Associated Press stories, Page 715
Suarez takes aim on NASCAR Cup Series championship run following important win in Atlanta
HAMPTON, Ga. — Daniel Suarez knows he will return to Atlanta Motor Speedway as a playoff contender Sept. 8. Suarez also can count on retaining his spot on Trackhouse Racing’s team when the NASCAR Cup Series makes its 2025 stops in Atlanta. The popular driver from Monterrey, Mexico, ended speculation...
Houston men rise to No. 1 in AP Top 25 ahead of Purdue, UConn
Now it is Houston’s turn at the top of the Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll. The Cougars moved to No. 1 for the first time this season in Monday’s latest poll, climbing one spot to end the six-week stay of reigning national champion Connecticut. Houston (24-3) became...
Ex-FBI informant charged with lying about Bidens to remain jailed while he awaits trial, judge rules
LOS ANGELES — A former FBI informant charged with fabricating a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden’s family must remain behind bars while he awaits trial, a judge ruled Monday, reversing an earlier order releasing the man. U.S. District Judge Otis Wright II in Los Angeles ordered Alexander Smirnov’s...
Lack of snow cancels longest sled dog race in eastern United States
PORTLAND, Maine — The organizers of the longest sled dog race in the eastern United States said Monday they are canceling the event because of a lack of snow on the ground. The Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races have taken place in northern Maine for more than three decades,...
Ohio commission awards bids to frack oil and gas under state parks, wildlife areas
xCOLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio commission awarded bids to frack oil and gas under state parks Monday, despite statewide backlash and an ongoing investigation into possibly fraudulent support. The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission granted the mineral rights to several oil and gas companies, allowing them to frack...
W.Va. Senate passes bill that would remove marital exemption for sexual abuse
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Married people in West Virginia could be charged with certain sexual assault acts against their spouses for the first time under a controversial bill passed`Monday by West Virginia’s Republican-dominated Senate. The bill, sponsored by former prosecuting attorney Republican Sen. Ryan Weld of Brooke County, would remove marriage...
U.S. sues to block merger of grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons, saying it could push prices higher
The Federal Trade Commission sued to block a proposed merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons, saying the $24.6 billion deal would eliminate competition and lead to higher prices for millions of Americans. The FTC filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Oregon on Monday. It was joined in...
Biden is summoning congressional leaders to the White House to talk Ukraine and government funding
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will convene the top four congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday to press lawmakers on passing an emergency aid package for Ukraine and Israel, as well as averting a looming government shutdown next month, according to a White House official. The top four...
Donald Trump appeals $454 million judgment in New York civil fraud case
NEW YORK — Donald Trump has appealed his $454 million New York civil fraud judgment, challenging a judge’s finding that he lied about his wealth as he grew the real estate empire that launched him to stardom and the presidency. The former president’s lawyers filed notices of appeal Monday asking...
What recession? Professional forecasters raise expectations for U.S. economy in 2024
NEW YORK — This year looks to be a much better one for the U.S. economy than business economists were forecasting just a few months ago, according to a survey released Monday. The economy looks set to grow 2.2% this year after adjusting for inflation, according to the National Association...
Supreme Court casts doubt on GOP-led states’ efforts to regulate social media platforms
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court cast doubt Monday on state laws that could affect how Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube and other social media platforms regulate content posted by their users. The cases are among several this term in which the justices could set standards for free speech in the digital...
Sideways moon landing cuts mission short, private lunar lander expected to cease operations
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A private lunar lander is expected to cease operations Tuesday, its mission cut short after landing sideways near the south pole of the moon. Intuitive Machines, the Houston company that built and flew the spacecraft, said Monday it will continue to collect data until sunlight no...
Biden and Trump will travel to U.S.-Mexico border in Texas, according to AP sources
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will make dueling trips to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas on Thursday after congressional talks on a deal to rein in illegal migration collapsed, according to people familiar with the plans. The visits underscore the central role immigration is going...
