Associated Press stories, Page 328
Roses are red, violets are blue, 940 million flowers are traveling (through Miami) to you
MIAMI — If any husbands or boyfriends mess up Valentine’s Day this week, it’s not because of a shortage of flowers. In the run up to Feb. 14, agricultural specialists at Miami International Airport have processed about 940 million stems of cut flowers, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection....
After meeting with Trump, Jordan’s king says his country opposes displacing Palestinians in GazaVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump hosted Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday and renewed his insistence that Gaza could somehow be emptied of all residents, controlled by the U.S. and redeveloped as a tourist area. It’s an audacious, but highly unlikely, scheme to dramatically remake the...
Salman Rushdie testifies about his shock and pain as a stranger repeatedly stabbed him on stage
MAYVILLE, N.Y. — Salman Rushdie described in graphic detail Tuesday the frenzied moments in 2022 when a masked man rushed at him on a stage in western New York and repeatedly slashed him with a knife, leaving him with terrible injuries and fearful he would die. Rushdie took the stand...
Trump steel, aluminum tariffs likely to drive up car costs, industry leaders say
DETROIT — President Donald Trump’s tariffs on steel imports this week could wreak havoc on American auto manufacturing, industry leaders say. The moves align with the Trump administration’s aggressive global trade agenda and ambitions to strengthen U.S. industry, but they could have an inverse effect. On March 12, all steel...
DOGE cuts $900 million from agency that tracks American students’ academic progress
WASHINGTON — A federal research agency that tracks the progress of America’s students is being hit with almost $900 million in cuts after Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency found no need for much of its work. It’s unclear to what degree the Education Department’s Institute of Education Sciences will...
White House fires USAID inspector general after warning about funding oversight, officials say
WASHINGTON — The White House fired the inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development on Tuesday, U.S. officials said, a day after his office warned that the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID had made it all but impossible to monitor $8.2 billion in unspent humanitarian funds. The White...
Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning coordinator Kellen Moore will become the Saints head coachVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Kellen Moore, who oversaw the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles ’ offense this season, has agreed to return to the site of his latest triumph as the next coach of the New Orleans Saints. The 36-year-old Moore will join an organization that has been floundering since the...
It’s time to revalue running backs after Saquon Barkley caps best rushing year with Super Bowl win
It’s time to revalue the devalued running back position in the NFL after Saquon Barkley’s mere presence, if not his production, helped the Philadelphia Eagles dismantle the Kansas City Chiefs in one of the most lopsided Super Bowls ever. Barkley capped a great year for free-agent running backs by hoisting...
‘Back to plastic’: Trump signs order for plastic straws as he declares paper ones ‘don’t work’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday he is banning federal use of paper straws, saying they “don’t work” and don’t last very long. Instead he wants the government to exclusively move to plastic. “It’s a ridiculous situation. We’re going back to plastic straws,” Trump said as he signed an...
Hegseth renames North Carolina military base Fort Roland L. Bragg
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has signed an order restoring the name of a storied special operations forces base back to Fort Bragg. The North Carolina base was renamed Fort Liberty in 2023 as part of a national effort under the Biden administration to remove names that honored Confederate...
27 religious groups sue Trump administration to protect houses of worship from immigration arrests
More than two dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans — ranging from the Episcopal Church and the Union for Reform Judaism to the Mennonites and Unitarian Universalists — filed a federal court lawsuit Tuesday challenging a Trump administration move giving immigration agents more leeway to make arrests...
What to know about proposals to ban abortion pills and punish women who seek abortion
Lawmakers in some states where abortion is already banned are seeking to explicitly bar abortion pills or take a step that most leading anti-abortion groups oppose: punish women who seek to end their pregnancies. It’s too early in some legislative sessions to know whether the measures will get serious consideration....
Rep. Nancy Mace accuses ex-fiancé and associates of assaulting her and raping others in House speech
CHAPIN, S.C. — Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina on Monday used a nearly hour-long speech on the U.S. House floor to accuse her ex-fiancé of physically abusing her, recording sex acts with her and others without their consent, and conspiring with business associates in acts of rape and sexual...
