Associated Press stories, Page 17
Blue-chip prospects make surprising choices on signing day
The changing landscape of college football means the nation’s premier recruits are no longer signing with the same handful of programs. That became particularly apparent this week when the nation’s top-ranked prospect landed in Vanderbilt of all places. Vanderbilt parlayed the first 10-win season in school history into a recruiting...
ACC emphatically pushes for No. 12 Miami, league champ to get CFP bids
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips is pushing for No. 12 Miami to earn a bid to the College Football Playoff along with the winner of the league championship game between No. 16 Virginia and Duke. That comes with the ACC facing at least the chance of being squeezed out of the...
Trump proposal would weaken vehicle mileage rules that limit air pollution
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a proposal to weaken vehicle mileage rules for the auto industry, loosening regulatory pressure on automakers to control pollution from gasoline-powered cars and trucks. The plan, if finalized next year, would significantly reduce fuel economy requirements, which set rules on how far...
A line was crossed: Eagles coordinator Kevin Patullo speaks out after his family home was vandalized
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo said a “line was crossed” when his New Jersey home was vandalized because the incident stretched beyond football and into his personal life. Patullo’s home was vandalized with eggs over the weekend in the wake of the Eagles’ loss on Black Friday...
Doctor who sold ketamine to ‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry gets 2.5 years in prison
LOS ANGELES — A doctor who pleaded guilty to selling ketamine to Matthew Perry in the weeks before the “Friends” star’s overdose death was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison on Wednesday. Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence plus two years of probation to 44-year-old Dr. Salvador...
Pentagon watchdog finds Hegseth’s use of Signal posed risk to U.S. personnel
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s watchdog found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put U.S. personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Yemen’s Houthi militants, two people familiar with the findings said Wednesday. Hegseth, however, has the...
Massive power outage hits Cuba’s western region after transmission line fails
HAVANA — A blackout hit Havana and the rest of the western half of Cuba on Wednesday, leaving millions of people without power on an island struggling with chronic outages blamed on a crumbling electric grid. Lázaro Guerra, general director of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, said the massive...
Israel receives remains of possible hostage and plans to reopen Gaza crossing into Egypt
JERUSALEM — Israel received remains of what could be one of the last hostages in Gaza on Wednesday and said it will begin allowing Palestinians to leave the war-torn territory through a border crossing with Egypt. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said an attack by militants earlier in the day...
Billionaire spacewalker is back before the Senate seeking NASA’s top job
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Billionaire spacewalker Jared Isaacman urged senators on Wednesday to take swift action on his bid to lead NASA, after being yanked and then renominated by President Donald Trump. Isaacman appeared before the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in Washington eight months after his first nomination hearing....
What to know about the hepatitis B shot — and why Trump officials are targeting it
NEW YORK — A federal vaccine advisory committee this week is expected to discuss whether newborns should still get the hepatitis B vaccine — the first shot found to prevent cancer. Federal health recommendations now suggest that all babies be vaccinated against the liver infection in their first day of...
Hong Kong high-rise fire death toll rises to 159 as authorities arrest 6 over failed fire alarms
HONG KONG — The death toll of Hong Kong’s high-rise apartment blaze rose to 159 on Wednesday, as authorities arrested six people on suspicion of deactivating some fire alarms during maintenance work at the housing complex. The youngest person who died in the fire was a 1-year-old, police said. The...
Trump pardons Texas Democratic Rep. Cuellar in bribery and conspiracy case
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump pardoned Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife in a federal bribery and conspiracy case on Wednesday, citing what he called a “weaponized” justice system. Trump, who has argued that his own legal troubles were a partisan witch hunt, said on social media without...
Republican victory in Tennessee special election fails to dispel 2026 midterm concerns
Republicans held onto a reliably conservative U.S. House district in Tennessee’s special election, but only after a late burst of national spending and high-profile campaigning helped them secure a margin less than half of last year’s race. Even with that victory, the outcome contributed to a gloomy outlook for the...
