Associated Press stories, Page 812
What to know about Hanukkah and how it’s celebrated around the world
Hanukkah — also spelled Chanukah or other transliterations from Hebrew — is Judaism’s “festival of lights.” On eight consecutive nightfalls, Jews gather with family and friends to light one additional candle in the menorah — a multibranched candelabra. In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “dedication,” and the holiday marks the rededication of...
Spotify axes 17% of workforce in 3rd round of layoffs this year
LONDON — Spotify says it’s axing 17% of its global workforce, the music streaming service’s third round of layoffs this year as it moves to slash costs while focusing on becoming profitable. In a message to employees posted on the company’s blog Monday, CEO Daniel Ek said the jobs were...
Recordings show how the Mormon church protects itself from child sex abuse claims
HAILEY, Idaho — Paul Rytting listened as a woman, voice quavering, told him her story. When she was a child, her father, a former bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had routinely slipped into bed with her while he was aroused, she said. It was March...
Supreme Court wrestles with OxyContin maker’s bankruptcy deal, with billions of dollars at stake
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday wrestled with a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would shield members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids. The justices seemed by turns reluctant to break up an exhaustively negotiated agreement,...
Biden’s allies in Senate demand that Israel limit civilian deaths in Gaza as Congress debates U.S. aid
WASHINGTON — As a cease-fire ticked down last week and Israel prepared to resume its round-the-clock airstrikes, Sen. Bernie Sanders and a robust group of Democratic senators had a message for their president: They were done “asking nicely” for Israel to do more to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza. Lawmakers...
Israel orders evacuations as it widens offensive but Palestinians are running out of places to go
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli warplanes heavily bombarded an area around Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Monday as the military ordered mass evacuations from the town in the face of a widening ground offensive that is pushing Palestinians into a progressively shrinking portion of the besieged territory. The...
Matthew Stafford throws 3 TD passes as Rams win 3rd straight, 36-19 over BrownsVideo
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Matthew Stafford threw three touchdown passes, Puka Nacua became the first Rams rookie wide receiver to reach 1,000 yards in a season and Los Angeles extended its winning streak to three games with a 36-19 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Rams have won three...
Alaska Air to buy Hawaiian Airlines in a $1.9 billion deal that may attract regulator scrutiny
SEATTLE — Alaska Airlines said Sunday it agreed to buy Hawaiian Airlines in a $1.9 billion deal, including debt, putting it on track for a potential clash with a Biden administration that has shown wariness about higher fares in the industry. The combined company would keep both airlines’ brands, rooted...
Scottie Scheffler rolls to 3-shot victory in Hero World Challenge; Tiger Woods finishes 18thVideo
NASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler has made great gains in his putting. Add that to the rest of top-ranked game, and he made it look easy Sunday. He closed with a 4-under 68 for a three-shot victory in the Hero World Challenge. Scheffler, a runner-up in the Bahamas the last...
Bengals, Jaguars have plenty at stake on MNF, including the ‘Taylor Bro Bowl’ trophy
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The “Taylor Bro Bowl” trophy used to mean a lot more to Zac and Press Taylor. It’s still a fun reminder of their head-to-head coaching record and a chance to regale matchups that might get fuzzy over time. But it’s way down on the list of what’s...
Florida Republican chairman won’t resign over rape allegation, saying he is innocent
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The chair of Florida’s Republican Party says he will not resign over a woman’s allegation that he raped her, saying in an email to supporters that he is innocent. He did not address any specifics of the accusation that has roiled the state’s conservative politics. Christian...
NFL Week 13: Gardner Minshew throws for TD in OT as the Colts win 4th straight
NASHVILLE — Gardner Minshew threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Michael Pittman with 2:31 left in overtime and the Indianapolis Colts beat the Tennessee Titans 31-28 Sunday for their fourth straight victory to keep pace in the playoff race in the AFC. The Colts (7-5) had to score a touchdown...
Ships face Houthi-claimed attack in Red Sea as officials say a U.S. warship also fires in self-defense
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Commercial ships came under attack Sunday by drones and missiles in the Red Sea and a U.S. warship there opened fire in self-defense as part of an hourslong assault claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, officials said. The attack potentially marked a major escalation in a...
