Associated Press stories, Page 747
Still haven’t bought holiday gifts? Retailers have a sale for you
NEW YORK — Retailers are stepping up sales and other enticements in the final days before Christmas to lure shoppers who’ve been waiting for the best deals, or who didn’t have the time or the urge to wrap up gift-buying early. Incentives to spend last minute are an extension of...
Czechs mourn 14 dead and dozens wounded in the worst mass shooting in the country’s history
PRAGUE — People in the Czech capital were trying to come to grips Friday with the worst mass shooting in the country’s history that left 14 dead and dozens wounded inside a university building. The shooter is also believed to have killed his father earlier in the day and a...
Biden is pardoning thousands convicted of marijuana charges on federal lands and in Washington
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is making thousands of people who were convicted of use and simple possession of marijuana on federal lands and in the District of Columbia eligible for pardons, the White House said Friday, in his latest round of executive clemencies meant to rectify racial disparities in...
Hydrogen tax credit plan unveiled as Biden administration tries to jump start industry
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration released its highly anticipated proposal for doling out billions of dollars in tax credits to hydrogen producers Friday, in a massive effort to build out an industry that some hope can be a cleaner alternative to fossil fueled power. The U.S. credit is the most...
Fed’s favored inflation gauge tumbles in November as price pressures continue to ease
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation fell last month in another sign that price pressures easing in the face of the central bank’s interest rate hikes. Friday’s report from the Commerce Department showed that U.S. consumer prices slid 0.1% last month from October and rose 2.6% from...
1 injured in shooting at a Virginia hospital; suspect in custody
RICHMOND, Va. — Police said one person was injured at a Richmond hospital when a man who had come into the hospital for a mental health evaluation began shooting. Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards told reporters that a 911 call came in at 4:11 a.m. of shots fired at Chippenham...
Federal court revives lawsuit against Nirvana over 1991 ‘Nevermind’ naked baby album cover
LOS ANGELES — A federal appeals court on Thursday revived a child sexual exploitation lawsuit filed by the man who appeared naked as a 4-month-old on the cover of Nirvana’s 1991 album “Nevermind.” Spencer Elden’s lawsuit against the grunge rock group alleges that he has suffered “permanent harm” as the...
Biden signs executive order aimed at financial facilitators of the Russian defense industry
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Friday giving the U.S. Treasury Department the authority to target financial institutions that facilitate Russia’s efforts to bolster its defense industry. The new sanctions authority is meant to gum up the Kremlin’s push to restock the Russian military’s depleted arsenal after...
Israel strikes 2 homes, killing more than 90 Palestinians while hundreds have been detained
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — More than 90 Palestinians, including dozens from an extended family, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on two homes, rescuers and hospital officials said Saturday, a day after the U.N. chief warned again that nowhere is safe in Gaza and that Israel’s offensive is creating “massive obstacles”...
Russian official says U.S. is hampering a prisoner exchange with unequal demands
MOSCOW — A Russian deputy foreign minister said that talks with the United States on a potential prisoner exchange that would free Americans held in Russia are hampered by publicity and an alleged disparity in the U.S. negotiating stance. The U.S. State Department said last week that Russia rejected several...
Matthew Stafford’s Rams start strong, hold off Saints 30-22 to surge forward in NFC playoff raceVideo
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Matthew Stafford passed for 328 yards and two touchdowns, rookie Puka Nacua had nine catches for a career-high 164 yards and a score and the Los Angeles Rams surged forward in the NFC playoff race with a 30-22 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night....
Kanye Clary scores 20 as Penn States rebounds to beat Le Moyne
UNIVERSITY PARK — Kanye Clary scored 20 points as Penn State bounced back its one-point loss to Georgia Tech in overtime by cruising to a 72-55 win over Le Moyne, a first-year Division I member of the Northeast Conference, on Thursday night. The Nittany Lions needed to stage big second-half...
Oregon State, Washington State agree to revenue distribution deal with 10 departing Pac-12 schools
Oregon State and Washington State announced Thursday they reached an agreement with 10 departing Pac-12 schools on revenue distribution for 2023-24 that puts an end to a legal battle sparked by conference realignment. Last week, Oregon State and Washington State were given control of the Pac-12 and assets when the...
