Associated Press stories, Page 665
Small, nonthreatening balloon intercepted over Utah by NORAD
SALT LAKE CITY — A small, nonthreatening balloon spotted flying high over the mountainous Western United States was intercepted by a fighter jet over Utah on Friday, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command. NORAD fighter pilots sent in the morning to investigate the balloon determined it was “not...
Police: 7 farmworkers in van, 1 pickup driver killed in California crash
MADERA, Calif. — Seven farmworkers traveling in a van and the driver of a pickup truck were killed Friday in a head-on crash in a farming area in central California, police said. The crash at 6:15 a.m. left the van almost completely crumpled among blooming almond trees near the town...
Private U.S. spacecraft is on its side on the moon, company says
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A private U.S. lunar lander tipped over at touchdown and ended up on its side near the moon’s south pole, hampering communications, company officials said Friday. Intuitive Machines initially believed its six-footed lander, Odysseus, was upright after Thursday’s touchdown. But CEO Steve Altemus said Friday the...
Jury: Former NRA chief Wayne LaPierre misspent gun rights group’s money, owes more than $4M
NEW YORK — The longtime head of the National Rifle Association, Wayne LaPierre, misspent millions of dollars of the organization’s money, using the funds to pay for an extravagant lifestyle that included exotic getaways and trips on private planes and superyachts, a New York jury determined Friday. The jury found...
NFL’s salary cap skyrockets to $255.4 million, up a record $30.6 millionVideo
NEW YORK — The NFL’s salary cap for 2024 will be $255.4 million, up a record $30.6 million from last year. The cap number has gone from $198.2 million in 2020 to $182.5 million in 2021 following the covid-19 pandemic. It increased to $208.2 million in 2022 and $224.8 million...
Alvaro Ortiz goes for a big win at home. He shares the lead in Mexico OpenVideo
VALLARTA, Mexico — Alvaro Ortiz got off to a strong start and did just enough right at the end for a 7-under-par 64, giving him a share of the lead Friday in the Mexico Open as he goes for yet another victory in his home country. This would be the...
Woman found dead on University of Georgia campus after she failed to return from run
ATHENS, Ga. — A woman found dead on the University of Georgia campus was a student at a nearby nursing school, said authorities, who were checking security cameras and advising students to travel in groups and avoid the wooded area where her body was found. Police do not have a...
3 University of Wyoming swimmers killed in highway crash in Colorado
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Three members of the University of Wyoming swimming and diving team were killed in a highway crash in northern Colorado. The crash happened Thursday afternoon on U.S. 287 about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of the Wyoming-Colorado line between Laramie and Fort Collins, Colo. The crash injured...
Photos: Total solar eclipses around the world
The complete shrouding of our sun by the moon has mesmerized humanity for millennia — a moment in time when skies darken and stillness creeps in. It’s spellbinding not only for the lucky ones in the path of total darkness, but also those on the fringes of the moon’s shadow...
Bible-quoting Alabama chief justice sparks church-state debate in embryo ruling
When the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are considered children under state law, its chief justice had a higher authority in mind. By citing verses from the Bible and Christian theologians in his concurring opinion, Chief Justice Tom Parker alarmed advocates for church-state separation, while delighting religious conservatives...
Ally of late Kremlin critic Navalny says authorities threaten to bury him on prison grounds
An ally of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Friday that Russian authorities have given his mother a deadline to agree to forgo a public funeral or else they’ll bury him on prison grounds. Lyudmila Navalnaya was given three hours to accept a proposal for a private funeral outside...
Lander ‘alive and well’ after company scores first U.S. moon landing since Apollo era
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The moon’s newest arrival was said to be “alive and well” a day after making the first U.S. landing in half a century, but flight controllers were still trying to get a better handle on its bearings. Intuitive Machines reported Friday that it’s communicating with its...
Netanyahu seeks open-ended control over security and civilian affairs in Gaza in new postwar plan
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel seeks open-ended control over security and civilian affairs in the Gaza Strip, according to a long-awaited postwar plan by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was swiftly rejected Friday by Palestinian leaders and runs counter to Washington’s vision for the war-ravaged enclave. Prime Minister Benjamin...
