Associated Press stories, Page 659
Our ancient animal ancestors had tails. Why don’t we?
WASHINGTON — Our very ancient animal ancestors had tails. Why don’t we? Somewhere around 20 million or 25 million years ago, when apes diverged from monkeys, our branch of the tree of life shed its tail. From Darwin’s time, scientists have wondered why — and how — this happened. Now,...
Idaho halts execution by lethal injection after 8 failed attempts to insert IV line
KUNA, Idaho — Idaho on Wednesday halted the execution of serial killer Thomas Eugene Creech, one of the longest-serving death row inmates in the U.S., after a medical team repeatedly failed to find a vein where they could establish an intravenous line to carry out the lethal injection. Creech, 73,...
Boeing given 90 days by FAA to come up with a plan to improve safety and quality of manufacturing
The Federal Aviation Administration is giving Boeing 90 days to devise a plan to fix quality problems and meet safety standards for building new planes. The agency said Wednesday that the directive follows meetings with top Boeing officials, including the company’s CEO at FAA headquarters in Washington. “Boeing must commit...
FedEx ends naming rights agreement for the Washington Commanders stadium long known as FedEx Field
FedEx has ended its naming rights agreement to the Washington Commanders stadium in Landover, Maryland, a venue that had been known as FedEx Field since 1999. The move confirmed Wednesday comes two years prior to the expiration of the current agreement scheduled for 2026, and as the NFL club under...
The Biden campaign is launching a nationwide effort to win the women’s vote, Jill Biden will lead it
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden ‘s campaign on Wednesday announced it is launching “Women for Biden-Harris,” a new nationwide program to organize and mobilize female voters to give him and Vice President Kamala Harris a second White House term. Biden’s wife, Jill, will lead the effort. Women were a crucial...
Hunter Biden in defiant deposition blasts GOP, insists he did not involve his father in business
WASHINGTON — Hunter Biden was defiant Wednesday in a closed-door deposition on Capitol Hill, blasting a Republican impeachment inquiry into his father and the family’s business affairs as a “house of cards” built on “lies” as he faced a battery of probing questions from lawmakers. “For more than a year,...
A pregnant Amish woman is killed in her rural Pennsylvania home, and police have no suspects
SPARTANSBURG — Investigators have no suspects in the killing of a pregnant 23-year-old Amish woman inside her home in rural northwestern Pennsylvania, and are appealing for tips from the public to help solve the crime, a state police spokeswoman said Wednesday. Rebekah A. Byler was the victim of a criminal...
Biden ‘continues to be fit for duty,’ his doctor says, after president undergoes annual physical
BETHESDA, Md. — President Joe Biden “continues to be fit for duty,” his doctor wrote Wednesday after conducting an annual physical that is being closely watched as the 81-year-old seeks reelection in November. Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s physician, wrote that the president is adjusting well to a new device that...
2 men convicted of killing Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay nearly 22 years after rap star’s deathVideo
NEW YORK — More than 20 years after Run-D.M.C. star Jam Master Jay was brazenly gunned down in his recording studio, two men close to him were convicted Tuesday of murder, marking a moment authorities had long awaited in one of the hip-hop world’s most elusive cases. An anonymous Brooklyn...
Michigan takeaways: Presidential primaries show warning signs for Trump and Biden
LANSING, Mich. — Joe Biden and Donald Trump easily won their party’s primaries in Michigan, but Tuesday’s results showed that both candidates have cause for concern in their bid to win the swing state in November. An “uncommitted” vote in Michigan’s Democratic primary was the first indication of how backlash...
Trump and Biden won Michigan. But ‘uncommitted’ votes demanded attention
DEARBORN, Mich. — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump won the Michigan primaries on Tuesday, further solidifying the all-but-certain rematch between the two men — yet early results from the state were highlighting some of their biggest political vulnerabilities ahead of the November general election. A vigorous “uncommitted”...
Payton Sandfort’s triple-double propels Iowa to victory over Penn State
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Payton Sandfort finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his first triple-double and Iowa breezed to a 90-81 victory over Penn State on Tuesday night. Sandfort, a junior, made 3 of 11 shots with two 3-pointers and 18 of 19 free throws for...
