Associated Press stories, Page 673
NASCAR star Denny Hamlin vows to be more selfish at Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Don’t expect Denny Hamlin to stay in line during the closing laps of the Daytona 500. He’s not settling for second. He’s not sacrificing his finish to help a teammate. He’s not counting on anyone else, either. It’s exactly how he wants it, maybe how he...
In fiery testimony, Fani Willis hits back at misconduct claims that threaten future of Trump caseVideo
ATLANTA — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis took the witness stand Thursday and forcefully pushed back against what she described as “lies” about her romantic relationship with a special prosecutor during an extraordinary hearing over misconduct allegations that threaten to upend one of four criminal cases against Donald Trump....
Rob Manfred says he will retire as baseball commissioner in January 2029 after 14 yearsVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday he will retire when his current term ends in January 2029. Speaking at a spring training news conference, Manfred noted he will be 70 years old and been commissioner for 14 years when his term ends on Jan. 25, 2029. “You...
FBI informant charged with lying about Joe and Hunter Biden’s ties to Ukrainian energy company
WASHINGTON — An FBI informant has been charged with lying to authorities about a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden, his son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company, a claim that is central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress. Alexander Smirnov falsely reported in June 2020 that executives...
MetLife Stadium to host 2 outdoor NHL games with playoff implications
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Two games in two days. A concert. Four Metropolitan Division rivals separated by about a 100-mile corridor that runs from New York to Philadelphia. Roughly 140,000 fans sitting in bone-chilling temperatures waiting to shout for a goal or great save. Hockey is coming back to the...
Pennsylvania courts say no ransom was paid in cyberattack, and attackers never sent a demand
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s state courts agency said Thursday that it never received a ransom demand as part of a cyberattack that briefly shut down some of its online services earlier this month and prompted a federal investigation. The attack, called a “denial of services” attack, on the website of the...
Blue Jackets fire GM Jarmo Kekalainen midway through his 11th full seasonVideo
The Columbus Blue Jackets fired general manager Jarmo Kekalainen on Thursday, ending his time on the job ahead of another crucial trade deadline for the struggling club. President of hockey operations John Davidson made the call midway through Kekalainen’s 11th full season on the job and with just over three...
Russia has obtained a ‘troubling’ emerging anti-satellite weapon, the White House says
WASHINGTON — The White House publicly confirmed on Thursday that Russia has obtained a “troubling” emerging anti-satellite weapon but said it cannot directly cause “physical destruction” on Earth. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said U.S. intelligence officials have information that Russia has obtained the capability but that such...
Pennsylvania man charged with beheading father carried photos of federal buildings, bomb plans, DA says
The suburban Philadelphia man charged with decapitating his father and posting a video online in which he held up the severed head had a device with photos of federal buildings and apparent instructions for making explosives when he was arrested, authorities said Thursday. Justin Mohn, 32, faces a dozen new...
Cleveland-Cliffs to shutter West Virginia tin plant, lay off 900 after tariff ruling
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Cleveland-Cliffs announced Thursday that it is shutting down a northern West Virginia tin production facility indefinitely and plans to lay off 900 workers after the International Trade Commission voted against imposing tariffs on tin imports. The trade commission ruled earlier this year that no anti-dumping and countervailing...
On the USS Eisenhower, 4 months of combat at sea facing Houthi missiles and new sea threat
ABOARD THE USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER — Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and its accompanying warships have spent four months straight at sea defending against ballistic missiles and flying attack drones fired by Iranian-backed Houthis, and are now more regularly also defending against a new threat...
Study: More people die after smoking drugs than injecting them
NEW YORK — Smoking has surpassed injecting as the most common way of taking drugs in U.S. overdose deaths, a new government study suggests. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called its study published Thursday the largest to look at how Americans took the drugs that killed them. CDC...
Lyme disease case counts in U.S. rose by almost 70% in 2022 due to change in how it’s reported
NEW YORK — Lyme disease cases in the U.S. jumped nearly 70% in 2022, which health officials say is not due to a major increase of new infections but instead a change in reporting requirements. Reported cases surpassed 62,000 in 2022, after averaging about 37,000 a year from 2017 through...
