Associated Press stories, Page 2327
U.S. drinking more now than just before Prohibition
NEW YORK — Americans are drinking more now than when Prohibition was enacted. What’s more, it’s been rising for two decades, and it’s not clear when it will fall again. That’s the picture painted by federal health statistics, which show a rise in per-person consumption and increases in emergency room...
Big Ben, big bucks: Brexit bell plan hits financial hurdle
LONDON — Will Big Ben bong for Brexit? Not unless British taxpayers cough up the bucks. The bell of Britain’s Parliament has been largely silent since 2017 while its iconic clock tower undergoes four years of repairs. Brexit-backing lawmakers are campaigning for it to strike at the moment Britain leaves...
High court skeptical of New Jersey ‘Bridgegate’ convictions
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed broadly skeptical Tuesday of the convictions of two people involved in New Jersey’s “Bridgegate” scandal where officials created a massive traffic jam to punish a mayor who refused to endorse then-governor Chris Christie’s reelection. The justices suggested during arguments that the government had overreached...
Nancy Pelosi sets Wednesday votes to send impeachment to Senate
WASHINGTON — The House is set to vote Wednesday to send the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate, and pressure was mounting Tuesday on senators to call fresh witnesses for the historic trial. Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the next steps after meeting privately with House Democrats...
Mexico can’t sell presidential jet, tries odd sales pitches
MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador has made selling off the luxurious presidential jet a centerpiece of his austerity program, but there’s just one problem: Nobody, it seems, wants to buy the white elephant. López Obrador said Tuesday the Boeing Dreamliner will be returned to Mexico after...
Bus falls into sinkhole on road in China; 10 dead or missingVideo
BEIJING — A bus plunged into a sinkhole on a city street in northwestern China, killing at least six people and leaving four missing, authorities said. Some 1,000 emergency workers and 30 vehicles were sent to the site, the emergency management bureau in the city of Xining said. A crane...
Joe Burrow, LSU top Clemson to cap magical season with national titleVideo
NEW ORLEANS — From small-town Ohio kid to Louisiana legend, Joe Burrow capped his record-breaking, Heisman-winning season by bringing a national championship to LSU. Burrow threw five touchdown passes, ran for another score and finished off one of the most accomplished seasons in college football history by leading the top-ranked...
Cybersecurity: Russians hacked company key to Ukraine scandalVideo
BOSTON — A U.S. cybersecurity company says Russian military agents successfully hacked the Ukrainian gas company at the center of the scandal that led to President Donald Trump’s impeachment. Russian agents launched a phishing campaign in early November aimed at stealing the login credentials for employees of Burisma Holdings, the...
Third horse rescued in Kentucky where 20 others were killed
PRESTONSBURG, Ky. — A third horse has been rescued from a strip mine site in Kentucky where 20 horses were found fatally shot. The filly was captured by Dumas Rescue on Saturday and taken to the Kentucky Humane Society, news outlets reported. The horse is believed to be the daughter...
49ers expecting different Packers for NFC Championship gameVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — When Aaron Rodgers greeted Jimmy Garoppolo following the least productive start of his sterling career, he had a simple message for the San Francisco 49ers quarterback: “We’ll see you later on.” Less than two months after that lopsided loss, the Green Bay Packers quarterback has proven...
Pennsylvania orders gas well plugged in fight over methane
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration on Monday told Range Resources that it must fix a Marcellus Shale natural gas well “once and for all” that it maintains has leaked methane since 2011 and contaminated groundwater and streams in north-central Pennsylvania. Wolf’s Department of Environmental Protection in 2015 issued —...
Unlikely comebacks becoming norm for PGA at HawaiiVideo
HONOLULU — Two weeks in Hawaii brought rain, unusually strong wind, playoffs and two players who thought victory was out of reach until the winner’s lei was draped around their necks. Cameron Smith was the latest Sunday at the Sony Open. He might have been even more surprised than Justin...
