Associated Press stories, Page 358
Texans bring DeMeco Ryans’ swarm defense into Kansas City
HOUSTON — When DeMeco Ryans became coach of the Houston Texans before last season, the two-time Pro Bowl linebacker brought his swarm defense with him. It’s an identity the Texans have embraced as they prepare for their second straight trip to the divisional round of the playoffs Saturday where they’ll...
Alex Ovechkin breaks the record for most goalies scored on, beating Leevi Merilainen to reach 179Video
OTTAWA, Ontario — Alex Ovechkin broke the NHL record for the most goaltenders scored on, beating Leevi Merilainen in overtime to give the Washington Capitals a 1-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night. Merilainen became the 179th goalie Ovechkin has scored against, breaking a tie with Jaromir Jagr...
Texas judge says states can revive challenge to abortion pill access nationwide
The Texas judge who previously halted approval of the nation’s most common method of abortion ruled Thursday that three states can move ahead with another attempt to roll back federal rules and make it harder for people across the U.S. to access the abortion drug mifepristone. Idaho, Kansas and Missouri...
Eagles’ Saquon Barkley faces Rams again after big 1st game
PHILADELPHIA — Sean McVay dissected the ways the Rams could stop Saquon Barkley — only the ninth 2,000-yard rusher in NFL history — when he considered the consequences if they did not. “If they get a bead on what you’re doing,” McVay, the Super Bowl champion Rams coach said, “they...
Biden won’t enforce TikTok ban, official says, leaving fate of app to Trump
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden won’t enforce a ban on the social media app TikTok that is set to take effect a day before he leaves office on Monday, a U.S. official said Thursday, leaving its fate in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump. Congress last year, in a law...
J.T. Poston goes 10 under for a 1-shot lead among the usual low scores at The American ExpressVideo
LA QUINTA, Calif. — J.T. Poston shot a 10-under-par 62 to take a one-stroke lead over Justin Lower in the opening round of The American Express on Thursday. Poston carded nine birdies and an eagle on the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West in the Palm Springs-area desert. Lower was...
Stage set for Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, Bills’ Josh Allen to square off in divisional roundVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Baltimore coach John Harbaugh has enjoyed the fortune of competing on the NFL’s biggest stages to appreciate the setting and magnitude of what’s on the line for the Ravens and Bills in Buffalo on Sunday. There’s the quarterback matchup pitting arguably the NFL’s two leading MVP...
Speaker Johnson appoints new Intelligence chairman after surprise shakeupVideo
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson appointed Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., as the new chairman of the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday after asserting that the panel needed a fresh start. “He has earned the respect of his colleagues through his years of faithful service on the committee and his...
Vikings face more QB questions with Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthyVideo
EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings have entered yet another offseason with significant questions around their quarterback depth chart, an unsettledness that was supposed to be calmed last year when they drafted J.J. McCarthy. Sam Darnold played so well over 16 games after McCarthy’s rookie-year-robbing injury that the Vikings were...
Ash, other dangers mean LA area residents who fled fires a week ago won’t be going home soonVideo
LOS ANGELES — It has been more than a week since two massive fires forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes in the Los Angeles area, and officials said Thursday residents won’t be going home soon. As the search continues for human remains in the leveled neighborhoods,...
Texans visit Chiefs in divisional round, 5 years after matchup during KC’s run to Super BowlVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Andy Reid remembers quite well the previous time the Texans visited Kansas City for a divisional playoff game. He was still considered among the best coaches to have never won the Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes was still a young, record-setting quarterback full of potential. The Texans...
Lions aim to kick off run to Super Bowl vs. Commanders
DETROIT — The Detroit Lions are riding high, elevated to a status they’ve never had as Super Bowl favorites. Detroit will host the Washington Commanders on Saturday night in the divisional round as the NFC’s No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history, an advantage it earned by...