Venezuela orders UN office on human rights to close and its staff to leave in 3 days
CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela’s government on Thursday ordered the local U.N. office on human rights to suspend operations and gave its staff 72 hours to leave, accusing the office of promoting opposition to the South American country. Foreign Affairs Minister Yván Gil announced the decision at a news conference in...
Trump’s New York hush-money case will start March 25 — the 1st of his criminal trials
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s hush-money trial will go ahead as scheduled with jury selection starting March 25, a New York judge ruled Thursday, turning aside demands for delay from the former president’s defense lawyers, who argued it would interfere with his campaign to retake the White House. The decision...
Red flags, missed clues: How accused U.S. diplomat-turned-Cuban spy avoided scrutiny for decades
MIAMI — Manuel Rocha was well known in Miami’s elite circles for an aristocratic, almost regal, bearing that seemed fitting for an Ivy League-educated career U.S. diplomat who held top posts in Argentina, Bolivia, Cuba and the White House. “Ambassador Rocha,” as he preferred to be called, demanded and got...
Joey Logano, Michael McDowell lead Ford sweep of Daytona 500 front row during qualifying
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ford swept the front row in qualifying for the Daytona 500 with former race winners Joey Logano and Michael McDowell shocking powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports. “This is all about the team. I’d like to take credit, but I can’t. Superspeedway qualifying is 100% the car,” said Logano,...
Ford CEO says company will rethink where it builds vehicles after last year’s autoworkers strike
DETROIT — Last fall’s contentious United Auto Workers’ strike changed Ford’s relationship with the union to the point where it will “think carefully” about where it builds future vehicles, Ford’s top executive said Thursday. CEO Jim Farley told the Wolfe Research Global Auto Conference in New York that the company...
Police: Shooting after Chiefs Super Bowl parade seemed to stem from dispute among several people
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The mass shooting that unfolded amid throngs of people at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration appeared to stem from a dispute between several people, authorities said Thursday. Police Chief Stacey Graves said that the 22 people injured in the shooting ranged between the ages...
Israeli forces storm the main hospital in southern Gaza, saying hostages were likely held there
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli forces stormed the main hospital in southern Gaza on Thursday, hours after Israeli fire killed a patient and wounded six others inside the complex. The Israeli army said it was a limited operation seeking the remains of hostages taken by Hamas. The raid came a...
Democrats embrace tougher border enforcement, seeing Trump’s demolition of deal as a ‘gift’
WASHINGTON — The Senate’s border proposal was one of the toughest bipartisan bills to emerge on the issue in decades. Yet it quickly collapsed when Republicans — galvanized by Donald Trump, the likely Republican presidential nominee — rejected the compromise as insufficient. Now Democrats see an opening. Senate Majority Leader...
As the Penguins retire his jersey, Jagr at 52 is still going strong on his Czech hometown team
KLADNO, Czech Republic — The legendary mullet is gone. He’s not as quick as he used to be. And yet the way Jaromir Jagr moves on the ice belies his age and evokes memories of his glory days in the NHL. Strong on the puck, tough to beat by the...
U.S. company’s lunar lander rockets toward the moon for a touchdown attempt next week
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Another private U.S. company took a shot at the moon Thursday, launching a month after a rival’s lunar lander missed its mark and came crashing back. NASA, the main sponsor with experiments on board, is hoping for a successful moon landing next week as it seeks...
North Carolina tells nature-based therapy program to stop admissions during probe of boy’s death
LAKE TOXAWAY, N.C. — North Carolina health officials have told a nature-based therapy program to stop admissions and take other steps to ensure children’s safety during the investigation of a 12-year-old boy’s death earlier this month. Department of Health and Human Services officials said in a letter to Trails Carolina...
Thompson’s 27, Burns’ double-double lead Youngstown State over Robert MorrisVideo
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Brett Thompson scored 27 points, Damiree Burns had a huge double-double and Youngstown State beat Robert Morris, 87-77, on Wednesday night. Burns had 24 points and 17 rebounds for the Penguins (19-8, 11-5 Horizon League). Ziggy Reid finished with 20 points and added eight rebounds. Josh Corbin...