NFL-worst Carolina Panthers increasing overall ticket prices by more than 4% for 2024 season
CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Panthers are raising overall ticket prices by slightly more than 4% in 2024 following a season in which they finished with an NFL-worst 2-15 record and were shutout in the final two games. The lower level seating at Bank of America Stadium will see the most...
Gary Bettman calls on Jets, Winnipeg fans to find solution to falling attendance
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called Winnipeg a strong market where “hockey matters,” and said he believes the team’s falling attendance will be resolved. Bettman spoke Tuesday, before the Jets hosted the St. Louis Blues. The Jets say Winnipeg’s season-ticket base has decreased 27% in three years, from...
NASCAR teams have hired top antitrust attorney in revenue dispute
The NASCAR season is underway, with 38 races to determine another stock car racing champion in the 76th season of the top motorsports series in the United States. There is a serious problem for NASCAR and its teams: Negotiations on a new revenue-sharing model have deteriorated. In mid-February, representatives from...
Chiefs mulling whether to use franchise tag on Chris Jones or L’Jarius Sneed as deadline nears
The Kansas City Chiefs are weighing whether to use the franchise tag on All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones or star cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, though general manager Brett Veach said Tuesday he is hopeful both will be back next season. The two stalwarts of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning defense would otherwise...
Shohei Ohtani shows he’s ‘built differently,’ slugs 2-run HR in Dodgers debut
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Shohei Ohtani stepped into the bright Arizona sun, carrying the weight of a $700 million contract and the expectations that go with it, before launching a two-run homer in his first exhibition game for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Not a bad way to endear himself to his...
U.S. Army undergoing major overhaul to prepare for future wars
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army is slashing the size of its force by about 24,000, or almost 5%, and restructuring to be better able to fight the next major war, as the service struggles with recruiting shortfalls that made it impossible to bring in enough soldiers to fill all the...
NYC jury finds two men guilty in 2002 murder of Jam Master Jay
NEW YORK — A Brooklyn jury has found two men guilty of the 2002 murder of Run-DMC co-founder Jam Master Jay, bringing closure to a cold case mystery that has frustrated the rapper’s family and fans for more than two decades. The jury needed two and a half days to...
Ex-law partner evasive as attorneys press for details on Fani Willis’ romance in Trump caseVideo
ATLANTA — A former law partner of Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade was evasive on the witness stand Tuesday as lawyers pressed him on details about a romantic relationship between Wade and District Attorney Fani Willis that has roiled the 2020 Georgia election case against Donald Trump. Terrence Bradley,...
Rapidly expanding wildfires in the Texas Panhandle prompt evacuationsVideo
CANADIAN, Texas — A rapidly widening Texas wildfire more than doubled in size Tuesday and prompted evacuation orders in small towns as strong winds, dry grass and unseasonably warm temperatures fueled the blaze in the state’s rural Panhandle. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties as...
Prince William pulls out of memorial service for his godfather because of ‘personal matter’
LONDON — Kensington Palace says Britain’s Prince William pulled out of attending a memorial service for his godfather, the late King Constantine of Greece, because of a personal matter. The palace declined to elaborate Tuesday but said his wife, the Princess of Wales, who is recovering from abdominal surgery, continues...
A New York City medical school goes tuition-free thanks to a $1 billion giftVideo
NEW YORK — A New York City medical school will be tuition-free for all students from now on thanks to a $1 billion donation from a former professor, the widow of a Wall Street investor. Ruth Gottesman announced the gift and its purpose to students and faculty at Albert Einstein...
Chiefs parade shooting could be new test of expanded ‘stand your ground’ protections
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The man accused of firing the first shots at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally told authorities he felt threatened, while a second man said he pulled the trigger because someone was shooting at him, according to court documents. Experts say that even though the...
U.S. women fought to raise the level of soccer worldwide, and now the competition is much tougherVideo
CARSON, Calif. — The U.S. national team has fought for years to raise the level of women’s soccer across the globe, but that doesn’t make its inevitable losses to teams it once dominated any easier. “People say that everyone’s catching up with us. Of course, and that’s what needs to...
