Associated Press stories, Page 669
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....
College students are flocking to the Marriage Pact, mostly for fun, but some find lasting love
NEW YORK — It’s the stuff of movies: Two friends vow to marry each other if they’re not hitched by a specified future date or age. Well, the Marriage Pact, an annual matching ritual that has become popular on nearly 90 college campuses around the U.S., has turned that dusty...
Muslims worldwide celebrate Eid al-Fitr, but the festivities are marred by the war in Gaza
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Muslims around the world celebrated the Eid al-Fitr holiday Wednesday, marking the end of the Islamic holy month with family reunions, new clothes and sweet treats. But the celebrations were overshadowed by the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s expected offensive in the city...
Biden says Netanyahu’s approach to the war is a mistake, deepening a rift between the 2 allies
TEL AVIV, Israel — U.S. President Joe Biden called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza a mistake and called for his government to flood the beleaguered territory with aid, ramping up pressure on Israel to reach a cease-fire and widening a rift between the two staunch...
Company that made millions of defective sleep apnea machines ordered to overhaul manufacturing
WASHINGTON — The company responsible for a global recall of sleep apnea machines will be barred from resuming production at U.S. facilities until it meets a number of safety requirements, under a long-awaited settlement announced Tuesday by federal officials. Philips will be required to overhaul its manufacturing and quality control...
Tennessee Senate advances bill to arm teachers a year after deadly Nashville school shooting
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Republican lawmakers in Tennessee advanced a proposal Tuesday to allow some teachers to carry handguns on public school grounds, a move that would mark one of the state’s biggest expansions of gun access since a deadly shooting at a private elementary school last year. The proposal cleared...
