Associated Press stories, Page 716
Atlanta Falcons complete 2nd interview with former Patriots coach Bill Belichick
ATLANTA — Bill Belichick completed his second coaching interview with the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, moving closer to joining the franchise that endured its biggest disappointment with him on the opposite sideline. The Falcons also met virtually with Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, but all eyes were on Belichick...
Capitals sign Aliaksei Protas to a 5-year extension worth $16.876 million
The Washington Capitals have signed forward Aliaksei Protas to a five-year extension worth $16.875 million, a long-term commitment to a young player the organization believes is on an upward trajectory. General manager Brian MacLellan announced the deal Friday. When the new contract kicks in next season, Protas will count $3.375...
Microsoft: State-backed Russian hackers accessed emails of senior leadership team
BOSTON — State-backed Russian hackers broke into Microsoft’s corporate email system and accessed the accounts of members of the company’s leadership team, as well as those of employees on its cybersecurity and legal teams, the company said Friday. In a blog post, Microsoft said the intrusion began in late November...
Texas prosecutor convenes grand jury to investigate Uvalde shooting
UVALDE, Texas — A Texas prosecutor has convened a grand jury to investigate the Uvalde school shooting that killed 21 people, multiple media outlets reported Friday. Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell told the San Antonio Express-News a grand jury will review evidence related to the Robb Elementary School shooting...
JetBlue, Spirit say they will appeal ruling that blocked merger
NEW YORK — JetBlue and Spirit Airlines said Friday they will appeal a federal judge’s ruling this week that blocked their plan to combine into a single carrier. The airlines said they filed a notice of appeal with the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, following the terms of their...
Andrew Cuomo sues attorney general for records in sexual harassment probe that led to his downfall
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is suing state Attorney General Letitia James in an effort to force her to turn over interviews from the damaging sexual misconduct investigation that led to his resignation. Cuomo filed the case against James in New York state court Thursday, arguing...
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka reaches 4th round at Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia — Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and U.S. Open winner Coco Gauff swept to commanding wins at the Australian Open on Friday to reach the fourth round. Second-seeded Sabalenka beat Lesia Tsurenko, 6-0, 6-0, in 52 minutes, and No. 4-seeded Gauff lost just two games in beating fellow American...
Report: Reliever Josh Hader agrees to 5-year, $95M contract with Astros
Hard-throwing reliever Josh Hader and the Houston Astros agreed to a $95 million, five-year contract Friday, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was subject to a successful physical. Hader will get a $19 million salary in...
Raiders hire Antonio Pierce as coach, remove ‘interim’ tag
Las Vegas Raiders players lobbied for Antonio Pierce to be the full-time head coach since he stepped in as the interim at midseason. On Friday, Pierce officially got the gig. The Raiders announced the hiring of Pierce as their new coach, crossing out the word “interim” in a post on...
NYC mayor vetoes bills banning solitary confinement in jails and expanding reporting of police stops
NEW YORK — New York City’s mayor vetoed bills Friday aimed at banning solitary confinement in city jails and requiring more transparency in police encounters with civilians, setting up a faceoff with the City Council, which says it has enough votes to override him. Democratic Mayor Eric Adams said the...
Grand jury indicts Alec Baldwin in fatal shooting of cinematographer on movie set in New Mexico
SANTA FE, N.M. — A grand jury indicted Alec Baldwin on Friday on an involuntary manslaughter charge in a 2021 fatal shooting during a rehearsal on a movie set in New Mexico, reviving a dormant case against the A-list actor. Special prosecutors brought the case before a grand jury in...
Tim Scott will endorse Donald Trump ahead of New Hampshire Republican primary, AP source says
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is expected to endorse former President Donald Trump ahead of Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, a blow to his fellow South Carolinian Nikki Haley, the former U.N. ambassador. A person familiar with Scott’s plans confirmed Friday to The Associated Press that Scott...
Recovering from natural disasters is slow and bureaucratic. New FEMA rules aim to cut the red tape
WASHINGTON — Anyone who has lived through a natural disaster and then applied to the federal government for assistance knows that it can be a lengthy, frustrating and bureaucratic process. New rules announced Friday by the federal agency in charge of emergency management aim to simplify and speed up the...
