Associated Press stories, Page 533
Akshay Bhatia takes 1st-round Rocket Mortgage Classic lead
DETROIT — Akshay Bhatia closed strong enough in the opening round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic that he surged atop the leaderboard, and yet he knows no lead is safe at the Detroit Golf Club. Bhatia chipped in for eagle from 83 feet on the 17th hole and ended with...
Intrigue of NHL Draft expected to begin after top pick
LAS VEGAS — San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier is trying to keep whom he’s selecting with the first pick in the NHL Draft on Friday a mystery, even after he more than hinted at his intentions last month. After excitedly noting the big opportunity it was for a...
Panama scores late, beats short-handed Americans at Copa America
ATLANTA — Jose Fajardo beat backup goalkeeper Ethan Horvath in the 83rd minute to give Panama a 2-1 victory over the United States at the Copa America on Thursday night and put the Americans in danger of elimination if they don’t beat Uruguay in their first-round finale. The U.S. played...
Former Uvalde school police chief and officer indicted over Robb Elementary response, reports say
AUSTIN, Texas — The former Uvalde schools police chief and another former officer have been indicted over their role in the slow police response to the 2022 massacre at a Texas elementary school that left 19 children and two teachers dead, according to multiple reports Thursday. The Uvalde Leader-News and...
Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon wins Ted Lindsay Award for 1st time
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon was the big winner at Thursday’s NHL awards show, taking home the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s MVP and the Ted Lindsay Award as the league’s most outstanding player as decided by the NHL Players Association. MacKinnon, who helped lead the Avalanche to the...
Gymnast Skye Blakely’s Olympic bid ends with ruptured Achilles
MINNEAPOLIS — Skye Blakely’s bid to make the U.S. women’s Olympic gymnastics team is over. The 19-year-old will miss the U.S. Olympic trials after rupturing her right Achilles on Wednesday. USA Gymnastics and Blakely confirmed the nature of the injury Thursday, just over 24 hours before the women’s trials begin....
Bronny James, son of LeBron James, taken by Lakers with 55th pick in NBA Draft
It was the dream that LeBron James first floated a few years ago, the notion of playing in the NBA alongside one of his sons. And it’s a step closer to reality now. Bronny James — the oldest son of the NBA’s all-time scoring leader and four-time champion — was...
Jury rules NFL violated antitrust laws in ‘Sunday Ticket’ case and awards $4.7 billion in damages
LOS ANGELES — A jury in U.S. District Court ruled Thursday the NFL violated antitrust laws in distributing out-of-market Sunday afternoon games on a premium subscription services and has awarded nearly $4.7 billion in damages. The jury ordered the league to pay $4 billion in damages to the residential class...
Oklahoma public schools leader orders schools to incorporate Bible instruction
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s top education official ordered public schools Thursday to incorporate the Bible into lessons for grades 5 through 12, the latest effort by conservatives to incorporate religion into classrooms. The directive sent Thursday to superintendents across the state by Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters says adherence to...
Singer, songwriter, provocateur and politician Kinky Friedman dead at 79
AUSTIN, Texas — Singer, songwriter, satirist and novelist Kinky Friedman, who led the alt-country band Texas Jewboys, toured with Bob Dylan, sang with Willie Nelson, and dabbled in politics with campaigns for Texas governor and other statewide offices, has died. Friedman, 79, died Thursday at his family’s Texas ranch near...
Oilers, GM Ken Holland part ways after 5 seasons, Stanley Cup Final
EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Oilers said Thursday general manager Ken Holland will not have his contract renewed, calling it a mutual decision between the veteran executive and the NHL club. Holland spent the past five seasons as the Oilers’ GM and built a team that advanced to Game 7...
Judge in Trump classified documents case grants his request for 1 hearing, denies bid for another
WASHINGTON — The federal judge presiding over the classified documents case of former President Donald Trump granted a defense request for a hearing on whether prosecutors improperly breached attorney-client privilege when they obtained crucial evidence from one of Trump’s ex-lawyers. But U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon also denied a request...