The Orange Bowl is for the snubbed as Florida State, Georgia will square off ahead of CFP
MIAMI LAKES, Fla. — Florida State won every game this season. Georgia won 29 in a row, including back-to-back national championships, then lost by a field goal. And neither was deemed good enough by the College Football Playoff committee. A trip to the Orange Bowl is what two very angry...
Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ is No. 1 at the box office with $21 million debut
Beyoncé ruled the box office this weekend. Her concert picture, ” Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé,” opened in first place with $21 million in North American ticket sales, according to estimates from AMC Theatres Sunday. The post-Thanksgiving, early December box office is notoriously slow, but “Renaissance” defied the odds. Not...
College Football Playoff is set: Top seed Michigan vs. Alabama in Rose Bowl, Washington vs. Texas in Sugar Bowl
The final season of the four-team College Football Playoff turned out to be the most controversial with an unprecedented snub. Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama were selected Sunday, and Florida State became the first unbeaten Power Five conference champion to be excluded from the field. Michigan will face Alabama in...
Kiss say farewell to live touring, become first U.S. band to go virtual and become digital avatarsVideo
On Saturday night, Kiss closed out the final performance of their “The End of the Road” farewell tour at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden. But as dedicated fans surely know — they were never going to call it quits. Not really. During their encore, the band’s current lineup...
Earth is running a fever. And UN climate talks are focusing on the contagious effect on human health
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — With Planet Earth running a fever, U.N. climate talks focused Sunday on the contagious effects on human health. Under a brown haze over Dubai, the COP28 summit moved past two days of lofty rhetoric and calls for unity from top leaders to concerns about health...
DeSantis hits Iowa campaign milestone but is still far behind Trump, who again mocked his campaign
NEWTON, Iowa — Ron DeSantis completed his campaign promise to visit each of Iowa’s 99 counties, crossing a symbolic but also tactical threshold by telling his audience in a central Iowa town “this should show you that I consider myself a servant, not a ruler.” Former President Donald Trump, who...
3 officials have left a pro-DeSantis super PAC in the group’s latest shake-up, AP sources say
DES MOINES, Iowa — Three senior members of a super PAC backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis left the group on Saturday, the latest sign of instability within the 2024 hopeful’s political operation just six weeks before the Iowa Republican caucuses. Kristin Davison parted ways with Never Back Down just after...
Israel expands Gaza ground offensive, vows to hit the south with ‘no less strength’ than the north
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Israel’s ground offensive expanded to every part of the Gaza Strip, its military said Sunday, as it ordered more evacuations and vowed to hit south Gaza with “no less strength” than the fight that has reduced large parts of north Gaza to a moonscape. Heavy...
No SEC? Unbeaten P5 but left out? Final 4-team College Football Playoff will be unlike any other
The four-team version of the College Football Playoff is going out with drama and controversy. Championship weekend created as many questions as answers for the CFP committee and the selections Sunday will be the first in the 10-year history of the system where the field is truly hard to predict....
No. 2 Michigan beats No. 18 Iowa for Big Ten title, likely to claim top playoff seed
INDIANAPOLIS — Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh celebrated his return to the sideline Saturday by hugging players and evasively running to avoid a Gatorade bath. Blake Corum and J.J. McCarthy were already reflecting on bigger goals. And when the confetti came streaming down over the Wolverines, they made sure everyone knew...
No. 4 Florida State beats No. 15 Louisville 16-6 for ACC title, but could miss playoff at 13-0
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Florida State coach Mike Norvell said the possibility of leaving his unbeaten Seminoles out of the College Football Playoff shouldn’t even be discussed. It almost certainly will be. Florida State made things as difficult as possible on the CFP selection committee, using a dominant defensive performance to...
No. 4 Florida State beats No. 15 Louisville for ACC title, but could miss playoff at 13-0
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Florida State coach Mike Norvell said the possibility of leaving his unbeaten Seminoles out of the College Football Playoff shouldn’t even be discussed. It almost certainly will be. Florida State made things as difficult as possible on the CFP selection committee, using a dominant defensive performance to...
