Associated Press stories, Page 962
‘Watermelon snow’ piques curiosities in Utah after abnormally wet winter
LOGAN, Utah — High up in the mountains, amid pinyon pine and quaking aspen trees, the remaining remnants of the winter’s snow is dotted with hues of pinks, purples and oranges. Hikers, campers and church youth groups journeying by grasp it in their palms and liken it to flavored snow...
Georgia launches Medicaid expansion in closely watched test of work requirements
ATLANTA — Georgia is offering a new bargain to some adults without health insurance beginning Saturday: Go to work or school and the state will cover you. But advocates decry the plan, which will insure far fewer people than a full expansion of the state-federal Medicaid program, as needlessly restrictive...
Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney says Bud Light didn’t support her during backlash
Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney says she felt abandoned by Bud Light after facing “more bullying and transphobia than I could have ever imagined” over her partnership with the beer giant. In a video posted Thursday to Instagram and TikTok, she said she “was waiting for the brand to reach out...
Supreme Court to decide if some judges have gone too far in striking down gun restrictions
WASHINGTON — A year after its sweeping gun rights ruling, the Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide whether judges are going too far in striking down restrictions on firearms. The justices will hear the Biden administration’s appeal of one such ruling that struck down as unconstitutional a federal law meant...
Cuban boy castaway Elián González becomes a lawmaker
HAVANA — Elián González has the same big, expressive eyes he did 23 years ago when an international custody battle transformed him into the face of the long-strained relations between Cuba and the United States. Now 29, González is stepping into Cuban politics. He recently entered his country’s congress with...
Rep. George Santos appears in federal court on fraud, money laundering charges
NEW YORK — Prosecutors said Friday that they have turned over more than 80,000 pages of materials to U.S. Rep. George Santos’ lawyers in the federal fraud and money laundering case against him. The documents weren’t publicly released, as is common during this stage of a case. The barely five-minute...
Indiana Supreme Court upholds abortion ban, says state constitution gives only limited protections
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Supreme Court ruled Friday that the state’s abortion ban doesn’t violate the state constitution, removing a major hurdle to enforcing the ban Republicans approved last summer. The court’s decision overturns a county judge’s ruling that the ban likely violates the state constitution’s privacy protections, which she...
Student loan payments start again soon. Supreme Court’s ruling means higher bills for many
WASHINGTON — In a good month, Celina Chanthanouvong has about $200 left after rent, groceries and car insurance. That doesn’t factor in her student loans, which have been on hold since the start of the pandemic and are estimated to cost $300 a month. The pause in repayment has been...
Spain keeps Putellas and 3 of the rebel players for Women’s World Cup
MADRID — Spain will head to the Women’s World Cup with two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas and three of the 15 players who had renounced the national soccer team after a spat with coach Jorge Vilda. Vilda on Friday announced the 23 players who will play in the July...
Supreme Court rejects plan to wipe out $400B in student loans; Biden vows ‘fight is not over’
WASHINGTON — A sharply divided Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Biden administration overstepped its authority in trying to cancel or reduce student loans for millions of Americans. The 6-3 decision, with conservative justices in the majority, said the Biden administration overstepped its authority with the plan, and it leaves...
Alan Arkin, Oscar-winning ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ actor, dies at 89Video
LOS ANGELES — Alan Arkin, the wry character actor who demonstrated his versatility in everything from farcical comedy to chilling drama as he received four Academy Award nominations and won an Oscar in 2007 for “Little Miss Sunshine,” has died. He was 89. His sons Adam, Matthew and Anthony confirmed...
TV series put on pause by the Hollywood writers strike
As a strike by Hollywood writers approaches the two-month mark, late-night talk shows have been put on long-term hiatus and more and more scripted shows are pausing production, with films not far behind. The looming possibility of unionized actors striking alongside them could mean a far larger shutdown. Here’s a...
