Associated Press stories, Page 817
Social Security benefits will increase by 3.2% in 2024 as inflation moderates
WASHINGTON — Millions of Social Security recipients will get a 3.2% increase in their benefits in 2024, far less than this year’s historic boost and reflecting moderating consumer prices. The cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, means the average recipient will receive more than $50 more every month beginning in January, the...
Trump’s criticism of Israel’s Netanyahu draws strong condemnation from GOP rivals
MIAMI — Several of former President Donald Trump ‘s Republican rivals denounced him on Thursday for lashing out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu days after Hamas’ deadly attack, a rare moment in which multiple competitors directly criticized the GOP front-runner. Trump at a rally Wednesday night said Netanyahu “let...
25 years after Matthew Shepard’s death, LGBTQ+ activists say equal-rights progress is at risk
It’s been 25 years since Matthew Shepard, a gay 21-year-old University of Wyoming student, died six days after he was savagely beaten by two young men and tied to a remote fence to meet his fate. His death has been memorialized as an egregious hate crime that helped fuel the...
Houston’s Dana Holgorsen takes on former school when the Cougars host surging West Virginia
West Virginia (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) at Houston (2-3, 0-2), Thursday, 7 p.m. ET (FS1) Line: West Virginia by 2 1/2, according to FanDuel SportsBook. Series record: First meeting. WHAT’S AT STAKE? Houston coach Dana Holgorsen faces his former team for the first time as the two schools meet in...
U.S. inflation eased slightly last month as price increases extend slow descent
WASHINGTON — Measures of U.S. inflation in September showed that the pace of price increases is still grinding lower, though at a slow and uneven pace. Prices in the United States increased 0.4% from August to September, a slowdown from the previous month. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department also...
Israel orders the evacuation of 1.1 million people from northern part of Gaza, the U.N. says
JERUSALEM — Israel’s military on Friday directed the evacuation of northern Gaza, a region that is home to 1.1 people — about half of the territory’s population — within 24 hours, a U.N. spokesman said. This could signal an impending ground offensive, though the Israeli military has not yet confirmed...
U.S. jobless claims remain at historically low 209,000, a sign of continuing labor market strength
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits was unchanged last week, remaining at historically low levels in another sign that the U.S. job market remains strong in the face of higher interest rates. Unemployment claims stayed at 209,000 for the week ending Oct. 7, the Labor Department...
Syria says Israeli airstrikes hit airports in Damascus and Aleppo, damaging their runways
DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian state media reported that Israeli airstrikes on Thursday hit the international airports of the Syrian capital Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo, damaging their runways and putting them out of service. State news agency SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying that no one...
Nominated to be House speaker, Steve Scalise is left searching for GOP votes to win the gavel
WASHINGTON — Having won the nomination to be the next House speaker, Rep. Steve Scalise is heading straight into a familiar Republican problem — skeptical GOP colleagues are reluctant to give their support, denying him the majority vote needed to win the gavel. On Thursday, the House will open at...
$1.73 billion Powerball jackpot goes to lucky lottery player in California
ST. LOUIS — A player in California won a $1.73 billion Powerball jackpot Wednesday night, ending a long stretch without a winner of the top prize. The winning numbers were: 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and the Powerball 10. Before someone won the giant prize, there had been 35 consecutive...
D-backs slug 4 homers in record-setting barrage, sweep Dodgers with win in Game 3 of NLDS
PHOENIX — The hard-hitting Arizona Diamondbacks rode a record-setting barrage of solo homers in the third inning to a 4-2 win in Game 3 of the NL Division Series on Wednesday night, sweeping the 100-win Los Angeles Dodgers out of the playoffs. The D-backs return to the NL Championship Series...
Jose Abreu homers again to power Astros past Twins, into 7th straight ALCSVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — José Abreu homered for the third time in two games, a two-run rocket in the fourth inning that launched the Houston Astros to their seventh straight AL Championship Series appearance with a 3-2 win that eliminated the Minnesota Twins in Game 4 of their AL Division Series on...
Bryce Harper slugs 2 more HRs as Phillies pound Braves in Game 3 of NLDSVideo
PHILADELPHIA — When gossip spread among the Phillies that Bryce Harper — of all the superstars to poke — had been laughed at inside the Braves clubhouse, his teammates dared the slugger to deliver. “They looked at me,” Harper said, “and they were like, ‘What are you going to do?’”...
