Associated Press stories, Page 35
Movie Review: In ‘Testament of Ann Lee,’ a blazing Amanda Seyfried can make you believe anything
Filmmakers Mona Fastvold and Brady Corbet are clearly fascinated by ambition. They’re fascinated, too, by dreamers — difficult dreamers, brilliant but demanding people who have plans they must fulfill no matter the personal cost. They’re also interested in dreamers who cross the ocean to America with these difficult, lofty plans....
College Football Playoff ratings drop 7% as NFL competition impacts viewership
Last weekend’s first round of the College Football Playoff averaged 9.9 million viewers on ABC, ESPN, TNT, TBS and truTV, according to ESPN and Nielson. That is a 7% drop from last year. A big reason for the drop was that the final game, James Madison versus Oregon, was on...
King Charles III leads family to church ahead of annual Christmas Day broadcast
LONDON — King Charles III led his family to church on foot Thursday, hours before his annual Christmas Day speech to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth was expected to focus on the theme of pilgrimage. Charles and Queen Camilla, along with the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and...
Pope Leo XIV urges the faithful on Christmas to shed indifference in the face of suffering
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV during his first Christmas Day message on Thursday urged the faithful to shed indifference in the face of those who have lost everything, like in Gaza, those who are in impoverished, like in Yemen, and the many migrants who cross the Mediterranean Sea and...
3 Palestinians arrested on suspicion of torching a Christmas tree at a Catholic church in West Bank
Three Palestinians have been arrested on suspicion of setting fire to a Christmas tree and damaging part of a Nativity scene at a Catholic Church in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Jenin, Palestinian Authority police said. Police said late Wednesday that the arrests were made after reviewing surveillance footage....
Public release of Epstein records puts Maxwell under fresh scrutiny amid her claims of innocence
NEW YORK — Days after Ghislaine Maxwell asked a judge to immediately free her from a 20-year prison sentence, the public release of grand jury transcripts from her sex trafficking case returned the spotlight to victims whose allegations helped land her behind bars. The disclosure of the transcripts as part...
Virtual reality opens doors for older people to build closer connections in real life
LOS GATOS, Calif. — Like many retirement communities, The Terraces serves as a tranquil refuge for a nucleus of older people who no longer can travel to faraway places or engaging in bold adventures. But they can still be thrust back to their days of wanderlust and thrill-seeking whenever caretakers...
A Powerball player in Arkansas has won a $1.817 billion lottery jackpot
A Powerball player in Arkansas won a $1.817 billion jackpot in Wednesday’s Christmas Eve drawing, ending the lottery game’s three-month stretch without a top-prize winner. The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19. Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot higher than previous...
Hawaii stuns Cal in Hawaii Bowl on backup QB’s last-minute TD pass
HONOLULU — Backup quarterback Luke Weaver threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds left, and Hawaii rallied for a 35-31 comeback victory over California in a thrilling Hawaii Bowl on Wednesday night. Weaver entered the game after Micah Alejado took a hard hit on the previous...
Trump warns against infiltration by a ‘bad Santa,’ defends coal in jovial Christmas calls with kids
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump marked Christmas Eve by quizzing children calling in about what presents they were excited about receiving, while promising to not let a “bad Santa” infiltrate the country and even suggesting that a stocking full of coal may not be so bad. Vacationing...
Powerball’s $1.7B jackpot could make Christmas Eve unforgettable for a lucky winner
A Christmas Eve Powerball drawing could add new meaning to holiday cheer as millions of players hope to cash in on the $1.7 billion prize, which comes after months without a jackpot winner. The United States’ 4th-largest jackpot on record comes after 46 consecutive draws without someone claiming to have...
After missing deadline, DOJ says it may need a ‘few more weeks’ to finish releasing Epstein files
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need a “few more weeks” to release all of its records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents, further delaying compliance with last Friday’s congressionally mandated deadline. The Christmas Eve...
