Associated Press stories, Page 557
They’re big. They’re colorful. But Joro spiders aren’t nightmare fodderVideo
A large, brightly colored invasive species called the Joro spider is on the move in the United States. Populations have been growing in parts of the South and East Coast for years, and many researchers think it’s only a matter of time before they spread to much of the continental...
Tornadoes touch down across U.S., killing toddler in Michigan and injuring 5 in MarylandVideo
LIVONIA, Mich. — A tornado killed a 2-year-old boy and injured his mother Wednesday when a tree fell on their house in suburban Detroit, while emergency workers in Maryland were responding to reports of collapsed structures with people trapped inside after a tornado there. Officials in Livonia, Michigan, said in...
Micah Parsons believes in benefits of offseason time away from Cowboys
FRISCO, Texas — Micah Parsons skipped most of the voluntary offseason program with the Dallas Cowboys after alluding to a culture problem for the team in the wake of a shocking wild-card loss to Green Bay in January. The star pass rusher from Penn State says he hasn’t even found...
YouTube toughens policy on gun videos and youth
WASHINGTON — YouTube is changing its policies about firearm videos in an effort to keep potentially dangerous content from reaching underage users. The video sharing platform owned by Google said Wednesday it will prohibit any videos demonstrating how to remove firearm safety devices. In addition, videos showing homemade guns, automatic...
Mavericks’ Luka Doncic ready to live out dreams in NBA Finals vs. Celtics
BOSTON — Luka Doncic didn’t stay up all night to watch NBA Finals games as a kid. They usually started at something like 3 a.m. in his native Slovenia. He had school to get to a few hours later. He’d wake up and find out who won. Make no mistake,...
Man in Mexico died of a bird flu strain that hadn’t been confirmed before in a human, WHO says
WASHINGTON — A man’s death in Mexico was caused by a strain of bird flu called H5N2 that has never before been found in a human, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. The WHO said it wasn’t clear how the man became infected, although H5N2 has been reported in poultry...
Phoenix using ice immersion to treat heatstroke victims as Southwest bakes in triple digitsVideo
PHOENIX — The season’s first heat wave is already baking the Southwest with triple-digit temperatures as firefighters in Phoenix — America’s hottest big city — employ new tactics in hopes of saving more lives in a county that saw 645 heat-related deaths last year. Starting this season, the Phoenix Fire...
Republicans block bill to protect contraception access as Democrats make election-year pushVideo
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans have blocked legislation designed to protect women’s access to contraception, arguing that the bill was just a political stunt as Democrats mount an election-year effort to put GOP senators on the record on reproductive rights issues, The test vote won a 51-39 majority, but that was...
Father of Alaska woman killed in murder-for-hire plot dies during memorial ride marking her death
ANCHORAGE — The father of an Alaska woman killed in a murder-for-hire scheme in 2019 died during a weekend memorial motorcycle ride commemorating the fifth anniversary of her death. Timothy Hoffman, 58, lost control of his motorcycle Sunday in an area west of Wasilla and was later pronounced dead at...
Mirra Andreeva reaches the French Open semifinals at age 17, and will face Jasmine Paolini, 28
PARIS — With the insouciance of a 17-year-old having the time of her life in Paris, Mirra Andreeva says she and her coach work out a game plan before a tennis match — and then she forgets all about that, preferring to just wing it. Seems to be working out...
Analysis: Mavericks can topple favored Celtics in NBA Finals if Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving shine together
DALLAS — Luka Doncic scored 12 points in the first 3 1/2 minutes of the first quarter in the Dallas Mavericks’ clinching blowout of Minnesota in the Western Conference finals. Kyrie Irving scored nine points in the final 3 1/2 minutes of the first half, pushing the lead to 29...
Republicans who see Trump conviction as politically motivated vow to ‘indict the left’
NEW YORK — In the days since Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felonies in his criminal hush money trial, Republicans who view the case as politically motivated have coalesced around a new rallying cry: Prosecute the left. Candidates, officeholders and members of the former president’s family have amplified Trump’s...
