Associated Press stories, Page 197
Black smoke pours from Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating no pope was elected as conclave opens
VATICAN CITY — Black smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel chimney on Wednesday, signalling that no pope had been elected as 133 cardinals opened the secretive, centuries-old ritual to choose a new leader of the Catholic Church. The cardinals participating in the most geographically diverse conclave in the faith’s...
Pennsylvania Senate votes to ban transgender athletes in girls’ sports, but bill faces uphill battle
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s state Senate on Tuesday approved a bill to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports at the collegiate and K-12 levels, although the Republican-penned bill is unlikely to get a vote in the state’s Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. The bill passed, 32-18, with five...
NASCAR championship weekend goes to Homestead in 2026, starting a rotating formula
MIAMI — NASCAR asked its fans where they would prefer seeing championship weekend held, and the majority of those who responded picked Homestead-Miami Speedway. And NASCAR listened. The 2026 NASCAR season will end in South Florida, with stock car racing’s championship weekend returning to Homestead-Miami next year. It’ll be the...
Smokey Robinson accused by former housekeepers of sexual assault and rape
LOS ANGELES — Four former housekeepers of Smokey Robinson allege in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that the Motown music luminary repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped them while they worked for him. The suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court seeks at least $50 million in damages over the alleged assaults,...
Wild’s Bill Guerin to be aggressive with cap constraints gone
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild have entered a critical offseason, able to fully participate in free agency again after two years of significant salary cap constraints. Without an NHL playoff series win in the last 10 years, the urgency for the club to build a deeper roster around...
Jets, Stars meet in 2nd round of playoffs after both had epic Game 7 rallies to advanceVideo
There was that natural inclination for Dallas Stars coach Pete DeBoer to start paying more attention to St. Louis while watching the game that would determine who his team would play next in the NHL playoffs. But he never really started preparing for the Blues, even as they had a...
Column: Stars still aligned in golf as PGA Championship nearsVideo
A different month, a different major and the stars are still aligned. Bryson DeChambeau finally cashed in on a Sunday, losing a five-shot lead before pulling ahead on the final three holes to win in South Korea. This was three weeks after Rory McIlroy picked up a Masters green jacket...
Jared Bednar receives vote of confidence after Avalanche ousted early again
DENVER — Jared Bednar’s job on the bench appears perfectly safe after the Colorado Avalanche were ousted in the early rounds yet again. General manager Chris MacFarland gave Bednar a vote of confidence Tuesday — “100% confident Jared’s our head coach,” MacFarland exclaimed in a deconstruct-what-went-sideways news conference. This first-round...
Pennsylvania governor’s residence to get an ‘anti-climb’ fence
HARRISBURG — A barrier described as an “anti-climb fence” is in the works for the Pennsylvania governor’s official residence, the state police chief said Tuesday, less than a month after a late-night intruder jumped the existing fence, broke into the home and started a damaging fire. Col. Christopher Paris’ letter...
Reds rookie Tyler Callihan expected to miss at least 2 months after surgery to repair forearm fractureVideo
ATLANTA — Cincinnati Reds rookie left fielder Tyler Callihan is expected to miss at least two months following surgery Tuesday to repair his fractured left forearm suffered while attempting a sliding catch a night earlier. Reds manager Terry Francona said Callihan will have no baseball activities for six to eight...
India fires missiles into Pakistani territory in what Islambad calls ‘act of war’Video
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — India fired missiles into Pakistani-controlled territory in several locations early Wednesday, killing at least eight people including a child, in what Pakistan’s leader called an act of war. India said it was striking infrastructure used by militants linked to last month’s massacre of tourists in the Indian-controlled...
Court upholds racketeering convictions of ex-Ohio House speaker and lobbyist in $60M bribery scheme
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A federal appeals court upheld the racketeering convictions of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and an ex-lobbyist on Tuesday in a $60 million bribery scheme that a prosecutor had described as likely the largest corruption scheme in state history. The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel...
Trump says the U.S. will stop bombing Yemen’s Houthis after rebels say they’ll stop targeting ships
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he’s ordering a halt to nearly two months of U.S. airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthis, saying that the Iran-backed rebels have indicated that “they don’t want to fight anymore” and have pledged to stop attacking ships along a vital maritime corridor. “We’re going...