Cowboys reportedly add familiar name to list in coaching search
The Dallas Cowboys requested permission to interview Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore in their search to replace Mike McCarthy, a person with knowledge of the team’s plans said Thursday. The Cowboys also are planning to interview two former NFL head coaches in Robert Saleh and Leslie Frazier, the person...
Transfer portal got you down? One college AD suggests an ‘acquisition fee’ could fix some problems
NASHVILLE — The athletic director at a mid-sized school that’s making a splash this season has a modest proposal for taming what many say is a transfer-portal system run amok in college sports. Sean Frazier, the AD at Northern Illinois — remember, the team that beat national finalist Notre Dame...
Ohio State freshman star and former No. 1 recruit Jeremiah Smith lands in national championship gameVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Ohio State faced Texas in the Cotton Bowl, Jeremiah Smith was expected to shine. After all, he had piled up 290 yards receiving in two postseason wins and was looking like the star to stop for the rest of the College Football Playoff field. Instead, he...
Ravens history is filled with big road victories in the playoffs. Now they need anotherVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore cornerback Marlon Humphrey approaches cold weather with a defensive back’s mindset. “I’ve always wanted to play in like 3 feet of snow, to where all they can do is run the ball,” he said this week while preparing for Sunday night’s playoff game at Buffalo....
Kicker Zane Gonzalez educates about OCD after viral momentVideo
ASHBURN, Va. — A national television audience watched Zane Gonzalez adjust his socks on the sideline and fix his hair multiple times before putting his helmet on and taking the field to kick the winning field goal in an NFL playoff game Sunday night. Those watching did not see Gonzalez...
Notre Dame, Ohio State mostly built rosters old-fashioned way
Ohio State and Notre Dame have reached the same destination with rosters built much the same way. The teams set to play in the College Football Playoff championship game Monday night in Atlanta sign elite high school recruiting classes year after year. That has been and continues to be their...
Trump’s EPA nominee stays vague on plans as senators press him on climate viewsVideo
Lee Zeldin said Americans deserve a clean environment “without suffocating the economy” during his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, a department likely to play a central role in President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to slash federal regulations and promote oil and gas development. “The American people...
Rudy Giuliani settles legal fight with former Georgia election workers, agrees to stop defaming them
NEW YORK — Rudy Giuliani settled with two former Georgia election workers on Thursday in a deal that will let him keep his homes and personal belongings in return for compensation and a promise to never defame them again, lawyers and the women said. The trial was supposed to decide...
LIV Golf finally gets network TV partner in deal with Fox SportsVideo
LIV Golf finally has a network TV partner as the Saudi-funded league enters its fourth season, announcing a multi-year deal with Fox Sports to broadcast all three rounds across its channels and streaming app. Terms of the deal were not announced, and it was not clear if Fox was paying...
American accused of assaulting Pennsylvania student is extradited from France to the U.S.
PHILADELPHIA — An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said “So I raped you” was extradited Thursday from France to the United States. Ian Cleary, 31, of Saratoga, California, arrived in the U.S. and was being flown...
Georgia senator arrested after he tried to defy ban on entering House chamberVideo
A Georgia state senator who was previously banned from the state House chamber was arrested Thursday when he tried to enter the chamber for the governor’s state of the state speech and got into a shoving match with House employees. State Sen. Colton Moore, a Republican from Trenton, is among...
Standoff in South Africa ends with 87 miners dead and anger over police’s ‘smoke them out’ tactics
STILFONTEIN, South Africa — The death toll in a monthslong standoff between police and miners trapped while working illegally in an abandoned gold mine in South Africa has risen to at least 87, police said Thursday. Authorities faced growing anger and a possible investigation over their initial refusal to help...
David Lynch, visionary filmmaker behind ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Mulholland Drive,’ dies at 78
David Lynch, the filmmaker celebrated for his uniquely dark and dreamlike vision in such movies as “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive” and the TV series “Twin Peaks,” has died just days before his 79th birthday. His family announced the death in a Facebook post on Thursday. “There’s a big hole...
