Associated Press stories, Page 734
NFL competition committee proposes ban on hip-drop tackles, radical change to kickoffs
The NFL competition committee is proposing a rule to penalize so-called “hip-drop” tackles and a radical change to kickoffs to add more returns without compromising safety. The proposals will be presented to owners at the league meetings later this month, with 24 out of 32 votes needed for approval. The...
NCAA Tournament Midwest Region preview: Purdue looks to bounce back after early exit
Purdue coach Matt Painter, reigning AP Player of the Year Zach Edey and the rest of the Boilermakers have had to carry with them all season the stink of becoming the second No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They can truly put...
AI-aided virtual conversations with WWII vets are latest feature at New Orleans museumVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Olin Pickens sat in his wheelchair facing a life-sized image of himself on a screen, asking it questions about being taken prisoner by German soldiers during World War II. After a pause, his video-recorded twin recalled being given “sauerkraut soup” by his captors before a grueling march....
NCAA Tournament South Region preview: Blue bloods to challenge top-seeded Houston
Houston has a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year but will have to navigate the likes of Duke, Kentucky and Marquette in the South Region if the Cougars are able to reach the Final Four. The Cougars (30-4) were rewarded after winning the Big...
Detroit Lions defensive back Cameron Sutton sought in Florida domestic violence warrant
TAMPA, Fla. — Detroit Lions defensive back Cameron Sutton is wanted on a domestic violence warrant in Florida, where authorities on Wednesday asked for tips to help find him. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, which includes Tampa, said on the X social media platform that the warrant is for domestic...
Prince Harry’s lawyer implicates Rupert Murdoch in cover-up of unlawful snooping by his tabloids
LONDON — Prince Harry’s lawyer leveled explosive new allegations Wednesday that Rupert Murdoch was aware of cover-ups at his British tabloids that used unlawful techniques to spy on the Duke of Sussex and others. Attorney David Sherborne said Murdoch was among the executives who were aware that public statements made...
Federal Reserve still foresees 3 rate cuts this year but envisions higher rates in future
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve officials signaled Wednesday that they still expect to cut their key interest rate three times in 2024 despite signs that inflation stayed surprisingly high at the start of the year. Yet they foresee fewer rate cuts in 2025, and they slightly raised their inflation forecasts. After...
Top seed South Carolina hopes its young talent will fuel March Madness run
COLUMBIA, S.C. — It has been a different run of perfection for South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, fueled by a lot of precocious, talented young players who make it difficult at times to know exactly what comes next. “It feels a little bit different because they’re so young,” said Staley,...
NCAA Tournament West Region preview: North Carolina back in spotlight as No. 1 seedVideo
North Carolina is the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament West Region a year after being left out of the bracket. The fifth-ranked Tar Heels will open March Madness on Thursday just down the road in Charlotte against the First Four winner between Howard and Wagner. “To be given...
Purdue faces the ghost of a shocking March Madness loss. Virginia has some advice on how to move on
Purdue had just fallen unexpectedly in the Big Ten Tournament last week and Braden Smith sat down alongside star Zach Edey and coach Matt Painter to meet reporters. It took three questions to conjure a March Madness specter: the Boilermakers’ improbable loss as a No. 1 seed to 16th-seeded Fairleigh...
Micah Handlogten will rejoin Florida for NCAA tourney after breaking his leg in the SEC title game
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida center Micah Handlogten, who gruesomely broke his left leg two minutes into the Southeastern Conference championship game on Sunday, will be on hand to watch the Gators in the NCAA Tournament. Already using crutches while recovering from surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Handlogten will make...
Florida homeless to be banned from sleeping in public spaces under DeSantis-backed law
Florida’s homeless will be banned from sleeping on sidewalks and in parks and other public spaces under a law signed Wednesday by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. It also promises the homeless greater access to services for issues such as substance abuse and mental health problems. The state Department of Children...
