Associated Press stories, Page 696
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin returns to work at the Pentagon after cancer surgery complications
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin returned to work at the Pentagon on Monday after nearly a month’s absence because of prostate cancer and was meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. “At this important time, I’m glad to be back at the Pentagon,” said Austin, speaking at the start...
Lamar Jackson after falling to 2-4 in the playoffs: ‘I’m not frustrated, I’m angry’
BALTIMORE — With a trip to the Super Bowl just one victory away, the Baltimore Ravens looked nothing like the team that finished the regular season with the best record in the NFL before thrashing Houston in their playoff opener. Worse, Lamar Jackson bore little resemblance to the quarterback who...
The Super Bowl is set: Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will face Brock Purdy and the 49ers
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs are heading to Las Vegas with a chance for a rare repeat while facing the San Francisco 49ers in a Super Bowl rematch from four years ago. The Chiefs beat Lamar Jackson and the No. 1-seeded Baltimore Ravens, 17-10, in the...
Alex Murdaugh denied new double-murder trial after judge hears jury tampering allegations
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina judge on Monday denied Alex Murdaugh’s bid for a new trial after his defense team accused a clerk of court of tampering with a jury. Judge Jean Toal said she wasn’t sure if Colleton County Clerk Becky Hill was telling the truth that she...
N. Scott Momaday, Pulitzer Prize winner and giant of Native American literature, dead at 89
NEW YORK — N. Scott Momaday, a Pulitzer Prize-winning storyteller, poet, educator and folklorist whose debut novel “House Made of Dawn” is widely credited as the starting point for contemporary Native American literature, has died. He was 89. Momaday died Wednesday at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, publisher...
U.S. to receive gold medals in wake of figure skater Kamlia Valieva’s Olympic DQ
GENEVA — International Olympic officials have told counterparts in the United States that their figure skating team will receive gold medals now that Russian skater Kamila Valieva has been disqualified for doping at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee received word Monday night that...
Amazon calls off bid to buy robot vacuum cleaner iRobot amid scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe
LONDON — Amazon on Monday called off its proposed acquisition of iRobot, which was facing antitrust scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic, with the ecommerce giant blaming “undue and disproportionate regulatory hurdles.” The companies said in joint statement that they “entered into a mutual agreement to terminate their announced...
How (and where) to watch Oscar-nominated films online
The winner in the Oscar nominations race Tuesday after a bruising year for the film industry was “Oppenheimer” with 13 nods, followed by the otherworldly “Poor Things” with 11 and the period epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” with 10. 2023 was marred by strikes and work stoppages for the...
New Orleans thief steals 7 king cakes from bakery in a very Mardi Gras way
NEW ORLEANS — With their purple, gold and green colors and toy babies hidden inside, king cakes are staples of Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, but apparently they’re also valuable enough to steal — at least this time of year during the Carnival season. A thief stole seven king...
Small biz owners scale back their office space or go remote altogether. Some move to the suburbs
NEW YORK — After 46 years, Steve Replin has decided to give up his office space. Replin, who has a law practice and acts as an alternative lender in Denver, is adapting to the changing preferences of clients, who would rather conduct business online, or in a less professional setting...
Inflation has slowed. Now the Federal Reserve faces expectations for rate cuts
WASHINGTON — Chair Jerome Powell will enter this week’s Federal Reserve meeting in a much more desirable position than he likely ever expected: Inflation is getting close to the Fed’s target rate, the economy is still growing at a healthy pace, consumers keep spending and the unemployment rate is near...
Kate, princess of Wales, is discharged from London hospital after abdominal surgery
LONDON — The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor after being hospitalized for abdominal surgery at a private London clinic, her office at Kensington Palace said Monday. The wife of Prince William underwent planned abdominal surgery on Jan. 16 for an undisclosed condition. The palace did not provide...
X pauses Taylor Swift searches as deepfake explicit images spread
Elon Musk’s social media platform X has blocked searches for Taylor Swift as pornographic deepfake images of the singer have circulated online. Attempts to search for her name on the site resulted in an error message and a prompt for users to retry their search, which added, “Don’t fret —...