Supreme Court rules for designer who doesn’t want to make wedding websites for gay couples
WASHINGTON — In a defeat for gay rights, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority ruled on Friday that a Christian graphic artist who wants to design wedding websites can refuse to work with same-sex couples. One of the court’s liberal justices wrote in a dissent that the decision’s effect is to...
New pro women’s hockey league set to launch with 6 teams, with Pittsburgh a possibility
Organizers announced plans Friday to launch a new women’s professional hockey league in January that they hope will provide a stable, economically sustainable home for the sport’s top players for years to come. The North American league is expected to start with six teams — three in the U.S. and...
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy meets Greta Thunberg and others to address the war’s effect on ecology
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Thursday with Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg and prominent European figures who are forming a working group to address ecological damage from the 16-month-old Russian invasion. The meeting in the Ukrainian capital came as fighting continued around the country. The governor of...
Affirmative action is out in higher education so what’s next for college admissions?
Colleges across the country will be forced to stop considering race in admissions under Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling, ending affirmative action policies that date back decades. Schools that have relied on race-conscious admissions policies to build diversity will have to rethink how they admit students. It’s expected to result in...
Caroline Wozniacki is returning to tennis 3 years after retiring
Caroline Wozniacki, a former No. 1-ranked tennis player and the 2018 Australian Open champion, announced Thursday that she is returning to competition three years after she retired to start a family. The U.S. Tennis Association said it will grant Wozniacki a wild-card invitation to participate in the U.S. Open, which...
Trump, DeSantis among 2024 GOP hopefuls set to appear at the Moms for Liberty gathering
PHILADELPHIA — Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the main rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, are scheduled to speak Friday at the annual gathering of Moms for Liberty, a two-year-old group that has fiercely opposed instruction related to race and gender identity in the nation’s classroom....
Venus Williams will begin her 24th Wimbledon appearance against Elina Svitolina
WIMBLEDON, England — Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams will begin her 24th appearance at the tournament against 2019 semifinalist Elina Svitolina, while Friday’s draw put two-time titlist Andy Murray up against wild-card entry Ryan Peniston in an all-British first-round matchup. Williams, who is 43 and has played just five matches...
Judge rejects Donald Trump’s request to toss out defamation claims by columnist
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump’s claims that absolute presidential immunity and free speech rights shield him from the defamation claims of a New York columnist were rejected Thursday by a federal judge. The writer, E. Jean Carroll, can continue to press claims that Trump owes her at least...
Already hectic NBA offseason now poised for free agents to make movesVideo
Chris Paul already has been traded twice this offseason, ending up with Golden State. Bradley Beal is now with Phoenix, John Collins was sent to Utah, and Kristaps Porzingis is about to start anew with Boston in a deal that sent Marcus Smart to Memphis. They have new places to...
Changing their tune? Pennsylvania lawmakers consider replacing the state’s official song
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania may soon be changing its tune. A proposal to establish a new state song got a positive vote Thursday in the House of Representatives, although there was some discord. The resolution to establish an independent commission to review the history, solicit suggestions from the public and make...
Taylor Moore, Peter Kuest lead Rocket Mortgage Classic; Dylan Wu 1 back after albatross
DETROIT — Taylor Moore and Monday qualifier Peter Kuest shot 8-under-par 64s to share the first-round lead in the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Thursday, with a slew of players chasing in what’s expected to be a shootout. Dylan Wu had the third albatross on the PGA Tour this season and...
New York City school food chief convicted in bribery case tied to tainted chicken tenders
NEW YORK — A man who oversaw food service for New York City schools was convicted Wednesday in a bribery case that picked apart how chicken tenders riddled with bone and bits of metal were served for months in the nation’s biggest public school system. Former city Department of Education...
Angels’ Mike Trout elected to 11th All-Star Game; 4 Texas players chosen to startVideo
NEW YORK — Mike Trout will see a bunch of new faces surrounding him at this year’s All-Star Game. The Los Angeles Angels center fielder was selected for his 11th appearance on Thursday, and four Texas Rangers were chosen by fans for the American League’s lineup for the July 11...
