Associated Press stories, Page 608
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....
In their own words: What young people wish they’d known about social media
It’s dangerous. It’s addictive. Get off your phone. Kids constantly hear about the downsides of social media from the adults in their lives, often in the form of dire warnings and commands. But these adults did not grow up with social media themselves. They didn’t get a phone handed to...
Dollar Tree looking at options for Family Dollar, including possible sale of the segment
Discount retailer Dollar Tree says it’s looking at strategic options for the Family Dollar stores that it owns, including a possible sale of the segment. Dollar Tree said Wednesday that alternatives also include a spinoff or other disposition of the business. Dollar Tree acquired Family Dollar nearly a decade ago...
Israeli nationalist march through Palestinian area of Jerusalem is set to proceed despite tensions
JERUSALEM — Thousands of mostly ultranationalist Israelis are expected to take part in an annual march through a dense Palestinian neighborhood in Jerusalem’s Old City on Wednesday in an event that often sees racist chants and brawls. Jerusalem, the epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has been mostly calm throughout the...
Life as a teen without social media isn’t easy. These families are navigating adolescence offline
WESTPORT, Conn. — Kate Bulkeley’s pledge to stay off social media in high school worked at first. She watched the benefits pile up: She was getting excellent grades. She read lots of books. The family had lively conversations around the dinner table and gathered for movie nights on weekends. Then,...
Hunter Biden’s exes called as witnesses to detail his drug use in his federal gun trial
WILMINGTON, Del. — Hunter Biden’s ex-wife and a former girlfriend testified Wednesday in his gun trial about finding his crack pipes and other drug paraphernalia as prosecutors sought to show he still had a substance abuse problem when he filled out a form to buy a firearm. The courtroom grew...
Biden will mark D-Day anniversary in France as Western alliances face threats at home and abroad
PARIS — United States President Joe Biden will mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in France this week as he tries to demonstrate steadfast support for European security at a time when some allies fear Donald Trump threatens to upend American commitments if he wins another term in...
Coco Gauff, defending champion Iga Swiatek to meet in French Open semifinals
PARIS — Coco Gauff’s long and successful Tuesday at Roland Garros began when she arrived at about 8:15 a.m. There was a warmup session. A couple of meals. A couple of matches. Oh, and a couple of victories — first, one to reach the singles semifinals, and then one to...
Stefon Diggs pushes against Super Bowl talk in 1st comments since trade from Buffalo
HOUSTON — When Stefon Diggs was dealt to Houston from Buffalo in April, many believed the addition of the superstar receiver vaulted the Texans into Super Bowl contention. Speaking to reporters Tuesday for the first time since the trade, Diggs said it’s far too early to be talking about winning...
Parnelli Jones, previous oldest living Indianapolis 500 winner, dies at 90
TORRANCE, Calif. — Parnelli Jones, the 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner, died Tuesday at Torrance Memorial Medical Center after a battle with Parkinson’s disease, his son said. Jones was 90. At the time of his death, Jones was the oldest living winner of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Rufus Parnell Jones...
UConn gives Geno Auriemma a 5-year contract extension, valued at $18.7 million
STORRS, Conn. — It looks like Geno Auriemma isn’t retiring anytime soon as UConn announced a five-year extension for its women’s basketball coach Tuesday. Auriemma’s contract extension, which runs through 2029, is valued at $18.7 million over the five-year term and includes the opportunity to earn additional compensation in the...
Vikings look to Justin Jefferson for even greater leadership role
EAGAN, Minn. — The wide receiver position in the NFL has been home over the years to some of the most dynamic yet moody superstars in the sport. Justin Jefferson was voted a team captain for his age-24 season by his Minnesota Vikings teammates. For all the accomplishments on the...
Reflective side of Kyrie Irving front and center in run to NBA Finals with Mavericks
DALLAS — Kyrie Irving directed obscene gestures and profanity at a hostile crowd in Boston the last time the star Dallas guard saw the Celtics, one of his former teams, in the playoffs two years ago. It was one tumultuous moment of many in a tension-filled tenure with Brooklyn that...
Andy Kim wins New Jersey Democratic Senate primary for indicted Bob Menendez’s seat
TRENTON, N.J. — Democratic Rep. Andy Kim has won New Jersey’s Senate primary, putting him in strong position for the general election in the blue-leaning state, though the win comes a day after Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez filed to run as an independent amid his federal corruption trial. His victory...
Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown feel better equipped this time
BOSTON — For almost the entirety of their time together in Boston, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been linked. They were drafted by the Celtics third overall in back-to-back years. They possess similar skillsets — two explosive and skilled wing players with an ability to score from nearly every...
On paper, vets see Titans receivers among their best group yet
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — DeAndre Hopkins is a three-time All-Pro wide receiver who built a strong connection with a rookie quarterback last season. Calvin Ridley turned his big season into a nice, new contract. And there’s also Tyler Boyd, a proven slot threat who knows new Tennessee coach Brian Callahan’ s...
A year after PGA Tour’s surprise deal with Saudis, still no clarity on where golf is headed
DUBLIN, Ohio — PGA champion Xander Schauffele was on the 10th tee at Muirfield Village for a late Monday afternoon practice round to start the week of the Memorial. Just the sight of him was enough to bring back memories of golf then and now. So much has changed. So...
Trump’s lawyers ask judge to lift gag order imposed during New York trial
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s lawyers are asking a New York judge to lift the gag order that barred the former president from commenting about witnesses, jurors and others tied to the criminal case that led to his conviction for falsifying records to cover up a potential sex scandal. In...