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel will leave post March 8 as Trump moves to install new loyalists
NEW YORK — Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel will leave her post March 8, having been forced out of the GOP’s national leadership as Donald Trump moves toward another presidential nomination and asserts control over the party. McDaniel announced her decision in a statement on Monday morning. “I have...
‘Totally cold’ is not too cold for winter swimmers competing in a frozen Vermont lake
NEWPORT, Vt. — Plunging into a frozen lake and swimming laps may not be everyone’s good time but for winter swimmers who return year after year to a northern Vermont lake near the Canadian border, there’s nothing better. The 10th annual Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival kicked off Friday with the...
French actor Gérard Depardieu faces another sexual assault complaint over alleged groping
PARIS — French actor Gérard Depardieu faces another complaint of sexual assault, this time from a movie decorator who alleges he groped her during filming in 2021. In the complaint to the Paris prosecutor’s office, she accuses the 75-year-old Depardieu of sexual assault, sexual harassment and sexist insults, her Paris...
Palestinian prime minister submits government’s resignation, a move that could open door to reforms
JERUSALEM — The Palestinian prime minister announced the resignation of his government on Monday, paving the way for a shake-up in the Palestinian Authority, which the U.S. hopes will eventually take on a role in postwar Gaza. Many obstacles remain to making a revamped Palestinian Authority a reality. Palestinian President...
Swap for Navalny was in the final stages before the opposition leader’s death, an associate says
Associates of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Monday that talks were underway shortly before his death to exchange him for a Russian imprisoned in Germany. “Alexei Navalny could have been sitting here now, today. It’s not a figure of speech,” Maria Pevchikh, who lives outside Russia, said in a...
Seoul gives young doctors 4 days to end walkouts, threatening suspended licenses and prosecutions
SEOUL, South Korea — Junior doctors in South Korea have four days to end their walkouts or they will have their medical licenses suspended and face prosecution, the government said Monday. About 9,000 medical interns and residents have stayed off the job since early last week to protest a government...
Air Force member has died after setting himself on fire outside Israeli embassy in D.C.
WASHINGTON — An active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force has died after he set himself ablaze outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., while declaring that he “will no longer be complicit in genocide.” The 25-year-old airman, Aaron Bushnell, of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries, the Metropolitan...
Cam Newton involved in scuffle at youth football tournament
A video surfaced Sunday that appeared to show 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player Cam Newton being involved in a scuffle at a 7-on-7 youth football tournament in Atlanta. The video shows Newton, wearing one of his custom-made hats, being shoved by three people near the top of a set of...
Furor erupts over Ronaldo’s apparent obscene taunt in Saudi match
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Cristiano Ronaldo has come under heavy criticism after seemingly making an offensive gesture following Al Nassr’s 3-2 victory over Al Shabab in a Saudi Pro League match Sunday. The Portuguese star scored a first-half penalty, before Brazilian Talisca’s late brace, including a goal four minutes from...
What killed Flaco the owl? New York zoologists testing for toxins, disease as contributing factors
NEW YORK — New York City’s celebrity owl Flaco died from a traumatic impact, zoologists confirmed a day after he reportedly flew into a building, with further testing planned to determine if the Eurasian eagle-owl may have been sick. What happened in Flaco’s final hours is top of mind for...
Florida refuses to bar unvaccinated students from school suffering a measles outbreak
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida’s controversial surgeon general is drawing criticism for his handling of an elementary school’s measles outbreak, telling parents of unvaccinated children it is their choice whether their students attend class — a contravention of federal guidelines calling for their mandatory exclusion. Dr. Joseph Ladapo, nationally known...
Daniel Suarez edges pair in thrilling 3-wide finish for Cup Series winVideo
HAMPTON, Ga. — Daniel Suarez edged Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch in a three-wide finish to win a crashed-filled NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday. Busch, who won Saturday’s Trucks race, moved to the middle between Blaney, the 2023 Cup champion, and Suarez to set up...
