Associated Press stories, Page 725
Efforts to restrict transgender health care endure in 2024, with more adults targeted
Republican-led state legislatures are considering a new round of bills restricting medical care for transgender youths — and in some cases, adults — returning to the issue the year after a wave of high-profile bills became law and sparked lawsuits. As legislatures begin their work for the year, lawmakers in...
Jamaica probes police killings of four people in 24 hours, including a teenage boy
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A government agency in Jamaica says it is investigating four fatal shootings by police officers in the span of 24 hours, including that of a 14-year-old boy. The Independent Commission of Investigations says police killed three people on Tuesday and another on Wednesday, with authorities...
The tribes wanted to promote their history. Removing William Penn’s statue wasn’t a priority
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The National Park Service’s proposal to remove a William Penn statue from a historic site in Philadelphia —- quickly withdrawn amid a backlash — wasn’t a priority for some of the Native Americans the agency was required to consult with as it prepared to renovate the deteriorating...
U.S. inflation edges up, fueled by food and housing prices, but many other costs rise only mildly
WASHINGTON — Higher rents and food prices boosted overall U.S. inflation in December, a sign that the Federal Reserve’s drive to slow inflation to its 2% target will likely remain a bumpy one. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that overall prices rose 0.3% from November and 3.4% from...
Chris Christie ends his Republican presidential bid, criticizing his rivals on his way out
WINDHAM, N.H. — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday suspended his Republican presidential bid just days before Iowa’s leadoff caucuses, ceding to growing pressure to drop out of the race from those desperate to deny Donald Trump a glidepath to the nomination. Addressing supporters at a New Hampshire...
Patriots parting with Bill Belichick after 24 years and 6 Super Bowl championships
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Bill Belichick had a vision of building the kind of sustained championship football team that had rarely been seen before in the NFL when the New England Patriots hired him. He walks away feeling like it was a job well done. The six-time NFL champion agreed to...
Takeaways from the DeSantis-Haley debate in Iowa
There were only two Republicans on the presidential debate stage Wednesday, as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis met for the highest-stake faceoff yet just five days before the nominating process formally starts with Iowa’s caucuses. Haley and DeSantis’ spirited debate came in the shadow...
Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to federal tax charges after earlier deal imploded
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s son pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal tax charges filed after the collapse of a plea deal that could have spared him the spectacle of a criminal trial during the 2024 campaign. Hunter Biden has been accused of nine felony and misdemeanor tax offenses. The...
Donald Trump enjoys a relaxed Fox News town hall while top Republican rivals have fiery debate
NEW YORK — As Donald Trump’s two main Republican rivals slugged it out Wednesday on an Iowa debate stage, the former president appeared across town on a Fox News Channel town hall in a counterprogramming move where few discouraging words were heard. Trump walked onstage to cheers and chants of...
Donald Trump defies judge, gives courtroom speech on tense final day of New York civil fraud trial
NEW YORK — Barred from giving a formal closing argument, Donald Trump wrested an opportunity to speak in court at the conclusion of his New York civil fraud trial Thursday, unleashing a barrage of attacks in a six-minute diatribe before being cut off by the judge. In an extraordinary move...
Matthew Stafford loves Detroit but embraces being ‘bad guy’ as Rams face Lions
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Matthew Stafford arrived in Detroit as a hotshot 21-year-old quarterback. He left three years ago as a grown man with a wife and four daughters all born in Michigan. During the 12 years in between, he desperately tried to end the Lions’ decades-long playoff victory drought....
Robert Morris men lose at home to Wright State
Stephaun Walker finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, but Robert Morris lost to visiting Wright State, 101-76, on Wednesday night. Tanner Holden scored 29 points to go with six rebounds, five assists and five steals for the Raiders (9-8, 4-2 Horizon League). Brandon Noel added 17 points and 12...
