Associated Press stories, Page 773
6-planet solar system in perfect synchrony has been found in the Milky Way
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Astronomers have discovered a rare in-sync solar system with six planets moving like a grand cosmic orchestra, untouched by outside forces since their birth billions of years ago. The find, announced Wednesday, can help explain how solar systems across the Milky Way galaxy came to be....
U.S. moves to protect wolverines as climate change melts their mountain refuges, threatens extinction
BILLINGS, Mont. — The North American wolverine will receive long-delayed threatened species protections under a Biden administration proposal released Wednesday in response to scientists warning that climate change will likely melt away the rare species’ snowy mountain refuges and push them toward extinction. Across most of the U.S., wolverines were...
Biden targets GOP Rep. Boebert in her district in a fresh political attack on Republicans
DENVER — President Joe Biden will try to turn Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado into the embodiment of Republican opposition to his agenda as he visits her congressional district Wednesday. The trip comes as Biden struggles with low approval ratings while he prepares for a likely 2024 rematch against former...
Consumer Reports: Electric vehicles less reliable, on average, than conventional cars and trucks
DETROIT — Electric vehicles have proved far less reliable, on average, than gasoline-powered cars, trucks and SUVs, according to the latest survey by Consumer Reports, which found that EVs from the 2021 through 2023 model years encountered nearly 80% more problems than did vehicles propelled by internal combustion engines. Consumer...
3 dead, 1 hospitalized in explosion that sparked massive fire at Ohio auto repair shop
HILLSBORO, Ohio — An explosion at an auto repair shop in Ohio that killed three people and sent a fourth person to a hospital sparked a massive fire that burned for hours and spewed thick, black smoke into the air. The Tuesday afternoon blast at Jimbo’s Auto Repair in Hillsboro...
Gay couple in Nepal becomes the 1st to officially register same-sex marriage in the country
KATHMANDU, Nepal — A gay couple in Nepal on Wednesday became the first in the nation to receive official same-sex marriage status. The Himalayan nation is one of the first in Asia to allow it. “After 23 years of struggle we got this historic achievement, and finally Maya and Surendra...
U.S. economic growth for last quarter is revised up to a 5.2% annual rate
WASHINGTON — Shrugging off higher interest rates, America’s consumers spent enough to help drive the economy to a brisk 5.2% annual pace from July through September, the government reported Wednesday in an upgrade from its previous estimate. The government had previously estimated that the economy grew at a 4.9% annual...
Lawmaker helping lead impeachment of Philadelphia’s prosecutor will run for state attorney general
HARRISBURG — A state lawmaker who is helping lead the effort to impeach Philadelphia’s elected prosecutor on Tuesday became the newest candidate for Pennsylvania attorney general, an office that played a critical role in court defending Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the presidential battleground. Rep. Craig Williams, a Republican who...
U.S. military Osprey aircraft with 8 aboard crashes off southern Japan, at least 1 deadVideo
TOKYO — A U.S. Air Force Osprey based in Japan crashed during a training mission Wednesday off of the country’s southern coast, killing at least one of the eight crew members, the Japanese coast guard said. The cause of the crash and the status of the seven others on board...
U.S. life expectancy rose last year, but it remains below its pre-pandemic level
NEW YORK — U.S. life expectancy rose last year — by more than a year — but still isn’t close to what it was before the covid-19 pandemic. The 2022 rise was mainly due to the waning pandemic, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers said Wednesday. But even with...
Trump embraces the Jan. 6 rioters on the trail. In court, his lawyers hope to distance him from them
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump has embraced the rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as patriots, vowed to pardon a large portion of them if he wins a second term and even collaborated on a song with a group of jailed defendants. In his election interference case...
Israeli military says 10 Israelis, 4 Thai nationals, have been released by Hamas
JERUSALEM — Hamas released 16 hostages late Wednesday in the last swap for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel under the current Gaza truce, as international mediators raced to seal another extension to allow further exchanges and prolong the halt of Israel’s air and ground offensive. The Israeli military said a...
