Associated Press stories, Page 16
U.S. economy expanded at sluggish 0.7% in 4th quarter, government says, downgrading 1st estimate
WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy, hobbled by last fall’s 43-day government shutdown, advanced at a sluggish 0.7% annual rate from October through December, the Commerce Department reported Friday in a big downgrade of its initial estimate. Growth in gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services —...
Low and slow meets forever: U.S. postage stamps honor lowrider car culture
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — From Mexican American and Chicano barrios in the American Southwest to the halls of the Smithsonian on the National Mall and even the streets of Japan, lowrider culture has become part of mainstream car culture around the globe. The U.S. Postal Service is joining the club with...
Cuban president says talks were recently held with the U.S. to resolve differences
HAVANA — Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Friday that his government has held recent talks with the U.S., marking the first time the Caribbean country confirms such speculation. He said the talks “were aimed at finding solutions through dialogue to the bilateral differences between our two nations. International factors facilitated...
Blast rocks Tehran after Israel threatened to target area where pro-government rally was being held
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A large explosion rocked an area of Iran’s capital where thousands were gathered Friday for the annual state-organized Quds Day to support the Palestinians and call for Israel’s demise. Israel had earlier warned that it would target the area in central Tehran. There were no...
Man in Michigan synagogue attack lost family members in Israeli airstrike in Lebanon, official says
WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. — A man with a rifle who crashed into a large Michigan synagogue in what federal officials are saying was an attack had lost four family members in an Israeli airstrike in his native Lebanon last week, an official said Friday. Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, a naturalized...
U.S. military refueling plane crashes in Iraq, rescue underway
WASHINGTON — An American military refueling plane taking part in the operation against Iran crashed in Iraq and rescue efforts were underway, U.S. Central Command said Thursday. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties. A U.S. official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity...
Vikings sign QB Kyler Murray a day after 2019 1st overall pick was cut by Cardinals
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings signed quarterback Kyler Murray on Thursday after focusing their latest search on the first overall pick from the 2019 NFL Draft who was just released by the Arizona Cardinals. Murray visited Vikings headquarters before agreeing to a contract, one day after he was cut by...
Trump administration denounces CNN for airing messages from Iranian leaders
The Trump administration denounced CNN on Thursday for airing a portion of the new Iranian supreme leader’s public statement, the second time in three days that he’s targeted the network for reporting on how the regime is responding to the American attacks. The attack illustrated the care news outlets must...
What the Live Nation settlement would mean for concertgoers — and why some say it isn’t enough
NEW YORK — Live Nation and the U.S. government announced a deal this week that they say would give artists and venues more choice when it comes to selling concert tickets to music fans. But critics say meaningful changes are far from guaranteed. It’s no secret that buying concert tickets...
Mark DeRosa owns ‘overly confident’ WBC remark before Team USA’s loss to Italy
HOUSTON — Manager Mark DeRosa says his premature comment about the United States having already punched its ticket to the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals before facing Italy was just an “overly confident statement” and reiterated Thursday he knew nothing was guaranteed at that point. DeRosa had made that remark on...
Malik Willis era arrives as Dolphins introduce presumptive starting QB
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Malik Willis no longer has to wait his turn. He wasn’t the starter when he began college at Auburn. Didn’t initially have the role when he transferred to Liberty. Wasn’t the starter when entering the NFL as Tennessee’s third-round pick, then wasn’t the starter when he...
Oil jumps to $100 per barrel and stocks sink worldwide with no clear end in sight for the Iran war
NEW YORK — With no clear end in sight, the war with Iran sent oil prices back to $100 per barrel on Thursday, and stocks sank worldwide. The S&P 500 fell 1.5% and resumed its sharp swings following a couple days of relative calm. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped...
FBI: Attack at Michigan synagogue was a ‘targeted act of violence against the Jewish community’Video
WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. — An attacker armed with a rifle was killed after ramming his vehicle into one of the nation’s largest Reform synagogues Thursday in what federal investigators said was an act of violence targeting the Jewish community. Jennifer Runyan, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit...