Northwestern wins at Penn State for the first time since 2016-17 seasonVideo
STATE COLLEGE — Brooks Barnhizer scored a career-high 23 points, Boo Buie had 17 points and eight assists and Northwestern beat Penn State, 76-72, on Wednesday night for its first win in the series since the 2019-20 season. Northwestern (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten), which snapped a five-game losing streak in...
Rookie TE Dalton Kincaid provides Bills another option after nearly giving up on football
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Dalton Kincaid occasionally wonders how different his life would have been had the rookie tight end not given football a second chance entering his senior year in high school. “I’d probably be selling real estate or traveling,” Kincaid told the Associated Press on Wednesday, in preparing...
Sportsbooks pulling hard for big underdogs Steelers and Packers in playoffs
LAS VEGAS — Sportsbook directors follow the money when it comes to cheering for particular teams, and they are solidly behind the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend. Both are sizable underdogs in the NFL playoffs, with the majority of the money from casual bettors going to the...
Plenty rests on the shoulders of Tua Tagovailoa as Dolphins go for first playoff win since 2000Video
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — It has been more than 23 years since the Miami Dolphins won a playoff game. Tua Tagovailoa gets a chance to stop that drought Saturday night. The fourth-year quarterback makes his first postseason appearance when Miami visits the Kansas City Chiefs for a wild-card game this...
Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard will be out for at least 6 weeks after No. 1 pick has jaw surgeryVideo
CHICAGO — Blackhawks center Connor Bedard is expected to miss six to eight weeks after he had surgery to repair his fractured jaw. The team announced the operation and timeline for the 18-year-old rookie Wednesday. It means he will miss the Feb. 3 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto, dealing a...
After watching his brother win a title, Ravens coach John Harbaugh wants another for himselfVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Now the Harbaugh family goes for the sweep. After watching his brother, Jim, coach Michigan to a national title Monday night, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh has his sights on another celebration in the Super Bowl next month. His team is the top seed in the...
Browns WR Amari Cooper faces Houston in playoffs just weeks after record performance against TexansVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Never flashy or full of himself, Amari Cooper downplayed his record-setting performance a few weeks ago in Houston. Cooper had a game unlike any in Browns history. “Just numbers,” he said. Eye-popping ones. Shredding Houston’s secondary from the opening play, Cooper finished with 265 yards in Cleveland’s...
Alabama coach Nick Saban retires after winning 7 national titles
Nick Saban’s coaching reign has come to an end. His dominance over college football, however, will forever linger in the lore of the sport. Saban, who won seven national championships — more than any other major college football coach — and turned Alabama back into a national powerhouse with six...
Chris Christie will announce at New Hampshire town hall he’s ending presidential bid
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is planning to announce he’s dropping his Republican presidential bid on Wednesday night at his New Hampshire town hall. That’s according to a person with direct knowledge of the former New Jersey governor’s plans who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity...
Engine maker Cummins to repair, replace 600,000 Ram trucks in $2 billion emissions cheating scandal
The Department of Justice has ordered a recall of 600,000 Ram trucks as part of a settlement that directs engine maker Cummins Inc. to remedy environmental damage it caused when it illegally installed emissions control software in several hundred thousand vehicles, skirting emissions testing. It released new details of the...
Bears to keep Matt Eberflus as coach, fire offensive coordinator Luke Getsy
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears are sticking with coach Matt Eberflus in 2024 after the team showed improvement over the second half of the season. There will, however, be some big changes to his staff. The Bears fired most of their offensive assistants, including coordinator Luke Getsy after...
1 dead, 1 injured following avalanche at California ski resort, official says
OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. — A person was killed and another was injured Wednesday when an avalanche roared through a section of expert trails at a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe, authorities said. The avalanche prompted Palisades Tahoe to close 30 minutes after it opened and search crews combed the...
Kentucky Derby purse raised to $5 million for 150th race in May
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky Derby purse has been raised to $5 million for the 150th edition in May. The increase of $2 million was announced Wednesday by Churchill Downs. The 1 1/4-mile race will be May 4. This year’s winner will receive $3.1 million. The runner-up will earn $1...
