Associated Press stories, Page 630
AP mock NFL draft 2.0: Quarterbacks and wide receivers are the top 6 picks
Caleb Williams will visit the Chicago Bears next week to meet more coaches, undergo medical testing and get more familiar with his future team. Williams going to the Bears at No. 1 is easy. Predicting the rest of the first round of the NFL draft is the challenge. Will Washington...
MLB’s percentage of international-born players drops slightly to 27.8%, lowest since 2016
NEW YORK — The percentage of Major League Baseball players born outside the 50 states dipped slightly to 27.8%, its lowest level since 2016. There were 264 players from 19 nations and territories outside of the 50 states among 949 players on opening day active rosters and injured, restricted and...
A tropical cyclone makes landfall in northern Madagascar, killing 18 people
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar — A tropical cyclone that swept across Madagascar has killed 18 people and left four missing after making landfall on the north of the Indian Ocean island nation earlier this week, authorities said on Friday. The storm has also caused severe flooding that partly submerged entire villages, displaced...
Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
LOS ANGELES — Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries “Roots,” has died. He was 87. Gossett’s first cousin Neal L. Gossett told The Associated Press that the actor died Thursday night...
Biden says he’s working to secure release of Wall Street Journal reporter held for a year in Russia
NEW YORK — On the one-year anniversary of the Russian detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, President Joe Biden said the U.S. is working every day to secure his release. “Journalism is not a crime, and Evan went to Russia to do his job as a reporter —...
Magnitude 2.8 earthquake shakes southern Illinois; no damage or injuries reported
GERMANTOWN, Ill. — An earthquake of magnitude 2.8 has been reported in southern Illinois, near the Missouri state line, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The earthquake was detected about 6:55 p.m. Thursday north of Germantown, about 40 miles east of St. Louis, at a depth of just over 14 miles....
Thai court acquits dozens of protesters who shut down Bangkok’s airports in 2008
BANGKOK — A Thai court on Friday acquitted nearly 70 people of all charges related to mass protests that shut down Bangkok’s two airports in 2008 for about 10 days. The ruling by the Bangkok Criminal Court was the second this year finding that the protesters, who opposed a government...
Russia launches barrage of 99 drones and missiles on Ukraine’s energy system, officials say
KYIV, Ukraine — Moscow launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure Friday, with a mass barrage of 99 drones and missiles hitting regions across the country, Ukraine’s armed forces said. Air raid warnings rang out across the country, with 10 Ukrainian regions coming under fire, the country’s Interior Minister,...
5 dead, over 100 hospitalized from recalled Japanese health supplements
TOKYO — Five people who took a Japanese health supplement have died and more than 100 have been hospitalized as of Friday, a week after a pharmaceutical company issued a recall of the products, officials said. Osaka-based Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. came under fire for not going public quickly with problems...
Illinois finishes off Iowa State to earn Elite Eight date with UConn
BOSTON — Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 29 points and Illinois reached the Elite Eight for the first time since 2005, beating Iowa State, 72-69, in an East Region semifinal on Thursday night. Shannon had 20 points in the first half for the third-seeded Illini (29-8), who never trailed. He broke...
Alabama knocks off top-seeded North Carolina to reach Elite Eight for 2nd time
LOS ANGELES — Grant Nelson converted a go-ahead three-point play with 38 seconds remaining, and Alabama beat top-seeded North Carolina, 89-87, on Thursday night to reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history. Nelson finished with a season-high 24 points, 19 in the...
Top-seeded Houston preps for Duke in Sweet 16 matchup
DALLAS — Houston is home in the Lone Star State, playing as a No. 1 seed in the South Region and in the Sweet 16 for the fifth NCAA Tournament in a row. With All-America point guard Jamal Shead, big man J’Wan Roberts and coach Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars are...
For Gonzaga, Sweet 16 means guarding Purdue’s Zach Edey — again
DETROIT — For most teams, facing a 7-foot-4, 300-pound force of nature like Zach Edey is uncharted territory. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Edey is no mystery to them. Twice over the past 16 months, the Zags have faced Edey and Purdue, and twice they have lost...
