Associated Press stories, Page 723
Beard Motorsports carries on at Daytona 500 in honor of late patriarch
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Anthony Alfredo qualified for the Daytona 500 — no guarantee for the 24-year-old nicknamed “Fast Pasta” — and wrapped his arms tight around retired driver Brendan Gaughan for a bear hug. Alfredo was hoisted high for a fleeting moment before his feet returned to pit road,...
Trump pushes $399 branded shoes a day after $355 million ruling against him
PHILADELPHIA — As he closes in on the Republican presidential nomination, former President Donald Trump made a highly unusual stop Saturday, hawking new Trump-branded sneakers at “Sneaker Con,” a gathering that bills itself as the “The Greatest Sneaker Show On Earth!” Trump was met with loud boos as well as...
Presidents Day: From George Washington’s modest birthdays to big sales and 3-day weekends
NORFOLK, Va. — Like the other Founding Fathers, George Washington was uneasy about the idea of publicly celebrating his life. He was the first leader of a new republic — not a tyrant. And yet the nation will once again commemorate the first U.S. president Monday, 292 years after he...
4.7 magnitude earthquake outside small Texas city among several recently
FALLS CITY, Texas — An earthquake of 4.7 magnitude that struck early Saturday near a small Texas city, one of several that have occurred in the area in recent days, could be felt dozens of miles away, including in San Antonio. There were no immediate reports of major damage or...
Tominaga helps Nebraska stay unbeaten at home, beat Penn State 68-49Video
LINCOLN, Neb. — Keisei Tominaga scored 17 points, and Nebraska extended its home court unbeaten streak by pulling away from Penn State in the second half to post a 68-49 victory Saturday afternoon. The Cornhuskers (18-8) are 8-7 in the Big Ten, with all eight victories coming at home. They...
Analysis: Aid to Ukraine hinges on House Speaker Johnson
WASHINGTON — When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with congressional leaders in Washington late last year, he told them privately what is now public: With U.S. weapons, they could win the war against Russia, but, without them, Russian President Vladimir Putin would be victorious. In a subsequent meeting with new...
Braun scores 24 as Wright State takes down Robert Morris, 101-71Video
FAIRBORN, Ohio — AJ Braun had 24 points in Wright State’s 101-71 victory over Robert Morris on Saturday. Braun had eight rebounds for the Raiders (15-12, 10-6 Horizon League). Brandon Noel scored 21 points while shooting 6 of 7 from the field and 8 for 10 from the free-throw line,...
Saving democracy is central to Biden’s campaign messaging. Will it resonate with swing state voters?
BETHLEHEM — Just blocks from the shuttered Bethlehem Steel plant, the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley was bustling on a recent day with scores of older people eating lunch. Downstairs, out of sight, a constant stream of visitors was shopping in its massive food pantry. Over the past seven months, the...
Trump avoids ‘corporate death penalty’ in civil fraud case, but his business will still get slammed
NEW YORK — Donald Trump won’t face the corporate death penalty after all. A New York judge on Friday spared the ex-president that worst case punishment as he ruled in a civil case alleging Trump fraudulently misrepresented financial figures to get cheaper loans and other benefits. Still, Trump got slammed...
U.S. envoy says Israel has not presented evidence that Hamas diverted U.N. aid deliveries in Gaza
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israel has not presented specific evidence that Hamas is diverting U.N. aid and its recent targeted killings of Gaza police commanders safeguarding truck convoys have made it “virtually impossible” to distribute the goods safely, a top U.S. envoy said in rare public criticism of Israel. With...
Christian-nation idea fuels U.S. conservative causes, but historians say it misreads founders’ intent
The U.S. Constitution doesn’t mention Christianity or any specific religion. The Declaration of Independence famously proclaims that people’s rights come from a “Creator” and “Nature’s God” — but doesn’t specify who that is. Yet large numbers of Americans believe the founders intended the U.S. to be a Christian nation, and...
Explosion at Virginia home kills 1 firefighter and injures 11 others, including 9 firefighters
STERLING, Va. — One firefighter was killed and nine others were injured when an explosion in a Washington, D.C., suburb on Friday leveled a home where they were investigating a gas leak. Two other people were also injured. The firefighters were called to the home in Sterling, Virginia, by a...
