Associated Press stories, Page 807

INDIANAPOLIS — Michael McDowell knelt at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s yard of bricks and delivered the sweetest kisses of his racing career Sunday. The 38-year-old Arizona driver became a Brickyard champ — and a member of an elite club. McDowell inherited the lead on Lap 53 and never trailed again as...

WALTON-ON-THE-HILL, England — Lilia Vu already was smiling when her long, snaking birdie putt dropped into the cup on the 18th green, confirming her — not that it was ever in doubt — as the Women’s British Open champion and a two-time major winner. The 25-year-old Californian has plenty to...

Penn State’s top four safeties will play meaningful snaps in the fall. The Nittany Lions return one veteran starter at the position: Keaton Ellis. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter could use the diverse skills of Zakee Wheatley, Jaylen Reed and Kevin Winston Jr. to compensate for...

MARION, Kan. — A small central Kansas police department is facing a firestorm of criticism after it raided the offices of a local newspaper and the home of its publisher and owner — a move deemed by several press freedom watchdogs as a blatant violation of the U.S. Constitution’s protection...

NEW YORK — For a vast number of book writers, artificial intelligence is a threat to their livelihood and the very idea of creativity. More than 10,000 of them endorsed an open letter from the Authors Guild this summer, urging AI companies not to use copyrighted work without permission or...

WASHINGTON — Even President Joe Biden has some regrets about the name of the Inflation Reduction Act: As the giant law turns 1 on Wednesday, it’s increasingly clear that immediately curbing prices wasn’t the point. While price increases have cooled over the past year — the inflation rate has dropped...

DES MOINES, Iowa — Gone was the helicopter, but Donald Trump on Saturday renewed his reputation for defying norms and creating a mega-celebrity’s spectacle at the Iowa State Fair. Trump, in fewer than two hours on the steaming fairgrounds in Des Moines, attracted thousands of sweating, chanting supporters to his...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — As bystanders trained their smartphone cameras on the riverfront dock while several white boaters pummeled a Black riverboat co-captain, they couldn’t have known the footage would elicit a national conversation about racial solidarity. Yet, a week after multiple videos showing the now-infamous brawl and valiant defense of...

Patients who take blockbuster drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss may face life-threatening complications if they need surgery or other procedures that require empty stomachs for anesthesia. This summer’s guidance to halt the medication for up to a week may not go far enough, either. Some anesthesiologists in...

LAHAINA, Hawaii — As the death toll from a wildfire that razed a historic Maui town climbed to 93, authorities warned that the effort to find and identify the dead was still in its early stages. The blaze is already the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. Crews...

CLEVELAND — For the second straight year, Cleveland Browns linebacker Jacob Phillips suffered a season-ending pectoral injury. Coach Kevin Stefanski said Phillips tore the chest muscle during Friday night’s preseason loss to the Washington Commanders. Phillips, a third-round pick in 2020 from LSU, suffered a similar injury during the 2022...

INDIANAPOLIS — Chase Briscoe grew up dreaming of driving into victory lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He needs it now. With three races left in NASCAR’s regular season, Briscoe finds himself among a large group of drivers in must-win situations at Sunday’s Brickyard 200 to make NASCAR’s 16-driver playoff. “I...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mike Norvell grabs an ice-cold bottle of water, squeezes some into his mouth and then pours the rest down his back. It turns the Florida State coach’s sweat-soaked T-shirt into his personal cool zone, at least for a few minutes. The respite from the sweltering summer sun...

CHICAGO — Illinois is the first state in the U.S. to ensure child social media influencers are compensated for their work, according to Sen. David Koehler, of Peoria, who sponsored a bill that was signed into law and will go into effect on July 1, 2024. “The rise of social...

LONDON — An overloaded boat carrying migrants capsized before dawn Saturday in the English Channel, killing at least six people and leaving more than 50 others to be rescued, according to French authorities. About 65 people were estimated to have boarded the boat and two people may still be lost...

LAHAINA, Hawaii — The death toll has risen to 80 as a result of the wildfires that decimated parts of the island of Maui this past week, officials in Hawaii said Friday. The number of confirmed fatalities in the 9 p.m. announcement by the County of Maui increased from the...

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia thwarted an attack by 20 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow-annexed Crimea overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday. Fourteen drones were shot down by Russian air defenses and a further six were jammed electronically, the ministry said in a Telegram post. No casualties or damage were reported....

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — An Alabama boat co-captain was hanging on “for dear life” as men punched and tackled him on the capital city’s riverfront, he told police after video of the brawl circulated widely online. Dameion Pickett, a crew member of the Harriott II in Montgomery, described the brawl in...

A judge Friday dismissed a lawsuit from the state of Utah challenging President Joe Biden’s restoration of two sprawling national monuments in the state that were downsized by President Donald Trump. U.S. District Judge David Nuffer said Biden acted within his authority when he issued proclamations restoring Bears Ears and...

An immigrant cook building a new life. A widow preparing to say goodbye. And a couple taking their vows. All were caught in the crossfire, forced to flee as flames swallowed parts of Maui, that drop in the Pacific where roads wind past waterfalls, turtles glide through gem-blue waters and...

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday he has appointed a special counsel in the Hunter Biden probe, deepening the investigation of the president’s son ahead of the 2024 election. Garland noted the “extraordinary circumstances” of the matter as he named David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware who...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A former Tennessee state senator on Friday was sentenced to 21 months in prison after he unsuccessfully tried to take back his guilty plea on federal campaign finance charges. Former Republican Sen. Brian Kelsey received his sentence in U.S. District Court in Nashville in the case centering...