Associated Press stories, Page 392
Democrats pick Gerry Connolly for Oversight post, rejecting Ocasio-Cortez bid
WASHINGTON — House Democrats on Tuesday picked 74-year-old Rep. Gerry Connolly to lead the party next year atop an influential congressional committee, pushing aside growing calls for generational change in leadership ahead of a second term for Donald Trump. In a closed-door meeting, the majority of the caucus voted for...
Prosecutors charge suspect with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO as an act of terrorismVideo
NEW YORK — The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO has been charged with murder as an act of terrorism, prosecutors said Tuesday as they worked to bring him to a New York court from from a Pennsylvania jail. Luigi Mangione already was charged with murder in the Dec. 4...
The winter solstice is almost here, the Northern Hemisphere’s darkest day
The winter solstice is Saturday, bringing the shortest day and longest night of the year to the Northern Hemisphere — ideal conditions for holiday lights and warm blankets. For those who would rather have more sunlight, you can try to make your way to the Southern Hemisphere, where it is...
What does Big Tech hope to gain from warming up to Trump?
NEW YORK — In a string of visits, dinners, calls, monetary pledges and social media overtures, big tech chiefs — including Apple’s Tim Cook, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — have joined a parade of business and world leaders in trying to improve their standing...
Curt Cignetti named AP Coach of the Year after leading a remarkable turnaround at Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS — When Curt Cignetti took the Indiana job last fall, he promised immediate success. It wasn’t boastful bluster. After daring the doubters to Google his winning pedigree, the son of a Hall of Fame football coach delivered on his word by leading the Hoosiers to a school-record 11 wins,...
Archivist says Equal Rights Amendment can’t be certified as Democrats push Biden to recognize it
WASHINGTON — In a rare joint statement, the archivist and deputy archivist of the United States said Tuesday that the 1970s-era Equal Rights Amendment cannot be certified without further action by Congress or the courts, as Democrats press President Joe Biden to act unilaterally on its ratification before he leaves...
About 3 dozen high-rise buildings in South Florida are sinking
SUNNY ISLES BEACH, Fla. — Almost three dozen high-rise condos and luxury hotels along the beach in South Florida are sinking or settling in unexpected ways, in some cases because of nearby construction, according to a new study. The 35 buildings surveyed along an almost 12-mile stretch from Miami Beach...
Concert promoters, hotels and lodging sites soon will have to disclose extra fees up front
The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday said it will soon require hotels, vacation rental platforms and live event promoters to disclose any fees up front when they list prices. The FTC said consumers often see advertised prices for hotel rooms, short-term rentals, and tickets to sporting events and concerts only...
Lawsuit claims Pa. jail retaliated against inmates by confiscating toilet paper and soap, cutting power and heat
A Pennsylvania jail retaliated against inmates suspected of smoking synthetic marijuana by punishing entire cell blocks — confiscating legal paperwork, withholding necessities like toilet paper, soap and warm clothing, and cutting power and heat, inmates allege in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday. Top jail officials waged an escalating, monthlong campaign...
Lawsuit accuses State Dept. of creating loopholes for Israel on military aid and human rights
WASHINGTON — The State Department has carved out loopholes for Israel that give the close American ally a pass on U.S. law that restricts aid to foreign militaries over human rights abuses, a lawsuit from a group of Palestinians in Gaza and American relatives asserts Tuesday. Former State Department officials...
Judge allows testing of tissue samples from George Floyd as officer who killed him seeks new trial
MINNEAPOLIS — A judge has granted permission to lawyers for Derek Chauvin to have samples from George Floyd examined as part of the former Minneapolis police officer’s efforts to challenge his conviction on a federal civil rights charge stemming from Floyd’s death in 2020. U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson agreed...
Israel’s Netanyahu tours buffer zone inside Syria
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered Syrian territory on Tuesday during a security tour of the buffer zone seized by Israel in the days since the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad. It was apparently the first time a sitting Israeli leader entered Syrian territory. Israel seized a...
