Associated Press stories, Page 541
New Louisiana law requiring classrooms to display Ten Commandments churns old political conflicts
NEW ORLEANS — A bill signed into law this week makes Louisiana the only state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every classroom in public schools and colleges — and stirs the long-running debate over the role of religion in government institutions. Under the new law, all...
New women’s gymnastics league presents athletes with chance to extend careers
Luisa Blanco knows her gymnastics career has an expiration date. The funny thing is, the older the recent Alabama graduate gets, the more it seems to keep getting pushed back. For a long time, the 22-year-old Blanco figured her final season with the Crimson Tide this spring would be it....
RFK Jr.’s campaign files petitions to get on presidential ballot in swing-state Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed paperwork Thursday to get on the ballot for the November election in swing-state Pennsylvania, the state’s election office said. Kennedy’s filing comes six weeks before the Aug. 1 deadline, after which the paperwork can be challenged in court. The campaigns...
Connor McDavid magic has kept Stanley Cup Final going
EDMONTON, Alberta — Connor McDavid was surrounded by greatness. His hair still wet from practice, he sat in Studio 99, the restaurant in the Edmonton Oilers’ home arena named for Wayne Gretzky and full of memorabilia commemorating the legendary career of the “Great One.” To his right was a jersey...
FBI raids several California homes, including Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’sVideo
OAKLAND, Calif. — Federal authorities raided a home belonging to Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao early Thursday as part of a California investigation that included a search of at least two other houses, officials said. FBI agents carried boxes out of 80 Maiden Lane, a four-bedroom home that property records link...
Tom Kim leads Travelers; No. 1 Scottie Scheffler 3 shots behind
CROMWELL, Conn. — Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim gorged themselves on pizza to get their shared birthday celebration out of the way before turning their focus to golf this week. When they tee it up on the big day, they’ll be fighting for the lead at the Travelers Championship. Kim...
Caeleb Dressel and Simone Manuel settle for relay at U.S. swim trials
INDIANAPOLIS — Coming back from lengthy layoffs, American swimming stars Caeleb Dressel and Simone Manuel were eager to claim their first individual events of the Paris Olympics. Instead, they had to settle for supporting roles. Dressel finished third in the men’s 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic trials Wednesday night,...
Amtrak service resumes from Philadelphia to New Haven after power restored to train tracks
NEW YORK — Amtrak service resumed Thursday from Philadelphia to New Haven, Connecticut, in time for the evening rush hour commute after power was restored to train tracks, the national rail service said. A circuit breaker malfunction led to a widespread loss of power on the tracks between Penn Station...
Paris awaits for U.S. Olympic stars, but spots must be earned
EUGENE, Ore. — The endorsement deals have been signed, the commercials have been shot. In some cases, an airline ticket — maybe for friend or a family member — has been purchased. There is one more item to scratch off the list before everyone from Sha’Carri Richardson to Noah Lyles...
Pennsylvania court will decide whether skill game terminals are gambling machines
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s highest court will decide whether the cash-paying electronic game terminals that have become commonplace in convenience stores, bars and elsewhere are unlicensed gambling machines and, as a result, must be shut down. The state Supreme Court said this week that it will consider an appeal by the...
Expanded Kentucky Bourbon Trail to feature both age-old distilleries and relative newcomers
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is maturing, like the fine whiskeys it showcases. A new-look Bourbon Trail unveiled Thursday will lead visitors to large and small distilleries alike, linking relative newcomers and age-old brands in a collective strategy to build on bourbon tourism’s popularity. It began with seven...
TikTok accuses federal agency of ‘political demagoguery’ in legal challenge against potential U.S. ban
TikTok disclosed a letter Thursday that accused the Biden administration of engaging in “political demagoguery” during high-stakes negotiations between the government and the company as it sought to relieve concerns about its presence in the United States. The letter — sent to David Newman, a top official in the Justice...
New York moves to limit ‘addictive’ social media feeds for kids
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday signed a bill that would allow parents to block their children from getting social media posts suggested by a platform’s algorithm, a move to limit feeds critics argue are addictive. Under the legislation, feeds on apps like TikTok and Instagram would be limited...
