Associated Press stories, Page 728
QB Joe Flacco’s road success in playoffs gives Browns boost as they visit Texans in AFC wild cardVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Joe Flacco knows the ins and outs, the perils and pitfalls of the road in the NFL playoffs as well as anyone. He’s sharing his top travel tips with the Browns. As Cleveland’s quarterback and his new-ish teammates prepare for Saturday’s AFC wild-card game in Houston, Flacco’s...
Michigan’s repeat hopes hinge on decisions by Jim Harbaugh, key players
HOUSTON — After winning its first national championship in 26 years, Michigan heads into an uncertain future. Who stays, who goes and is a repeat possible in an expanded and loaded Big Ten that will include the Washington team the Wolverines beat 34-13 in the national championship game? The biggest...
Washington star Michael Penix Jr. takes pounding against Michigan in college finale
HOUSTON — Michael Penix Jr. couldn’t complete the final chapter in his storybook season Monday night. The quarterback with two surgically repaired knees threw for 255 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, taking a pounding as No. 2 Washington fell to top-ranked Michigan, 34-13, in the College Football Playoff...
Ray Epps, a target of Jan. 6 conspiracy theories, gets a year of probation for his Capitol riot role
WASHINGTON — A man targeted by right-wing conspiracy theories about the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced on Tuesday to a year of probation for joining the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by a mob of fellow Donald Trump supporters. Ray Epps, a former Arizona resident who was driven into hiding by...
Andy Reid, Chiefs ready for frigid playoff game against Dolphins
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Coach Andy Reid was asked what impact a frigid forecast might have for Saturday night’s wild-card playoff game between the Chiefs and Dolphins, and whether Kansas City would try to acclimate by practicing outside this week. Reid looked out a nearby window Tuesday and saw the...
Defense Secretary Austin treated for prostate cancer, urinary tract infection, doctors sayVideo
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has prostate cancer, and his recent secretive hospitalization was for surgery and later to treat a urinary tract infection related to that operation, his doctors said Tuesday. The cancer revelation answers the main question about Austin’s hospitalization, which has now lasted eight days. But...
Sprawling storm wallops U.S. with tornado reports, damage and heavy snow, closing roads and schoolsVideo
DES MOINES, Iowa — A sprawling storm hit the South with tornado warnings and strong wind that blew roofs off homes, flipped over campers and tossed about furniture in Florida on Tuesday. Another storm brought cities across the Midwest to a standstill with more than half a foot of snow,...
White House orders Cabinet secretaries to notify when they can’t perform duties after Austin illness
WASHINGTON — The White House chief of staff on Tuesday ordered Cabinet members or secretaries to notify his office if they ever can’t perform their duties, as the Biden administration, reeling from learning of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s surprise illness last week, mounts a policy review. Jeff Zients, in a...
Return of bullfighting to Mexico’s capital excites fans, upsets animal rights groups
MEXICO CITY — In the center of a desolate and cold Plaza Mexico stadium, a young matador raises a red cape and leaps to the right as he gets charged — not by a bull, but by a bull’s head on a cart. A bellowing colleague is pushing the wheeled...
Shohei Ohtani’s Dodgers deal prompts California controller to ask Congress to cap deferred payments
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Controller Malia M. Cohen wants Congress to change the tax code to cap deferred payments, a change that could ensure the state is owed more money from Shohei Ohtani. Cohen made the request four weeks after the two-way star and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to...
CFP championship game clash between Michigan, Washington a tantalizing preview of expanded Big Ten
HOUSTON — The College Football Playoff championship was quite the stage for Washington and Michigan to get reacquainted with each other. The top-ranked Wolverines won the national championship with a 34-13 victory over the Huskies on Monday night. Starting next season, they will compete against each other for Big Ten...
How an animated character named Marlon could help Trump win Iowa’s caucuses
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa — Well before Donald Trump takes the stage, a waiting audience of hundreds of supporters sits captivated as dramatic music begins to swell throughout the room. On projector screens, a rotating Planet Earth appears. “Making America Great Again starts one place on Earth, and one place only,”...
