Associated Press stories, Page 2679
Militia leader sentenced to 30 years in Kansas bomb plot
WICHITA, Kan. — Two militia members convicted of taking part in a foiled plot to massacre Muslims in southwest Kansas were sentenced Friday to decades in prison during an emotional court hearing in which one of the targeted victims pleaded: “Please don’t hate us.” U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren sentenced...
Senate passes bill to reopen government; group will negotiate border security deal
WASHINGTON — The Latest on the partial government shutdown (all times local): 5:25 p.m. The Senate has appointed its members of a conference committee that will negotiate a border security agreement between Congress and the White House over the next three weeks. President Donald Trump agreed Friday to reopen the...
200 reported missing after Brazil dam collapse
SAO PAULO — An iron ore tailings dam collapsed in southeastern Brazil on Friday, inundating a nearby community in mining waste and leaving an estimated 200 missing, according to Minas Gerais state firefighters. Brazilian mining company Vale SA said in a statement that tailings reached the community of Vila Ferteco...
Greek lawmakers ratify Macedonia name-change deal
ATHENS, Greece — Greek lawmakers ratified an agreement Friday to end a nearly three decade-long dispute over neighboring Macedonia’s name, in a landmark vote that will see the small country renamed North Macedonia and clear its path to NATO membership. The deal passed with 153 votes in the 300-member parliament,...
Hawaiian Air flight diverted after flight attendant dies
SAN FRANCISCO — A Hawaiian Airlines flight from Honolulu to New York City was diverted to San Francisco after a flight attendant died of an apparent heart attack, officials said Friday. Hawaiian Airlines Flight 50 landed Thursday night after a crew member had “a suspected heart attack,” San Francisco airport...
Police: Woman drove drunk on vanilla extract
NEW CANAAN, Conn. — Police say a Connecticut woman charged with driving under the influence was drunk on vanilla extract, which contains a significant amount of alcohol. Hearst Connecticut Media reports that New Canaan police found 50-year-old Stefanie Warner-Grise sitting in a car at an intersection with her eyes closed...
Faraway space snowman is pitted and has bright ‘collar’
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The space snowman visited by NASA on New Year’s Day is pitted all over and has a bright “collar” between its two fused spheres. These are the newest details to emerge about Ultima Thule, the most distant object ever explored. A close-up picture taken by NASA’s...
53rd matchup for Djokovic, Nadal in Australian Open final
MELBOURNE, Australia — It was fascinating to hear Novak Djokovic explain what it will be like to face Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final. “The intensity that he brings on the court is immense,” Djokovic said. “Without a doubt, probably the most intense tennis player that I have witnessed...
Rapper Nelly seeks dismissal of lawsuit alleging sex assault
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The rapper Nelly is asking a federal court in St. Louis to dismiss a British woman’s lawsuit that alleges he sexually assaulted her after a concert in England. The lawsuit was filed in November in the rapper’s hometown. The woman accuses Nelly, whose real name is...
Trump, Congress agree to end longest government shutdown for 3 weeks
Submitting to mounting pressure and growing disruption, President Donald Trump agreed to a deal Friday to reopen the government for three weeks, backing down from his demand that Congress give him money for his border wall before federal agencies get back to work. Standing alone in the Rose Garden, Trump...
Nike to replace Under Armour for MLB
NEW YORK — The swoosh is expected to be on the front of Major League Baseball uniforms starting in 2020. Nike will succeed Majestic Athletic as Major League Baseball’s uniform supplier for the 2020 season. The swoosh logo likely will move to a more prominent position on jersey fronts. The...
Police in Canada charge minor with terrorism
TORONTO — Canadian police have charged a minor with a terrorism-related offense as part of a national security investigation that also involved the FBI. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement Friday that an adult male has also been arrested in Kingston, Ontario, but was not charged. The...
