Associated Press stories, Page 617
An Israeli airstrike in Gaza kills 3 sons and 4 grandchildren of Hamas’ top leader
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli aircraft killed three sons of Hamas’ top political leader in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, striking high-stakes targets at a time when Israel is holding delicate cease-fire negotiations with the militant group. Hamas said four of the leader’s grandchildren were also killed. Ismail Haniyeh ‘s...
A mission of mercy, then a fatal strike: How an aid convoy in Gaza became Israel’s target
DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip — It was hours after sundown when the eight aid trucks drove from the makeshift jetty, cobbled together from tons of wreckage left across Gaza by months of war. The trucks were escorted by three vehicles carrying aid workers from the World Central Kitchen, the...
Ukraine’s parliament passes controversial law to boost much-needed conscripts as war drags on
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s parliament passed a controversial law Thursday that will govern how the country recruits new soldiers to replenish depleted forces who are increasingly struggling to fend off Russian troops. Two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion captured nearly a quarter of the country, the stakes could not be...
Vietnam sentences real estate tycoon Truong My Lan to death in its largest-ever fraud case
HANOI, Vietnam — Real estate tycoon Truong My Lan was sentenced Thursday to death by a court in Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam in the country’s largest financial fraud case ever, state media Vietnam Net said. The 67-year-old chair of the real estate company Van Thinh Phat was...
Trump assails Jewish voters who back Biden: ‘Should have their head examined’
ATLANTA — Donald Trump on Wednesday lashed out at Jewish voters who back President Joe Biden and framed this year’s election as a referendum on the strength of Christianity in the U.S., part of his sharp-edged continuing appeal to evangelical conservatives who are a critical element of his political base....
Conservative revolt in the House blocks effort to reauthorize a key spy tool
WASHINGTON — A bill that would reauthorize a crucial national security surveillance program was blocked Wednesday by a conservative revolt, pushing the prospects of final passage into uncertainty amid a looming deadline. The legislative impasse follows an edict earlier in the day from former President Donald Trump to “kill” the...
Former high-ranking Democratic legislator in New Mexico pleads not guilty in federal fraud case
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A former high-ranking Democratic legislator in New Mexico has pleaded not guilty to numerous federal charges stemming from a corruption investigation into allegations that millions of dollars meant for educational programs in the state’s largest school district were diverted to businesses and charities in which she had...
Purdue’s Zach Edey joins Ralph Sampson as 2-time winners of John R. Wooden AwardVideo
LOS ANGELES — Zach Edey of Purdue became the second two-time John R. Wooden Award winner as the nation’s top men’s college basketball player Wednesday. The 7-foot-4 center joins Virginia’s Ralph Sampson, who won in 1982 and ‘83. Edey led the nation in scoring and set school records for career...
Mom who threw 2 kids onto LA freeway, killing her infant, appeared agitated by impending eclipse
LOS ANGELES — A woman who authorities say fatally stabbed her partner at their Los Angeles apartment Monday then threw her two children from a moving SUV onto the freeway, killing her infant daughter, was an astrologer who called the impending solar eclipse “the epitome of spiritual warfare” in an...
Shouts of ‘Shame! Shame!’ erupt in Arizona House as fight over abortion ban engulfs lawmakersVideo
PHOENIX — The Arizona Legislature devolved into shouts of “Shame! Shame!” on Wednesday as Republican lawmakers quickly shut down discussion on a proposed repeal of the state’s newly revived 1864 law that criminalizes abortion throughout pregnancy unless a woman’s life is at risk. The state Supreme Court cleared the way...
New York appeals court rejects Donald Trump’s 3rd request to delay hush money trial
NEW YORK — Donald Trump is now 0 for 3 in last-minute attempts to get a New York appeals court to delay his looming hush money criminal trial. An appeals court judge Wednesday swiftly rejected the latest salvo from the former president’s lawyers, who argued he should be on the...
Masters a reunion of world’s best players, but numbers are shrinking
AUGUSTA, Ga. — More than golf’s first major championship of the year, the Masters represents unification. This is the first time since July at the British Open the best players regardless of their tours compete against each other — same course, same tournament, same television network. “I believe everyone agrees...
