Associated Press stories, Page 692
French bulldogs remain the most popular U.S. breed in new rankings. Many fans aren’t happy
NEW YORK — French bulldogs. U.S. dog owners. C’est l’amour. Frenchies remained the United States’ most commonly registered purebred dogs last year, according to American Kennel Club rankings released Wednesday. The club calls the Frenchie the most popular breed, though other canine constituencies may beg to differ. Is it a...
England is limiting gender transitions for youths. U.S. legislators are watching
Legislators in at least two U.S. states are citing a recent decision in England to restrict gender transitions for young people as support for their own related proposals. They weren’t the first to turn to other countries, notably in Europe, for policy and research ideas. Lawmakers across the U.S., where...
IRS chief zeroes in on wealthy tax cheats in AP interview
WASHINGTON — IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel has a message for high-wealth tax cheats who are wrongly deducting private jet travel and otherwise shorting the government on their taxes: Pay your fair share so “others aren’t shouldering the burden of funding our government.” He also has a thought for ordinary taxpayers...
Heavy fighting rages around Gaza’s biggest hospital as Israel raids it for a second day
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Explosions and shootings shook the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital and surrounding neighborhoods as Israeli forces stormed through the facility for a second day Tuesday. The military said it had killed 50 Hamas militants in the hospital, but it could not be independently confirmed that the dead...
Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong resigns amid anti-corruption campaign
HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong resigned after a little over a year on the job, the Communist Party said Wednesday, making him the latest senior official to leave office amid an intense anti-corruption campaign. The party said it had accepted his resignation, writing in a statement that...
Texas’ migrant arrest law is back on hold after briefly taking effect
McALLEN, Texas — Texas’ plans to arrest migrants suspected of entering the U.S. illegally were again on hold Wednesday after setting off uncertainty along the border and anger from Mexico flared during a brief few hours that the law was allowed to take effect. A late-night order Tuesday from a...
Mega Millions jackpot reaches $977 million after no one wins Tuesday’s drawing
The Mega Millions jackpot has reached $977 million for Friday night’s drawing after no tickets matched all six numbers drawn on Tuesday night. The winning numbers drawn on Tuesday were 24, 46, 49, 62, 66 and the gold Mega Ball was 7. The estimated jackpot was $893 million with a...
Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously approve security law giving government more power to curb dissent
HONG KONG — Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously approved a new national security law Tuesday that grants the government more power to quash dissent, widely seen as the latest step in a sweeping political crackdown triggered by pro-democracy protests in 2019. The legislature passed the Safeguarding National Security Bill during a...
Doing business in China is growing tougher, more uncertain, European business group says
BEIJING — Uncertainty and “draconian regulations” have drastically raised risks for foreign businesses in China, a report by a European business group said Wednesday. The lengthy paper by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China urges China’s leaders to do more to address concerns that it says have “grown...
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumor mill. That’s a tall order
LONDON — The late Queen Elizabeth II used to say that the royal family has to be seen to be believed. That became glaringly evident as the absence of Kate, the Princess of Wales, from public view unleashed an escalating frenzy of wild speculation, skepticism and flat-out conspiracy theories fueled...
Top former U.S. generals say failures of Biden administration in planning drove chaotic fall of Kabul
WASHINGTON — The top two U.S. generals who oversaw the evacuation of Afghanistan as it fell to the Taliban in August 2021 blamed the Biden administration for the chaotic departure, telling lawmakers Tuesday that it inadequately planned for the evacuation and did not order it in time. The rare testimony...
2 Japanese men die in river near Washington state waterfall made popular on TikTok
INDEX, Wash. — The bodies of two people recovered over the weekend after they fell into the water at a dangerous swimming area in Washington state made popular by TikTok have been identified as men from Japan. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the men Tuesday as Hiroya Konosu,...
Biden tells Latino voters: ‘I need you back’
PHOENIX — President Joe Biden on Tuesday personally appealed to Latino voters, saying they’re the reason he defeated Donald Trump in 2020 and urging them to help him do it again in November. “I need you back,” he told several dozen supporters packed into a local Mexican restaurant. Biden said...