Pope rebukes Trump administration over migrant deportations, and appears to take direct aim at Vance
ROME — Pope Francis issued a major rebuke Tuesday to the Trump administration’s mass deportation of migrants, warning that the forceful removal of people purely because of their illegal status deprives them of their inherent dignity and “will end badly.” Francis took the remarkable step of addressing the U.S. migrant...
EU vows countermeasures to Trump’s tariffs; bourbon, jeans, peanut butter, motorcycles easy targets
BRUSSELS — U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum “will not go unanswered,” European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday, adding that they will trigger tough countermeasures from the 27-nation bloc. It means iconic U.S. industries like bourbon, jeans and motorcycles should beware. “The EU will act to...
How Elon Musk’s crusade against government could benefit Tesla
WASHINGTON — Elon Musk has long railed against the U.S. government, saying a crushing number of federal investigations and safety programs have stymied his electric car company Tesla and its efforts to create fleets of robotaxis and other self-driving automobiles. Now, Musk’s close relationship with President Donald Trump means many...
Hamas’ threat to delay the next release of Israeli hostages raises fears for Gaza ceasefire
JERUSALEM — Hamas’ threat to delay the next planned release of Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip has jolted a fragile ceasefire that’s seen as having the potential to wind down the war. It has brought new dismay for Israelis who watched the latest Hamas handover of hostages in growing...
Trump once again slaps taxes on foreign steel, aluminum, a move that proved costly in his 1st term
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is hitting foreign steel and aluminum with a 25% tax. If that sounds familiar, it’s because he did pretty much the same thing during his first term. Trump’s original metals tariffs gave America’s struggling steel and aluminum producers some relief from intense global competition, allowing...
As egg prices continue to soar, grocers like Trader Joe’s limit how many cartons customers can buy
Not only are eggs expensive because of the ongoing bird flu outbreak. Now they are getting hard to find. And even when stores do have eggs, consumers are starting to face limits on how many they can buy. Eggs have even become such a hot commodity that there have even...
Fox projects the Super Bowl averaged a record 126 million U.S. viewers
Fox Sports is projecting a Super Bowl record average audience of 126 million U.S. viewers across television and streaming platforms for Philadelphia’s 40-22 victory over Kansas City on Sunday night. The game was televised by Fox, Fox Deportes and Telemundo and streamed on Tubi as well as the NFL’s digital...
Private jets collide at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona, killing at least 1 person, authorities say
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — One person was killed and others were injured when a private jet owned by Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil collided with another jet Monday afternoon at the Scottsdale Airport in Arizona, authorities said. Neil’s jet was landing at the airport when it veered off the runway and...
After Super Bowl flop, the Chiefs look toward the future with massive changes on the horizonVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Even as the confetti was flying and the Philadelphia Eagles were celebrating their Super Bowl triumph on the field of the Superdome, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs already were thinking about getting back to the big game next year. They just might look a whole...
Top Justice Department official orders prosecutors to drop charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams
NEW YORK — The Justice Department ordered federal prosecutors Monday to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, arguing in a remarkable departure from longstanding prosecutorial norms that the case was interfering with the mayor’s ability to crack down on illegal immigration and violent crime. In a...
Judge blocks Trump administration attempt to cap medical research spending after states sue
BOSTON — Scientists warn the Trump administration’s drastic cuts for medical research endanger patients, will cost thousands of jobs – and threaten America’s standing as a world leader in science and innovation. Nearly two dozen states sued Monday to block the National Institutes of Health’s surprise slashing of billions of...
Judge finds Trump administration hasn’t fully followed his order to unfreeze federal spending
WASHINGTON — A federal judge found Monday that the Trump administration hasn’t fully followed his order to unfreeze federal spending and told the White House to release billions of dollars in funding. The Trump administration quickly appealed the ruling. U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell became the first judge to...