Neither injury nor illness keep golf’s greats from playing in Masters
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Min Woo Lee stared at the 20-pound dumbbell sitting in the corner of the gym with unbridled contempt. Just days earlier, while performing the last rep in a series of side glute bridges, the Australian had thrown it down and somehow clipped his finger. Bad luck made...
Storms bring floods, damaging wind to states across the South; 1 dead in MississippiVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Strong storms flooded New Orleans streets and demolished buildings in one of the city’s suburbs Wednesday, part of a severe weather system that pounded communities across much of the South, killing one in Mississippi. In Slidell, Louisiana, northeast of New Orleans, multiple people were injured and first...
3 shot and 5 in custody after gunfire disrupts Philadelphia Eid event, police sayVideo
PHILADELPHIA — A joyful celebration of the end of Ramadan devolved into panic Wednesday in Philadelphia after rival groups exchanged gunfire, leaving at least three people injured and hundreds of parents and children to flee in search of safety. The annual Eid al-Fitr event, held outside a large mosque in...
Preparations are being made for a potential NHL team in Salt Lake City
Preparations are being made behind the scenes and in the public eye in case an NHL team is in Salt Lake City sooner than later. Prospective owner Ryan Smith on social media earlier this week solicited suggestions for a team name. Smith, who owns the NBA’s Utah Jazz, in January...
Trump says Arizona’s abortion ban goes too far and defends the overturning of Roe v. Wade
ATLANTA — Donald Trump said Wednesday that an Arizona law that criminalizes nearly all abortions goes too far and the former president called on Arizona lawmakers to change it, while also defending the overturning of Roe v. Wade that cleared states to ban the procedure. “It’ll be straightened out and...
As medical perils from abortion bans grow, so do opportunities for Democrats in a post-Roe world
WASHINGTON — For much of her life, Angela Crawford considered herself a fairly conservative Republican — and she voted that way. But then a wave of court rulings and Republican-led actions in states restricted abortion and later in vitro fertilization, the very procedure that had helped her conceive her daughter....
Orioles call up Jackson Holliday, baseball’s top-ranked prospect
BALTIMORE — Make way for baseball’s top-ranked prospect — yet another big addition from Baltimore’s stellar farm system. The Orioles called up 20-year-old infielder Jackson Holliday on Wednesday, hours before their game at Boston. Holliday was the No. 1 pick in the 2022 amateur draft out of high school in...
Standout pass rusher Josh Allen, Jaguars agree to a 5-year, $150M contract, AP source says
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Standout pass rusher Josh Allen and the Jacksonville Jaguars reached agreement Wednesday on a five-year, $150 million contract that includes $88 million guaranteed, a person familiar with the negotiations said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal had not officially...
Tara VanDerveer retires as Stanford women’s hoops coach after setting NCAA wins record this year
STANFORD, Calif. — Tara VanDerveer lent her time and energy to a young Dawn Staley behind the scenes years before the South Carolina coach started winning championships or delivering an improbable undefeated season. The Hall of Fame Stanford coach did the same for her Pac-12 rivals. For Cori Close. For...
Arkansas hires John Calipari to coach the Razorbacks, a day after he stepped down from Kentucky
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas hired John Calipari as men’s basketball coach on Wednesday, a day after the Hall of Fame coach stepped down from the Kentucky program he led to the 2012 NCAA championship. The 65-year-old Calipari signed a five-year contract with an annual base salary of $7 million through...
Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player, takes aim at a 2nd Masters championship
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Scottie Scheffler is not, by nature, a selfish person. It’s not how he was raised, nor how he chooses to live his life, and if that ever were to change, he knows he can rely on his wife, Meredith, to bring him back to center. The problem...
Packers will face Eagles in Brazil in Friday night season opener
The Green Bay Packers will play the Philadelphia Eagles when the NFL holds its first regular-season game in Brazil on Sept. 6. The matchup in Sao Paulo will mark the first time since 1970 that the NFL has played a Friday night game on the season’s opening weekend. NFL Commissioner...
Higher gas and rents keep U.S. inflation elevated, likely delaying Fed rate cuts
WASHINGTON — Consumer inflation remained persistently high last month, boosted by gas, rents, auto insurance and other items, the government said Wednesday in a report that will likely give pause to the Federal Reserve as it considers how often — or even whether — to cut interest rates this year....
