Associated Press stories, Page 888
Vikings’ Alexander Mattison calls out racial slurs after loss to Eagles
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison received more than 60 “disgustingly disrespectful messages” through social media that included racial slurs and encouraged suicide, the fifth-year player said Friday in the aftermath of the team’s most recent loss. Mattison, who is Black, revealed on an Instagram Story post that...
Martin Truex Jr. staring down elimination from NASCAR playoffs after winning regular season title
A shell-shocked Martin Truex Jr. has slumped into Bristol Motor Speedway fighting for his season. Truex won the regular-season title, but two bad races to open NASCAR’s playoffs has him on the brink of elimination headed into Saturday night’s race at Bristol, Tenn. The bottom four drivers in the 16-driver...
2 Vegas casinos fell victim to cyberattacks, shattering the image of impenetrable casino security
LAS VEGAS — A persistent error message greeted Dulce Martinez on Monday as she tried to access her casino rewards account to book accommodations for an upcoming business trip. That’s odd, she thought, then toggled over to Facebook to search for clues about the issue on a group for MGM...
A look at notable impeachments in U.S. history, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial on corruption allegations is among several such proceedings that have occurred in U.S. history. Impeachment is a political proceeding, not a court one. Typically in a U.S. legislative body, it is the House of Representatives that impeaches an officeholder, charging him or her...
Hawaii officials say DNA tests drop Maui fire death count to 97
WAILUKU, Hawaii — Authorities in Hawaii have adjusted the number of deaths from the deadly Maui wildfires down to at least 97 people. Previously officials said they believed at least 115 people had died in the fires, but further testing showed they had multiple DNA samples from some of those...
Analysis: History suggests 0-2 start is too difficult to overcome in the NFLVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Two losses in five days already puts the Minnesota Vikings in a big hole that’s been difficult for NFL teams to overcome. Since 1990, only 31 of the 270 clubs (11.5%) that began a season 0-2 advanced to the playoffs. The Cincinnati Bengals recovered from losing their first...
Deion Sanders makes most of Colorado State coach’s comments about sunglasses, hatVideo
BOULDER, Colo. — When Jay Norvell threw shade at Deion Sanders for wearing sunglasses during interviews, Coach Prime responded by handing out some of his signature shades. Sanders passed out pairs of Prime 21 sunglasses to his players during a team meeting — “I just want to see how y’all...
Browns safety Juan Thornhill back at practice, could face Steelers
BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns starting safety Juan Thornhill returned to practice, a promising sign for the defense going into Monday night’s game at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Thornhill, one of the Browns’ key offseason acquisitions, sat out the 24-3 win in the season opener against Cincinnati with a calf injury....
Video appears to show Rep. Lauren Boebert vaping at ‘Beetlejuice’ show before she was ejectedVideo
DENVER — Newly released surveillance video from a Denver theater appears to show Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert vaping during a “Beetlejuice” musical play — the one thing she denied doing while acknowledging earlier this week that she had been kicked out for being disruptive. Boebert and her guest were escorted...
What’s behind the surge in migrant arrivals to Italy?
BARCELONA, Spain — Thousands of migrants and refugees have landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa this week after crossing the Mediterranean Sea on small unseaworthy boats from Tunisia, overwhelming local authorities and aid organizations. Scenes of chaos at an overcrowded reception center in Lampedusa have provoked both solidarity and...
1 American, 2 Russians blast off in Russian capsule to International Space Station
MOSCOW — One American and two Russians blasted off Friday aboard a Russian spacecraft from a spaceport in Kazakhstan on a quick trip to the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. O’Hara will spend six...
Donald Trump isn’t backing a national abortion ban. That’s not hurting him in the GOP primary
DES MOINES, Iowa — Donald Trump is dominating the early stages of the Republican presidential primary even as he’s refused to endorse a federal ban on abortion, allowing some top rivals to get to the right of him on an issue that animates many conservative activists. Aiming to return to...
Like his dad, retiring Mitt Romney embraced moderate conservatism. He fears the GOP has lost its way
Mitt Romney’s announcement this week that he will not seek another term in the U.S. Senate came with a distant echo of his father’s departure from politics five decades ago. Mitt and his father, George Romney, at one time were top Republican contenders for the presidency, but fell short of...