Lydia Ko had doubts about her game but she never felt more proud of her climb back to the top
Lydia Ko had the Olympic gold medal virtually wrapped up when she had a conversation with herself walking up the 18th fairway at Le Golf National that surprised her. “The thing I told myself walking down the 18th was, ‘I’m so proud of myself.’ And I never say that to...
Analysis: Americans are getting paid to play in the Ryder Cup, now the pressure is on to win
Bringing the Ryder Cup to notoriously nasty Bethpage Black already was cause for concern. Imagine the most passionate, patriotic event in golf played before a flag-waving crowd that once harassed Sergio Garcia so badly he pointed at them with the wrong finger. This could make the 1999 matches outside Boston...
The Unify League is soccer’s latest incarnation of a breakaway European Super League
MANCHESTER, England — Organizers of a breakaway European Super League have revealed new plans to create a rival to the Champions League. The Unify League is the latest incarnation of a proposed elite competition for the biggest soccer clubs in Europe. It comes after the launch of a Super League...
Left-hander Max Fried and Yankees finalize $218 million, 8-year contract
NEW YORK — Left-hander Max Fried and the New York Yankees finalized a $218 million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. The deal was agreed to last week at the winter meetings after the Yankees lost outfielder Juan Soto to the rival Mets. Fried’s deal is the largest for a left-handed pitcher...
Biden calls for ban on congressional stock trading
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden endorsed a ban on congressional stock trading in an interview that’s being released this week, belatedly weighing in on an issue that has been debated on Capitol Hill for years. “Nobody in the Congress should be able to make money in the stock market while...
Conor McGregor says he’s in negotiations with Logan Paul for boxing exhibition in India
Conor McGregor says he’s in negotiations to fight Logan Paul in a boxing exhibition in India. McGregor said early Tuesday morning on social media he’s in “preliminary agreements” with the family of billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani to fight Paul. “I have agreed,” McGregor said. McGregor also said that rumors of...
Most U.S. teens are abstaining from drinking, smoking and marijuana, survey says
NEW YORK — Teen drug use hasn’t rebounded from its drop during the early years of the covid-19 pandemic, according to the results from a large annual national survey released Tuesday. About two-thirds of 12th graders this year said they hadn’t used alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes or e-cigarettes in the previous...
Mystery drone sightings continue in N.J. and across the country
TRENTON, N.J. — A large number of mysterious drones have been reported flying over New Jersey and across the eastern U.S., sparking speculation and concern over where they came from and why. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and U.S. Sen. Andy Kim have both gone out on drone hunts, hoping...
Retail sales rose at healthy pace last month in latest sign of U.S. economy’s health
WASHINGTON — Consumers stepped up their spending at retail stores last month, providing a boost to the economy in the early phases of the winter holiday shopping season. Retail sales rose 0.7% in November, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, a solid increase and higher than October’s 0.5% gain. Sales jumped...
Is that a drone or a plane? Experts help explain the differences
Up in the sky, is that a drone, a plane or a helicopter? Experts who study unmanned aircraft systems — better known as drones — say it can be tough to tell from miles away. But there are clues. A light in the sky at night can easily be misinterpreted,...
Trump weighs in on NY mayor, vaccines and drones in freewheeling press conference at Mar-a-Lago
PALM BEACH, Fla. — In a freewheeling press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club, President-elect Donald Trump said Monday he would consider pardoning embattled New York Mayor Eric Adams, declared the country was “not going to lose” the polio vaccine and weighed in on the flurry of drone sightings over New...
U.S. to require passenger vehicles to sound alarms if rear passengers don’t fasten their seat belts
DETROIT — Starting in September of 2027, all new passenger vehicles in the U.S. will have to sound a warning if rear-seat passengers don’t buckle up. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday that it finalized the rule, which also requires enhanced warnings when front seat belts aren’t fastened....
Top Russian general killed in a Moscow bombing claimed by UkraineVideo
A senior Russian general was killed Tuesday by a bomb hidden in a scooter outside his apartment building in Moscow, a day after Ukraine’s security service leveled criminal charges against him. A Ukrainian official said the service carried out the attack. Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the chief of the military’s...
