Associated Press stories, Page 662
Chicago woman pleads guilty, gets 50 years for cutting child from victim’s womb
CHICAGO — A Chicago woman accused of luring a pregnant teenager to her home and cutting her baby from her womb with a butcher knife nearly five years ago pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Clarisa Figueroa, 51, seated in a wheelchair and wearing...
NHL has no appetite to expand playoffs beyond its 16-team tournament for the Stanley Cup
Sixteen teams, each one needing to win 16 games over four rounds of best-of-seven series to lift the Stanley Cup, has been the way the NHL decides its champion for nearly four decades. That isn’t changing any time soon. The NHL is the only one of the major four North...
NBA bans Jontay Porter after gambling probe shows he shared information, bet on games
Toronto Raptors two-way player Jontay Porter was banned for life from the NBA on Wednesday after a league probe found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors and wagered on games, even betting on the Raptors to lose. Porter is the second person to be banned by Commissioner Adam Silver...
House’s Ukraine, Israel aid package gains Biden’s support as Speaker Mike Johnson fights to keep his jobVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he strongly supports a proposal from Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending crucial bipartisan support to the effort this week to approve $95 billion in funding for the U.S. allies. Ahead of potential weekend...
Boeing put under Senate scrutiny during back-to-back hearings on aircraft maker’s safety culture
An engineer at Boeing said Wednesday that the aircraft company, in rushing to produce as many planes as possible, is taking manufacturing shortcuts that could lead to jetliners breaking apart. “They are putting out defective airplanes,” the engineer, Sam Salehpour, told members of a Senate subcommittee. Salehpour was testifying about...
9 are facing charges in what police in Canada say is the biggest gold theft in the country’s history
TORONTO — Police said nine people are facing charges in what authorities are calling the biggest gold theft in Canadian history from Toronto’s Pearson International airport a year ago. Peel Regional Police said Wednesday that 6,600 gold bars worth more than 20 million Canadian dollars ($14.5 million), and CA$2.5 million...
Alabama lawmakers advance bills to ensure Joe Biden is on the state’s ballot
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama lawmakers advanced legislation Wednesday to ensure President Joe Biden will appear on the state’s November ballot, mirroring accommodations made four years ago for then-President Donald Trump. Legislative committees in the Alabama House of Representatives and Senate approved identical bills that would push back the state’s certification...
Senate dismisses both articles of impeachment against Homeland Security secretary, ending trialVideo
WASHINGTON — The Senate has dismissed all impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, ending the House Republican push to remove the Cabinet secretary from office over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. The two votes effectively end the trial before arguments ever began. Senators voted separately to dismiss...
Marc-Andre Fleury signs a $2.5M extension with the Wild to return for next season at age 40
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild signed goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to a one-year, $2.5 million contract extension on Wednesday, bringing back the veteran for his age-40 season. Fleury, who turns 40 on Nov. 28, has had a prolific season in which he passed Patrick Roy for second place behind...
Ford recalls over 456,000 Bronco Sport and Maverick cars due to loss of drive power risk
NEW YORK — Ford is recalling more than 456,000 Bronco Sport and Maverick vehicles due to a battery detection issue that can result in loss of drive power, increasing crash risks. According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the body and power train control modules for...
Biden announces help for federal employees who are military spouses and want to telework from abroad
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday announced new steps to improve a program that lets federal employees who also are military spouses telework from overseas. The steps are part of Jill Biden’s Joining Forces initiative to support military and veteran families. The first lady was hosting a White...
Swedish Parliament votes to make it easier for people to legally change their gender
The Swedish parliament passed a law Wednesday lowering the age required for people to legally change their gender from 18 to 16. Young people under 18 will still need approval from a guardian, a doctor, and the National Board of Health and Welfare. However, a gender dysphoria diagnosis — defined...
