Associated Press stories, Page 786
Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander suspended 1 game for actions during coin toss at Carolina
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander has been suspended by the team for Sunday night’s must-win showdown against Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings. The decision stems from, but wasn’t limited to, Alexander appointing himself a captain for the Packers’ 33-30 Christmas Eve win at Carolina....
Head-on crash kills 6, critically injures 3 on Texas highway
CLEBURNE, Texas — A pickup slammed head-on into a minivan on a north Texas highway, killing six people and critically injuring three, Texas authorities said Wednesday. The deadly crash happened Tuesday near Cleburne, about 33 miles south of Fort Worth, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. A preliminary investigation...
Julius Peppers and Antonio Gates headline 15-player finalists for Pro Football Hall of FameVideo
First-time candidates Julius Peppers and Antonio Gates joined nine returning finalists who advanced to the final stage of voting for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2024. Peppers and Gates were announced Wednesday as finalists in their first year of eligibility. They will be joined on the 15-player...
Trump ballot ban appealed to U.S. Supreme Court by Colorado Republican Party
DENVER — The Colorado Republican Party on Wednesday appealed the state’s supreme court decision that found former President Donald Trump is ineligible for the presidency, the potential first step to a showdown at the nation’s highest court over the meaning of a 155-year-old constitutional provision that bans from office those...
Trapped in crashed truck, Indiana man rescued after 6 days surviving on rainwater
PORTAGE, Ind. — A 27-year-old man survived for six days on only rainwater while pinned tightly inside his crashed pickup beneath a highway bridge in northwest Indiana, police said. His ordeal ended when two men scouting for fishing spots Tuesday afternoon noticed the badly damaged vehicle, its white airbag deployed,...
Danny Masterson sent to state prison to serve sentence for rape convictions
DELANO, Calif. — “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson has been sent to a California state prison to serve his sentence for two rape convictions. Authorities said Wednesday the 47-year-old Masterson has been admitted to North Kern State Prison, and they released his first prison mug shot. The photo shows...
Democratic mayors criticize drop-offs of migrants from Texas, seek help
CHICAGO — The mayors of Chicago, New York City and Denver renewed pleas Wednesday for more federal help and coordination with Texas over the growing number of asylum-seekers arriving in their cities by bus and plane. The mayors’ requests come as U.S. cities have struggled to manage the increasing number...
Broncos bench QB Russell Wilson and will turn to Jarrett Stidham, AP source saysVideo
The Denver Broncos are benching quarterback Russell Wilson in a move that could have major ramifications for his future and theirs. Although the move keeps open the team’s options next year and, ultimately, could save the Broncos $37 million, coach Sean Payton on Wednesday called the switch to journeyman Jarrett...
Joe Flacco faces Jets, his former team, with chance to push surging Browns into AFC playoffsVideo
CLEVELAND — Joe Flacco’s short stint with the Cleveland Browns has been stunning, storybook, almost unbelievable. Like everyone else, the New York Jets have watched him from afar and maybe wondered what might have been. On Thursday night, Flacco, who in just over a month has revived his career while...
Drones leads Virginia Tech to 41-20 win over No. 23 Tulane in Military Bowl
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Kyron Drones ran for 176 yards and a touchdown and also threw for two TDs as Virginia Tech withstood a second-half downpour to beat No. 23 Tulane 41-20 in the Military Bowl on Wednesday. Drones fumbled three times in the slippery conditions, but the Hokies (7-6) lost...
Dodgers announce signing of Yoshinobu Yamamoto to 12-year, $325 million deal
LOS ANGELES — It’s official: Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a Dodger. The team announced the signing of the Japanese right-hander to a 12-year, $325-million contract on Wednesday. Two weeks after securing two-way star Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700-million deal, the Dodgers beat out at least a dozen other clubs that...
Pro-Palestinian protesters block airport access roads in New York, Los Angeles
NEW YORK — Pro-Palestinian protesters briefly blocked entrance roads Wednesday to airports in New York and Los Angeles, forcing some travelers to set off on foot to bypass the jammed roadway. As U.S. airlines contended with a rush of holiday travel, the demonstrations snarled traffic on the outskirts of New...