MLB players miffed at sport’s new see-through pants, relaying concerns to league
PEORIA, Ariz. — MLB’s new uniform reveal hasn’t gone very well. Now some of the rampant criticism has moved below the belt. Major League Baseball Players Association deputy executive director Bruce Meyer confirmed on Thursday that the organization is relaying concerns from players to MLB about the new pants, which...
AT&T says the outage to its U.S. cellphone network was not caused by a cyberattack
AT&T said the hourslong outage to its U.S. cellphone network Thursday appeared to be the result of a technical error, not a malicious attack. The outage knocked out cellphone service for thousands of its users across the U.S. starting early Thursday before it was restored. AT&T blamed the incident on...
Trump’s lawyers call for dismissal of classified documents case, citing presidential immunity
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump’s legal team filed multiple motions Thursday night urging a Florida judge to dismiss the criminal case charging him with illegally retaining classified documents, claiming in part that presidential immunity protects him from prosecution — an argument they have already submitted to the U.S. Supreme...
U.S. is imposing more than 500 new sanctions on Russia’s war machine, indicts Russian businessmen
WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department plans to impose more than 500 new sanctions on Russia and its war machine on Friday as the U.S. vows to keep up its financial pressure on Moscow with the war entering its third grueling year. The sanctions represent the largest single tranche of penalties...
Erik van Rooyen opens with a 63 in bid to win again in Mexico
VALLARTA, Mexico — Erik van Rooyen made two eagles Thursday on his way to an 8-under-par 63 for a one-shot lead in the Mexico Open at Vidanta, a strong start in his bid to win a second PGA Tour title in Mexico in the last four months. Van Rooyen hit...
New college football game blocks users from adding players who reject NIL opt-in
Gamers will be blocked from manually adding players to EA Sports’ new college football game who decide not to accept an offer to have their name, image and likeness used in it, the video-game developer said Thursday. EA Sports revealed the safeguard in its announcement that it has begun reaching...
Mexico president denies report of allegations that close associates took drug money during campaign
MEXICO CITY — Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador denied allegations contained in a U.S. media report published Thursday about a U.S. inquiry into accusations that people close to him took money from drug traffickers shortly before his 2018 election and again after he was president. The New York Times...
Former AL batting champion Tim Anderson agrees to 1-year deal with Marlins
MIAMI — Former AL batting champion Tim Anderson agreed to a one-year contact Thursday with the Miami Marlins, according to multiple reports. The deal for the shortstop is pending a physical and is worth $5 million, according to ESPN. Anderson is Miami’s first big free-agent addition of the offseason. The...
NCAA provides glimpse into process of choosing teams for March Madness
PHOENIX — Selection Sunday also happens to be the biggest complaint day on the sports calendar. How could they leave my team out? Why is mine playing that far away? You seriously gave (my favorite team) a No. 8 seed instead of 6? Settle down. Selecting, seeding and bracketing the...
Gabby Douglas pulls out of 1st meet in 8 years with covid
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Gabby Douglas’ return to competition is going to have to wait. The 2012 Olympic gymnastics champion pulled out of this weekend’s Winter Cup in Louisville, Ky., after posting on social media that she had tested positive for covid-19. The 28-year-old Douglas was planning to compete in three...
Private lander touches down on the moon but sending weak signalVideo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A private lander on Thursday made the first U.S. touchdown on the moon in more than 50 years, but managed just a weak signal back until flight controllers scrambled to gain better contact. Despite the spotty communication, Intuitive Machines, the company that built and managed the...
New York AG says she’ll seize Donald Trump’s property if he can’t pay $454 million civil fraud debt
NEW YORK — Donald Trump could be at risk of losing some of his prized properties if he can’t pay his staggering New York civil fraud penalty. With interest, he owes the state nearly $454 million — and the amount is going up $87,502 each day until he pays. New...