NCAA Tournament East Region preview: UConn possesses ingredients for repeat
Connecticut opened the season with uncertainty about how well the Huskies would replace major pieces from last year’s run to the national championship. Any questions had been answered well before Selection Sunday. The top-ranked Huskies (31-3) will enter the NCAA Tournament as the overall No. 1 seed, headlining the East...
March Madness as we know it could be on way out amid seismic changes in college sports
Tracking the changes upending college sports can be as frenetic as flipping between all the games going down over the first week of March Madness. Ultimately, those changes could impact what America’s favorite basketball tournament looks like in the future — or whether it exists at all. News about “pay...
Ohtani, Dodgers rally to beat Padres in season opener and 1st MLB game in South Korea
SEOUL, South Korea — Shohei Ohtani’s RBI single capped a four-run eighth-inning rally in his Dodgers debut, and Los Angeles beat the San Diego Padres 5-2 in Wednesday night’s major league opener, the sport’s first game in South Korea. The game turned when a routine grounder went through the webbing...
Did UK hospital staff try to snoop on Princess Kate’s medical records? Privacy watchdog investigates
LONDON — A British privacy watchdog said Wednesday it is looking into a report that staff at a private London hospital tried to snoop on the Princess of Wales ’ medical records while she was a patient for abdominal surgery. The Information Commissioner’s Office said: “We can confirm that we...
The 4 Grand Slams, the 2 tours and Saudi Arabia are all hoping to revamp tennis
The tennis leaders can agree that there is more money to be made. They also agree that the sport’s current structure could stand to change. The how’s and why’s and when’s of it all? Well, that’s open to discussion — and there is plenty of that happening now behind closed...
French bulldogs remain the most popular U.S. breed in new rankings. Many fans aren’t happy
NEW YORK — French bulldogs. U.S. dog owners. C’est l’amour. Frenchies remained the United States’ most commonly registered purebred dogs last year, according to American Kennel Club rankings released Wednesday. The club calls the Frenchie the most popular breed, though other canine constituencies may beg to differ. Is it a...
England is limiting gender transitions for youths. U.S. legislators are watching
Legislators in at least two U.S. states are citing a recent decision in England to restrict gender transitions for young people as support for their own related proposals. They weren’t the first to turn to other countries, notably in Europe, for policy and research ideas. Lawmakers across the U.S., where...
IRS chief zeroes in on wealthy tax cheats in AP interview
WASHINGTON — IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel has a message for high-wealth tax cheats who are wrongly deducting private jet travel and otherwise shorting the government on their taxes: Pay your fair share so “others aren’t shouldering the burden of funding our government.” He also has a thought for ordinary taxpayers...
Heavy fighting rages around Gaza’s biggest hospital as Israel raids it for a second day
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Explosions and shootings shook the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital and surrounding neighborhoods as Israeli forces stormed through the facility for a second day Tuesday. The military said it had killed 50 Hamas militants in the hospital, but it could not be independently confirmed that the dead...
Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong resigns amid anti-corruption campaign
HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong resigned after a little over a year on the job, the Communist Party said Wednesday, making him the latest senior official to leave office amid an intense anti-corruption campaign. The party said it had accepted his resignation, writing in a statement that...
Texas’ migrant arrest law is back on hold after briefly taking effect
McALLEN, Texas — Texas’ plans to arrest migrants suspected of entering the U.S. illegally were again on hold Wednesday after setting off uncertainty along the border and anger from Mexico flared during a brief few hours that the law was allowed to take effect. A late-night order Tuesday from a...
Mega Millions jackpot reaches $977 million after no one wins Tuesday’s drawing
The Mega Millions jackpot has reached $977 million for Friday night’s drawing after no tickets matched all six numbers drawn on Tuesday night. The winning numbers drawn on Tuesday were 24, 46, 49, 62, 66 and the gold Mega Ball was 7. The estimated jackpot was $893 million with a...
Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously approve security law giving government more power to curb dissent
HONG KONG — Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously approved a new national security law Tuesday that grants the government more power to quash dissent, widely seen as the latest step in a sweeping political crackdown triggered by pro-democracy protests in 2019. The legislature passed the Safeguarding National Security Bill during a...
