Associated Press stories, Page 8
Swiss police identify all 116 people injured in deadly New Year’s bar fire
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — Swiss police said Monday they’ve identified all the people who were injured in the fire that tore through a New Year’s celebration in a crowded bar. They put the total at 116, more than two-thirds still in hospitals. Authorities had previously given a figure of 119 injured,...
Flu season surged in the U.S. over the holiday and already rivals last winter’s harsh epidemic
NEW YORK — U.S. flu infections surged over the holidays, and health officials are calling it a severe season that is likely to get worse. New government data posted Monday — for flu activity through the week of Christmas — showed that by some measures this season is already surpassing...
Browns fire 2-time Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski after 6 seasons
BEREA, Ohio — Kevin Stefanski led the Cleveland Browns to two playoff appearances in his first four seasons as head coach. However, with only eight wins the past two seasons, owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam will be making their sixth coaching hire since purchasing the franchise in 2012. Stefanski was...
Maduro says ‘I was captured’ as he pleads not guilty to drug trafficking charges
NEW YORK — A defiant Nicolás Maduro declared himself “the president of my country” as he protested his capture and pleaded not guilty Monday to federal drug trafficking charges that the Trump administration used to justify removing him from power in Venezuela. “I was captured,” Maduro said in Spanish as...
Pete Hegseth censures Sen. Kelly after Democrats’ video urging troops to resist unlawful orders
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday that he censured Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona over the former Navy pilot’s participation in a video that called on troops to resist unlawful orders. Hegseth said the censure — by itself simply a formal letter with little practical consequence —...
Tim Walz, Democrats’ 2024 VP pick, drops bid for 3rd term as Minnesota governor; Klobuchar considers
ST PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Democrats’ 2024 candidate for vice president, is ending his bid for a third term amid President Donald Trump’s relentless focus on a fraud investigation into the state’s child care programs and its Somali community. Less than four months after announcing his reelection...
Czechia beats Canada 6-4 in world junior hockey; Sweden outlasts Finland
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Tomas Poletin scored on a deflection with 1:14 left, and Czechia beat Canada, 6-4, on Sunday night to advance to face Sweden in the first all-European final in the world junior hockey tournament since 2016. Earlier, Anton Frondell scored in the eighth round of a shootout...
Panthers, Dave Canales celebrate Falcons’ win that gave Carolina the NFC South title
ATLANTA — The Carolina Panthers are NFC South champions, and they have the Atlanta Falcons to thank. Carolina could have clinched the division Saturday, but a 16-14 loss at Tampa Bay put the fate of the NFC South in the hands of the two teams that had only pride for...
Cuba says 32 Cuban officers were killed in U.S. operation in Venezuela
HAVANA — An American military operation in Venezuela killed 32 Cuban officers over the weekend, the Cuban government said Sunday in the first official death count provided of the American strikes in the South American nation. The Cuban military and police officers were on a mission the Caribbean country’s military...
As Hurricanes navigate CFP, echoes from past tend to inspire
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. doesn’t say much. He just plays. That’s part of the reason Bain giving a short, impromptu and unexpected halftime speech to teammates during of Miami’s win over Ohio State in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl last...
Falcons fire coach Raheem Morris, GM Terry Fontenot hours after finishing 8-9 seasonVideo
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons fired coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot on Sunday night, announcing the moves hours after the team completed its second straight 8-9 finish under Morris and eighth consecutive losing season. Morris said after Sunday’s 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints that he...
Trump says that Ukraine didn’t target Putin residence in drone strike as Kremlin claims
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — President Donald Trump on Sunday told reporters that U.S. national security officials have determined that Ukraine did not target a residence belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack last week, disputing Kremlin claims that Trump had initially greeted with deep concern. Russian...
After Maduro, who’s next? Trump’s comments spur anxieties about his plans for Greenland, Cuba
WASHINGTON — A day after the audacious U.S. military operation in Venezuela, President Donald Trump on Sunday renewed his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland for the sake of U.S. security interests, while his top diplomat declared the communist government in Cuba is “in a...
