Associated Press stories, Page 711
Prosecutors: South Carolina prison supervisor took $219,000 in bribes; got 173 cellphones to inmates
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A supervisor who managed security at a South Carolina prison accepted more than $219,000 in bribes over three years and got 173 contraband cellphones for inmates, according to federal prosecutors. Christine Mary Livingston, 46, was indicted earlier this month on 15 charges including bribery, conspiracy, wire fraud...
NBA Playoffs 2024: Playoff positioning fights continue, and see what games matter most
Sacramento, Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers are in the Western Conference play-in tournament. Chicago will host Atlanta in an Eastern Conference play-in game next week. Dallas will play the Los Angeles Clippers in Round 1. And Boston, as has known for a while, will have home-court advantage throughout...
In death, 3 decades after his trial verdict, O.J. Simpson still reflects America’s racial divides
For many people old enough to remember O.J. Simpson’s murder trial, his 1995 exoneration was a defining moment in their understanding of race, policing and justice. Nearly three decades later, it still reflects the different realities of white and Black Americans. Some people recall watching their Black coworkers and classmates...
Kentucky hires BYU’s Mark Pope as men’s basketball coach to replace John Calipari
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky has hired BYU’s Mark Pope as men’s basketball coach, bringing home a member of the Wildcats’ 1996 national championship team to succeed John Calipari. The school announced the 51-year-old Pope’s hiring in a release Friday morning but did not mention any contract details. Pope replaces Calipari,...
Sudan’s war began a year ago. Children are among its most fragile survivors
METCHE CAMP, Chad — The war in Sudan began a year ago. Here in a remote camp for tens of thousands of people who have fled into neighboring Chad, the anniversary is marked by near starvation. Assadig Abubaker Salih is a 42-year-old mother of six. The family survived the hot,...
Project to shore up Pompeii yields stunning black banquet hall, with frescoes of Trojan War figures
ROME — Archaeologists excavating new sites in Pompeii have uncovered a sumptuous banquet hall decorated with intricately frescoed mythological characters inspired by the Trojan War, officials said Thursday. The hall, which features a mosaic floor, was uncovered as part of a project to shore up the areas dividing the excavated...
Kremlin says 2022 draft document could serve as starting point for future Ukraine peace talks
MOSCOW — A draft peace agreement that Russia and Ukraine negotiated in the early days of the war could serve as a starting point for talks to end the fighting, the Kremlin said Friday, reviving a proposal that Ukraine had rejected. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the draft document...
Bryson DeChambeau puts on a Masters clinic and takes a 1-shot lead over Scottie SchefflerVideo
AUGUSTA, Ga. — The third iteration of Bryson DeChambeau might be the most daunting at the Masters. Once the mad scientist, then the incredible bulk, DeChambeau has entered what he called simply the “golf phase,” and it was enough to carry him to a 7-under-par 65 in a relentless wind...
Tiger Woods off to rousing start in pursuit of more Masters history, maybe another green jacketVideo
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods can still draw a crowd. And the way he started the Masters on Thursday, there seems a good chance the patrons will get to cheer him on through the weekend. With a massive gallery hanging on his every swing at windy Augusta National, Woods recorded...
Bryson DeChambeau, matured in both game and attitude, opens with 65 to lead the MastersVideo
AUGUSTA, Ga. — It took Bryson DeChambeau four years and 13 rounds to finally break par at Augusta National. His par. Or at least, what he once proclaimed to be his par. DeChambeau birdied his first three holes Thursday, made five more over his last seven, and opened with a...
Treasury wants to boost foreign investment review powers, as Congress dissects Nippon, TikTok deals
WASHINGTON — U.S. Treasury wants to enhance the power of a little-known, secretive government committee to review deals made between U.S. firms and foreign investors. This comes as high-profile deals involving foreign investment in the U.S. — like Chinese firm ByteDance’s ownership of popular social media app TikTok and Japanese...
Judge dismisses lawsuits filed against rapper Drake over deadly Astroworld concert
HOUSTON — Hip-hop artist Drake has been dismissed from a lawsuit over the deadly 2021 Astroworld festival in Houston in which 10 people were killed, a judge has ruled. Drake was a special guest of rap superstar Travis Scott, who had headlined the festival. He performed with Scott at the...
