Associated Press stories, Page 79
Neil Sedaka, the singer-songwriter behind dozens of hits of the 1960s and ’70s, dies at age 86
NEW YORK — Neil Sedaka, the hit-making singer-songwriter whose boyish soprano and bright melodies made him a top act in the early years of rock ‘n’ roll and led to a second run of success in the 1970s, has died. Sedaka, whose hits included “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do”...
Los Angeles school superintendent placed on paid leave amid federal probe
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles schools superintendent Alberto Carvalho was put on paid leave Friday while he is part of a federal investigation, two days after the FBI served search warrants at his home and the district’s headquarters. Authorities have not provided details of the nature of the investigation involving...
Teenage girls face higher ACL injury risks; parents want better preventive measures
HARRISBURG — Sofia Tepichin was about 30 minutes into her club soccer team practice in October when she spotted a fast-approaching defender. She tapped the ball away and hopped over the defender’s outstretched foot, came down awkwardly, and heard a “pop.” She immediately fell to the ground, pain shooting through...
Sweden says it intercepted Russian drone during visit by French aircraft carrier
STOCKHOLM — A Russian drone carried out an unauthorized flight off southern Sweden earlier this week while a French aircraft carrier was docked in the port of Malmö, the Swedish military said Friday, in what the defense minister said was a violation of his country’s airspace. The armed forces said...
Trump says he’s ‘not happy’ with Iran talks but will wait to see what happens in further rounds
TEL AVIV, Israel — U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he’s “not happy” with Iran talks so far but that he’ll wait to see what happens in additional rounds of negotiations with the Middle Eastern country over its nuclear program. “I’m not happy with the fact that they’re not willing...
Target will stop selling cereals with synthetic colors by end of May
Target will stop selling cereals containing synthetic colors by the end of May. The Minneapolis-based discounter said Friday it had been phasing out synthetic colors in cereals for several years. Right now, 85% of its cereal sales already come from products made without synthetic dyes. Target said it has worked...
Pakistan is in ‘open war’ with Afghanistan after latest strikes, defense minister says
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged cross-border attacks overnight in a dramatic escalation of tensions that led Pakistan’s defense minister to say on Friday that the two countries are in a state of “open war.” Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack on Pakistan late Thursday, saying it was in retaliation for...
At least 55 Ghanaians killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine war, minister says
ACCRA, Ghana — At least 55 Ghanaians have died fighting for Russia in Ukraine, Ghana’s foreign minister said Friday, one of the highest death tolls from among several African countries whose citizens are fighting in the war. Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said 272 Ghanaians have been lured into...
Bill Clinton says he ‘did nothing wrong’ with Epstein as he faced grilling over their relationship
WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton told members of Congress on Friday that he “did nothing wrong” in his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and saw no signs of Epstein’s sexual abuse as he faced hours of grilling from lawmakers over his connections to the disgraced financier from more than two...
U.S. hockey player Brady Tkachuk slams White House TikTok as ‘clearly fake’ after anti-Canada slur
OTTAWA, Ontario — American hockey player Brady Tkachuk said Thursday that he did not appreciate a doctored TikTok video shared by the White House that made it look like he was disparaging Canadians after winning Olympic gold, calling it fake and something he would never say. The video includes fabricated...
Scouting America will alter its policies to maintain support from the U.S. military, Pentagon says
WASHINGTON — Scouting America will alter several policies at the urging of the Pentagon, including one targeting transgender youths, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday as he pushes a campaign against military support for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Some of the changes mirror what the organization suggested to the...
Ancient coupling may have happened more between human females and Neanderthal males
NEW YORK — Humans and Neanderthals cozied up from time to time when they lived in the same areas tens of thousands of years ago. But we don’t know much about who got with whom, or why. A new genetic analysis offers some ancient gossip: The pairings were more often...
Lawmakers say U.S. military used laser to take down Border Protection drone
FORT HANCOCK, Texas — The U.S. military used a laser to shoot down a Customs and Border Protection drone, members of Congress said Thursday, and the Federal Aviation Administration responded by closing more airspace near El Paso, Texas. It’s not clear why the laser was deployed but it’s the second...