Off-duty Los Angeles County detective struck by car, killed after helping woman
LOS ANGELES — An off-duty sheriff’s detective was struck and killed by a car after she helped an elderly woman cross a street in Los Angeles, authorities said. The accident occurred Sunday in the Valley Village neighborhood as Detective Amber Leist was returning to her car after assisting the woman,...
U.S. drops designation of China as currency manipulator
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is dropping its designation of China as a currency manipulator in advance of the signing Wednesday of a Phase 1 U.S.-China trade agreement. The preliminary pact that the two sides are set to sign includes a section that’s intended to prevent China from manipulating its...
Pennsylvania cranks up PR campaign to boost census response
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s second lady, Giselle Fetterman, will help lead a campaign to raise awareness of this year’s Census Bureau count and encourage residents to respond to the census, state officials said Monday. Fetterman, whose husband is Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, said she will tour the state, making stops in...
Trump use of doctored Pelosi-Schumer photo draws Muslim ire
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump circulated a fake image on Monday depicting congressional Democrats’ top-ranked leaders in traditional Muslim attire in front of the Iranian flag, drawing criticism that he was promoting Islamophobic tropes. The manipulated photo retweeted by Trump showed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader...
Justices turn away appeal of women who went topless at beach
CONCORD, N.H. — The U.S. Supreme Court is leaving in place the public nudity convictions of three women who removed their bathing suit tops on a New Hampshire beach as part of a global campaign advocating for the rights of women to go topless. The justices declined Monday to review...
Baylor jumps to No. 2 in AP Top 25; Gonzaga stays No. 1
Good luck finding any team in the country that notches a better pair of road wins in the same week than Baylor, which followed up a victory at Texas Tech by invading Allen Fieldhouse and thumping Kansas on its home floor. As a result? The Bears leapfrogged the Jayhawks and...
Drug charge to be dropped against Patriots safety Patrick Chung
CONCORD, N.H. — A cocaine possession charge against New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung will be dropped with the understanding that he will undergo periodic drug testing and perform 40 hours of community service, a prosecutor said Monday. A grand jury in New Hampshire indicted Chung in August. Belknap County...
Manager AJ Hinch, GM Jeff Luhnow fired for Astros’ sign stealing
HOUSTON — Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired Monday after the pair were suspended by Major League Baseball for the team’s use of electronics for sign stealing during Houston’s run to the 2017 World Series title and during the 2018 season. In U.S. sports’ largest...
Mueller investigation witness George Nader pleads guilty on child sex charges
ALEXANDRIA, Va. —A key witness in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation will be sentenced to at least 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of child sex trafficking and possessing child pornography. Lebanese-American businessman George Nader, 60, entered a plea deal Monday in federal court in Alexandria....
Microsoft ends free Windows 7 security updates on Tuesday
If you’re still using Microsoft’s Windows 7, your computer might soon be at risk. Microsoft will stop providing free security updates for the system on Tuesday, meaning computers using it will be more vulnerable to malware and hacking. Users who want to protect their computers need to upgrade to Windows...
Design of AR-15 could derail charges tied to popular rifle
A subtle design feature of the AR-15 rifle has raised a technical legal question that is derailing cases against people who are charged with illegally buying and selling the gun’s parts or building the weapon. At issue is whether a key piece of one of America’s most popular firearms meets...
Anger in Iran over jet’s downing; gunfire disperses protests
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Popular anger swelled Monday in Iran over the accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian jetliner and the government’s attempt to conceal its role in the tragedy, as online videos appeared to show security forces firing live ammunition and tear gas to disperse protests in the streets....
8 stabbed apparently at random in Colorado, suspect detained
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A stabbing rampage by a male suspect has left eight people injured near downtown Colorado Springs in attacks that were apparently carried out at random, police said Monday. The suspect was restrained by some of his victims and arrested before dawn by officers, police said in...
