Associated Press stories, Page 534
Gershkovich, Whelan released in Russian prisoner swap; Fogel remains in custodyVideo
WASHINGTON — The United States and Russia completed their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history Thursday, with Moscow releasing journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan, along with dissidents, in a multinational deal that set two dozen people free, the White House said. The Wall Street Journal reported that...
Carrie Underwood will return to ‘American Idol’ as its newest judge
LOS ANGELES — Carrie Underwood will be the next singer to sit behind the judges’ table on “American Idol,” filling Katy Perry’s spot after her departure from the show in May. Underwood, who rose to fame after she won the singing competition show in 2005, will return 20 years later...
Trump ramps up his defense of Vance after one of the rockiest VP rollouts in recent memory
HARRISBURG — Donald Trump is used to defending himself. But this week, the Republican presidential nominee has been put in the rare position of having to defend someone else — his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. When Vance was first introduced at the Republican National Convention last month, many...
British police charge 17-year-old with murder over a stabbing attack that killed 3 children
LONDON — British police said Thursday they have charged a 17-year-old with murder over a stabbing attack that left three little girls dead and several more in critical condition. The charges came as the traumatized town of Southport cleaned up after a bout of far-right violence, and agitators fired up...
Hopes of finding more survivors in the mud and debris wane after landslides in India kill 194
WAYANAD, India — Hopes of finding more than 180 missing people alive waned as rescue workers searched through mud and debris for a third day Thursday after landslides set off by torrential rains killed at least 194 people in southern India. The rescue work was challenging in a forested, hilly...
Judge says jury did not follow instructions on damages in NFL ‘Sunday Ticket’ caseVideo
LOS ANGELES — The judge who presided over the class-action lawsuit filed by “Sunday Ticket” subscribers against the NFL said the jury did not follow his instructions in determining damages. U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez made the remark as he heard the NFL’s post-trial motion asking that Gutierrez rule for...
Dwight Freeney defied odds and scouts by spinning into Hall of Fame
INDIANAPOLIS — The conventional wisdom heading into the 2002 NFL Draft was Dwight Freeney was too small to play defensive end or hold up against the run. Critics also contended his trademark spin move would hit a wall against the league’s bigger, stronger offensive linemen. Former Colts general manager Bill...
U.S. men fall to 0-2 in 3×3 basketball pool play at Olympics with loss to PolandVideo
PARIS — The U.S. men’s 3x3 basketball team dropped to 0-2 in pool play in the Paris Olympics with a 19-17 loss to Poland on Wednesday night. Jimmer Fredette cut the lead to 1 with about 90 seconds left before Michal Sokolowski made a free throw a few seconds later...
Andre Johnson dedicating Hall of Fame honor to Houston
HOUSTON — Andre Johnson knows his induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame isn’t simply about him. As the first Houston Texan to become a member of the esteemed group, the receiver is representing so much more. “This was for the whole city of Houston. It’s for the whole...
By the dozen, accusers tell of rampant sexual abuse at Pennsylvania juvenile detention facilities
A group of nearly 70 people alleged Wednesday they were sexually abused as children while housed in detention centers in Pennsylvania, adding to earlier lawsuits targeting what the accusers’ lawyers say is the state’s broken juvenile justice system. The latest group of plaintiffs filed suit in state or federal court...
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused as the main plotter of 9/11 attacks, agrees to plead guilty
WASHINGTON — Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused as the mastermind of al-Qaida’s Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, has agreed to plead guilty, the Defense Department said Wednesday. The development points to a long-delayed resolution in an attack that killed thousands and altered the course of the United States...
Fed Chair Powell says interest rate cut in September could be ‘on the table’ as inflation coolsVideo
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday set the stage for the central bank’s first rate cut in four years, citing greater progress toward lower inflation as well as a cooler job market that no longer threatens to overheat the economy. Still, the Fed kept its key interest...
Canada women’s soccer reaches Olympics quarterfinals despite deduction; U.S. prevailsVideo
Vanessa Gilles scored in the 62nd minute to give Canada a 1-0 victory over Colombia and send the team into the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics on Wednesday despite losing six points in the tournament because of a drone-spying scandal. Canada will face Germany in a quarterfinals Saturday in Marseille....