Senate confirms Frank Bisignano to lead Social Security Administration as agency faces DOGE overhaul
WASHINGTON — Wall Street veteran Frank Bisignano was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday to lead the Social Security Administration, taking over at a turbulent time for the agency that provides benefits to more than 70 million Americans. The Senate confirmed Bisignano in a 53-47 vote. Bisignano’s confirmation comes after...
Key Republican says he won’t back Trump’s pick for top D.C. prosecutor because of Jan. 6 ties
WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Thom Tillis says he’s informed the White House that he won’t support Ed Martin, President Donald Trump’spick for top federal prosecutor in Washington, stalling the nomination in the Senate weeks before the temporary appointment expires. The North Carolina Republican told reporters Tuesday that he had met...
Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty won’t run in Preakness, dashing Triple Crown possibility
Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty will not run in the Preakness Stakes, officials announced Tuesday, meaning there won’t be a Triple Crown champion for a seventh consecutive year. “We received a call today from trainer Bill Mott that Sovereignty will not be competing in the Preakness,” said Mike Rogers, executive VP...
Supreme Court allows Trump ban on transgender members of the military to take effect, for now
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to enforce a ban on transgender people in the military, while legal challenges proceed. The court acted in the dispute over a policy that presumptively disqualifies transgender people from military service and could lead to the expulsion of...
U.S. trade deficit hits record high as businesses, consumers try to get ahead of Trump tariffs
NEW YORK — The U.S. trade deficit soared to a record $140.5 billion in March as consumers and businesses alike tried to get ahead of President Donald Trump’s latest and most sweeping tariffs — with federal data showing an enormous stockpiling of pharmaceutical products. The deficit — which measures the...
What customers can expect as Rite Aid closes or sells all its drugstores
Rite Aid customers can expect their local store to close or change ownership in the next few months, as the struggling drugstore chain goes through another bankruptcy filing. The company plans to sell customer prescription files, inventory and other assets as it closes distribution centers and unloads store locations. Stores...
Trump, Carney faceoff in Oval Office leaves gaping differences on tariffs, 51st state
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney faced off in the Oval Office on Tuesday and showed no signs of retreating from their gaping differences in an ongoing trade war that has shattered decades of trust between the two countries. The two kept it civil, but...
How Utah dentists are preparing patients for 1st statewide fluoride ban
SALT LAKE CITY — With Utah’s first-in-the-nation ban on fluoride in public drinking water set to take effect Wednesday, dentists who treat children and low-income patients say they’re bracing for an increase in tooth decay among the state’s most vulnerable people. Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed the law against the...
Federal investigators say a utility wasn’t marked before a deadly natural gas explosion in Missouri
LEXINGTON, Mo. — A deadly explosion that leveled one Missouri home and damaged two others happened after a subcontractor drilled into an unmarked underground gas main while installing fiber optic cable, the National Transportation Safety Board announced Monday. One person was killed and two others were injured in the April...
Kentucky boy uses mother’s phone to order 70,000 Dum-Dum lollipops to share with his friends
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Kentucky woman was in a sticky mess when she found stacks of boxes containing lollipops on her front doorstep. The surprise delivery was ordered by her young son while he played on her phone. Holly LaFavers says she tried stopping 8-year-old Liam’s Amazon order for about...
Homeland Security chief says travelers with no Real ID can fly for now, but with likely extra steps
WASHINGTON — Travelers who haven’t obtained a Real ID by this week’s deadline received assurances from the head of Homeland Security they will be able to fly after additional identity checks. Her comments came Tuesday as people were waiting in long lines outside of government buildings from California to Chicago...
80 years after World War II, Germany is still painstakingly searching for its fallen soldiers
HALBE, Germany — In a forest near Berlin, the remains of 107 fallen Wehrmacht soldiers were ceremoniously interred last week. High school students placed white gerbera daisies on small black coffins, and German soldiers lowered them respectfully into a large, freshly dug grave as a military band played a solemn...
