Associated Press stories, Page 595
Ex-FBI informant charged with lying about Bidens must remain jailed, appeals court rules
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected a bid to release from jail a former FBI informant who is charged with fabricating a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden’s family. Alexander Smirnov’s lawyers had urged the California-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower...
Big 12 out to prove bigger bank accounts don’t mean better football
SCOTTDALE, Ariz. — Before the realigned Big 12 — sans Oklahoma and Texas —even kicks off, the expanded College Football Playoff’s new revenue structure has created a perception that the conference is no longer the equal of the Big Ten and SEC. Instead of a Power Five, college football now...
Duane Eddy, twangy guitar hero of early rock, dead at age 86
NEW YORK — Duane Eddy, a pioneering guitar hero whose reverberating electric sound on instrumentals such as “Rebel Rouser” and “Peter Gunn” helped put the twang in early rock ‘n’ roll and influenced George Harrison, Bruce Springsteen and countless other musicians, has died at 86. Eddy died of cancer Tuesday...
Tourists evacuated from Kenya’s Maasai Mara reserve amid flooding and heavy rains
NAIROBI, Kenya — Tourists were evacuated by air from Kenya’s Maasai Mara national reserve Wednesday after more than a dozen hotels, lodges and camps were flooded as heavy rains battered the country. Tourist accommodation facilities were submerged after a river within the Maasai Mara broke its banks early Wednesday. The...
Mexican volunteers search for clandestine crematorium on outskirts of Mexico City
MEXICO CITY — Trailed by search dogs and police, María de Jesús Soria Aguayo and more than a dozen volunteers Wednesday walked carefully through fields of weeds and dry earth with their eyes fixed on the ground. On the fringes of Mexico City, the group began to search for human...
House passes bill to expand definition of antisemitism amid growing campus protests over Gaza war
WASHINGTON — The House passed legislation Wednesday that would establish a broader definition of antisemitism for the Department of Education to enforce anti-discrimination laws, the latest response from lawmakers to a nationwide student protest movement over the Israel-Hamas war. The proposal, which passed 320-91 with some bipartisan support, would codify...
WNBA ticket sales on StubHub are up 93%. Aces, Caitlin Clark and returning stars fuel rise
The wave of incoming rookies such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso and the return of popular players A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum of the defending champion Las Vegas Aces have led to unprecedented demand for WNBA games on one of the world’s largest ticket resale platforms. StubHub...
Kentucky Derby has survived world wars, 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...
Federal Reserve says interest rates will stay at 2-decade high until inflation further coolsVideo
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday emphasized that inflation has remained stubbornly high in recent months and said it doesn’t plan to cut interest rates until it has “greater confidence” that price increases are slowing sustainably to its 2% target. The Fed issued its decision in a statement after...
Charges revealed against former Trump chief of staff in Arizona fake elector case
PHOENIX — The chief of staff for former President Donald Trump faces the same conspiracy, fraud and forgery charges as the other named defendants in Arizona’s fake elector case, the state attorney general’s office said Wednesday. Mark Meadows wasn’t named in a grand jury indictment last week because he hadn’t...
Democrats advance election bill in Pennsylvania long sought by counties to process ballots faster
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill long sought by counties seeking help to manage huge influxes of mail-in ballots during elections in the presidential battleground state and to avoid a repeat of 2020’s drawn-out vote count. The bill comes barely six months before Pennsylvania could...
National 3-point shooting leader Koby Brea transfers from Dayton to Kentucky
Koby Brea, who led the nation in 3-point shooting for Dayton, will play his final season at Kentucky. Brea announced his decision on social media Wednesday and is the fifth player this week and sixth overall to be signed out of the transfer portal by new coach Mark Pope. Brea...
All-American RJ Davis returning to North Carolina for 5th season
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — First-team Associated Press All-American RJ Davis is returning to North Carolina to play his fifth season of eligibility, which could have him ultimately contending for the school and ACC career scoring record. The school and Davis announced the decision in social media posts Wednesday. The 6-foot,...
