Associated Press stories, Page 1069
1 killed, 3 hurt in shooting at El Paso, Texas shopping mallVideo
EL PASO, Texas — One person was killed and three more were wounded Wednesday in a shooting at a shopping mall in El Paso, Texas, adding to the dozens of people already killed this year in mass shootings across the United States. El Paso police said hours after the gunfire...
NASCAR 75: Car evolution includes stock, wings, safety. Could EV be next?Video
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR’s next 75 years almost certainly will include at least a partially electric vehicle turning laps at Daytona International Speedway. It’s unfathomable to some, unconscionable to others. It’s unlikely the sanctioning body would make the transition without at least trying to keep the heart-pounding sound of...
Tiger Woods had a tough time at Riviera even when healthyVideo
LOS ANGELES — Tiger Woods made it through 16 holes of his pro-am Wednesday at the Genesis Invitational on a bitterly cold morning with occasional 25 mph gusts that made the temperature feel like the upper 30s. What mattered, at least for now, was how he finished. He didn’t play...
Saints hire Kiski Area graduate Joe Woods as defensive coordinatorVideo
METAIRIE, La. — The New Orleans Saints hired Kiski Area graduate Joe Woods as defensive coordinator Wednesday. Saints coach Dennis Allen also added defensive line coach Todd Grantham, secondary coach Marcus Robertson, tight ends coach Clancy Barone and assistant offensive line coach Kevin Carberry. Woods spent the past three seasons...
Damar Hamlin apologizes for jacket worn at Super Bowl
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin said Wednesday he never intended to offend anyone for attending the Super Bowl wearing a jacket that critics deemed to feature an offensive depiction of Jesus. “After talking with my parents I understand how my coat could have offended some people,” Hamlin...
Trump pick David Malpass stepping down as head of the World Bank
WASHINGTON — David Malpass is stepping down as president of the World Bank, nearly four years after former President Donald Trump nominated him to run the 189-nation agency. The anti-poverty lender said Wednesday that Malpass would be leaving by June 30. His five-year term was due to expire in April...
West Virginia advances campus gun bill despite student alarm
CHARLESTON — West Virginia lawmakers voted Wednesday to advance a bill that would allow people with concealed carry permits to bring firearms on state college and university campuses, despite overwhelming opposition from frustrated students who came to the Capitol to testify against it. Some higher education students traveled hours to...
Rep. Matt Gaetz says no charges for him in sex trafficking caseVideo
WASHINGTON — Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican known for his strong support of former President Donald Trump and membership in the arch-conservative Freedom Caucus in the House, said Wednesday that the Justice Department has ended a sex trafficking case with no charges against him. The lawmaker who represents much of...
Split Pennsylvania House set for raucous return next week
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s top House Republican on Wednesday warned of chaos when legislators reconvene next week, six weeks after representatives elected a Democrat as House speaker and left Harrisburg without conducting any other business. Republican Minority Leader Bryan Cutler of Lancaster County, who quit as state House speaker at the...
Hollywood sex symbol Raquel Welch dies at 82
NEW YORK — Raquel Welch, whose emergence from the sea in a skimpy, furry bikini in the film “One Million Years B.C.” would propel her to international sex symbol status throughout the 1960s and ’70s, has died. She was 82. Welch died early Wednesday after a brief illness, according to...
Key developments in the aftermath of Turkey, Syria earthquakes
ANTAKYA, Turkey — The earthquakes that killed more than 39,000 people in southern Turkey and northern Syria produced more grieving and suffering along with extraordinary rescues and appeals for aid. Here’s a look at key developments Wednesday from the aftermath of the earthquakes: Defying odds after 9 days A woman...
Sweden emerges as sudden front-runner to host 2030 Olympics
GENEVA — Sweden emerging as the front-runner in a troubled search for a 2030 Olympics host is as much a surprise in Stockholm as elsewhere. The year started with Sweden not on the radar of a Winter Games race where longtime favorite Sapporo faded during a criminal investigation of alleged...