Caleb Downs, Kenyon Sadiq may provide strong draft value for NFL teams at often undervalued spots
INDIANAPOLIS — Caleb Downs and Kenyon Sadiq played it cool Thursday at the NFL’s annual scouting combine. Rather than brag about sitting atop their respective positional rankings — safety and tight end — for April’s NFL Draft, the two All-Americans spoke confidently about simply what they could add next fall....
Reports: 3-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer, Blue Jays agree to 1-year, $3M deal
NEW YORK — Max Scherzer is returning to the Toronto Blue Jays. Two weeks into spring training, the three-time Cy Young Award winner has agreed with the reigning American League champions on a $3 million, one-year contract, according to multiple reports Thursday. The 41-year-old Scherzer can earn another $10 million...
Hornets’ Kon Knueppel breaks NBA rookie record for 3-pointers in a season in just 59 games
INDIANAPOLIS — Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel reached yet another milestone in a remarkable rookie season for the No. 4 overall pick from Duke. The Hornets swingman broke Keegan Murray’s NBA rookie record for 3-pointers, making his 207th Thursday night against the Indiana Pacers. Knueppel connected on five 3s in the first...
Reports: Colts give injury-plagued QB Anthony Richardson permission to seek trade
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts have given quarterback Anthony Richardson permission to find a trade partner, according to multiple reports Thursday. Indy believed Richardson could become its longtime franchise quarterback when it drafted him with the No. 4 overall selection in 2023, but nothing has gone according to plan for...
Bruce Froemming, record-setting major-league umpire, dies at age 86
Bruce Froemming, a major-league umpire for 37 consecutive years who worked the third-most games in big-league history and a record 11 no-hitters, died Wednesday, his son said. He was 86. Froemming fell just after midnight Tuesday and hit his head on the hardwood floor at his home in Mequon, Wisc.,...
Austin Smotherman leads the Cognizant Classic, making 6 straight birdies in a first-round 62
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Austin Smotherman’s one previous PGA Tour appearance at the tournament now known as the Cognizant Classic was in 2022, and it was forgettable. He shot 70 in the first round, 76 in the second and missed the cut by four shots. Given that, he didn’t...
Netflix walks away from Warner Bros. deal, clearing the path for Paramount
NEW YORK — Netflix is declining to raise its offer to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business, in a stunning move that effectively puts Paramount in a position to take over its storied Hollywood rival. On Thursday, after Warner’s board announced that Skydance-owned Paramount’s offer was superior to...
Anthropic CEO says AI company ‘cannot in good conscience accede’ to Pentagon’s demands
WASHINGTON — Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said Thursday the artificial intelligence company “cannot in good conscience accede” to the Pentagon’s demands to allow wider use of its technology. The maker of the AI chatbot Claude said in a statement that it’s not walking away from negotiations, but that new contract...
IRS broke the law by disclosing confidential information to ICE 42,695 times, judge says
WASHINGTON — A federal judge said Thursday that the IRS broke the law by disclosing confidential taxpayer information “approximately 42,695 times” to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly found that the IRS had erroneously shared the taxpayer information of thousands of people with the Department of Homeland...
Nearly blind refugee found dead after Border Patrol agents drop him at Buffalo doughnut shop
A nearly blind refugee from Myanmar who disappeared after U.S. Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a Buffalo doughnut shop was found dead on the street five days later, prompting a police investigation and complaints from city officials that he’d been abandoned without care for his safety. Nurul Amin...
IndyCar roars into season opener as Ganassi driver Alex Palou chases 4th straight title
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — IndyCar opens its season with a roaring four races in March, a return to Phoenix Raceway, three new venues and the son of a motorsports icon making his debut in a North American-based series. Oh, and Alex Palou will be racing for his fifth championship in...
Burger King testing AI headsets that will know if employees say ‘welcome’ or ‘thank you’
Burger King is testing AI-powered headsets that can recite recipes, alert managers when inventories are low and even track how friendly employees are to customers. Restaurant Brands International – the Miami-based company that owns Burger King, Popeyes and other brands – said Thursday it’s currently testing the OpenAI-powered headsets in...
