Associated Press stories, Page 53
Photos of Christmas celebrations around the world
From Bethlehem to Beijing, people around the world are celebrating the Christmas season. A polar bear mascot boards an elevator during holiday revelry. Swimmers plunge into frigid waters off Northern Ireland for a charity event. Singers fill a stadium in Indonesia. Associated Press photographers have captured diverse, mesmerizing images such...
Faithful return to Bethlehem and Pope Leo XIV celebrates his first Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s
BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Christmas Eve as families there and at other sites across the Holy Land heralded a much-needed boost of holiday spirit, after two years of subdued celebrations because of the war in Gaza. At the Vatican, Pope Leo...
Average U.S. long-term mortgage rate ticks down to 6.18% this week
WASHINGTON — The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage ticked down modestly this week, remaining in the same narrow range of the past two months. The average long-term mortgage rate fell to 6.18% from 6.21% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Wednesday. A year ago, the rate averaged...
Powerful holiday storm lashes Southern California and threatens mudslides in fire-scarred areas
A powerful winter storm swept across Southern California on Wednesday, with heavy rain threatening mudslides in areas scorched by wildfires, bringing near white-out snow conditions in the mountains and hazardous travel for millions of holiday drivers. Forecasters said Southern California could see its wettest Christmas in years and warned about...
Suspect in national guard shooting faces new federal charges that allow death penalty discussions
WASHINGTON — A man accused of shooting two National Guard troops near the White House has been charged in a complaint with federal firearms charges in connection with the ambush on Nov. 26 that fatally wounded one of the West Virginia National Guard members and seriously injured the second. Rahmanullah...
Zelenskyy says he’s open to a free economic zone in Ukraine’s east but it must be put to a vote
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters that he would be willing to withdraw troops from the country’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a plan to end Russia’s war, if Moscow also pulls back and the area becomes a demilitarized, free economic zone monitored by international forces....
What’s open and what’s closed on Christmas Day?
From department stores to grocery stores, most retailers across the U.S. close early on Christmas Eve and shut their doors entirely on Christmas Day — while others opt to cut back hours. But there’s also a handful of businesses that will be open during the holiday. Before you run out...
An explosion in Moscow kills 2 police officers and a bystander
MOSCOW — An explosion in Moscow on Wednesday killed three people, including two police officers, Russian investigators said, days after a car bomb killed a high-ranking general not far away. The two traffic police officers were approaching a suspicious individual when a device detonated, Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said...
Ohio beats UNLV in Frisco Bowl to run bowl winning streak to 7
FRISCO, Texas — Sieh Bangura rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown and Ohio beat UNLV, 17-10, on Tuesday night to win the Frisco Bowl. The Bobcats (9-4) have won their last seven bowl games — dating to 2017 — after losing eight of their first 10. Defensive coordinator and...
Western Kentucky rallies to a New Orleans Bowl victory, beating Southern Miss
NEW ORLEANS — Quarterback Maverick McIvor came off the bench to lead three second-half touchdown drives and Western Kentucky rallied to beat Southern Mississippi, 27-16, on Tuesday night to win the New Orleans Bowl at Caesars Superdome. Coach Tyson Helton has led the Hilltoppers (9-4) to a bowl game in...
Packers QB Malik Willis says he’ll be ready if Jordan Love isn’t available against Ravens
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis said his throwing shoulder is feeling better, and he expects to be available for Saturday’s game against Baltimore if starter Jordan Love remains in the concussion protocol. “I try to take it one day at a time, but I would...
U.S. bars 5 Europeans it says pressured tech firms to censor American viewpoints online
WASHINGTON — The State Department announced Tuesday it was barring five Europeans it accused of leading efforts to pressure U.S. tech firms to censor or suppress American viewpoints. Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not name those he said fell foul of a new visa policy announced in May to...
Jets place QB Justin Fields on injured reserve, ending disappointing season
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Justin Fields’ season is officially over. And perhaps, too, his brief tenure with the New York Jets. Coach Aaron Glenn announced Tuesday that Fields was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a knee injury that sidelined him the past three games. “It wasn’t getting as better...
Trump administration moves to overhaul how H-1B visas are granted, ending lottery system
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday it was replacing its longstanding lottery system for H-1B work visas with a new approach that prioritizes skilled, higher-paid foreign workers. The change follows a series of actions by the Trump administration aimed at reshaping a visa program that critics say...
Miller Moss throws for 2 TDs, Louisville holds off Toledo in Boca Raton Bowl
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Miller Moss took a knee to run out the clock on Louisville’s season, then flipped the ball to an official. The official had the presence of mind to flip it right back to Moss. After all, he earned the souvenir. Moss closed his college career by...
Brooks Koepka is first player to defect from LIV. The next step is if PGA Tour will take him back
Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka became the first player to defect from LIV Golf, a significant blow to the Saudi-funded league that raises questions whether the PGA Tour will find a way for him to return. LIV Golf posted an announcement to its website under a statement that Talor Gooch...
Shedeur Sanders continues to focus on present, not on how Cleveland Browns might look next seasonVideo
CLEVELAND — Plenty of people have opinions on where Shedeur Sanders factors at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns heading into next season. The person at the center of the debate, though, isn’t spending time looking ahead to 2026, especially with two games remaining this season. “I live in the present....
Voluminous new Epstein document release includes multiple Trump mentions, but little revelatory news
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department has released tens of thousands more documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, a tranche that included multiple mentions of President Donald Trump but added little new revelatory information to the long-anticipated public file on the late financier and convicted sex offender. The release is the...
Student loan borrowers in default may see wages garnished in 2026
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said on Tuesday that it will begin garnishing the wages of student loan borrowers who are in default early next year. The department said it will send notices to approximately 1,000 borrowers the week of January 7, with more notices to come at an increasing...
Investigators sift through wreckage after 2 killed in Pa. nursing home explosion
BRISTOL — Construction crews and drones searched the rubble of a Pennsylvania nursing home Wednesday, a day after a powerful explosion killed at least two people, collapsed part of the building and left several residents unaccounted for. Emergency responders from across the region dug through debris and evacuated residents amid...
Controversial ’60 Minutes’ segment on Trump immigration policy leaks online
A controversial news segment that was abruptly pulled from the television show “60 Minutes,” appears to have been leaked online this week after the last minute decision to pull the story exploded into public debate about journalistic independence. The segment featured interviews with migrants who were sent to the notorious...
Federal judge says Trump administration must restore disaster money to Democratic states
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to reallocate federal Homeland Security funding away from states that refuse to cooperate with certain federal immigration enforcement. U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy’s ruling on Monday solidified a win for the coalition of 12 attorneys general that sued...
Supreme Court keeps Trump’s National Guard deployment blocked in the Chicago area, for now
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to allow the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area to support its immigration crackdown. The justices declined the Republican administration’s emergency request to overturn a ruling by U.S. District Judge April Perry that had blocked the deployment...
Travis Kelce’s possible final home game for Chiefs: A bittersweet Christmas showdown
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Travis Kelce has played 96 regular-season home games for the Kansas City Chiefs. The next one might be the last. The 36-year-old Kelce, who was chosen for the Pro Bowl for the 11th time Tuesday, will be inside Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night for a Christmas...
A look at aging baby boomers in the United States
The oldest baby boomers — once the vanguard of an American youth that revolutionized U.S. culture and politics — turn 80 in 2026. The generation that twirled the first plastic hula hoops and dressed up the first Barbie dolls, embraced the TV age, blissed out at Woodstock and protested and...
