Associated Press stories, Page 7
Brooks Koepka and Scottie Scheffler ready to embrace the chaos at the wild Phoenix Open
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Brooks Koepka felt comfortable in his return to the PGA Tour at Torrey Pines last week, despite his putter not always cooperating. The five-time major champion’s second start should be even cozier, even as up to 200,000 fans cram onto TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course. Success at the...
Georgia Republican Barry Loudermilk won’t seek reelection to U.S. House
ATLANTA — Georgia Republican U.S. House member Barry Loudermilk, who has been active in efforts to discredit Democratic-led investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, announced Wednesday that he won’t seek reelection this year. Loudermilk has served in Congress since 2015. He is part of a wave of incumbents...
Epstein files rife with uncensored nudes and victims’ names, despite redaction efforts
NEW YORK — Nude photos. The names and faces of sexual abuse victims. Bank account and Social Security numbers in full view. All of these things appeared in the mountain of documents released publicly by the U.S. Justice Department as part of its effort to comply with a law requiring...
Trump taking steps toward installing Columbus statue near the White House
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — President Donald Trump is taking steps toward installing near the White House a replica of a statue of famed explorer Christopher Columbus that had been tossed into Baltimore’s harbor during his first term amid protests against institutional racism. John Pica, a Maryland lobbyist and president of the...
Penn State’s Gavin McKenna charged with felony aggravated assault
STATE COLLEGE — Penn State hockey star Gavin McKenna, a freshman center and the presumptive top pick in this summer’s NHL draft, has been charged with felony assault following an incident on Jan. 31. McKenna, 18, struck a 21-year-old male in the face during the altercation, according to the incident...
Curling opens competition at 2026 Winter Olympics as brief power outage pauses play, luge training
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — The 2026 Winter Olympics opened competition Wednesday night with the first curling matches on the schedule in Cortina only for the action to come to a brief halt because of a power outage. Officials paused the matches at the historic curling stadium when the lights dimmed...
Washington Post cuts a 3rd of its staff in a blow to legendary news brandVideo
The Washington Post laid off one-third of its staff Wednesday, eliminating its sports section, several foreign bureaus and its books coverage in a widespread purge that represented a brutal blow to journalism and one of its most legendary brands. The Post’s executive editor, Matt Murray, called the move painful but...
College football’s February signing period is quiet for most schools. Penn State is an exception
College football’s February signing period is pretty much an afterthought for most schools nowadays, but it meant plenty to new Penn State coach Matt Campbell. Penn State signed only two high school recruits during the December signing period because the Nittany Lions hadn’t yet hired Campbell away from Iowa State....
The former Prince Andrew moves to King Charles III’s private estate after Epstein document uproar
LONDON — The former Prince Andrew has moved out of his longtime home on crown-owned land near Windsor Castle earlier than expected after the latest release of documents from the U.S. investigation of Jeffrey Epstein revived questions about his friendship with the convicted sex offender. The 65-year-old brother of King...
Supreme Court allows new California congressional districts that favor Democrats
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed California to use a new voter-approved congressional map that is favorable to Democrats in this year’s elections, rejecting a last-ditch plea from state Republicans and the Trump administration. No justices dissented from the brief order denying the appeal without explanation, which is...
Former Indiana Rep. Lee Hamilton, leader of Sept. 11 panel, dies
INDIANAPOLIS — Former Rep. Lee Hamilton, a crewcut-wearing Indiana Democrat who was a leading foreign affairs voice during three decades in Congress and helped oversee investigations of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, died Tuesday. He was 94. Hamilton, who also led a congressional probe of the Reagan administration’s Iran-Contra affair...
Judge appears skeptical of Trump’s latest bid to nix his hush money conviction
NEW YORK — A federal judge appeared poised to again reject President Donald Trump’s bid to erase his hush money conviction, slamming his lawyers Wednesday for legal maneuvers he said amounted to taking “two bites at the apple.” Directed by an appeals court to take a fresh look at the...
