Associated Press stories, Page 318
No, it’s not the circus. Acrobatics and tumbling, a mashup of gymnastics and cheer, is booming
PITTSBURGH — Abby McDermott has grown accustomed to the looks she gets whenever she starts talking to someone about her chosen sport. The slight turn of the head. The brief pause in the conversation. “When you say ‘acrobatics and tumbling,’ especially ‘acrobatics,’ people think of the circus,” McDermott said with...
New York governor won’t remove NYC mayor, for now, but plans to increase oversight of City Hall
NEW YORK — Gov. Kathy Hochul won’t immediately remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office, but will instead push for increased oversight of City Hall as he faces intense scrutiny over his bribery case and his relationship with the Trump administration. Hochul announced Thursday that she has, for...
Robot umpires are getting their first MLB test during spring trainingVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — A computerized system that calls balls and strikes is being tested during Major League Baseball spring training exhibition games starting Thursday after four years of experiments in the minor leagues. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is an advocate of the Automated Ball-Strike System, which potentially as early as...
Victor Wembanyama expected to miss remainder of season after blood clot diagnosis, Spurs announce
San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder, the Spurs announced Thursday. It is a massive blow to the Spurs, who are contending for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. And...
Sen. Mitch McConnell won’t seek reelection in 2026, ending long tenure as Republican power broker
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell is announcing on Thursday that he won’t seek reelection next year, ending a decades-long tenure as a power broker who championed conservative causes but ultimately ceded ground to the fierce GOP populism of President Donald Trump. McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader in...
New York governor says prison guards arrested, charged in death of handcuffed man beaten by them
UTICA, N.Y. — New York’s governor says prison workers are being arrested Thursday on murder charges in the death of an inmate who was beaten while handcuffed. The beating of Robert Brooks by multiple officers at Marcy Correctional Facility in December was caught on body cameras, triggering widespread outrage and...
When the pope is sick, Italians always gossip about who comes next — even before ‘Conclave’
ROME — The pope looms so large in everyday Italian life that there are lots of expressions that make light of even a dark event like his death. “A pope dies, they make another,” goes one, suggesting how life goes on. “Every death of a pope …” starts another, indicating...
Is spending all day on your feet at work an occupational hazard?
NEW YORK — While traveling in Europe, Margaux Lantelme noticed something different about the store cashiers: they did their work sitting down. It was a stark contrast to Chicago, where Lantelme works the register at REI and cashiers typically spend eight hours a day on their feet. For Lantelme, a...
Russia seems to have time on its side as the war in Ukraine reaches its 3rd year
When Russian troops rolled into Ukraine three years ago, they brought their parade uniforms with them on the push to Kyiv. President Vladimir Putin expected a quick victory. What Putin dubbed the “special military operation” has turned into Europe’s largest conflict since World War II. Tens of thousands have been...
What’s the key to surviving a plane crash? Skilled crew, strong seats and wings that detach
After watching videos of a Delta Air Lines jet catch fire upon landing and flip over on a Toronto runway, it’s fair to wonder how anyone could have survived. But aviation experts said it was not surprising that all 76 passengers and four crew walked away from Monday’s disaster, with...
Hamas returns bodies of 4 Israeli hostages said to include a mother and her 2 young children
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Hamas on Thursday returned the bodies of four hostages to Israel, prompting a nationwide outpouring of grief as flag-waving crowds lined highways on a rainy day to pay respect to a convoy carrying the coffins and thousands packed a Tel Aviv square in an emotional...
IRS plans to lay off 7,000 probationary workers beginning Thursday
WASHINGTON — The IRS will lay off roughly 7,000 workers in Washington and around the country beginning Thursday, a person familiar with the plans told The Associated Press. The layoffs affect probationary employees with roughly one year or less of service at the agency and largely include workers in compliance...
College baseball future may see greater imbalance in competition
The Division I baseball season is less than a week old, and coaches already are planning for 2026 when it’s all but certain scholarship limits will be removed, rosters downsized and players will have opportunities to make more money. They expect the fallout to be fewer opportunities for high school...