Social Security cost-of-living adjustment is coming — but it won’t be as big as this year’s
WASHINGTON — Looking ahead to retirement next spring, Karla Abbott finds comfort in the cost-of-living increase that millions of Social Security recipients get each year. But with consumer prices easing, the new boost will be far lower than this year’s 8.7% Analysts estimate the adjustment for 2024 will be around...
Social media is awash in misinformation about Israel-Gaza war, but Elon Musk’s X is the most egregious
While Twitter has always struggled with combating misinformation about major news events, it was still the go-to place to find out what’s happening in the world. But the Israel-Hamas war has underscored how the platform now transformed into X has become not only unreliable but is actively promoting falsehoods. Experts...
Auto workers escalate strike as 8,700 workers walk out at Ford Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville
DETROIT — The United Auto Workers union significantly escalated its walkout against Detroit’s Three automakers, shutting down Ford’s largest factory and threatening Jeep maker Stellantis. In a surprise move Wednesday night, 8,700 members left their jobs at Ford’s Kentucky truck plant in Louisville. And Thursday morning, union President Shawn Fain...
Kansas escapes postseason ban, major penalties as panel downgrades basketball violations
LAWRENCE, Kan. — The Kansas men’s basketball program was put on probation and ordered to take down its 2018 Final Four banner but escaped a postseason ban Wednesday, when an independent panel created by the NCAA to handle complex cases downgraded five Level I violations lodged against the Jayhawks. The...
Ravens hope early arrival to London pays off against TitansVideo
ENFIELD, England — NFL teams that play in London tend to prefer arriving late in the week, believing it maximizes performance Sunday. John Harbaugh is not having it. The Baltimore Ravens did that once before, arriving on a Friday in 2017, and got blown out 44-7 by the Jacksonville Jaguars....
Biden says the FTC’s proposed ban on junk fees will help families and ‘honest’ businesses
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced a proposed rule by the Federal Trade Commission to ban any hidden and bogus junk fees, which can mask the total cost of concert tickets, hotel rooms and utility bills. Biden has made the removal of these fees a priority of his...
Scalise is the GOP’s pick to be the House speaker but he faces an uncertain path. What happens next?
WASHINGTON — Now that House Republicans have chosen Majority Leader Steve Scalise as their nominee for speaker, the race is on to secure the 217 votes he will need on the House floor to win the gavel and officially take the place of the ousted Kevin McCarthy. The GOP conference...
Ex-NFL player Sergio Brown arrested in Southern California in connection to mother’s slaying
Former NFL player Sergio Brown was arrested in Southern California in connection with the death of his mother, authorities said, as he tried to reenter the United States from Mexico just weeks after the 73-year-old woman was found slain behind her suburban Chicago home. Brown, 35, was detained Tuesday afternoon...
Huge rocket motors arrive at Los Angeles museum for space shuttle Endeavour displayVideo
LOS ANGELES — Two giant rocket motors required to display the retired NASA space shuttle Endeavour as if it’s about to blast off arrived Wednesday at a Los Angeles museum, completing their long journey from the Mojave Desert. The 116-foot-long (35.3-meter) motors, which look like giant white cylinders, were trucked...
Ukraine President Zelenskyy at NATO defense ministers meeting seeking more support to fight Russia
BRUSSELS — For the first time, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined a meeting of more than 50 defense leaders from around the world Wednesday to make a personal pitch for military aid, in the face of lagging political support in the U.S. and new pressure on allies to send weapons...
Hunter Biden judge agrees to drop old gun count after indictment replaces scuttled plea deal
WASHINGTON — A gun count that had been part of a collapsed plea deal in the Hunter Biden case was dismissed Wednesday as a judge signed off on a prosecution request. The order from U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika formally removes a gun possession charge that has now been replaced...
Abortion rights and marijuana questions expected to drive Ohioans to polls as early voting begins
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Heavier-than-normal turnout is expected Wednesday as early voting begins in Ohio’s closely watched off-year election to decide the future of abortion access and marijuana legalization in the state. Of greatest interest nationally is Issue 1, a proposed constitutional amendment giving every person “the right to make and...