ROTC students at Old Dominion subdued and killed the shooter who killed 1 person, wounded 2Video
ROTC students subdued and killed a gunman who yelled “Allahu Akbar” before opening fire Thursday in an Old Dominion University classroom, killing one and wounding two, according to the FBI, which said the shooter had been in the Army and pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to aid the Islamic...
Trump discourages Iranian soccer team from attending the World Cup, citing safety concerns
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he did not think it would be “appropriate” for the Iranian soccer team to attend this year’s World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, and cited safety concerns as a reason on Thursday, while the countries are embroiled in a war. “The Iran National...
Competency review ordered for leader of cultlike Zizians group that has been linked to 6 deaths
BALTIMORE — A lawyer representing the leader of the cultlike Zizians group that has been linked to six deaths told a judge Thursday that there is reason to believe his client is mentally incompetent to stand trial. Jack LaSota, a transgender woman who goes by “Ziz,” was supposed to be...
Smaller portions are a big restaurant trend as customers watch their budgets and waistlines
The biggest new restaurant trend is small. Special menus with petite, less expensive portions are popping up all over, from large chains like Olive Garden and The Cheesecake Factory to trendy urban eateries and farm-to-fork dining rooms. Restaurants hope that offering smaller servings beyond the children’s menu will meet many...
Utah’s anti-gambling tradition meets Kalshi and Polymarket in a new legal fight
SALT LAKE CITY — For more than a century, Utah has kept gambling almost entirely out of the state. There are no casinos, no lotteries and no racetracks that allow bets, a prohibition rooted in the conservative ideals of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which views gambling...
Slavery exhibit is changing at the African American history museum as a loan agreement ends
WASHINGTON — A Smithsonian museum exhibit about the maritime journey that millions of Africans were forced to take across the Atlantic to slavery in the Americas will change later this month, when a remnant from one of the first sunken slave ships ever recovered is taken off display in Washington....
Outdated intel likely led U.S. to carry out deadly strike on Iranian elementary school, AP sources say
WASHINGTON — Outdated intelligence likely led to the United States carrying out a deadly missile strike on an elementary school in Iran that killed over 165 people, many of them children, in the opening hours of the conflict, according to a U.S. official and a second person briefed on findings...
Hungary to declassify security report as Orbán claims Ukraine is illegally funding his opponent
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungary’s government will declassify a national security report that the populist prime minister says will prove his main political challenger received illegal financing from Ukraine, a minister said Thursday. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán faces the biggest political challenge of his career in next month’s elections, where he...
U.S. applications for unemployment benefits inch down to 213,000 as layoffs remain stable
WASHINGTON — U.S. applications for unemployment benefits inched down modestly last week as layoffs remain at historically healthy levels despite a weakening job market. The number of Americans filing for jobless aid for the week ending March 7 fell by 1,000 to 213,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported...
Iran’s secretive top leader vows to keep up attacks in his first statement since being appointed
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s secretive new supreme leader vowed Thursday to keep up attacks on Gulf Arab countries and use the effective closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz as leverage against the United States and Israel. It was his first public statement since he succeeded his father,...
Drivers wonder if they should go electric as the war spikes gas pricesVideo
When Kevin Ketels bought an electric 2026 Chevrolet Blazer last year, he wasn’t thinking about the cost of gas. He just thought EVs were better and “wanted to be part of the future.” Now that the Iran war is spiking prices at the pump, the Detroit man is happy he...
BYU knocks West Virginia out of Big 12 Tournament
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — AJ Dybantsa had 27 points in another brilliant Big 12 Tournament performance, Kennard Davis Jr. added 20 points, and No. 10 seed BYU beat seventh-seeded West Virginia, 68-48, on Wednesday night to advance to the quarterfinal round. Robert Wright III also had 11 points before a...