Coco Gauff loses twice in a day in doubles, ending hopes for Olympic medal
PARIS — Coco Gauff lost in women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, ending her first Summer Games a day after her tearful exit in singles. “At the end of the day, it’s over,” the 20-year-old American said. “I’ll try to take the positive out of...
U.S. tops South Sudan, earns spot in men’s basketball quarterfinalsVideo
VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France — In the rematch, the U.S. had an easier time with South Sudan than it did when the teams first met a couple of weeks ago. Easier. Not easy. The U.S. clinched a trip to the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics by beating South Sudan, 103-86, on Wednesday...
Man shot to death outside mosque as he headed to pray was a 43-year-old Philadelphia resident
PHILADELPHIA — A man shot and killed outside the Philadelphia mosque where he was headed for a prayer service was identified by police on Wednesday as a 43-year-old resident of the city. Police and the district attorney’s office said they had no new information about what motivated a man in...
Katie Ledecky adds another swimming gold to her collection; Leon Marchand completes doubleVideo
NANTERRE, France — On a night when Léon Marchand completed an audacious double, Katie Ledecky proved again she’s a sure bet in swimming’s longest event. Ledecky romped to the seventh Olympic gold medal of her brilliant career and 12th medal overall with a runaway victory in the 1,500-meter freestyle Wednesday...
Venezuela’s Maduro asks Supreme Court to audit the presidential election, but observers cry foulVideo
CARACAS — President Nicolás Maduro on Wednesday asked Venezuela’s Supreme Court to conduct an audit of the presidential election after opposition leaders disputed his claim of victory, drawing criticism from foreign observers who said the court is too close to the government to produce an independent review. Maduro told reporters...
Donald Trump falsely questions Kamala Harris’ race as he appears at gathering of Black journalistsVideo
CHICAGO — Donald Trump falsely suggested Kamala Harris had misled voters about her race as the former president appeared before the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago Wednesday in an interview that quickly turned hostile. The Republican former president wrongly claimed that Harris, the first Black woman and Asian...
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman recovering from covid-19 in Braddock
HARRISBURG, Pa. — U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said he is recovering from covid-19 at home. Fetterman said in a statement Tuesday that he was at his home in Braddock, just outside Pittsburgh, recovering and missed the day’s votes in the Senate. That included the Senate’s 91-3 passage of...
Drag queen in Olympic opening ceremony has no regrets, calls it ‘a photograph of France in 2024’
PARIS — As a gay youth growing up in central France, Hugo Bardin never felt he lived in a world that represented who he was — a world in which he had a place. And that is why Bardin, who performs as the drag queen Paloma, felt it was meaningful...
CarShield to pay $10M to settle deceptive advertising charges
CarShield will pay $10 million to settle charges that its advertisements and telemarketing for its extended auto warranty plans are deceptive and misleading, the Federal Trade Commission said. Many customers found that repair claims were often not covered despite making payments of up to $120 per month, the FTC said...
Federal judge says New Jersey’s ban on AR-15 rifles is unconstitutional
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey’s ban on the AR-15 rifle is unconstitutional, but the state’s cap on magazines over 10 rounds passes constitutional muster, a federal judge said Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Peter Sheridan’s 69-page opinion says he was compelled to rule as he did because of the Supreme Court’s...
Colorado clerk who became hero to election conspiracists set to go on trial for voting system breach
DENVER — A trial is set to begin Wednesday for former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters, a hero to election conspiracy theorists who is accused of orchestrating a breach of election security equipment. The case against Peters centers around accusations that in May 2021 she allowed a man using someone...
Federal protections of transgender students are launching where courts haven’t blocked them
New federal protections for transgender students at U.S. schools and colleges will take effect Thursday with muted impact because judges have temporarily blocked enforcement in 21 states and hundreds of individual colleges and schools across the country. The regulation also adds protections for pregnant students and students who are parents,...
