Associated Press stories, Page 734
NFLPA’s Lloyd Howell tackles field issues, gambling and more in 1st state of the union address
LAS VEGAS — The San Francisco 49ers’ issues with their practice fields at the Super Bowl gave the NFL Players Association an opportunity to highlight players’ desire for grass fields across the league. NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell emphasized the importance of installing grass fields, discussed modifications to the league’s...
Marianne Williamson suspends her presidential campaign, ending long-shot primary challenge to Biden
WASHINGTON — Self-help author and spiritual guru Marianne Williamson on Wednesday announced the end of her long-shot Democratic challenge to President Joe Biden. The 71-year-old onetime spiritual adviser to Oprah Winfrey contemplated suspending her campaign last month after winning just 5,000 votes in New Hampshire’s primary, writing that she “had...
Stabbing of Palestinian American near the University of Texas meets hate crime standard, police say
AUSTIN, Texas — The stabbing of a 23-year-old Palestinian American who advocates say was attacked near the University of Texas campus while riding in a truck displaying support for Palestine merits the label of a hate crime, Austin police announced Wednesday. Bert James Baker, 36, was arrested following the Sunday...
Fossil fuel-dependent Puerto Rico can fully shift to clean energy by 2050, a federal study says
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — As Puerto Rico struggles with chronic power outages and a decaying electric grid, federal officials believe the U.S. territory can fully shift from fossil fuels to clean energy by 2050, according to a report Wednesday that has been two years in the making. The report...
Actor Gina Carano sues Lucasfilm and Disney over her firing from ‘The Mandalorian’
LOS ANGELES — Actor Gina Carano on Tuesday sued Lucasfilm and its parent The Walt Disney Co. over her 2021 firing from ” The Mandalorian,” saying she was let go for expressing right-wing views on social media. The lawsuit Carano filed with help from X, formerly Twitter, in federal court...
Christian Bale breaks ground on foster homes he’s fought for 16 years to see built
PALMDALE, Calif. — Christian Bale broke ground Wednesday on a project he’s been pursuing for 16 years — the building of a dozen homes and a community center in Los Angeles County intended to keep siblings in foster care together. The Oscar winner stood with a grin and a shovel...
Prince William thanks public for messages to King Charles and Kate, says they mean ‘a great deal’
LONDON — Prince William returned to royal duties Wednesday for the first time since his father, King Charles III, announced his cancer diagnosis and his wife, Kate, was hospitalized for abdominal surgery. Speaking about his families’ health scares in public for the first time, the 41-year-old heir to the throne...
Massachusetts governor nominates former romantic partner to state’s highest court
BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday nominated an appeals court judge and former romantic partner with whom she shared a home for several years to an open seat on the state’s highest court. Massachusetts Appeals Court Associate Justice Gabrielle R. Wolohojian would serve as an associate justice of the...
Cough? Sore throat? More schools suggest mildly sick kids attend anyway
Trenace Dorsey-Hollins’ 5-year-old daughter was sick a lot last year. Dorsey-Hollins followed school guidelines and kept her home when she had a cough or a sore throat — or worse — until she was completely better. Near the end of the year, the school in Fort Worth, Texas, called her...
Adam Neumann, ousted founder of WeWork, wants to buy back the office sharing company
NEW YORK — Adam Neumann, the ousted co-founder of WeWork, is exploring a deal to buy back the office sharing company after expressing dismay over its bankruptcy process. In a letter obtained by The Associated Press this week, an attorney representing Neumann and Flow Global Holdings said that WeWork’s former...
49ers tackle Trent Williams savors 1st Super Bowl trip in 14th season
HENDERSON, Nev. — Trent Williams’ accomplishments are already worthy of a Hall of Fame career with 11 Pro Bowl bids, three first-team All-Pro selections and near universal recognition as the best left tackle of his generation. All that was missing for the San Francisco 49ers star was something he never...
2 officers wounded by gunfire at a suburban Philadelphia home that is then gutted by fire
EAST LANSDOWNE — Two police officers were wounded Wednesday by gunfire at a suburban Philadelphia home that was later set on fire and consumed by the blaze, possibly with multiple people inside, authorities said. Officers from East Lansdowne, Lansdowne and Upper Darby responded to the house in East Lansdowne in...