Social media companies made $11 billion in U.S. ad revenue from minors, Harvard study finds
Social media companies collectively made over $11 billion in U.S. advertising revenue from minors last year, according to a study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published on Wednesday. The researchers say the findings show a need for government regulation of social media since the companies that...
More cold-case sexual assault charges for man accused of 2003 Philadelphia rape and slaying
PHILADELPHIA — A man accused of slashing people with a large knife in recent weeks while riding a bicycle on a trail in Philadelphia and then charged in the cold-case rape and slaying of a medical student has now been charged in several other high-profile unsolved sexual assaults. Elias Diaz,...
Odds for more sports betting expansion could fade after rapid growth to 38 states
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — At his suburban St. Louis home, Brett Koenig can pull out his smartphone and open a sports betting app. But he can’t place a bet. He is blocked by a pop-up message noting he is not in a legal location. Missouri is one of a dozen...
Trump says he didn’t know his immigration rhetoric echoes Hitler
NEW YORK — Donald Trump has centered his unlikely rise from reality television star to onetime — and potentially future — president on the idea that he’s wiser than Washington’s bumbling political class, once going so far as to label himself a “very stable genius.” But when it comes to...
The late-night email to Tim Cook that set the Apple Watch saga in motion
At about 1 a.m. California time in 2013, a scientist emailed Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook with an irresistible pitch. “I strongly believe that we can develop the new wave of technology that will make Apple the No. 1 brand in the medical, fitness and wellness market,” he...
Comedian Tom Smothers, one-half of the Smothers Brothers, dies at 86
Tom Smothers, half of the Smothers Brothers and the co-host of one of the most socially conscious and groundbreaking television shows in the history of the medium, has died at 86. The National Comedy Center, on behalf of his family, said in a statement Wednesday that Smothers died Tuesday at...
Argument over Christmas gifts turns deadly as 14-year-old kills his older sister, Florida deputies sayVideo
LARGO, Fla. — A Florida woman holding her 11-month-old son in a baby carrier was fatally shot by her 14-year-old brother while trying to defuse an argument over Christmas gifts he was having with a 15-year-old brother who also was armed, authorities said. The 15-year-old brother then shot his 14-year-old...
The New York Times sues OpenAI, Microsoft over the use of its stories to train chatbots
NEW YORK — The New York Times has filed a federal lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft seeking to end the practice of using its stories to train chatbots, saying that copyright infringements at the paper alone could be worth billions. The paper joins a growing list of individuals and publishers...
Best movies of 2023: ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Fallen Leaves,’ ‘May December’Video
The Associated Press’ Film Writers Lindsey Bahr and Jake Coyle’s picks for the best movies of 2023: LINDSEY BAHR 1. ‘Oppenheimer’ Christopher Nolan has had so many major films in a relatively short time, that “Oppenheimer” might seem like a given, rather than the triumphant fusion of everything he’s passionate...
Man trapped for 6 days in wrecked truck in Indiana rescued after being spotted by passersby
PORTAGE, Ind. — A 27-year-old man survived for six days on only rainwater while pinned tightly inside his crashed pickup truck beneath a highway bridge in northwest Indiana, police said. His ordeal ended when two men scouting for fishing spots on Tuesday afternoon noticed the badly damaged vehicle, its white...
Russian presidential hopeful loses appeal against authorities’ refusal to register her for the race
MOSCOW — A Russian politician calling for peace in Ukraine on Wednesday lost her appeal against election officials’ refusal to accept her nomination for the country’s presidential race that President Vladimir Putin is all but certain to win. Former regional legislator Yekaterina Duntsova has promoted her vision of a “humane”...
Heat exhaustion killed Taylor Swift fan attending Rio concert, forensics report says
RIO DE JANEIRO — Heat exhaustion is the cause of death of a Brazilian fan who attended a concert of singer Taylor Swift in November, a forensics report obtained by the Associated Press on Wednesday shows. Ana Clara Benevides, 23, passed out during Swift’s second song in the Nov. 17...
Michigan Supreme Court will keep Trump on 2024 ballot
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan’s Supreme Court is keeping former President Donald Trump on the state’s primary election ballot. The court said Wednesday it will not hear an appeal of a lower court’s ruling from groups seeking to keep Trump from appearing on the ballot. The state’s high court said in...
