Associated Press stories, Page 580
Defending champion Koepka looks to deliver more PGA punishment on ‘big boy’ course at ValhallaVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Brooks Koepka called them “punishment workouts,” the heavy menu of sprints and weightlifting that sap the color from his face, put him on the verge of throwing up, and leave him dreaming of ways to avoid that kind of torture in the future. Those came not long...
Supreme Court orders Louisiana to use congressional map with additional Black district in 2024 vote
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered Louisiana to hold congressional elections in 2024 using a House map with a second mostly Black district, despite a lower-court ruling that called the map an illegal racial gerrymander. The order allows the use of a map that has majority Black populations...
Angie Harmon sues Instacart shopper who shot and killed her dogVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Actor Angie Harmon has filed a lawsuit against Instacart and one of its former shoppers who fatally shot her dog in March while delivering groceries at her North Carolina home. The lawsuit filed late last week in Mecklenburg County seeks to hold the shopper and Instacart liable...
Boat operator who fatally struck a 15-year-old girl in Florida has been identified, officials sayVideo
MIAMI — Investigators have identified the man who was operating the boat that fatally struck a 15-year-old girl off a South Florida beach and then left the area, but no criminal charges have been filed, according to a report released Wednesday. The 78-year-old man owns the Coral Gables home where...
Astros starter Ronel Blanco suspended 10 games after being ejected when foreign substance found in gloveVideo
HOUSTON — Astros starter Ronel Blanco received a 10-game suspension Wednesday for violating MLB’s prohibitions on foreign substances after being ejected from the game against the Oakland Athletics. The suspension was announced by Michael Hill, MLB’s senior vice president of on-field operations. The suspension will begin Wednesday night unless Blanco...
Inflation eased last month in the first slowdown of 2024Video
WASHINGTON — Led by lower food and auto prices, inflation in the United States cooled slightly last month after three elevated readings, likely offering a tentative sigh of relief for officials at the Federal Reserve as well as President Joe Biden’s re-election team. Consumer prices rose 0.3% from March to...
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips holding out hope for ‘really good ending’ despite league turmoil
AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — With the future of the Atlantic Coast Conference in question, commissioner Jim Phillips expressed optimism Wednesday that the league can still be salvaged. The path forward is unclear but not without hope. “You have to stay optimistic, and you work through these things,” Phillips said at...
Netanyahu fends off criticism at home and abroad over his lack of a postwar plan for Gaza
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday fended off criticism that he is not planning for a postwar reality in the Gaza Strip, saying it was impossible to prepare for any scenario in the embattled Palestinian enclave until Hamas is defeated. Netanyahu has faced increasing pressure from critics...
Barge hits bridge connecting Galveston and Pelican Island, causing partial collapse and oil spillVideo
GALVESTON, Texas — A barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a smaller and separate island that is home to a university, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries, although officials said one...
Biden administration planning more changes to quicken asylum processing for new migrants
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is preparing more changes to the nation’s asylum system meant to speed up processing and potential removal of migrants who continue to arrive at the southern border, an interim step as President Joe Biden continues to mull a broader executive order to crack down on...
Soulful singer Michael McDonald looks back in his new memoir, ‘What a Fool Believes’
NEW YORK — Something stopped Michael McDonald from telling his story publicly — him. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer with multiple Grammys just didn’t think he had one. McDonald, a member of both Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers who became a singular soul solo artist with such...
Billionaire Frank McCourt says he’s putting together a consortium to buy TikTok
Billionaire businessman and real estate mogul Frank McCourt said he’s putting together a consortium to purchase TikTok’s U.S. business, adding to the number of investors hoping to benefit from a new federal law that requires TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the popular platform or face a ban. The announcement,...
On the eve of his visit to China, Putin says Russia is prepared to negotiate over Ukraine
BEIJING — Russian President Vladimir Putin says the Kremlin is prepared to negotiate over the conflict in Ukraine in an interview with Chinese media on the eve of a visit to partner Beijing that has backed Moscow in its full-scale invasion of its neighbor. “We are open to a dialogue...