Storm dumps record rain across desert nation of UAE, floods Dubai’s airport
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The desert nation of the United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Wednesday from the heaviest rain ever recorded there after a deluge flooded out Dubai International Airport, disrupting flights through the world’s busiest airfield for international travel. The state-run WAM news agency called the...
UN report points to yawning gap of inequality in sexual and reproductive health worldwide
GENEVA — A new study says an African woman is roughly 130 times more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth complications than a woman in Europe or North America, the U.N. population fund reported Wednesday as it decried widening inequality in sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide. UNFPA’s...
USA Basketball announces its men’s team for the Paris Olympics
LeBron James is going back to the Olympics for the first time in 12 years. Stephen Curry is headed to the games for the first time. Kevin Durant will go there with his eyes on history. And they’re just part of a star-studded roster the Americans have assembled for the...
In politically riven Pennsylvania, primary voters’ picks could impact policy paralysis in Harrisburg
HARRISBURG — The two parties in Pennsylvania’s state House and its congressional delegation are nearly evenly divided, and that won’t change once results are in from next week’s primary election. But come November, the candidates the parties will select April 23 for hundreds of legislative seats could alter what has...
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in U.S. more likely to believe in climate change: AP-NORC poll
Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the United States are more likely than the overall adult population to believe in human-caused climate change, according to a new poll. It also suggests that partisanship may not have as much of an impact on this group’s environmental views, compared to...
Bob Graham, ex-U.S. senator and Florida governor, dies at 87
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Former U.S. Sen. and two-term Florida Gov. Bob Graham, who gained national prominence as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks and as an early critic of the Iraq war, has died. He was 87. Graham’s family announced the death...
Woman who accused Trevor Bauer of sex assault charged with defrauding him
PHOENIX — An Arizona woman who accused former major league pitcher Trevor Bauer of sexual assault has been charged with defrauding the baseball player. An indictment unsealed Monday in Maricopa County Superior Court charges the woman with fraud and theft by extortion, both felonies, but doesn’t provide specific details about...
Hockey business booming as NHL bounces back from pandemic in big way
NEW YORK — Arenas are full, the NHL is a fixture on TV screens across North America, highlight-reel goals are talking points on a near-daily basis and “The Pat McAfee Show” even has a segment called “Hockey is Awesome.” Piece it all together, and more eyes are on the puck...
AP mock draft: Steelers to take Washington offensive lineman Troy Fautanu
The NFL Draft madness begins early in the final edition of the AP’s 2024 mock draft. Eight trades in the first round. Two swaps in the top five. One team moves down and back up. Another makes three trades, going down twice before a move up to snatch a quarterback....
Heavy rain lashes UAE, surrounding nations as the death toll in Oman flooding rises to 18Video
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Heavy rain lashed the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, flooding out portions of major highways and leaving vehicles abandoned on roadways across Dubai. Meanwhile, the death toll in separate heavy flooding in neighboring Oman rose to 18 with others still missing as the sultanate prepared...
Browns’ Deshaun Watson throwing full speed after shoulder surgery; timetable unclear
BEREA, Ohio — Deshaun Watson is pleased with the velocity on his passes. At least there’s one aspect of his recovery from shoulder surgery with some speed. The Browns quarterback said Tuesday that he’s following a conservative rehab plan set up by his doctor and the team’s training staff as...
Rory McIlroy debunks LIV Golf rumors; Greg Norman claims unanimous support during Masters trip
AUGUSTA, Ga. — This wasn’t the kind of attention Rory McIlroy was hoping for on the day after the Masters. A London financial paper, City A.M., cited anonymous sources as saying McIlroy was believed to be close to an $850 million deal to join LIV Golf. The publication did not...
Biden administration recruits 15 states to help enforce airline consumer laws
The Biden administration is enlisting the help of officials in 15 states to enforce consumer-protection laws covering airline travelers, a power that by law is limited to the federal government. The Department of Transportation said Tuesday that the states, which include California, New York and Illinois, will help ensure that...