Apparent Israeli strike on area of Syrian capital where Iran-backed fighters operate kills 2
DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian media and an opposition war monitor said an apparent Israeli airstrike on a Damascus suburb where Iran-backed fighters have a presence killed two people on Monday. An official from an Iranian-backed group said the strike also caused some material damage. There was no immediate comment from...
Central Park 5 exoneree and council member says police stopped him without giving a reason
New York City Council Member Yusef Salaam, a member of the exonerated group of men known as the Central Park Five, says he was stopped and pulled over by police without being given an explanation. The police stop Friday in New York City casts a renewed light on a police...
Brock Purdy, 49ers rally from 17 points down, beat Lions to advance to Super Bowl
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brock Purdy threw for 267 yards and a touchdown, and the San Francisco 49ers rallied from 17 points down at halftime to beat the Detroit Lions, 34-31, on Sunday and reach the Super Bowl. The 49ers (14-5) scored 17 points in an eight-minute span of the...
Teenager awaiting trial in 2020 homicide who fled outside hospital is captured in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — A teenager awaiting trial in a homicide case who escaped outside a Philadelphia hospital last week was captured on Sunday, police said. Shane Pryor was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service, said Sgt. Eric Gripp with the Philadelphia Police Department. The marshals will hand the 17-year-old...
Schools are using surveillance tech to catch students vaping, snaring some with harsh punishments
When Aaliyah Iglesias was caught vaping at a Texas high school, she didn’t realize how much could be taken from her. Suddenly, the rest of her high school experience was threatened: being student council president, her role as debate team captain and walking at graduation. Even her college scholarships were...
Rangers’ Filip Chytil is out for season after injury setback
New York Rangers forward Filip Chytil will miss the rest of the season after experiencing an injury setback. Chytil, 24, has not played since early November because of suspected concussion issues that led him to go home to his native Czechia and skate with Jaromir Jagr, among others, in an...
Police ID man accused of fleeing with suspect’s gun after officer shot, suspect killed
PHILADELPHIA — Authorities have identified a man they allege fled a north Philadelphia corner store with a gun that had been used to wound a police officer after the shooter was fatally wounded by another officer. Police said Sunday that they are seeking 42-year-old Jose Quinones-Mendez on firearms, theft, obstruction...
Browns hire former quarterback Ken Dorsey as their offensive coordinator
CLEVELAND — Ken Dorsey has control of Cleveland’s offense again. The former Browns quarterback — and former Buffalo coordinator — has been hired by coach Kevin Stefanski as the team’s offensive coordinator, a person familiar with the hiring told The Associated Press on Sunday. Dorsey was fired as Buffalo’s offensive...
Illinois election officials to weigh recommendation to remove Trump’s name from March primary ballot
CHICAGO — Former President Donald Trump should be removed from Illinois’ primary ballot, but the decision should be left to the courts, a retired judge recommended Sunday to the state’s election board, arguing that it was clear Trump engaged in insurrection in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S....
Mahomes, Kelce are headed to the Super Bowl after Chiefs shut down Ravens 17-10Video
BALTIMORE — The first quarter was vintage Patrick Mahomes, picking apart the Baltimore defense with quick passes, with Travis Kelce on the other end of several of them. Then the Kansas City defense — now elite after some shaky seasons in the past — took over. Finally, when Mahomes needed...
Tigers give a $28.6M, 6-year deal to 22-year-old prospect Colt Keith
DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers made an unusual bet on a player with no major-league experience, agreeing Sunday to a six-year contract with 22-year-old Colt Keith that guarantees the infield prospect $28,642,500. His deal includes three team options that could make it worth $64 million over nine seasons, and the...
Chiefs’ Travis Kelce sets NFL record for postseason receptions with big 1st half against RavensVideo
BALTIMORE — Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has set an NFL record for most career catches in postseason play. With his seventh reception in the first half of Sunday’s AFC championship game against the Baltimore Ravens, Kelce brought his total in the playoffs to 152. That broke the...