Coco Gauff to lead U.S. tennis team at Paris Olympics after missing Tokyo
Coco Gauff will lead the U.S. tennis team at the Paris Olympics three years after missing the Tokyo Games because she tested positive for covid-19. The 20-year-old Gauff, ranked No. 2, will be joined by No. 5 Jessica Pegula, Danielle Collins and Emma Navarro in women’s singles, along with Taylor...
Roller coaster strikes, critically injures man in restricted area of Ohio’s Kings IslandVideo
CINCINNATI — A man who apparently entered a restricted area to retrieve his lost keys at a theme park in Ohio was critically injured when he was struck by a steel roller coaster, police and park officials said. The 38-year-old man appeared to have entered a fenced area Wednesday night...
Lakers hiring JJ Redick as new head coach
LOS ANGELES — JJ Redick is being hired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, a person with knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the Lakers hadn’t yet publicly announced the decision to hire the former guard...
Willie Mays was baseball’s greatest living Hall of Famer — and the heir apparent isn’t obvious
Amid all the tributes and memories about the legendary Willie Mays, consider this perspective on his greatness: He may have been baseball’s greatest living Hall of Famer — not just at the time of his death this week, but from the moment he was inducted in 1979. Mays’ combination of...
Millions are sweating it out as a heat wave nears its peak from Midwest to Maine
SQUAM LAKE, N.H. — As New England baked in a heat wave Thursday, guests at one campground were keeping their food and beer cold with blocks of ice harvested months earlier from a frozen lake. And while some relief is expected in the eastern Great Lakes region and New England...
After Drake battle, Kendrick Lamar turns victory lap concert into LA unity celebration
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Not content with merely taking a victory lap after winning his battle against fellow rap superstar Drake, Kendrick Lamar turned his Juneteenth “Pop Out” concert at the Forum into a cathartic livestreamed celebration of Los Angeles unity. Lamar curated a three-hour concert featuring a mix of up-and-coming...
Donald Sutherland, towering actor whose career spanned ‘M.A.S.H.’ to ‘Hunger Games,’ dies at 88
NEW YORK — Donald Sutherland, the prolific film and television actor whose long career stretched from “M.A.S.H.” to “The Hunger Games,” has died. He was 88. Kiefer Sutherland, the actor’s son, confirmed his father’s death Thursday. No further details were immediately available. “I personally think one of the most important...
NCAA presents options to expand March Madness tournaments from current 68 teams
The NCAA has presented a plan to Division I conference commissioners that would expand the lucrative men’s and women’s basketball tournaments by four or eight teams alongside an option to leave each field at 68 teams, according to a person familiar with the details. The proposals were outlined to the...
Judy Garland’s hometown is raising funds to purchase stolen ‘Wizard of Oz’ ruby slippers
GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. — The Minnesota hometown of Judy Garland, the actress who wore a pair of ruby slippers in “The Wizard of Oz,” is raising money to purchase the prized footwear after it was stolen from a local museum and then later turned over to an auction company. Grand...
Average long-term U.S. mortgage rate falls again, easing to lowest level since early April
LOS ANGELES — Home loan borrowing costs eased again this week as the average rate on a 30-year mortgage declined to its lowest level since early April. The rate fell to 6.87% from 6.95% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.67%. This...
Maryland cargo ship crew members can go home under agreement allowing questioning amid bridge collapse probes
BALTIMORE — Crew members on the cargo ship Dali can head home as soon as Thursday under an agreement that allows lawyers to question them amid ongoing investigations into what led to the deadly collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. That would mark the first time any of the...
France coach says he assumes masked Mbappé will be available for Netherlands match at Euro 2024
LEIPZIG, Germany — France coach Didier Deschamps says he assumes Kylian Mbappé will be available for the Euro 2024 clash against the Netherlands on Friday. “Everything is going well, after the shock we had. He was able to take part is some light exercises yesterday and that will be the...
