Associated Press stories, Page 2701
Home items are getting smarter and creepier, like it or not
NEW YORK — One day, finding an oven that just cooks food may be as tough as buying a TV that merely lets you change channels. Internet-connected “smarts” are creeping into cars, refrigerators, thermostats, toys and just about everything else in your home. CES 2019, the gadget show opening Tuesday...
Baby’s body found in portable cooler in Georgia
LAGRANGE, Ga. — Authorities say a baby’s body was found in a portable cooler bag on the side of a Georgia road. News outlets report the newborn’s body was found Sunday afternoon. According to the Troup County Sheriff’s Office, witnesses said the cooler had been on the side of a...
Kevin Spacey ordered to stay away from accuser
NANTUCKET, Mass. — Kevin Spacey must stay away from the young man who accused him of groping him at a Massachusetts bar in 2016, a judge ordered Monday. The disgraced actor was arraigned on a charge of felony indecent assault and battery during a hearing at Nantucket District Court. He...
U.S. stocks edge higher after huge swings in recent trading
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are edging higher in early trading on Wall Street Monday after enormous swings the previous two days. Representatives from the U.S. and China began a round of trade negotiations, and investors’ hopes that the two sides will finally make progress in talks have sent stocks...
Ginsburg missing Supreme Court arguments for 1st time
WASHINGTON — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is missing arguments for the first time in more than 25 years as she recuperates from cancer surgery last month, the Supreme Court said. Ginsburg was not on the bench as the court met Monday to hear arguments. It was not clear when she...
No words: Mastercard to drop its name from logo
NEW YORK — Mastercard is at a loss for words. The digital payment company says it is dropping its name in some contexts, opting to let its familiar interlocking yellow and red circles represent the company at retail locations and online. The Purchase, New York-based company said Monday that the...
U.S., Turkey set for negotiations on fate of Kurds
ANKARA, Turkey — U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton is set to press Turkey for assurances that it won’t attack the Kurdish fighters in Syria, which he said is now a condition for the withdrawal of American troops from northeastern Syria. Bolton arrived Monday for negotiations with the NATO ally...
New England kidnapping, sex suspect caught in Pennsylvania
HARTFORD, Vt. — A man forced a woman and her child into a car in New Hampshire, drove to Vermont, sexually assaulted the woman, and was apprehended in Pennsylvania after a manhunt and car chase, authorities said. Everett Simpson, 41, forced a woman and her child into their car outside...
Democrats plan more pressure on Trump to reopen government
WASHINGTON — With no weekend breakthrough to end a prolonged partial government shutdown, President Donald Trump is standing firm in his border wall funding demands and newly empowered House Democrats are planning to step up pressure on Trump and Republican lawmakers to reopen the government. Trump showed no signs of...
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ upsets ‘A Star Is Born’ at Golden Globes
NEW YORK — Thunder bolt and lightning rocked the 76th Golden Globes where a string of upsets culminated with the Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” winning best picture, drama, over another movie about musicians: Bradley Cooper’s much more heavily favored “A Star Is Born.” “A Star Is Born” came into...
Chesapeake Bay health grade falls to ‘D-plus’
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — An annual report on the Chesapeake Bay says pollution from unusually heavy rains last year contributed to the first decline in a decade in the overall health of the nation’s largest estuary. Chesapeake Bay Foundation President Will Baker said Monday the bay “suffered a massive assault last...
Michigan family of 5 killed in wrong-way crash in Kentucky
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A suspected drunken driver heading the wrong way on Interstate 75 in Kentucky struck a vehicle carrying five family members from Michigan early Sunday, killing all six people, authorities said. The southbound pickup truck being driven in the northbound lanes struck the family’s sport utility vehicle at...
Browns interview Colts’ Matt Eberflus after wild-card playoff win
CLEVELAND — Matt Eberflus has a past with the Browns. Maybe he’ll have a future as well. One day after his Indianapolis defense held quarterback Deshaun Watson and Houston’s offense to just seven points in an AFC wild-card win, Eberflus became the sixth candidate to interview for Cleveland’s open coaching...