Alexei Navalny’s team confirms his death and says his mother is searching for his body
Alexei Navalny’s spokesperson confirmed Saturday that the Russian opposition leader had died at a remote Arctic penal colony and said he was “murdered” but it was unclear where his body was as his family and friends searched for answers. Navalny’s death at age 47 has deprived the Russian opposition of...
Japan’s flagship H3 rocket reached planned trajectory in key 2nd test
TOKYO — A new Japanese flagship H3 rocket lifted off from a space station in southwestern Japan on Saturday, successfully reaching a planned trajectory and releasing one of the two payloads in a key second test flight a year after its failed debut launch. The H3 rocket blasted off from...
Ukraine withdrawing from Avdiivka, where outnumbered defenders held out for 4 months
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s military chief said early Saturday that he’s withdrawing troops from the city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, where outnumbered defenders battled a Russian assault for four months. The timing is critical as Russia is looking for a morale boost ahead of the second anniversary Feb. 24...
Texas will build camp for National Guard members in border city of Eagle Pass
McALLEN, Texas — Texas will build an operations base for up to 1,800 National Guard members in Eagle Pass, expanding the presence of soldiers in the border city where the state has clashed with the Biden administration over immigration enforcement, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott announced Friday. The 80-acre property along...
A $355 million penalty and business ban: Takeaways from Trump’s New York civil fraud verdict
NEW YORK — Donald Trump suffered a big blow Friday as a New York judge ordered the former president and his companies to pay $355 million in penalties for what the judge described as a scheme to deceive banks and insurers by exaggerating Trump’s wealth on his annual financial statements....
Patrick Cantlay builds a 5-shot lead at Riviera. Tiger Woods makes early exit with flu symptomsVideo
LOS ANGELES — Patrick Cantlay began with an eagle and never let anyone close to him the rest of the round Friday. He shot a 6-under-par 65 to build a five-shot lead at the Genesis Invitational going into a weekend that won’t include Tiger Woods. Woods made another early exit,...
Phillies agree to 1-year deal with Whit Merrifield, sources say
The Philadelphia Phillies have reached a contract agreement with utility infielder Whit Merrifield, a person familiar with the decision told the Associated Press on Friday. The agreement is for an $8 million, one-year deal that includes a $8 million club option for 2025 with a $1 million buyout, a second...
Aaron Nola happy to stay with Philadelphia Phillies
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Aaron Nola never felt pressure to sign a long-term contract during spring training last year, instead becoming a free agent after the season and quickly agreeing to a $172 million, seven-year deal to remain with the Philadelphia Phillies. “It’s definitely off my shoulders,” Nola said Friday. “The...
Tiger Woods withdraws after playing only 6 holes at RivieraVideo
LOS ANGELES — Tiger Woods returned to the PGA Tour and lasted only 24 holes, withdrawing Friday at the Genesis Invitational with an undisclosed illness after hitting his tee shot on the seventh hole. PGA Tour rules official Mark Dusbabek said on the telecast that Woods had an illness, and...
Western Conference wheeling and dealing is well underway long before the NHL trade deadlineVideo
Rick Tocchet and Rick Bowness were together at NHL All-Star Weekend when news broke that the Winnipeg Jets traded for Sean Monahan. Bowness’ team made a big addition less than 48 hours after Tocchet’s Vancouver Canucks acquired Elias Lindholm, considered the top center on the market. “It’s a great trade...
Toyota takes high hopes into Daytona 500 but weather may affect ‘The Great American Race’Video
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Denny Hamlin leaned into the window of Christopher Bell’s winning Toyota to congratulate his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate on beating him in a Daytona 500 qualifying race. Hamlin then gave Bell detailed directions to victory lane. “Been to victory lane at Daytona a time or three,”...
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark wants more focus on team during final stretch now that NCAA record is brokenVideo
IOWA CITY, Iowa — More scoring records are in sight for Caitlin Clark, but right now the Iowa superstar is looking forward to a break from the chase. She passed Kelsey Plum as the NCAA women’s career scoring leader Thursday night, putting up a school-record 49 points in a 106-89...
Pennsylvania high court takes up challenge to the state’s life-without-parole sentences
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s high court will consider if some automatic life sentences for those convicted of murder violate constitutional protections for defendants, the justices said Friday. The appeal being pursued by Derek Lee, convicted of a 2014 killing, argues the state’s life-without-parole law violates prohibitions in the Pennsylvania and U.S....