Justice Department charges nearly 200 people in $2.7 billion health care fraud schemes crackdown
WASHINGTON — Nearly 200 people have been charged in a sweeping nationwide crackdown on health care fraud schemes with false claims topping $2.7 billion, the Justice Department said on Thursday. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the charges against doctors, nurse practitioners and others across the U.S. accused of a variety...
Killer Mike will likely avoid charges after Grammys arrest
LOS ANGELES — Killer Mike is expected to avoid charges over a physical altercation that led to his arrest at the Grammys earlier this year after the rapper recently completed community service. The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office said in a statement Thursday that Mike “successfully completed the office’s hearing...
Man charged with threatening to kill presidential candidates found dead as jury was deciding verdict
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire man charged with threatening the lives of presidential candidates last year has been found dead while a jury was deciding his verdict, according to court filings Thursday. The jury began weighing the case against Tyler Anderson, 30, of Dover on Tuesday after a...
Giant sinkhole swallows center of a soccer field built over a limestone mineVideo
ALTON, Ill. — A giant sinkhole has swallowed the center of a soccer complex that was built over an operating limestone mine in southern Illinois, taking down a large light pole and leaving a gaping chasm where squads of kids often play. But no injuries were reported after the sinkhole...
Big East signs 6-year rights agreement with Fox Sports, NBC and TNT
The Big East Conference will expand to having games on three networks and see a significant increase in revenues under a new six-year media rights deal announced Thursday. Fox Sports will remain as the conference’s lead network under the new agreement, which begins with the 2025-26 season, while NBC and...
Wisconsin Supreme Court says an order against an anti-abortion protester violated 1st Amendment
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Thursday that an order barring an anti-abortion protester from coming close to a Planned Parenthood nurse violated his First Amendment free speech rights and must be overturned. The court, controlled 4-3 by liberals, ruled unanimously in ordering that the injunction be dismissed....
Oklahoma executes man convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing 7-year-old girl in 1984
McALESTER, Okla. — Oklahoma executed a man Thursday who was convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing his 7-year-old former stepdaughter in 1984. Richard Rojem, 66, received a three-drug lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester and was declared dead at 10:16 a.m., prison officials said. Rojem, who had...
What it means for the Supreme Court to block enforcement of the EPA’s ‘good neighbor’ pollution rule
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency will not be able to enforce a key rule limiting air pollution in nearly a dozen states while separate legal challenges proceed around the country, under a Supreme Court decision Thursday. The EPA’s “good neighbor” rule is intended to restrict smokestack emissions from power...
Free speech and digital rights groups argue TikTok law would infringe on 1st Amendment
A group of nonprofits argued in a legal filing that the federal law requiring TikTok’s parent company to sell the platform, or face a ban, is an unconstitutional measure that restricts speech and makes it impossible for users to associate on the app. The legal brief, submitted late Wednesday to...
Steve Gleason to receive Arthur Ashe Courage Award at The ESPYS for his work on ALS awareness
LOS ANGELES — Retired NFL safety Steve Gleason, who has been fighting ALS since 2011, will receive the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at The ESPYS on July 11. The 47-year-old Gleason spent eight years in the NFL before retiring in 2008. Three years later, he went public with his...
Supreme Court allows emergency abortions in Idaho — for now — in limited ruling
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court cleared the way Thursday for Idaho hospitals to provide emergency abortions, for now, in a procedural ruling that left key questions unanswered and could mean the issue ends up before the conservative-majority court again soon. The ruling came a day after an opinion was briefly...
Supreme Court rejects nationwide opioid settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would have shielded members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids but also would have provided billions of dollars to combat the opioid epidemic....
Supreme Court strips the SEC of a critical enforcement tool in fraud cases
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday stripped the Securities and Exchange Commission of a major tool in fighting securities fraud in a decision that also could have far-reaching effects on other regulatory agencies. The justices ruled that people accused of fraud by the SEC, which regulates securities markets, have...