Scott Drew not going to Kentucky, will stay put as Baylor’s coach
WACO, Texas — Scott Drew will remain as Baylor’s men’s basketball coach, stating his desire to “bring more championships” to the program on social media after being linked to the Kentucky coaching vacancy after John Calipari’s departure to Arkansas. Drew mentioned his Christian faith in a post on X and...
Tom Watson wants the unity he saw at Masters Champions Dinner for all of golf, end to PGA-LIV riftVideo
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tom Watson saw only unity, conversation and easy laughter among 33 champions at the Masters Club dinner, seven of them now with Saudi-funded LIV Golf. Watson longs for the day golf can feel that way all year long. Unity is a popular topic at the first major...
Ex-NBA player scores victory with Kentucky bill to expand coverage for stuttering treatment
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Former basketball star Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored a victory Thursday as a leading advocate for a new Kentucky law that will expand insurance coverage for people seeking treatment for stuttering. Kidd-Gilchrist, who played on a national championship team at the University of Kentucky and spent several years playing...
Instagram begins blurring nudity in messages to protect teens and fight sexual extortion
LONDON — Instagram says it’s deploying new tools to protect young people and combat sexual extortion, including a feature that will automatically blur nudity in direct messages. The social media platform said in a blog post Thursday that it’s testing out the features as part of its campaign to fight...
Trump tests limits of gag order with post insulting 2 likely witnesses in criminal trial
NEW YORK — Days after a New York judge expanded a gag order on Donald Trump to curtail “inflammatory” speech, the former president tested its limits by disparaging two key witnesses in his upcoming criminal hush money trial as liars. In a post on his Truth Social platform Wednesday, Trump...
New website includes resources to help in aftermath of Maryland bridge collapse
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland has a new website with information about federal, state and local resources and programs related to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, Gov. Wes Moore said Thursday. The website includes details for affected workers and businesses. It also includes major traffic updates for commuters and guidance...
New York officials approve $780M soccer stadium for NYCFC to be built next to Mets’ home
NEW YORK — New York City officials approved a plan Thursday to build a 25,000-seat stadium for Major League Soccer’s New York City Football Club next to the New York Mets’ stadium, Citi Field. The $780 million soccer stadium, expected to open in 2027, will anchor a 23-acre (9-hectare) redevelopment...
Reaction to the death of O.J. Simpson
Reaction to the death of O.J. Simpson after prostate cancer. He was 76. Simpson’s family announced the news on his X account. Relatives said he died Wednesday. ——— “I feel that the system failed Nicole Brown Simpson and failed battered women everywhere. I don’t mourn for O.J. Simpson. I do...
Harvard again requiring standardized test scores for those seeking admission
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Harvard University announced Thursday that it is reinstituting standardized tests as a requirement for admission beginning with the class of 2029, joining other colleges that are again mandating tests for those hoping to enter the schools. In June 2020, Harvard began a temporary test-optional policy under which...
Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter charged with stealing $16M from baseball star in sports betting case
LOS ANGELES — The former longtime interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is being charged with federal bank fraud for crimes involving gambling debts and theft of more than $16 million from the Japanese sensation, federal authorities said Thursday. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada announced the charges Thursday. Ippei...
Browns restructure RB Nick Chubb’s contract as he rehabs from season-ending injury, AP source says
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns have restructured star running back Nick Chubb’s contract as he continues to rehab after a season-ending knee injury in 2023, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Thursday. Chubb was entering his final year under contract after signing a three-year, $36.6...
A look back at O.J. Simpson’s slow-speed chase
EDITOR’S NOTE: The first week of the O.J. Simpson case in mid-June 1994 moved quickly, with reporters racing to reach the news. The only thing that was slow was The Chase. The football great had been accused of killing his ex-wife and her friend, and there he was on live...
10 things to remember about O.J. Simpson
LOS ANGELES — Ten things to remember about O.J. Simpson, the NFL running back-turned actor who was acquitted of murdering his wife and her friend. The family announced on Simpson’s official X account that Simpson died Wednesday after battling prostate cancer. Simpson’s attorney confirmed to TMZ he died in Las...