Top-seeded UConn blows through another opponent, beating San Diego State to reach Elite EightVideo
BOSTON — Stephon Castle had 16 points and 11 rebounds for top-seeded UConn, and the defending NCAA champion advanced to the Elite Eight with another double-digit victory, beating San Diego State, 82-52, on Thursday night in a rematch of last year’s title game. Cam Spencer scored 18 points, and Tristen...
Clemson upsets No. 2 Arizona, reaches Elite Eight for 1st time since 1980Video
LOS ANGELES — When Clemson has encountered rough stretches this season, coach Brad Brownell has told his team, “We’re built for this, we can handle this.” In their biggest game of the season Thursday night, the Tigers proved their coach correct. Chase Hunter scored 18 points, and Clemson advanced to...
Alex Murdaugh’s lawyers say FBI agent’s mention of Joran van der Sloot led to failed polygraph test
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Lawyers for Alex Murdaugh said an FBI agent conducting a polygraph test that the agency said the convicted killer flunked asked odd questions and confided he had just examined the notorious Dutch killer of an Alabama teen, throwing the results off. The name-check of Joran van der...
Biden’s fundraiser with Obama and Clinton nets a record $25 million, his campaign says
NEW YORK — A fundraiser for President Joe Biden on Thursday in New York City that also stars Barack Obama and Bill Clinton is raising a whopping $25 million, setting a record for the biggest haul for a political event, his campaign said. The eye-popping amount was a major show...
Biden OKs $60M in aid after Baltimore bridge collapse as governor warns of ‘very long road ahead’
BALTIMORE — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore warned Thursday of a “very long road ahead” to recover from the loss of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge as the Biden administration approved $60 million in immediate federal aid after the deadly collapse. Massive barges carrying cranes streamed toward the site to begin...
Tennessee governor signs bill to undo Memphis traffic stop reforms after Tyre Nichols death
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday signed off on the repeal of Memphis police traffic stop reforms set in place after the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by officers just over a year ago. By enacting the legislation, the Republican governor sided with GOP lawmakers who forged...
Oklahoma judge rules death row inmate not competent to be executed
OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma judge ruled Thursday that a death row inmate is not competent to be executed for his role in the 1999 slayings of a mother and son. Pittsburg County Judge Michael Hogan issued an order in the case involving 61-year-old James Ryder in that county. “The...
Tennessee politicians strip historically Black university of its board
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Trustees of Tennessee’s only publicly funded historically Black university were removed Thursday under legislation signed into law by Republican Gov. Bill Lee. Black lawmakers and community leaders said state leaders, a majority of whom are white, are unfairly targeting Tennessee State University. The legislation cleared the state...
Nationals place Stephen Strasburg on 60-day injured listVideo
CINCINNATI — Pitcher Stephen Strasburg was put on the 60-day injured list by the Washington Nationals ahead of Thursday’s opener at Cincinnati. The 2019 World Series MVP has not pitched since June 2022 because of injuries that have derailed his career. He still has three seasons left a $245 million,...
Rays’ Wander Franco placed on administrative leave through June 1 as sexual abuse probe continuesVideo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay All-Star shortstop Wander Franco was placed on administrative leave through June 1 under an agreement between Major League Baseball and the players’ association while the investigation continues into an alleged relationship with a minor. Administrative leave is not disciplinary under the sport’s joint domestic...
Yankees’ Gerrit Cole placed on 60-day injured list with right elbow inflammationVideo
HOUSTON — New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole was placed on the 60-day injured list with right elbow inflammation ahead of Thursday’s opener at Houston. The earliest the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner can pitch in the major leagues is May 27. The team announced March 16 that the...
Star guard Tucker DeVries is transferring from Drake to join his dad at West Virginia
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — New West Virginia coach Darian DeVries brought some reinforcements from Drake. Tucker DeVries sat in the front row for his father’s introductory news conference Thursday as Darian announced that his son, a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, is joining him with the Mountaineers. That...
