Associated Press stories, Page 917
For Mark Zuckerberg’s Threads, the real rival is still TikTok — not the former Twitter
Threads, the simple, bare-bones text-based social network created by Facebook owner Meta, burst onto the scene during a particularly bad week for the rival then still known as Twitter. It quickly amassed 100 million signups — a huge feat for a newcomer in the space — and was dubbed as...
James Harden calls 76ers President Daryl Morey a liar and says he won’t play for his team
PHILADELPHIA — James Harden appears determined to sever ties with the Philadelphia 76ers after the star guard called team president Daryl Morey a liar at a promotional event in China. Harden’s comments — video of which surfaced Monday — came almost seven weeks after he picked up his $35.6 million...
Broadway-bound revival of ‘The Wiz’ finds its next Dorothy, thanks in part to TikTok
NEW YORK — A 24-year-old triple threat who toured in “Hairspray,” competed on “American Idol” and came to the attention of casting agents with her TikTok videos has landed the plum role of Dorothy in the Broadway-bound production of “The Wiz.” Nichelle Lewis will star in the national touring show...
Off Alaska coast, research crew peers down, down, down to map deep and remote ocean
KODIAK, Alaska — For the team aboard the Okeanos Explorer off the coast of Alaska, exploring the mounds and craters of the sea floor along the Aleutian Islands is a chance to surface new knowledge about life in some of the world’s deepest and most remote waters. The National Oceanic...
Heavy rains trigger floods, landslides in India’s Himalayan region, leaving at least 33 dead
NEW DELHI — Heavy monsoon rains triggered floods and landslides in India’s Himalayan region, leaving at least 33 people dead and many others trapped, officials told local media on Monday. Torrential downpours that began over the weekend in the mountainous Himachal Pradesh state have flooded roads and washed away homes...
Russia targets city of Odesa with missiles and drone, but Ukraine says it shot them all down
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched three waves of drones and missiles against the southern Ukraine port city of Odesa, officials said Monday, though the Ukrainian air force said it intercepted all the airborne weapons fired during the nighttime attacks. Falling debris from the 15 Shahed drones and eight Kalibr missiles...
Coaches facing heat in 2023 include WVU’s Brown, Indiana’s Allen, Missouri’s Drinkwitz
The silly season in college football, that time when coaches get fired and hired, seems to never stop. The dismissal of Pat Fitzgerald by Northwestern after an investigation into hazing in the program kicked off this year’s carousel. College administrators are also embracing the quick hook more than ever before....
Clarence Avant, ‘Godfather of Black Music’ and benefactor of athletes and politicians, dies at 92
NEW YORK — Clarence Avant, the judicious manager, entrepreneur, facilitator and adviser who helped launch or guide the careers of Quincy Jones, Bill Withers and many others and came to be known as “The Godfather of Black Music,” has died. He was 92. Avant, inducted into the Rock & Roll...
Norwegian climber says it would have been impossible to carry injured Pakistani porter down snowy K2
BERLIN — A record-setting Norwegian mountaineer pushed back Sunday against claims that she could have done more to save the life of a Pakistani porter who slipped off a narrow trail near the peak of the world’s most treacherous mountain and died there after several hours. The circumstances of Mohammad...
David McCormick is gearing up for a Senate run in Pennsylvania. But he lives in Connecticut
WASHINGTON — David McCormick had a clear explanation for why his fellow Republican, Dr. Mehmet Oz, lost a critical Pennsylvania Senate seat last year: Voters viewed the daytime television celebrity as an interloper from New Jersey with limited ties to the state he hoped to represent. “People want to know...
Russia’s currency hits the lowest level since beginning of the war in Ukraine
LONDON — The Russian ruble has reached its lowest value since the early weeks of the war in Ukraine as Western sanctions weigh on energy exports and weaken demand for the national currency. On Monday, the Russian currency passed 101 rubles to the dollar, continuing a more than 25% decline...
Maui officials and scientists warn that after the flames flicker out, toxic particles will remain
LAHAINA, Hawaii — When flames swept through western Maui, engulfing the town of Lahaina, residents saw toxic fumes spewing into the air as burning homes, pipes and cars combusted, transforming rubber, metal and plastic into poisonous, particulate matter-filled smoke. Retired mailman and Vietnam veteran Thomas Leonard heard a boom as...
Maui wildfire death toll reaches 96; Obama promotes telethon to raise funds
The Maui Police Department updated the number of confirmed deaths to 96 around 9 p.m. Sunday, Maui County said in a statement. In a video update released earlier Sunday, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said more than 2,700 structures were destroyed in Lahaina and “an estimated value of $5.6 billion has...
U.S. Steel rejects $7.3B offer from rival Cleveland-Cliffs, considers alternatives
NEW YORK — United States Steel Corp. said Sunday that it rejected a $7.3 billion buyout proposal from rival Cleveland Cliffs and was reviewing “strategic alternatives” after receiving several unsolicited offers. Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel said it rejected the offer because Cleveland-Cliffs was pushing it to accept the terms without being...
MLB looking into social media posts involving Rays shortstop Wander Franco
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Major League Baseball is looking into social media posts involving Rays shortstop Wander Franco, Tampa Bay said Sunday. Franco did not play Sunday in the 9-2 loss to Cleveland. “During today’s game, we were made aware of the social media posts that are circulating regarding Wander...
Lucas Glover makes it 2 in row by winning FedEx Cup opener in playoffVideo
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Lucas Glover made three big putts just to stay in the game and then hit the most important shot — on dry land in a playoff — to beat Patrick Cantlay on the first extra hole and win the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Sunday for his...
McDowell dominates Brickyard 200 for 2nd NASCAR crown jewel victory
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...
American Lilia Vu captures 2nd major in 2023 at Women’s British Open
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 Jaylen Reed on his approach, PSU tight ends, more
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...
Police questioned over legality of Kansas newspaper raid in which computers, phones seized
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...
Fiction writers fear the rise of AI, but also see it as a story to tell
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...
Yes, inflation is down. No, the Inflation Reduction Act doesn’t deserve the credit
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...
Trump’s Iowa state fair spectacle clouds DeSantis as former president is joined by Florida officials
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...
Alabama riverfront brawl videos spark a cultural moment about race, solidarity and justice
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...
Popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy may raise risk of complications under anesthesia
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...