Crews dig into Pennsylvania nursing home rubble to see if a gas leak caused deadly blast
BRISTOL — Construction crews worked to clear the collapsed walls and roof from a Pennsylvania nursing home Wednesday to help investigators find the cause of an explosion that killed a resident and employee, and set off a dramatic evacuation amid falling debris and shooting flames. The Tuesday afternoon blast sent...
Photos of Christmas celebrations around the world
From Bethlehem to Beijing, people around the world are celebrating the Christmas season. A polar bear mascot boards an elevator during holiday revelry. Swimmers plunge into frigid waters off Northern Ireland for a charity event. Singers fill a stadium in Indonesia. Associated Press photographers have captured diverse, mesmerizing images such...
Faithful return to Bethlehem and Pope Leo XIV celebrates his first Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s
BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Christmas Eve as families there and at other sites across the Holy Land heralded a much-needed boost of holiday spirit, after two years of subdued celebrations because of the war in Gaza. At the Vatican, Pope Leo...
Average U.S. long-term mortgage rate ticks down to 6.18% this week
WASHINGTON — The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage ticked down modestly this week, remaining in the same narrow range of the past two months. The average long-term mortgage rate fell to 6.18% from 6.21% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Wednesday. A year ago, the rate averaged...
Powerful holiday storm lashes Southern California and threatens mudslides in fire-scarred areas
A powerful winter storm swept across Southern California on Wednesday, with heavy rain threatening mudslides in areas scorched by wildfires, bringing near white-out snow conditions in the mountains and hazardous travel for millions of holiday drivers. Forecasters said Southern California could see its wettest Christmas in years and warned about...
Suspect in national guard shooting faces new federal charges that allow death penalty discussions
WASHINGTON — A man accused of shooting two National Guard troops near the White House has been charged in a complaint with federal firearms charges in connection with the ambush on Nov. 26 that fatally wounded one of the West Virginia National Guard members and seriously injured the second. Rahmanullah...
Zelenskyy says he’s open to a free economic zone in Ukraine’s east but it must be put to a vote
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters that he would be willing to withdraw troops from the country’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a plan to end Russia’s war, if Moscow also pulls back and the area becomes a demilitarized, free economic zone monitored by international forces....
What’s open and what’s closed on Christmas Day?
From department stores to grocery stores, most retailers across the U.S. close early on Christmas Eve and shut their doors entirely on Christmas Day — while others opt to cut back hours. But there’s also a handful of businesses that will be open during the holiday. Before you run out...
An explosion in Moscow kills 2 police officers and a bystander
MOSCOW — An explosion in Moscow on Wednesday killed three people, including two police officers, Russian investigators said, days after a car bomb killed a high-ranking general not far away. The two traffic police officers were approaching a suspicious individual when a device detonated, Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said...
Ohio beats UNLV in Frisco Bowl to run bowl winning streak to 7
FRISCO, Texas — Sieh Bangura rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown and Ohio beat UNLV, 17-10, on Tuesday night to win the Frisco Bowl. The Bobcats (9-4) have won their last seven bowl games — dating to 2017 — after losing eight of their first 10. Defensive coordinator and...
Western Kentucky rallies to a New Orleans Bowl victory, beating Southern Miss
NEW ORLEANS — Quarterback Maverick McIvor came off the bench to lead three second-half touchdown drives and Western Kentucky rallied to beat Southern Mississippi, 27-16, on Tuesday night to win the New Orleans Bowl at Caesars Superdome. Coach Tyson Helton has led the Hilltoppers (9-4) to a bowl game in...
Packers QB Malik Willis says he’ll be ready if Jordan Love isn’t available against Ravens
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis said his throwing shoulder is feeling better, and he expects to be available for Saturday’s game against Baltimore if starter Jordan Love remains in the concussion protocol. “I try to take it one day at a time, but I would...
U.S. bars 5 Europeans it says pressured tech firms to censor American viewpoints online
WASHINGTON — The State Department announced Tuesday it was barring five Europeans it accused of leading efforts to pressure U.S. tech firms to censor or suppress American viewpoints. Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not name those he said fell foul of a new visa policy announced in May to...