Biden and Trump notch more wins in Tuesday’s primaries
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Joe Biden and Donald Trump won their parties’ primaries in Kansas on Tuesday, notching more delegates as they continue their march to a rematch in November’s presidential election. Biden, a Democrat, and Trump, a Republican, also easily won primaries Tuesday in Ohio and Illinois. Trump also won...
Melvin Council Jr. scores 21, Wagner beats Howard in First Four
DAYTON, Ohio — Wagner kicked off March Madness with the first NCAA Tournament win in program history, getting 21 points from Melvin Council Jr. and holding off a late rally by Howard to win 71-68 in the First Four on Tuesday night. The Northeast Conference champion Seahawks (17-15) advanced as...
Trump-backed Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno wins Ohio’s GOP Senate primary
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno won Ohio’s Republican Senate primary on Tuesday, just days after former President Donald Trump visited the state to boost his endorsed candidate in a three-way race that remained competitive to the end. Moreno prevailed after a contentious and expensive fight against Ohio Secretary...
From MVP to DNP: Florida believes guard Riley Kugel ‘will respond the right way’ after benching
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s Riley Kugel went from MVP to DNP in less than a year. The 6-foot-5 guard was so sensational down the stretch last season that he considered turning pro. Now, he’s the Gators’ biggest X-factor heading into the NCAA Tournament — assuming he even plays. Kugel was...
Former Penguins player Konstantin Koltsov dies in Florida at 42Video
MIAMI — Former Belarusian hockey player Konstantin Koltsov, who spent parts of three seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, has died in Florida, police said Tuesday. He was 42. Miami-Dade Police detective Argemis Colome confirmed Koltsov’s death in a statement sent to the Associated Press. Police said the death was an...
Baby giraffe dies of a broken neck at Zoo Miami
MIAMI — A baby giraffe has died of a broken neck at Zoo Miami, zoo officials said. The giraffe, born Dec. 15, was found by the zoo’s staff Saturday morning, spokesperson Ron Magill said. “Because the event that led to this trauma happened overnight and was not personally observed, zoo...
Trump asks Supreme Court to dismiss case charging him with plotting to overturn 2020 election
WASHINGTON — Lawyers for Donald Trump urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to dismiss an indictment charging the former president with conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election, renewing their arguments that he is immune from prosecution for official acts taken in the White House. Lower courts...
Purdue’s Edey, Tennessee’s Knecht, UNC’s Davis headline the AP men’s college All-America teamsVideo
For the second straight year, Purdue’s Zach Edey is the unanimous headliner for The Associated Press men’s college basketball All-America team. The 7-foot-4, 300-pound senior topped all 62 ballots from AP Top 25 poll voters in results released Tuesday. The reigning AP national player of the year claimed all 58...
Analysis: Despite low trade value, Justin Fields still has potential to be a special playerVideo
Justin Fields went from being considered a franchise quarterback to disregarded by the Chicago Bears in just three seasons. It’s quite a fall for a former first-round pick who showed promise. After more than a dozen QBs switched teams last week in the opening days of the NFL’s free-agent frenzy,...
More than 6 in 10 U.S. abortions in 2023 were done by medication — a significant jump since 2020
More than six in 10 of the abortions in the United States last year were done through medication, up from 53% in 2020, new research shows. The Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights, said about 642,700 medication abortions took place in the first full calendar year after...
ESPN will remain the home of the College Football Playoff through 2031 under $7.8 billion deal
The College Football Playoff and ESPN announced a $7.8 billion deal Tuesday that will give the network exclusive rights to the expanded postseason through the 2031 season, with the national championship game moving to ABC starting in 2026. Financial terms were not announced, but as previously reported the new six-year...
Supreme Court lifts stay on Texas law that gives police broad powers to arrest migrants at border
A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Texas to begin enforcing a law that gives police broad powers to arrest migrants suspected of crossing the border illegally while a legal battle over the measure plays out. The conservative majority’s order rejects an emergency application from the Biden administration, which says...