Slovakia’s populist prime minister shot in assassination attempt, shocking Europe before elections
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday while greeting supporters at an event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe weeks before an election. Doctors were still fighting for his life several hours after...
NFL schedule: Aaron Rodgers and Jets will face Vikings on Oct. 6 in London
NEW YORK — Aaron Rodgers will be facing a familiar opponent, albeit in a different uniform and in a new location. Rodgers and the New York Jets will kick off this year’s slate of games in London, when they are the visiting team against the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 6...
Caitlin Clark finishes with 20 points, 10 turnovers as Indiana falls to Connecticut in WNBA opener
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Caitlin Clark struggled early in her WNBA debut before finishing with 20 points and 10 turnovers as the Indiana Fever fell to the Connecticut Sun 92-71 on Tuesday night. Alyssa Thomas led the Sun with 13 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds, registering the 12th triple-double of...
FIFA moves toward ending soccer tradition and letting league games be staged in other countries
GENEVA — FIFA moved Wednesday toward ending decades of soccer tradition by ordering a review of its policy that currently blocks domestic league games being played in other countries. Fans are likely to object to their teams’ home matches potentially being moved thousands of miles away, though it has become...
United Methodists scrap their anti-gay bans. A woman who defied them seeks reinstatement as pastor
Twenty years ago, Beth Stroud was defrocked from her beloved job as a United Methodist pastor in Philadelphia. In a church trial, she was found guilty of violating “Christian teaching” because she had acknowledged living in a committed relationship with another woman. Earlier this month, delegates at a United Methodist...
Palestinians across the Middle East mark their original ‘catastrophe’ with eyes on the war in Gaza
JERUSALEM — Palestinians across the Middle East on Wednesday are marking the anniversary of their mass expulsion from what is now Israel with protests and other events at a time of mounting concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. The Nakba, Arabic for “catastrophe,” refers to the 700,000 Palestinians who...
Retail sales were unchanged in April from March as inflation and interest rates curb spending
NEW YORK — Retail sales in April were unchanged from March as inflation continued to sting and elevated interest rates made taking on debt more burdensome. The number following a revised 0.6% pace in March, according to Commerce Department data released Wednesday. It rose 0.9% in February. That comes after...
Biden and Trump agree on presidential debates on June 27 and in September
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on Wednesday agreed to hold two campaign debates in June and September — the first on June 27 hosted by CNN — setting the stage for the first presidential face-off in just weeks. The quick agreement on the timetable to...
70 years ago, school integration was a dream many believed could actually happen. It hasn’t
WASHINGTON — Seventy years ago this week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled separating children in schools by race was unconstitutional. On paper, that decision — the fabled Brown v. Board of Education, taught in most every American classroom — still stands. But for decades, American schools have been re-segregating. The...
Meme stocks are roaring again. This time may be different
NEW YORK — Meme stocks are shaking Wall Street once again. That shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Ever since bands of smaller-pocketed and novice investors began taking stock prices of downtrodden companies to breathtaking heights three years ago, the potential for more flareups has been obvious. Some things are...
CNX plans $1.5B hydrogen fuels plant at Pittsburgh airport, but wants federal tax credit to build it
HARRISBURG — Natural gas producer CNX Resources said it plans to build a $1.5 billion facility at Pittsburgh’s airport to make hydrogen-based fuels, but only if President Joe Biden’s administration allows coal mine methane to qualify for tax credits that are central to the Democrat’s plan to fight climate change....
Biden administration is sending $1 billion more in weapons, ammo to Israel, congressional aides say
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it would send more than $1 billion in additional arms and ammunition to Israel, three congressional aides said Tuesday. But it was not immediately known how soon the weapons would be delivered. It’s the first arms shipment to Israel to be...