Mark Cuban working on $3.5B sale of Mavericks to Sands casino family, source says
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is working on a deal to sell a majority stake in the NBA franchise to the family that runs the Las Vegas Sands casino company, a person with knowledge of the talks said Tuesday night. The agreement would be in the valuation range of $3.5...
Gas prices have fallen, remained steady 10 weeks straight
NEW YORK — It’s not just you. Across the U.S., prices at the pump have felt milder in recent months. Gas prices have fallen or remained steady since Sep. 19 — marking about a 70-day trajectory of decline, Andrew Gross, spokesperson for motor club AAA, said Tuesday. As of Tuesday,...
Loaded field of CFP contenders for last 4-team playoff fuels championship weekend drama
The four-team College Football Playoff is going out with the most crowded field of contenders and the most consequential championship weekend in the 10-year history of the system. Eight teams have at least a glimmer of hope to make the field. Yes, that means you, too, Ohio State. The penultimate...
Colts’ Jonathan Taylor to have surgery, hopes to return in 3 weeks
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor will have thumb surgery Wednesday and hopes to play again in about three weeks, a person with knowledge of the injury told the Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the team has...
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson will return after bye week
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Vikings All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson was activated from injured reserve Tuesday, cleared to return to action after missing two months with a hamstring injury. Minnesota began its bye week after a 12-10 loss to Chicago on Monday, but Jefferson will be back on the field when...
After flat tire, Cardinals LB Jesse Luketa got to game with assist from strangers
A Phoenix family came to the rescue of Arizona Cardinals player Jesse Luketa, who had a fumble on the road to Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams. Luketa only had 30 minutes left in his drive to State Farm Stadium in Glendale when his car’s tire became flat, the...
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs temporarily steps down as Revolt chairman amid sexual abuse allegations
LOS ANGELES — Sean “Diddy” Combs has temporarily stepped down as chairman of his cable television network Revolt amid multiple sexual abuse allegations against the music mogul. Revolt announced Combs’ decision on social media Tuesday. It’s not clear when he will return to his media company — which said Combs...
Blackhawks say Corey Perry engaged in unacceptable conduct, move to terminate contract
CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks said Corey Perry engaged in unacceptable conduct and took a step Tuesday toward terminating his contract, the latest twist involving the veteran winger who mysteriously was scratched and sent home last week without explanation. The Blackhawks in a statement said an internal investigation showed Perry...
Rosalynn Carter honored by family, friends, first ladies and presidents — including husband Jimmy
ATLANTA — Rosalynn Carter was being memorialized Tuesday with classical music and beloved hymns, some of her favorite Biblical passages, and a rare gathering of all living U.S. first ladies and multiple presidents, including her 99-year-old husband Jimmy Carter in the front row. The tribute service at Glenn Memorial Church...
Judge cites handwritten will and awards real estate to Aretha Franklin’s sons
DETROIT — A judge overseeing the estate of Aretha Franklin awarded real estate to the late star’s sons, citing a handwritten will from 2014 that was found between couch cushions. The decision Monday came four months after a Detroit-area jury said the document was a valid will under Michigan law,...
Elevator plummets at a platinum mine in South Africa, killing 11 workers and injuring 75
JOHANNESBURG — An elevator suddenly dropped around 656 feet while carrying workers to the surface in a platinum mine in South Africa, killing 11 and injuring 75 — 14 of them critically, the mine operator said Tuesday. It happened Monday evening at the end of the workers’ shift at a...
Patrick Kane is signing with the Detroit Red Wings, an AP source says
Patrick Kane is joining the Detroit Red Wings for the rest of the season, choosing the championship-rich franchise over other suitors for the four-time All-Star’s return to the NHL from hip surgery. A person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Kane has agreed to...
Putin accuses the West of trying to ‘dismember and plunder’ Russia in a ranting speech
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, in a ranting speech before a presidential election campaign, cast Moscow’s military action in Ukraine as an existential battle against purported attempts by the West to destroy Russia. Putin, who has been in power for more than two decades and is the...

