgage escrow accounts. The court unanimously threw out an appeals court ruling in favor of Bank of America, which has refused to pay interest on money...

WASHINGTON — A unanimous Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for a National Rifle Association lawsuit against a former New York state official over claims she pressured companies to blacklist it following the deadly 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Fla. Giving the NRA a new chance to prove its...

RENO, Nev. — Larry Hicks, a federal judge in Nevada for more than 20 years, died after being struck by a vehicle near the courthouse in Reno, authorities and his family said. He was 80. Hicks was a pedestrian struck at an intersection Wednesday afternoon, taken to a hospital and...

Bernadette McGlade leads an Atlantic 10 built around basketball and focused on getting multiple bids to the NCAA men’s tournament much more than anything tied to big-time football. Yet her league is among dozens of conferences and scores of schools that will feel the impact from the NCAA and major...

HELEN, Ga. — A profile of Andrew “Andy” Negra Jr., of Helen, Georgia, one of a dwindling number of veterans took part in the Allies’ European war effort that led to the defeat of Nazi Germany. Born: May 28, 1924, near Avella, Pennsylvania. Service: Army’s 128th Armored Field Artillery Battalion,...

McDonald’s is fighting back against viral tweets and media reports that it says have exaggerated its price increases. In a post on the company’s website Wednesday, McDonald’s U.S. President Joe Erlinger said reports suggesting the price of the average Big Mac has doubled since 2019 were false. McDonald’s said the...

WASHINGTON — A string of security, logistical and weather problems has battered the plan to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza through a U.S. military-built pier. Broken apart by strong winds and heavy seas just over a week after it became operational, the project faces criticism that it hasn’t...

JERUSALEM — Israel’s military said Wednesday it seized control of a strategic corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt to cut off smuggling tunnels as it tries to destroy the militant Hamas group in a war now in its eighth month. The capture of the Philadelphi Corridor could complicate Israel’s relations...

WASHINGTON — Months after the nation’s capital bid an emotional farewell to its giant pandas, the National Zoo is expecting a renewed surge in panda-mania with the announcement that two more of the furry black-and-white icons will be coming to Washington. The zoo announced Wednesday that a fresh agreement had...

FORT WORTH, Texas — Gabby Douglas’ long shot bid to make the U.S. women’s gymnastics team for the Paris Olympics is over. The 2012 Olympic all-around champion withdrew from the USA Gymnastics Championships on Wednesday, citing an ankle injury. The 28-year-old Douglas, who also helped the U.S. win gold in...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Front Row Motorsports said Wednesday it has purchased a charter that will expand the NASCAR team to three cars in the Cup Series in 2025. Front Row did not reveal the seller, but the announcement comes one day after Stewart-Haas Racing said it was shuttering its four-car...

LOWELL, Mass. — Minnesota won the inaugural championship of the Professional Women’s Hockey League on Wednesday night, getting 17 saves from Nicole Hensley to beat Boston, 3-0, in a winner-take-all Game 5 and claim the Walter Cup. Three nights after prematurely celebrating a would-be winner in double overtime that was...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Criminal charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed, ending a legal saga that began with images of the world’s top golfer being arrested and handcuffed in Louisville during the PGA Championship. Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell asked a judge Wednesday afternoon to drop the four charges against...

PARIS — Iga Swiatek played like the current No. 1 and the two-time defending champion at the French Open. No surprise there. That Naomi Osaka looked like the former No. 1 that she is — and on clay, no less — amounted to an announcement that she is still quite...