Swedish teammates help save man’s life before World Cup training
GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany — Three Swedish skiers competing in this weekend’s women’s World Cup races helped save a course volunteer’s life before their first downhill training session. Lisa Hoernblad, who gave the stricken man first-aid after he suffered what she thought was a heart attack, followed up by finishing second in...
Canada auto workers seek boycott of GM vehicles from Mexico
DETROIT — The Canadian auto workers union is asking people in Canada and the U.S. to boycott General Motors vehicles made in Mexico. The Unifor union is asking people not to buy trucks or SUVs with vehicle identification numbers that start with the number three, which signify that they are...
With voodoo dolls and cookies, Saints fans protest with Super Bowl boycott
NEW ORLEANS — “They reffed up” billboards, referee voodoo dolls and posters of blindfolded referees can be seen around the city of New Orleans. The city’s Saints fans are unhappy about the infamous “no-call” during the Saints-Rams championship game and have come up with some pretty creative ways to express...
Marijuana business owners plead to drug, racketeering counts
DENVER — The owners of a Denver marijuana business have pleaded guilty to drug and racketeering charges, stemming from a yearlong grand jury investigation that prosecutors say uncovered more than two tons of marijuana entering the black market. Matthew Aiken, Christian Johnson and Anthony Sauro pleaded guilty Friday to violating...
K-9 with bone cancer gets final salute outside Pa. vet’s office
ETTERS — A beloved K-9 suffering from bone cancer got a final salute at the Pennsylvania veterinarian’s office where he was euthanized. Newberry Township Police Chief Steven Lutz says 9-year-old German Shephard Tazer didn’t seem well after his last shift Saturday night. Sgt. Chris Martinez, his handler, took him to...
Sanders says White House wants shutdown deal
WASHINGTON — White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the administration wants to negotiate a government shutdown deal but is not saying how much President Donald Trump wants as a “down payment” on his long-promised U.S.-Mexico border wall. Sanders spoke to reporters at the White House on Friday, a day...
Coast Guard halts search for missing Royal Caribbean crewmember
MIAMI — The Coast Guard has ended the search for a crewmember from a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida’s coast. According to the Royal Caribbean cruise line, co-workers saw the 26-year-old crewmember go overboard from the Majesty of the Seas early Thursday. The ship was about 40...
Japan court upholds sterilization to register gender change
TOKYO — Human rights and LGBT activists on Friday denounced a ruling by Japan’s Supreme Court upholding a law that effectively requires transgender people to be sterilized before they can have their gender changed on official documents. The court said the law is constitutional because it was meant to reduce...
Pakistan to ease restrictions on visas to promote tourism
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has announced plans to ease visa restrictions for tourists from 90 countries, including the U.S. and Europe, in a bid to revive its tourism sector, decimated by years of negligence and problems with militants. Cabinet minister Fahmida Mirza announces the plans on Friday in Islamabad. She pledged...
2 UN peacekeepers killed in attack in central Mali
BAMAKO, Mali — The spokeswoman for the United Nations mission in Mali says two Sri Lankan peacekeepers have been killed after their convoy struck an explosive device in the central Mopti region. Myriam Dessables says the blast occurred early Friday in the Douentza area. She says several other people were...
NATO chief says missile pact in danger after Russia talks
BRUSSELS — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Friday that Russia shows no sign of respecting a major Cold War-era missile treaty and that the future of the pact is in danger as the United States readies to start pulling out of it next week. “The treaty is now in jeopardy...
4 dead in shootings at State College bar, home
STATE COLLEGE — A gunman opened fire at a hotel bar in State College, killing a man and wounding two other people, then broke into a home where he fatally shot another man before killing himself, authorities said. Authorities said a fourth victim died Friday, according to the Centre Daily...
Video shows brutal knife attack on helpless Ohio inmates
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A newly released video shows the brutality of an Ohio inmate’s knife attack on four prisoners who were handcuffed to a table and unable to defend themselves. The video obtained by the Associated Press reveals for the first time the extent of the victims’ injuries and raises...