West Virginia University will make wide-ranging cuts to academic programs and faculty
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia University will make wide-ranging cuts to academic programs and faculty positions as it addresses a $45 million budget shortfall, with the board’s vote Friday culminating an impassioned back-and-forth between the campus community, students and officials. The state’s largest university will drop 28 of its majors,...
Former Wilkinsburg author Deesha Philyaw has a 7-figure deal for her next 2 books
NEW YORK — Prize-winning fiction writer Deesha Philyaw, who struggled to find a publisher for what became her acclaimed debut “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies,” has a seven-figure deal for her next two books. Mariner Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced Thursday that it had signed Philyaw, formerly...
Texas AG Ken Paxton returns for closing arguments as his impeachment trial races toward a verdict
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas lawmakers leading the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton made a final appeal Friday to a jury of senators to convict and remove the embattled Republican over accusations of corruption that have shadowed him for years. “If we don’t keep public officials from abusing the powers...
Citing sustainability, Starbucks wants to overhaul its iconic cup. Will customers go along?
TEMPE, Ariz. — Bethany Patton steps up to the counter and places her pink mug into a shoebox-sized dishwasher. It spins. It whirs. Water splashes inside. After 90 seconds, the door opens and steam emerges. A barista grabs the mug, dries it and prepares Patton’s order — a 16-ounce Starbucks...
6 ‘Soldiers of Christ’ members in custody after woman’s body is found in car trunk
DULUTH, Ga. — Five adults and a 15-year-old self-described as “Soldiers of Christ” religious group members were in custody Thursday on murder charges after a woman’s body was found in the trunk of a car parked outside a popular spa in Atlanta’s suburbs. Investigators said that someone reported the discovery...
Remains exhumed from a Tulsa cemetery as the search for 1921 Race Massacre victims has resumed
OKLAHOMA CITY — Archaeologists have exhumed the remains of one person and plan to exhume a second set as the search for victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre resumes in a Tulsa cemetery. The remains are among 22 sets found during the current search in Oaklawn Cemetery, but are...
Belgium’s controversial classroom program spurs series of school arsons
BRUSSELS — A series of school arsons in Belgium believed to be connected to a controversial school program in some parts of the country is prompting authorities to strengthen their police response. Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden on Friday called for a halt to the attacks in the French-speaking Wallonia region...
Climate protesters around the world are calling for end to fossils fuels as Earth heats up
Tens of thousands of climate activists around the world are protesting Friday and through the weekend to call for an end to the burning of planet-warming fossil fuels as the globe suffers dramatic weather extremes and record-breaking heat. The strike — driven by several mostly youth-led, local and global climate...
Thousands sign up to experience magic mushrooms as Oregon’s novel psilocybin experiment takes off
EUGENE, Ore. — Psilocybin tea, wind chimes and a tie-dye mattress await those coming to an office suite in Eugene to trip on magic mushrooms. For roughly six hours, adults over 21 can experience what many users describe as vivid geometric shapes, a loss of identity and a oneness with...
Former North Carolina U.S. Sen. Lauch Faircloth dies at 95
RALEIGH, N.C. — Former U.S. Sen. Lauch Faircloth of North Carolina, a onetime conservative Democrat who switched late in his career to the Republicans and then got elected to Congress, died Thursday. He was 95. Faircloth, who served one Senate term before losing to then-unknown Democrat John Edwards in 1998,...
Ukrainian forces reclaim village in the east as part of counteroffensive
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s forces have recaptured a village in the country’s east after intense battles with Russian troops, the military said Friday as the invaded nation pursues a multi-pronged counteroffensive. The village of Andriivka is located about 6 miles south of the Russian-occupied city of Bakhmut, the scene of...
TikTok is hit with $368 million fine under Europe’s strict data privacy rules
LONDON — European regulators slapped TikTok with a $368 million fine on Friday for failing to protect children’s privacy, the first time that the popular short video-sharing app has been punished for breaching Europe’s strict data privacy rules. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, the lead privacy regulator for Big Tech companies...