West Virginia survives final frantic seconds to beat CincinnatiVideo
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Amani Hansberry scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and West Virginia pulled out a 62-59 win over Cincinnati on Wednesday night after nearly blowing a nine-point lead in the final seconds. Trailing by six midway through the second half, the Mountaineers (16-10, 7-8 Big 12) went...
Bets pour in on 4 Nations Cup final between U.S., Canada
LAS VEGAS — The players have been emotionally invested in the 4 Nations Face-Off, and sports bettors have noticed and followed suit. Money has been pouring in on the tournament, and the championship on Thursday night in Boston — a rematch between the United States and Canada — is drawing...
NFL projects salary cap between $277.5M and $281.5M in 2025, rising by as much as $26MVideo
NEW YORK — The NFL salary cap will be between $277.5 million and $281.5 million for the 2025 season, rising as much as $26 million from last year. The bump is great news for Cincinnati, which is hoping to sign receiver Tee Higgins to a long-term contract. It also means...
Konan Niederhauser, Hicks each score 19 and Penn State routs Nebraska to end 7-game skidVideo
UNIVERSITY PARK — Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Zach Hicks each scored 19 points, D’Marco Dunn added 17 and Penn State routed Nebraska 89-72 on Wednesday night to end a seven-game losing streak. Penn State (14-13, 4-12 Big Ten) won its first game since topping Rutgers 80-72 on Jan. 20. That...
Pete Hegseth directs Pentagon to find $50 billion in cuts this year to fund Trump military priorities
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the military services to identify $50 billion in programs that could be cut next year in order to redirect those savings to fund President Donald Trump’s priorities. Hegseth has committed to redirecting Pentagon spending to more directly support warfighters. In a statement...
SEC, Big Ten prepared to push for changes to CFP seeding in 2025Video
NEW ORLEANS — The Big Ten and SEC will push for changes in the way College Football Playoff teams are seeded next season to coincide more with how teams are ranked by the CFP selection committee, commissioners for both leagues said Wednesday. “I’m prepared to vote for seeding change,” SEC...
NASCAR deals Daytona 500 pole winner massive fine for 2nd consecutive yearVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Daytona 500 pole-winner Chase Briscoe was dealt a major penalty Wednesday when NASCAR said Joe Gibbs Racing had a modified spoiler on the No. 19 Toyota in time trials. Joe Gibbs Racing was docked 100 driver/owner points and 10 playoff points. The spoiler base is a single-source...
U.S., Canada want to put new Cold War on ice in 4 Nations final
BOSTON — The U.S. and Canadian hockey teams tried to skate back the geopolitical tension that has infiltrated the 4 Nations Face-Off as they looked ahead to the championship game Thursday night for what has turned into one of the best international hockey tournaments in decades. Setting aside the animosity...
Agriculture Department tries to rehire fired workers tied to bird flu response
OMAHA, Neb. — The Agriculture Department is scrambling to rehire several workers who were involved in the government’s response to the ongoing bird flu outbreak that has devastated egg and poultry farms over the past three years. The workers were among the thousands of federal employees eliminated on the recommendations...
7 Chilean men charged with burglarizing homes of Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, other star athletesVideo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Seven men from Chile have been charged in Florida federal court with orchestrating burglaries at the homes of prominent professional athletes around the country, according to a criminal complaint. The FBI complaint doesn’t name the athletes but lists burglaries already made public involving the Kansas City...
White man who pleaded guilty to shooting a Black teen who rang a wrong doorbell dies
MISSION, Kan. — An 86-year-old Missouri man has died just days after pleading guilty to a lesser charge in the 2023 shooting of Ralph Yarl, a Black honor student who rang the white man’s doorbell by mistake, prosecutors announced Wednesday. Andrew Lester of Kansas City was charged with first-degree assault...
Winter-weary East Coast hit with another storm as temperatures plunge elsewhereVideo
NORFOLK, Va. — The latest in a long line of storms took direct aim at the East Coast on Wednesday, threatening to dump heavy snow and some ice across several states on winter-weary residents. A storm that dropped snow in the Midwest spread across the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys, bringing...
