Associated Press stories, Page 592
Kyle Larson eyes Indy 500-Coke 600 double in busy May
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Kyle Larson began what will become a busy month of May on a small dirt track nestled in a crook of the Missouri River, where he started outside of the top 10 in his sprint car Friday night and managed to climb to third place by...
Mystik Dan wins 150th Kentucky Derby in 3-horse photo finish
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The 150th Kentucky Derby produced one of the most dramatic finishes in its storied history: three noses at the wire. Mystik Dan desperately fought to hang on with two challengers coming to him in the closing strides. He did, too, after a delay of several minutes while...
Phillies’ Trea Turner to miss at least 6 weeks with left hamstring injury
PHILADELPHIA — Trea Turner will miss at least six weeks with a left hamstring strain after being injured in the fourth inning of Philadelphia’s 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants on Friday. The Phillies placed the two-time All-Star shortstop on the 10-day injured list Saturday, but Turner said he’ll...
Southern Brazil hit by worst floods in more than 80 years
SAO PAULO — Heavy rains in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul killed 39 people, with another 68 still missing, the state civil defense agency said Friday, as record-breaking floods devastated cities and forced thousands to leave their homes. It was the fourth such environmental disaster in...
The Kentucky Derby could be a wet one. Early favorites Fierceness, Sierra Leone have won in the slop
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Twenty horses stampeding toward the first turn in a battle for position. A screaming crowd of 150,000 and maybe some showers that dampen the Churchill Downs dirt strip. It’s the 150th Kentucky Derby. Beyond a couple early wagering favorites, it’s a wide-open race. Post time is 6:57...
There’s progress reported in Gaza truce talks, but Israel downplays chances of ending war with Hamas
TEL AVIV, Israel — A delegation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported “noticeable progress” in cease-fire talks with Israel, though an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for a full end to the war in Gaza. Pressure has mounted to reach...
Biden and Trump offer worlds-apart contrasts on issues in 2024’s rare contest between 2 presidents
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden and Donald Trump are two presidents with unfinished business and an itch to get it done. Their track records and plans on abortion, immigration, taxes, wars abroad — you name it — leave no doubt that the man voters choose in November will seek to shape...
Senate races are roiled by campus protests over the war in Gaza as campaign rhetoric sharpens
HARRISBURG — The student protest movement disrupting university campuses, classes and graduation ceremonies over the war in Gaza is also roiling Senate contests across the nation as Democrats tread cautiously over an internal divide and Republicans play up their rivals’ disagreements. The political impact of the protests on the White...
Profit drops at Warren Buffett’s firm but thousands still want to hear from the investing guru
OMAHA, Neb. — Warren Buffett’s company reported a steep drop in earnings Saturday because the paper value of its investments fell, but the tens of thousands of shareholders filling an Omaha arena to hear Buffett answer questions at the annual meeting later can take heart that Berkshire Hathaway’s many businesses...
A group of Republicans has united to defend the legitimacy of U.S. elections and those who run them
ATLANTA — It was Election Day last November, and one of Georgia’s top election officials saw that reports of a voting machine problem in an eastern Pennsylvania county were gaining traction online. So Gabriel Sterling, a Republican who had defended the 2020 election in Georgia amid an onslaught of threats,...
The Kentucky Derby is turning 150 years old. It’s survived world wars and controversies of all kinds
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As a record crowd cheered, American Pharoah rallied from behind and took aim at his remaining two rivals in the stretch. The bay colt and jockey Victor Espinoza surged to the lead with a furlong to go and thundered across the finish line a length ahead in...
As the U.S. moves to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, could more states legalize it?
As the U.S. government moves toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, there may be little immediate impact in the dozen states that have not already legalized cannabis for widespread medical or recreational use by adults. But advocates for marijuana legalization hope a federal regulatory shift could eventually change...