Former gang leader charged in killing of Tupac Shakur is allowed $750K bail and house arrest
LAS VEGAS — A judge set bail Tuesday at $750,000 for a former Los Angeles-area gang leader charged with orchestrating the killing of hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur in 1996 and said he can serve house arrest with electronic monitoring ahead of his trial in June. Court-appointed attorneys for Duane “Keffe...
The Emmy Awards: A guide to how to watch, who you’ll see, and why it all has taken so long
LOS ANGELES — The 2023 Emmy Awards are arriving in 2024. Hollywood’s two strikes meant a four-month delay for television’s annual celebration of itself. But both have now been resolved and the show will go on. Here’s a look at the telecast, the ceremony, and the series and stars up...
Global economy will slow for 3rd straight year in 2024, World Bank predicts
WASHINGTON — Hobbled by high interest rates, persistent inflation, slumping trade and a diminished China, the global economy will slow for a third consecutive year in 2024. That is the picture sketched by the World Bank, which forecast Tuesday that the world economy will expand just 2.4% this year. That...
Irish singer Sinead O’Connor died from natural causes, coroner says
LONDON — Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor died from “natural causes” in July, a coroner said Tuesday. London’s Metropolitan Police had said the singer’s death was not considered suspicious after she was found unresponsive at a home in southeast London on July 26. O’Connor was 56. The Southwark Coroner’s Court confirmed...
New rule tightens worker classification standards; Uber, Lyft say their drivers won’t be affectedVideo
The Biden administration enacted a new labor rule Tuesday that aims to prevent the misclassification of workers as “independent contractors,” a step that could bolster both legal protections and compensation for millions in the U.S. workforce. Major app-based platforms including Uber, Lyft and DoorDash expressed confidence that the new rule...
Aid group says 6,618 migrants died trying to reach Spain by boat in 2023, more than double 2022
MADRID — More than 6,600 migrants died while trying to reach Spain by boat last year, a Spanish non-profit organization said Tuesday. The figure is more than double the number in the previous year, when the organization, Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders), said 2,390 died. The organization said 2023 was the...
Pope Francis calls for a universal ban on surrogacy. He says it exploits mother and child
ROME — Pope Francis called Monday for a universal ban on what he called the “despicable” practice of surrogate motherhood, as he included the “commercialization” of pregnancy in an annual speech listing threats to global peace and human dignity. In a foreign policy address to ambassadors accredited to the Holy...
Intensified Russian airstrikes are stretching Ukraine’s air defense resources, officials say
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia’s recent escalation of missile and drone attacks is stretching Ukraine’s air defense resources, a Ukrainian air force official said Tuesday, leaving the country vulnerable in the 22-month war unless it can secure further weapons supplies. “Intense Russian air attacks force us to use a corresponding amount...
Analysis: Victory formation was never meant for the kind of trickery the Saints used against Falcons
Victory formation hits different now — just like the Atlanta Falcons defenders undoubtedly will next time they face the New Orleans Saints. That’s the fallout of backup quarterback Jameis Winston going rogue during mop-up duty and leading New Orleans to a rub-it-in touchdown Sunday against an unsuspecting opponent that was...
South Korea’s parliament passes landmark ban on production and sales of dog meat
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s parliament on Tuesday passed a landmark ban on production and sales of dog meat, as public calls for a prohibition have grown sharply over concerns about animal rights and the country’s international image. Some angry dog farmers said they plan to challenge the bill’s...
With Trump present in court, judges express skepticism of claims that he’s immune from prosecution
WASHINGTON — With Donald Trump listening intently in the courtroom, federal appeals court judges in Washington expressed deep skepticism Tuesday that the former president was immune from prosecution on charges that he plotted to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The panel of three judges, two of whom were...
Explosion at historic Texas hotel injures 21 and scatters debris in downtown Fort Worth
FORT WORTH, Texas — An explosion at a historic Texas hotel in Fort Worth on Monday blew out windows, littered downtown streets with large sections of debris from the building and injured 21 people, including one who was in critical condition, authorities said. The blast flung doors and entire sections...
France gets its youngest-ever prime minister, Gabriel Attal, as Macron shakes up government
PARIS — Gabriel Attal was named Tuesday as France’s youngest-ever prime minister, as President Emmanuel Macron seeks a fresh start for the rest of his term amid growing political pressure from the far right. Macron’s office announced the appointment in a statement. Attal, 34, rose to prominence as the government...