RB Saquon Barkley, Giants aim to end road skid in Philadelphia
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Saquon Barkley enjoys taking the trip down the New Jersey Turnpike to play the Philadelphia Eagles. Facing the Eagles (10-4) is always a challenge. Driving into Lincoln Financial Field, the fans will scream and throw things at the New York Giants team bus, and that’s just...
Matchup between Browns and Texans will likely be Flacco vs. Keenum with Watson and Stroud injuredVideo
HOUSTON — When the NFL schedule was released in May, the game between the Browns and Texans on Sunday was expected to be an intriguing matchup. Deshaun Watson, Houston’s former star quarterback, would square off for Cleveland against rookie C.J. Stroud, the Texans’ new franchise signal caller. As these teams...
Report: New England footballs deflated, but don’t blame Patriots this time
The special teams footballs used in Sunday’s game between Kansas City and New England reportedly were underinflated — not by the Patriots, this time — an ironic throwback to the Deflategate scandal that captivated the football world for parts of three seasons and led to penalties against the team and...
Old Dominion men’s basketball coach Jeff Jones hospitalized after heart attack
HONOLULU — Old Dominion men’s basketball coach Jeff Jones was hospitalized in Honolulu after suffering a heart attack on Wednesday, the school said. “He is resting comfortably and expecting a full recovery,” Old Dominion said in a statement Thursday. The 63-year-old Jones is being held for observation for the next...
Baltimore’s defense faces its biggest test yet when the Ravens take on Brock Purdy and the 49ersVideo
It’s one of the biggest debates of the 2023 NFL season: Brock Purdy, superstar or game manager? His next opponent already sounds convinced of the answer. “Seems like he gets a lot of hate from the stuff that I see. I don’t know why,” Baltimore cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. “You...
Biden believes U.S. Steel sale to Nippon Steel warrants ‘serious scrutiny,’ White House says
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden believes “serious scrutiny” is warranted for the planned acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel, the White House said Thursday after days of silence on a transaction that has drawn alarm from the steelworkers union. Lael Brainard, the director of the National Economic Council,...
MLB is widening the runner’s lane to first, changing a rule that has caused World Series controversyVideo
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball is widening the runner’s lane approaching first base to include a portion of fair territory, changing a more than century-old rule that caused World Series controversy over interference calls. MLB also is shortening the pitch clock with runners on base by 2 seconds to...
Were your holiday deliveries stolen? What to know about porch piracy and what you can do about it
NEW YORK — You found the perfect holiday gift online. You ordered it. A notification arrived on your phone, showing the package had arrived. But when you open your doors, the parcel is nowhere to be found. If this has happened to you, then count yourself among the unlucky group...
Apple loses latest bid to avert patent dispute that has halted online U.S. sales of 2 watch models
CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple on Thursday stopped online sales of two popular models of its internet-connected watch in the U.S. after losing its latest attempt to untangle a patent dispute that’s blocking it from using some of the technology on the device. Both the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra...
Trump transformed the Supreme Court. Now the justices could decide his political and legal future
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump touts his transformation of the U.S. Supreme Court as one of his presidency’s greatest accomplishments. Now his legal and political future may lie in the hands of the court he pushed to the right. With three Trump-appointed justices leading a conservative majority, the court is being...
Joe Flacco giving the Browns a steady presence and leadership with a playoff spot in reach
BEREA, Ohio — Joe Flacco looks much different, younger and a little less like his new coach. The beard is gone. “It was a mess,” said the Browns’ freshly-shaven quarterback. While his facial hair may have been a bit unkempt, and made him a taller lookalike to Browns coach Kevin...
Rudy Giuliani files for bankruptcy days after being ordered to pay $148 million in defamation case
NEW YORK — Rudy Giuliani has filed for bankruptcy, days after being ordered to pay $148 million in a defamation lawsuit brought by two former election workers in Georgia who said his targeting of them led to death threats that made them fear for their lives. In his filing Thursday,...