4 suspended for roles in Brewers-Rays brawlVideo
Milwaukee reliever Abner Uribe was suspended for six games and starter Freddy Peralta for five Wednesday for their roles in a brawl during a Brewers’ game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Rays outfielder Jose Siri was suspended for three games, a penalty later cut to two, and Milwaukee manager Pat...
‘A step back in time’: America’s Catholic Church sees an immense shift toward the old ways
MADISON, Wis. — It was the music that changed first. Or maybe that’s just when many people at the pale brick Catholic church in the quiet Wisconsin neighborhood finally began to realize what was happening. The choir director, a fixture at St. Maria Goretti for nearly 40 years, was suddenly...
Wall Street holds steady after the Federal Reserve says it will keep rates high
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are holding relatively steady after the Federal Reserve said Wednesday it would keep its main interest rate at the highest level since 2001, just as markets expected. The S&P 500 was down 0.1% in afternoon trading, roughly where it was before the Fed’s announcement. The...
Prosecutors seek September retrial for Harvey Weinstein after rape conviction was tossed
NEW YORK — Prosecutors asked for a September retrial for Harvey Weinstein during a hearing at a Manhattan courthouse Wednesday, the disgraced movie mogul’s first appearance since his 2020 rape conviction was overturned by an appeals court last week. Weinstein, wearing a navy blue suit, was seated in a wheelchair...
Florida’s 6-week abortion ban takes effect as doctors worry women will lose access to health care
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Florida’s ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant, went into effect Wednesday, and some doctors are concerned that women in the state will no longer have access to needed health care. Dr. Leah Roberts, a reproductive...
Rollout of transgender bathroom law sows confusion among Utah public school families
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah public schools have been rushing to prepare students and teachers as the state starts cracking down Wednesday on any school found not enforcing new bathroom restrictions for transgender people. Residents and visitors are required under state law to use bathrooms and changing rooms in government-owned...
Tennis legend Boris Becker discharged from bankruptcy court in England
LONDON — German tennis legend Boris Becker was discharged from bankruptcy court in London after a judge found Wednesday he had done “all that he reasonably could do” to repay creditors tens of millions of pounds. Becker fell far short of repaying his creditors nearly 50 million pounds ($62.5 million)...
Hurricanes’ depth proves critical to secure 2nd-round playoff matchup against the Rangers
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes are getting production throughout their lineup to start the NHL playoffs. They’ll need it going forward if they’re going to take down the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers. The Hurricanes closed out the New York Islanders in a first-round series on Tuesday night. The...
George W. Bush’s portraits of veterans are heading to Disney WorldVideo
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.— Walt Disney World will host dozens of portraits of service members and veterans from the nation’s Painter-in-Chief. The George W. Bush Institute will loan the 60 color portraits by the former U.S. president to the Florida theme park resort. The paintings of service members and veterans...
Maryland approves more than $3M for a man wrongly imprisoned for murder for 3 decades
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland officials on Wednesday approved more than $3 million in compensation for a Baltimore man who spent 31 years in prison on a wrongful murder conviction. Gov. Wes Moore apologized to Gary Washington during a Board of Public Works meeting where the compensation was approved. “On the...
Northwestern University’s deal with student protesters offers example of successful negotiations
CHICAGO — For five days, the shouts of student protesters and supporters rang out from Northwestern University’s Deering Meadow as they joined demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war unfolding on college campuses nationwide. But the meadow on the suburban Chicago campus fell silent hours after student organizers and the school announced...
So, you’ve lost weight using Wegovy. Does that mean you can stop taking it?
Millions of Americans who have dropped pounds and boosted their health using popular obesity drugs like Wegovy are facing a new dilemma: What happens if they stop taking them? Many worry that they’ll regain weight and revert to old habits. In studies, people who paused the drugs put back on...
