Associated Press stories, Page 2655
Trump sees ‘new day’ for Latin America at Miami rally
MIAMI — President Trump said Monday that “a new day is coming in Latin America,” as he sought to rally support among the largest Venezuelan community in the United States for opposition leader Juan Guaido. Speaking at Florida International University in Miami before large American and Venezuelan flags, Trump said...
France’s fencing federation officially recognizes lightsaber dueling as sport
BEAUMONT-SUR-OISE, France — Master Yoda, dust off his French, he must. It’s now easier than ever in France to act out “Star Wars” fantasies, because its fencing federation has borrowed from a galaxy far, far away and officially recognized lightsaber dueling as a competitive sport, granting the iconic weapon from...
Trump handicaps 2020 Democratic contenders
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Kamala Harris had the best campaign roll-out. Amy Klobuchar’s snowy debut showed grit. Elizabeth Warren’s opening campaign video was a bit odd. Take it from an unlikely armchair pundit sizing up the 2020 Democratic field: President Donald Trump. In tweets, public remarks and private conversations,...
Oakland, Calif., diocese names 45 accused of sexual abuse
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Catholic Diocese of Oakland, Calif., has released the names of 45 priests, deacons and religious brothers who officials say are “credibly accused” of sexually abusing minors. The San Francisco Chronicle said Monday that Oakland’s list goes back to 1962 — when the diocese was founded. None...
Duke reclaims No. 1 in AP Top 25; Tennessee falls to 5th
NEW YORK — Duke has reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 poll. The Blue Devils earned 58 of 64 first-place votes in Monday’s poll to earn a third stint at the top this season. Duke climbed one spot to replace Tennessee, which had spent four weeks...
Amazon aims to cut its carbon footprint
NEW YORK — Amazon, which ships millions of packages a year to shopper’s doorsteps, says it wants to be greener. The online retail giant announced plans Monday to make half of all its shipments carbon neutral by 2030. To reach that goal, the online retail giant says it will use...
Vandal topples wax statue of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
NEW YORK — Police say someone attacked a statue of Sean “Diddy” Combs at Madame Tussauds wax museum in New York, shoving the rap impresario’s likeness so forcefully it lost its head. Investigators were continuing Monday to look for a suspect in the strange episode Saturday night. Police say a...
First-ever ‘Jeopardy!” team contest draws top champions
CULVER CITY, Calif. — Glance around the “Jeopardy!” set during rehearsals for its first-ever team championship and it’s easy to be intimidated by the assembled brain power. There’s Brad Rutter, whose overall “Jeopardy!” haul, $4.3 million, is the most won on any game show. And Ken Jennings, a 74-game winner...
Trump lashes out at officials involved in Russia probe
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump is lashing out at key officials involved in the Russia probe, namely former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and the current deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein. In an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” McCabe, who was fired last year by the FBI,...
Vandal topples wax statue of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
NEW YORK — Police say someone attacked a statue of Sean “Diddy” Combs at Madame Tussauds wax museum in New York, shoving the rap impresario’s likeness so forcefully it lost its head. Investigators were continuing Monday to look for a suspect in the strange episode Saturday night. Police say a...
Bus hits dump truck in Bolivia; at least 22 reported dead
LA PAZ, Bolivia — Bolivian police say a bus has crashed head-on with a dump truck, killing at least 22 people and injuring 12 more. The Monday morning accident occurred in a dense fog on the highway connecting Potosi and Oruro, about 135 miles south of the capital. Police say...
Border wall a complex issue for 2020 prospect Beto O’Rourke
EL PASO, Texas — When President Donald Trump visited Beto O’Rourke’s hometown to argue that walling off the southern border would make the U.S. safer, the former Democratic congressman and possible 2020 presidential hopeful was ready. As the president filled an El Paso arena with supporters, O’Rourke helped lead thousands...