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
HOUSTON — The Houston area was under threat of worsening flood conditions Saturday, a day after heavy storms slammed the region and authorities warned those in low-lying areas to evacuate ahead of an expected “catastrophic” surge of water. A flood watch remained in effect through Sunday afternoon as forecasters predicted...
Striking deals to end campus protests, some colleges invite discussion of their investments
NEW YORK — Anti-war demonstrations ceased this week at a small number of U.S. universities after school leaders struck deals with pro-Palestinian protesters, fending off possible disruptions of final exams and graduation ceremonies. The agreements at schools including Brown, Northwestern and Rutgers stand out amidst the chaotic scenes and 2,400-plus...
South Dakota Gov. Noem admits error of describing meeting North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in new book
WASHINGTON — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is releasing a new book called “No Going Back,” but on Friday her office said she would actually be going back to correct some errors — including a false claim that she once met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The Republican...
After favorites Fierceness and Sierra Leone, Kentucky Derby wide open
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Fate has not been kind to Mike Repole in the Kentucky Derby. The outspoken owner is 0 for 7, although he is perhaps best known for his two champions that never made the starting gate. In 2011, Uncle Mo was scratched the day before the race because...
Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife are indicted over ties to Azerbaijan
WASHINGTON — Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife were indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges and taken into custody Friday in connection with a U.S. Department of Justice probe into the couple’s ties to the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan. From 2014 to 2021, Cuellar, 68,...
Biden awards the Medal of Freedom to Nancy Pelosi, Medgar Evers, Michelle Yeoh and 15 others
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on 19 people, including civil rights icons such as the late Medgar Evers, prominent political leaders such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. James Clyburn, and actor Michelle Yeoh. Biden said the recipients of the...
Zebra remains on the loose in Washington state as officials close trailheads to keep people away
SEATTLE — A zebra that escaped from a trailer east of Seattle last weekend remained on the lam Friday, as authorities closed off trailheads at a nature area in hopes of keeping people away and easing her capture. The zebra was one of four that escaped as they were being...
Democratic officials criticize Meta ad policy, saying it amplifies lies about 2020 election
ATLANTA — Several Democrats serving as their state’s top election officials have sent a letter to the parent company of Facebook, asking it to stop allowing ads that claim the 2020 presidential election was stolen. In the letter addressed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the secretaries of state from Colorado,...
United Methodist delegates repeal their church’s ban on its clergy celebrating same-sex marriages
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — United Methodist delegates on Friday repealed their church’s longstanding ban on the celebrations of same-sex marriages or unions by its clergy and in its churches. The action marked the final major reversal of a collection of LGBTQ bans and disapprovals that have been embedded throughout the laws...
Lakers fire coach Darvin Ham after just 2 seasons in charge and 1st-round playoff exit
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers fired coach Darvin Ham on Friday after just two seasons in charge. The Lakers announced on social media that they were dismissing Ham four days after their season ended with a first-round playoff loss to Denver in five games. Ham led Los Angeles...
Nippon Steel delays closing of acquisition of U.S. Steel until late this year after U.S. DOJ request
TOKYO — Nippon Steel said Friday it has postponed the expected closing of its $14.1 billion takeover of U.S. Steel by three months after the U.S. Department of Justice requested more documentation related to the deal. Tokyo-based Nippon Steel Corp. said the deal, already approved by U.S. Steel’s shareholders, is...
Hope Hicks, ex-Trump adviser, recounts fear in 2016 campaign over impact of ‘Access Hollywood’ tape
AP-US—Trump-Hush Money, 14th Ld-Writethru14th Ld-Writethru NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign was seized with worry about the potential political damage from a tape that showed Trump bragging about grabbing women sexually without their permission, longtime Trump adviser Hope Hicks testified Friday at his hush money trial. Hicks, a former...
Biden administration says 100,000 new migrants are expected to enroll in ACA’s health care next year
WASHINGTON — Roughly 100,000 immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children are expected to enroll in the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance next year under a directive the Biden administration released Friday. The move took longer than promised to finalize and fell short of Democratic President Joe Biden’s...