Alex Ovechkin away from Capitals due to death of his father
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin says his father, Mikhail, has died at age 71. Ovechkin delivered the news Wednesday on social media along with family photos and video. “Today my father passed away,” Ovechkin posted in Russian on his Instagram account. “I thank everyone for their support but ask that...
Russia claims minor Ukraine progress; Kyiv readies offensive
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces claimed some battlefield success Wednesday as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine labored to gain momentum almost a year after it began, while Ukraine said it needs another few months to stage its own offensive. The Russian Defense Ministry said its troops broke through two Ukrainian defensive...
FAA head defends safety of U.S. air travel after close calls
The head of the Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday he has taken steps to avoid a repeat of the technology failure last month that briefly halted all flights nationwide from taking off. Acting FAA administrator Billy Nolen said he has formed a team to review efforts to keep air travel...
Charges dropped against reporter arrested at Ohio train derailment news conference
A cable news reporter pushed to the ground and handcuffed while covering a news conference about a train derailment in Ohio will no longer face charges, the state’s attorney general said Wednesday. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost dismissed trespassing and resisting arrest charges against NewsNation correspondent Evan Lambert, saying he...
Panel backs moving opioid antidote Narcan over the counter
WASHINGTON — The overdose-reversing drug naloxone should be made available over the counter to aid the national response to the opioid crisis, U.S. health advisers said Wednesday. The panel of Food and Drug Administration experts voted unanimously in favor of the switch after a full day of presentations and discussions...
White supremacist gets life sentence for Buffalo supermarket massacreVideo
BUFFALO, N.Y. — A white supremacist who killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket was sentenced to life in prison without parole Wednesday after relatives of his victims confronted him with the pain and rage caused by his racist attack. Anger briefly turned physical at Payton Gendron’s sentencing when...
Skinny robot documents forces eroding Doomsday Glacier
Scientists got their first up-close look at what’s eating away part of Antarctica’s Thwaites ice shelf, nicknamed the Doomsday Glacier because of its massive melt and sea rise potential, and it’s both good and bad news. Using a 13-foot pencil-shaped robot that swam under the grounding line where ice first...
Ukraine admitted into UN fund that supports small farmers
Ukraine’s small-scale farmers, who are playing a critical role in feeding the population during the war, will be eligible for funding through the U.N.’s International Fund for Agricultural Development following Ukraine’s induction Wednesday into body, officials said. Small farmers in Ukraine “play a fundamental role in feeding the country” during...
Russian journalist sentenced to 6 years over Ukraine posts
MOSCOW — A Russian journalist was convicted of disparaging the military Wednesday and received a six-year prison sentence, the latest punishment in a relentless crackdown on critics of Moscow’s actions in Ukraine. The court in the city of Barnaul in southern Siberia found Maria Ponomarenko guilty of “spreading false information...
U.S. envoy confident Japan will ban LGBTQ discrimination
TOKYO — U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday said he has “full confidence” that the Japanese government will take the necessary steps to ban discrimination against LGBTQ people. Sexual minorities have been campaigning for the government to adopt an anti-discrimination law after an aide to Prime Minister Fumio...
NATO chief eyes bigger defense budgets, hard spending target
BRUSSELS — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday urged the 30 member countries to commit to spending at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense by a set date, as Russia’s war on Ukraine and other threats eat into military spending. NATO allies agreed in 2014, after Russia...
Retail sales jump as Americans defy inflation, rate hikes
WASHINGTON — America’s consumers rebounded last month from a weak holiday shopping season by boosting their spending at stores and restaurants at the fastest pace in nearly two years, underscoring the economy’s resilience in the face of higher prices and multiple interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. The government...
Thief admits stealing nearly 200,000 chocolate Easter eggs
LONDON — A man who prosecutors said broke into a U.K. industrial park to steal almost 200,000 chocolate Easter eggs has pleaded guilty to theft and criminal damage. Prosecutors said Tuesday that Joby Pool, 32, used a metal grinder to break through a gate at an industrial park in Telford,...