Nick Foles leads Eagles to 16-15 upset of Bears
CHICAGO — Nick Foles hit Golden Tate with a 2-yard touchdown pass on fourth down with 56 seconds remaining against the NFL’s stingiest defense, lifting the Philadelphia Eagles past the Chicago Bears 16-15 on Sunday in the final wild-card game. Former Eagles kicker Cody Parkey hit the left upright and...
California highway closed by mudslides, more rain coming
LOS ANGELES — A powerful winter storm unleashed mudslides in Southern California wildfire burn areas and trapped motorists on a major highway, and the northern part of the state braced for more wet weather Sunday. Saturday’s deluge loosened hillsides where a major blaze burned last year in and around Malibu,...
Colts off, running through playoffs with strong ground game
INDIANAPOLIS — Frank Reich stuck with his old-school philosophy even when the Indianapolis Colts were losing games in September and early October. The Indianapolis Colts first-year coach insisted even in an increasingly pass-happy league, a balanced offense would turn them into real AFC contenders. Over the past 11 weeks, the...
China upbeat ahead of U.S. trade talks, but differences large
BEIJING — China has sounded a positive note ahead of trade talks this week with Washington, but the two sides face potentially lengthy wrangling over technology and the future of their economic relationship. Both sides have expressed an interest in settling their tariff fight over Beijing’s technology ambitions. Yet neither...
Arizona woman sent 159K texts to man she met on dating site
PHOENIX — A Phoenix woman accused of stalking a man met on a dating site and sending him more than 65,000 text messages apparently sent more than twice that many. The Arizona Republic reported that Jacqueline Ades sent a man more than 159,000 text messages — some of which were...
Soccer star Wayne Rooney charged with public intoxication
Soccer star Wayne Rooney was arrested last month on a public intoxication charge and taken to jail to sober up after he triggered a door alarm at a Washington-area airport, authorities said Sunday. Rooney was arrested Dec. 16 by police at Dulles International Airport in Virginia after he caused the...
Chargers hold off Lamar Jackson, Ravens in playoff opener
BALTIMORE — The Los Angeles Chargers kept Lamar Jackson grounded, and by the time the rookie got the passing game going it was too late for the Baltimore Ravens. Michael Badgley kicked five field goals, and Los Angeles harassed and hounded Jackson during a 23-17 victory Sunday in the opening...
Count finds sharp drop in monarch butterflies in California
SAN FRANCISCO — Researchers with an environmental group have labeled as “disturbingly low” the number of western monarch butterflies that migrate along the California coast. A recent count by the Xerces Society recorded fewer than 30,000 butterflies, which it said is an 86 percent decline since 2017. By comparison, the...
Soulja Boy’s car among those trapped by California mudslide
LOS ANGELES — Rapper Soulja Boy was among motorists whose cars were trapped by mudslides caused by a powerful storm that shut down Southern California’s Pacific Coast Highway. The 28-year-old retweeted a photo of the mudslides in Malibu on Saturday. He said: “My car got stuck too almost went into...
Cincinnati TV news co-anchors announce they’re engaged
CINCINNATI — Two journalists who co-anchor news broadcasts at a television station in Ohio now plan to also co-anchor a life together as husband and wife. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports Sheree Paolello and Mike Dardis of WLWT-TV in Cincinnati announced their Dec. 28 engagement on Friday. Paolello said Friday on...
Christians celebrate Epiphany across Europe
SOFIA, Bulgaria — Christians across Europe celebrated Epiphany on Sunday, with worshippers plunging into icy waters and parades being held in Poland and elsewhere. At the Vatican, Pope Francis marked the Epiphany feast day by urging people to follow the path of “humble love” and care for those who can...
Husband dies while trying to rescue wife from burning Pa. home
UPPER DARBY — A man who tried to rescue his wife from their burning Pennsylvania home died after he was overcome by smoke, unaware that she had safely fled the residence. Authorities say the fire broke out around 1:45 p.m. Saturday in the garage of a home in Upper Darby,...