House Speaker appoints 2 Trump allies to a committee overseeing spy agencies
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday appointed two far-right Republicans to the powerful House Intelligence Committee, positioning two close allies of Donald Trump who worked to overturn the 2020 presidential election on a panel that receives sensitive classified briefings and oversees the work of America’s spy agencies. The...
Markets surge to record highs as Nvidia tops $3 trillion in total valueVideo
NEW YORK — Wall Street barreled to records Wednesday as its frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology keeps sending stocks higher. The rally sent the total market value of Nvidia, which has become the poster child of the AI boom, above $3 trillion for the first time. The S&P 500 climbed 1.2%...
What will become of The Epoch Times with its chief financial officer accused of money laundering?
NEW YORK — The arrest of an executive at The Epoch Times in a money-laundering scheme this week has drawn attention to a media outlet that has lived largely in the shadows since its founding in 2000 and a transformation during the Trump administration. Federal prosecutors in New York charged...
Calm and steadfast, Kris Knoblauch steers Edmonton out of awful start to Stanley Cup Final
When Kris Knoblauch became coach of the Edmonton Oilers, they had lost 10 of their first 13 games and the Stanley Cup was the last thing anyone on the team was talking about. Since then, no team in the NHL has won more games and Knoblauch is a big reason...
Appeals court halts Trump’s Georgia election case while appeal on Fani Willis disqualification pending
ATLANTA — An appeals court has halted the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump and others while it reviews the lower court judge’s ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to remain on the case. The Georgia Court of Appeals’ order Wednesday prevents Fulton County Superior...
Expanded College Football Playoff will begin with 1st-round game on Dec. 20 in prime timeVideo
The first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff will kick off with a first-round game Dec. 20 and conclude with the title game one month later in Atlanta. The CFP announced its schedule Wednesday. The four first-round games will be Dec. 20 and 21. ABC and ESPN will televise...
Browns running back Nick Chubb is progressing in rehab for knee injury and hopes to play in ’24Video
BEREA, Ohio — Nick Chubb has pushed past most of the pain. Speaking to reporters for the first time since his 2023 season ended in Week 2 with a gruesome knee injury on a carry near the goal line in Pittsburgh, Cleveland’s star running back said Wednesday that his rehab...
New study finds Earth warming at record rate, but no evidence of climate change accelerating
The rate Earth is warming hit an all-time high in 2023 with 92% of last year’s surprising record-shattering heat caused by humans, top scientists calculated. The group of 57 scientists from around the world used United Nations-approved methods to examine what’s behind last year’s deadly burst of heat. They said...
Boeing launches NASA astronauts for the first time after years of delays
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Boeing launched astronauts for the first time Wednesday, belatedly joining SpaceX as a second taxi service for NASA. A pair of NASA test pilots blasted off aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule for the International Space Station, the first to fly the new spacecraft. The trip by Butch...
Xander Schauffele now a major champion at Memorial and facing a big stretch of golf
DUBLIN, Ohio — One moment that stood out to Xander Schauffele in the two weeks since he won the PGA Championship was the morning he woke up and realized nothing had changed. Yes, he holed a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole at Valhalla to become a major champion....
NHL to broadcast Stanley Cup Final games in American Sign Language, a 1st for a major sports league
Interpreting the annual pre-Stanley Cup Final state of the NHL address into American Sign Language for the first time in 2022, the worry gnawed at Brice Christianson that it was a one-time thing, his only chance to open the door to hockey for the Deaf community. Two years later, it...
Browns give coach Kevin Stefanski, GM Andrew Berry contract extensions following success, stability
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns rewarded coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry with contract extensions after they brought success and stability to an organization that had little before their arrival. The extensions have been expected for months and were announced Wednesday as the Browns were on the practice...
Walmart offers new perks for workers, from a new bonus plan to opportunities in skilled trade jobs
NEW YORK — Walmart is offering new perks for its hourly U.S. workers, ranging from a new bonus plan to opportunities to move into skilled trade jobs within the company. The perks program announced Wednesday comes as the nation’s largest private employer says it’s seeing a decline in worker turnover....