Philippines says 136 people have died in measles outbreak
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine health secretary said Monday that 136 people, mostly children, have died of measles and 8,400 others have fallen ill in an outbreak blamed partly on vaccination fears. A massive immunization drive that started last week in hard-hit Manila and four provincial regions may contain the...
Sex abuse survivors to meet with Vatican summit organizers
VATICAN CITY — The organizers of Pope Francis’ summit on preventing clergy sex abuse will meet this week with a dozen abuse victims who have descended on Rome to protest the Catholic Church’s response to the crisis and demand an end to decades of cover-up by church leaders, officials said...
Pa. school threat system fields thousands of tips in first month
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A threat reporting system now required for all Pennsylvania schools fielded more than 4,900 tips in its first month, about a third of them considered serious enough to pass along to local police and school officials. The goal of the Safe 2 Say Something program, which funnels...
Officials: Centralia sinkhole unrelated to underground fire
CENTRALIA, Pa. — State environmental authorities say a 100-foot sinkhole found in a central Pennsylvania town almost completely emptied by a decades-long underground fire is unrelated to the blaze. The (Bloomsburg) Press Enterprise reports that a Department of Environmental Protection crew started work Friday to fill the sinkhole near Route...
D.C.’s many prankster activists turn anger into street theater
WASHINGTON — In the nation’s capital, it can be hard for protesters to stand out. Fifty people — or even 500 — holding signs and shouting hardly merits a second glance in this city of protests. That’s why Washington activists have to get creative. There’s an ethos of performative prankster-style...
‘Digital gangsters’: U.K. wants tougher rules for Facebook
LONDON — British lawmakers issued a scathing report Monday that calls for tougher rules to keep Facebook and other tech firms from acting like “digital gangsters” and intentionally violating data privacy and competition laws. The report on fake news and disinformation on social media sites followed an 18-month investigation by...
Sailor in iconic V-J Day Times Square kiss photo dies at 95
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The ecstatic sailor shown kissing a woman in Times Square celebrating the end of World War II has died. George Mendonsa was 95. Mendonsa’s daughter, Sharon Molleur, told The Providence Journal Mendonsa fell and had a seizure Sunday at the assisted living facility in Middletown, Rhode Island,...
New York City aims to stop hairstyle discrimination
NEW YORK — New York City doesn’t want people to have their hairstyles held against them, and it has unveiled novel anti-discrimination guidelines. The city Human Rights Commission released the guidelines Monday. The New York Times first reported the guidelines and says they’re believed to be the first such measures...
J.B. Holmes rallies on long final day to win at Genesis Open
LOS ANGELES — A marathon finish was only part of the challenge facing J.B. Holmes. He also had to contend with a four-shot deficit against Justin Thomas on greens that were increasingly bumpy with so many footprints over nine hours and wind that made Riviera tougher than ever. With one...
Disgraced ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner released from prison
AYER, Mass. — Disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner has been released from federal prison after being convicted of having illicit online contact with a 15-year-old girl in 2017. The Federal Bureau of Prisons website shows the 54-year-old New York Democrat is currently in the custody of its Residential Re-entry Management...
Ohio lawmakers studying error that could ban some guns
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A mistake in writing up an Ohio bill could inadvertently ban several types of already legal guns and must be fixed quickly, gun rights advocates say. At issue is legislation approved by lawmakers last year that allows off-duty police officers to carry firearms and phases in pre-emption...
Hamlin wins crash-filled Daytona 500 to lead 1-2-3 sweep for Joe Gibbs Racing
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Denny Hamlin came to the Daytona 500 determined to honor his late car owner with a victory. He delivered in a storybook tribute for Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin won NASCAR’s biggest race for the second time in four years Sunday, leading JGR in a 1-2-3 sweep...
Chicago police seek follow-up interview with Jussie Smollett
CHICAGO — Chicago police said Sunday they’re still seeking a follow-up interview with Jussie Smollett after receiving new information that “shifted” their investigation of a reported attack on the “Empire” actor. The trajectory of the investigation “shifted” after detectives questioned two brothers about the attack and released them late Friday...