Lauren Graham and Amy Sherman-Palladino to release ‘Gilmore Girls’ book in 2027
NEW YORK — After years of advice books, children’s books and cookbooks inspired by “Gilmore Girls,” an upcoming work promises a more personal take on the beloved series. The co-writers are “Gilmore Girls” creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and star Lauren Graham. Celadon Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers, announced Wednesday that...
Spotify Wrapped 2025: Bad Bunny dethrones Taylor Swift as most-streamed artist
NEW YORK — The holiday season is here, and with it, a present for fans of end of year data and marketing: Spotify Wrapped is here! And Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny has been named its most-played artist for a fourth time, dethroning Taylor Swift. On Wednesday, the streaming giant...
Pete Hegseth faces deepening scrutiny from Congress over boat strikes
WASHINGTON — Pete Hegseth barely squeaked through a grueling Senate confirmation process to become secretary of defense earlier this year, facing lawmakers wary of the Fox News Channel host and skeptical of his capacity, temperament and fitness for the job. Just three months later, he quickly became embroiled in Signalgate...
Progressive group targets Senate Democrats for backing Trump’s judicial nominees
A progressive group is targeting two Senate Democrats and an independent senator who voted to confirm some of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees, promising to spend more than $1 million in hopes of pushing congressional Democrats to take a stronger stand against the Republican president. In a weeklong advertising campaign...
Raccoon goes on drunken rampage in Virginia liquor store and passes out on bathroom floorVideo
ASHLAND, Va. — The masked burglar broke into the closed Virginia liquor store early on Saturday and hit the bottom shelf, where the scotch and whisky were stored. The bandit was something of a nocturnal menace: bottles were smashed, a ceiling tile collapsed and alcohol pooled on the floor. The...
Judge issues injunction restricting immigration arrests in nation’s capital
A federal judge late Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from making widespread immigration arrests in the nation’s capital without warrants or probable cause that the person is an imminent flight risk. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in Washington granted a preliminary injunction sought by civil liberties and immigrants rights groups...
San Francisco sues nation’s top food manufacturers over ultraprocessed foods
The city of San Francisco filed a lawsuit against some of the nation’s top food manufacturers on Tuesday, arguing that ultraprocessed food from the likes of Coca-Cola and Nestle are responsible for a public health crisis. City Attorney David Chiu named 10 companies in the lawsuit, including the makers of...
Trump-backed Republican Matt Van Epps wins U.S. House special election in Tennessee
NASHVILLE — Republican Matt Van Epps won a nationally watched special election in Tennessee for a seat in the U.S. House on Tuesday, maintaining his party’s grip on the district with help from President Donald Trump. A military veteran and former state general services commissioner from Nashville, Van Epps defeated...
Mingo scores 21 points, leads Penn State over Campbell 87-76
UNIVERSITY PARK — Kayden Mingo scored six of his 21 points inside the final two minutes to help Penn State pull away and beat Campbell, 87-76, on Tuesday night. Freddie Dilione V added 17 points for Penn State, which is 8-1 for the second straight year. Josh Reed and Ivan...
Ole Miss loses coach, but moves up a spot in College Football Playoff rankings; Ohio St. still No. 1
Ole Miss lost a coach but gained in the College Football Rankings released Tuesday, moving up a spot to No. 6 despite the sudden departure of Lane Kiffin to LSU. Undefeated Ohio State and Indiana remained at 1 and 2 in the rankings, while Georgia moved to third and Texas...
Chances dwindling for renewal of health care subsidies, risking premium spikes for millions
WASHINGTON — Hopes for an extension of health care subsidies were diminishing in Congress this week as Republicans and Democrats largely abandoned the idea of bipartisan talks on the issue, increasing the odds that millions of Americans could see sharp premium spikes starting Jan. 1. Democrats who agreed earlier this...
Academic society bans Larry Summers for life over his close ties to Jeffrey Epstein
BOSTON — Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers was banned for life Tuesday from an academic society in the latest fallout over recently released emails showing he maintained a friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein after the disgraced financier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor. The American Economic Association,...