Man who tried to shoot Trump at a Florida golf course gets life in prison
FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A man convicted of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump on a Florida golf course in 2024 was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison after a federal prosecutor said his crime was unacceptable “in this country or anywhere.” U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon pronounced Ryan Routh’s...
Free from ‘sports prison,’ Winter Games athletes get chance to enjoy Olympics without a covid lockdown
In some ways, the goals Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris set for the Milan Cortina Olympics are the same ones he set in his three previous appearances at the Games. “Landing when it matters, landing how I want to, landing my hardest tricks and walking away with some hardware,” he said....
Government lawyer yanked from immigration detail in Minnesota after telling judge ‘this job sucks’
WASHINGTON — A government lawyer who told a judge that her job “sucks” during a court hearing stemming from the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota has been removed from her Justice Department post, according to a person familiar with the matter. Julie Le had been working for the...
New Orleans police say recruit detained by ICE had been verified through agency’s system
NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Police Department is denying wrongdoing after one of its recruits was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which accused the city of violating federal immigration laws. Federal agents last month arrested New Orleans police recruit Larry Temah, a 46-year-old Cameroonian national who had...
Trump’s border czar Tom Homan pulling 700 immigration officers out of Minnesota immediately
MINNEAPOLIS — The Trump administration is reducing the number of immigration officers in Minnesota but will continue its enforcement operation that has sparked weeks of tensions and deadly confrontations, border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday. About 700 federal officers — roughly a quarter of the total deployed to Minnesota —...
Washington Post says one-third of its staff across all departments is being laid off
The Washington Post is laying off one-third of its staff in the newsroom and other departments, a brutal blow at one of journalism’s most legendary brands. The troubled Post began implementing large-scale cutbacks on Wednesday, including eliminating its sports department and shrinking the number of journalists it stations overseas. The...
Trump says Washington has waited 200 years for the arch he wants to build. Not quite
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says history is on his side. He wants to build a towering arch near the Lincoln Memorial and argues that the nation’s capital first clamored for such a monument two centuries ago — even going so far as to erect four eagle statues as part...
Vance says U.S. seeks to create a critical minerals trading bloc with its allies to counter China
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration wants to create a critical minerals trading bloc with its allies that will use tariffs to maintain price floors and defend against China’s tactic of flooding the market to undermine any potential competitors. Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that the trade war over the...
Democrats demand ‘dramatic changes’ for ICE, including masks, cameras and judicial warrants
WASHINGTON — Democrats are threatening to block funding for the Homeland Security Department when it expires in two weeks unless there are “dramatic changes” and “real accountability” for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other law enforcement agencies who are carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign of federal immigration enforcement...
Minnesota athletes head into Olympics with concerns about turmoil back homeVideo
ST. PAUL, Minn. — As excitement has built and focus has sharpened in preparation for the Winter Olympics, biathlete and Minnesota native Luci Anderson has been jarred at times by thoughts of home. One day last week, while Anderson watched from Italy, her family members marched among thousands of people...
Judge: Deal reached to protect identities of Epstein victims in documents release
NEW YORK — A deal was reached between lawyers for victims of Jeffrey Epstein and the Justice Department to protect the identities of nearly 100 women whose lives were allegedly harmed after the government began releasing millions of documents last week, a lawyer told a federal judge on Tuesday. Judge...
Doberman pinscher named Penny wins best in show at the 150th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
NEW YORK — The dog was Penny. The win was priceless. A Doberman pinscher named Penny won best in show Tuesday night at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, netting U.S. show dogs’ most coveted prize — and giving veteran Andy Linton another win after nearly four decades. Linton got...
Macdonald’s focus on defense a perfect fit for Seahawks heading into Super Bowl
SEATTLE — Long before the Seattle Seahawks reached their fourth Super Bowl, coach Mike Macdonald donned a blue, gas station attendant-style shirt with a team logo on the chest. He made the fashion statement after the Seahawks put the finishing touches on their 2025 draft, just as he and president...