Drone strike in Baghdad kills high-ranking militia commander, officials say
BAGHDAD — A U.S. drone strike hit a car in the Iraqi capital Wednesday night, killing three members of the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia, including a high-ranking commander, officials said. The strike came on a main thoroughfare in the Mashtal neighborhood in eastern Baghdad. A crowd gathered as emergency response...
Ignitable cakes, sweatshirts and more. Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift gear flies off store shelves
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An ignitable cake burns away a Kansas City Chiefs logo to reveal pop superstar Taylor Swift ‘s image underneath. Prayer candles feature the Grammy winner and her star tight end boyfriend Travis Kelce. Sweatshirts are emblazoned with “Kelce’s Best Catch” and “Go Kansas City Swiftie.” With...
What’s next for Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of the Michigan school shooter?
PONTIAC, Mich. — A conviction in the unprecedented trial of a Michigan school shooter’s mother will stand as a milestone to law enforcers across the U.S. as well as a stark reminder to parents with guns in their home. But experts who followed Jennifer Crumbley’s involuntary manslaughter case note that...
Medical examiner rules the decapitation of a baby during delivery was a homicideVideo
ATLANTA — A medical examiner has classified the death of a Georgia couple’s baby that was decapitated during delivery as a homicide, their attorneys announced Wednesday. Treveon Taylor, Jr.’s parents have sued the hospital and the doctor who delivered him in July. Both denied any negligence. The Clayton County Medical...
Senate Republicans block bipartisan border package, scuttling deal they had demanded from Democrats
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans blocked a bipartisan border package Wednesday, scuttling months of negotiations with Democrats on legislation intended to cut back record numbers of illegal border crossings. Many Republicans said the election-year compromise wasn’t enough, even as supporters of the bill insisted it was the best possible in divided...
Israel and Hamas are far apart on a Gaza cease-fire and hostage deal. What are the sticking points?
JERUSALEM — Israel and Hamas are examining proposed terms for a deal meant to bring about a cease-fire in the 4-month-old war in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of dozens of hostages still held there and the freeing of many Palestinians from Israeli prisons. The two sides...
NFL’s 1st Super Bowl in Las Vegas has plenty of storylines plus an interesting football matchup
LAS VEGAS — The first Super Bowl in Las Vegas has everything the imaginary NFL scriptwriters could’ve wanted. There’s Patrick Mahomes and the underdog Kansas City Chiefs (14-6) aiming to become the first repeat champions in 19 years and trying to solidify their claim to a dynasty with a third...
CBO projects a $188 billion decrease in this year’s federal budget deficit, but debt would then grow
WASHINGTON — The Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday that it expects the federal budget deficit to drop by $188 billion this fiscal year to $1.5 trillion, a short-lived dip as the annual shortfall is likely to rise over the next nine years. Two major factors are behind the decline in...
Russian skater’s strawberry dessert excuse was rejected by judges in Olympic doping case
PARIS — A strawberry dessert contaminated by her grandfather’s heart medication might have caused Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s positive doping test, her lawyers argued at sport’s highest court, which rejected the explanation and banned her for four years. The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Wednesday published the 129-page...
Pro Picks: Purdy will lead the 49ers to another comeback win, ruining Chiefs’ repeat bid
LAS VEGAS — The underdog Kansas City Chiefs are playing for history against the San Francisco 49ers. No team has been the underdog in consecutive Super Bowls and won both games. The two previous defending champions to return as an underdog both lost. But the Chiefs (14-6) have been defying...
Netanyahu rejects Hamas’ demands, complicating efforts toward a cease-fire and hostage-releaseVideo
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected Hamas’ terms for a cease-fire and hostage-release agreement, vowing to continue the war until “absolute victory” and dismissing any arrangement that leaves the militant group in full or partial control of Gaza. Netanyahu’s remarks, made as U.S. Secretary of State...
Haley pushes forward after Trump’s allies in Nevada ensured her loss to ‘none of these candidates’
LAS VEGAS — Even without Donald Trump on Nevada’s Republican ballot, Nikki Haley was denied her first victory. The indignity of a distant second-place finish behind “none of these candidates” was a fresh blow for Haley, facilitated by the staunch Trump allies who lead Nevada’s GOP. They had already maneuvered...
Paxlovid can lessen the chance of a severe covid-19 illness. Why is it underused?
Tens of thousands of Americans are hospitalized with covid-19 every week. Thousands die from it every month. And yet, an antiviral treatment proven to lessen the chances of severe outcomes is going underused. The drug, Paxlovid, is lauded by experts as a powerful tool that can prevent hospitalization and death...