Szmyt’s field goal on last play gives Browns win over Bengals
CINCINNATI — Myles Garrett wanted to get his 23rd sack and set the NFL’s single-season record in a victory. Shedeur Sanders and Andre Szmyt did their part to make sure that became a reality. After Ja’Marr Chase’s 4-yard touchdown catch gave Cincinnati an 18-17 advantage with 1:29 remaining, Sanders directed...
NFL Week 18: Dee Alford’s red-zone pick saves Falcons’ win over Saints, giving NFC South title to Panthers
ATLANTA — Dee Alford’s red-zone interception stopped a potential go-ahead drive by New Orleans, and the Atlanta Falcons beat the Saints 19-17 on Sunday to give the NFC South title to the Carolina Panthers. By closing the season with four consecutive wins, the Falcons (8-9) finished in a three-way tie...
Myles Garrett gets sack No. 23 to set NFL single-season recordVideo
CINCINNATI — Cleveland Browns All-Pro pass rusher Myles Garrett set the NFL’s single-season sack record, reaching No. 23 for the season with 5:09 remaining during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Garrett sacked Joe Burrow for a 6-yard loss on first-and-10 at the Browns 45-yard line....
How the Monroe Doctrine factors into U.S. arrest of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro
In detailing the U.S. military action that led to the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump referenced the Monroe Doctrine, a maxim that has shaped American foreign policy for two centuries. The doctrine formulated by President James Monroe was originally aimed at opposing European meddling in the...
International aid groups grapple with what Israel’s ban will mean for their work in Gaza
TEL AVIV — Israel’s decision to revoke the licenses of more than three dozen humanitarian organizations this week has aid groups scrambling to grapple with what this means for their operations in Gaza and their ability to help tens of thousands of struggling Palestinians. The 37 groups represent some of...
Hollywood starts 2026 with ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ No. 1, as James Cameron’s sci-fi epic crosses $1B
NEW YORK — Hollywood kicked off 2026 with “Avatar: Fire and Ash” atop the box office for the third straight week and with hopes for a blockbuster-filled year after a disappointing 2025. In three weeks of release, “Fire and Ash” has cleared $1 billion worldwide. The third chapter in James...
Rubio says U.S. won’t govern Venezuela but will press for changes through oil blockade
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Sunday that the United States would not govern Venezuela day-to-day other than enforcing an existing “oil quarantine” on the country, a turnaround after President Donald Trump has insisted that the U.S. would be running Venezuela following its ouster of leader Nicolás Maduro....
U.S. intervention in Venezuela could test Trump’s ability to hold GOP together in an election yearVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela will pose a fresh test of his ability to hold together a restive Republican coalition during a challenging election year that could be defined by domestic concerns like health care and affordability. While most Republicans lined up behind the president in...
A tense calm holds in Venezuela a day after Maduro was deposed by U.S.
CARACAS, Venezuela — A tense calm held in Venezuela on Sunday, one day after President Nicolás Maduro was deposed and captured in an American military operation. Venezuela’s capital Caracas was unusually quiet Sunday with few vehicles moving around. Convenience stores, gas stations and other businesses were mostly closed. A day...
What to know about the protests now shaking Iran as tensions remain high over its nuclear program
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Widening protests in Iran sparked by the Islamic Republic’s ailing economy are putting new pressure on its theocracy. Tehran is still reeling from a 12-day war launched by Israel in June that saw the United States bomb nuclear sites in Iran. Economic pressure, which has...
Tyson Fury says he is coming out of retirement in 2026
MANCHESTER, England — Tyson Fury is returning to the ring after announcing on Sunday that he will step out of retirement. The former heavyweight world champion confirmed his comeback in a post on social media, which sets up the prospect of a long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua. “2026 is that...
Swiss skier Rast ends Shiffrin’s six-race winning streak in World Cup slaloms with Olympics looming
KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia — The duel between Mikaela Shiffrin and her Swiss rival Camille Rast is shaping up nicely with 45 days to go until the women’s slalom race at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. Rast ended Shiffrin’s six-race winning streak in World Cup slaloms Sunday, beating the American star...