2023 was slowest year for U.S. home sales in nearly 30 years as high mortgage rates frustrated buyers
LOS ANGELES — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes sank in 2023 to a nearly 30-year low, as sharply higher mortgage rates, rising prices and a persistently low level of homes on the market combined to push homeownership out of reach for many Americans. The National Association of Realtors said...
Biden is skipping New Hampshire’s primary. One of his opponents says he’s as elusive as Bigfoot
PETERBOROUGH, N.H. — Trying to upset President Joe Biden in New Hampshire’s primary, Democratic challenger Dean Phillips is running a TV ad across the state comparing him to Bigfoot — the argument being both are hard to find. “I’m something of an expert on elusive creatures,” a man dressed as...
Rifts emerge among top Israeli officials over how to handle the war against Hamas in Gaza
JERUSALEM — Rifts are emerging among top Israeli officials over the handling of the war against Hamas in Gaza. A member of the country’s War Cabinet cast doubt over the strategy for releasing hostages, while the prime minister rejected the United States’ calls to scale back its offensive. Only a...
Boeing 747 cargo plane makes emergency landing shortly after takeoff at Miami airport
MIAMI — A witness saw sparks shooting from a cargo plane as it made an emergency landing at Miami International Airport shortly after takeoff. The aircraft landed safely Thursday night “after experiencing an engine malfunction soon after departure,” a spokesperson for Atlas Air said in a statement Friday. “The crew...
Winter weather is snarling air travel. Here’s what to do if your flight is canceled
A winter storm made its way across the eastern half of the United States on Wednesday, snarling traffic in the air and on the highways. By early afternoon in the East, more than 1,000 U.S. flights had been canceled and 4,000 others were delayed, according to FlightAware. The brunt of...
Boost for homebuyers: Average long-term mortgage rate falls to 6.6%, lowest level since May
LOS ANGELES — The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate fell this week to its lowest level since May, welcome news for prospective homebuyers facing rising home prices and intense competition for relatively few properties on the market. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage dropped to 6.6% from 6.66% last...
Packers QB Jordan Love offers different challenge for 49ers from past playoffs
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers had plenty of success going up against the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs when Aaron Rodgers was running the show. The Niners knocked Rodgers and the Packers out of the playoffs four times, including twice in the previous four seasons. While...
Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, Texans’ C.J. Stroud ready for rematch
BALTIMORE — When Lamar Jackson and C.J. Stroud faced off in Week 1 back in September, it was not a good representation of how those two would play this season. Jackson threw an early interception. Each quarterback lost a fumble. Stroud was sacked five times and Jackson four. “I haven’t...
Mike McCarthy sells belief in playoff breakthrough that has eluded Cowboys
FRISCO, Texas — Mike McCarthy sifted through several versions of selling his belief that the Dallas Cowboys can find a level of postseason success that has eluded the storied franchise for nearly three decades. The coach faced reporters a day after a meeting with owner and general manager Jerry Jones...
Fani Willis accuses estranged wife of special prosecutor of ‘interfering’ with Trump election case
ATLANTA — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is accusing the estranged wife of a special prosecutor she hired of trying to obstruct her criminal election-interference case against former President Donald Trump and others by seeking to question her in the couple’s divorce proceedings. A motion filed last week by...
Man arrested in series of New York City stabbings, police say
NEW YORK — New York City police have arrested a hospital worker from Queens after a series of recent stabbings, officials announced Thursday. NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban described the six attacks over the past 10 days, none of which were fatal, as “random, unmotivated violence” at a news conference. Jermain...
Judge denies Trump’s request to hold Jack Smith in contempt in federal 2020 election case
WASHINGTON — The federal judge overseeing the 2020 election interference case against Donald Trump on Thursday rejected his lawyers’ bid to hold special counsel Jack Smith’s team in contempt for actions prosecutors took after the judge put the case on hold. But the judge said no further “substantive” court filings...
