Associated Press stories, Page 400
Analysis: Browns sticking with QB Jameis Winston down stretch as INTs pile upVideo
CLEVELAND — Jameis Winston didn’t throw a pick-6 on Sunday in Pittsburgh. There’s progress. In this lost season for the disappointing and shockingly bad Cleveland Browns, the small victories matter. Winston, who has been entertaining if not always effective in six starts, did have a pair of interceptions. But the...
Bill Belichick says he’s had ‘good conversations’ with North Carolina amid coaching searchVideo
Former New England Patriots coach and six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick said Monday he had “a couple of good conversations” with North Carolina Chancellor Lee Roberts amid his discussions about the Tar Heels’ head-coaching job. Speaking on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” Belichick said he had spent the 11...
Juan Soto’s record $765M, 15-year contract with Mets reverberates through MLB
DALLAS — Shortly after striking a record $765 million, 15-year contract for Juan Soto with the New York Mets, agent Scott Boras walked into Nick & Sam’s, a restaurant near the winter meetings hotel, with about a dozen of his staff. They were given a bottle of celebratory champagne and...
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for intel chief, faces questions on Capitol Hill amid Syria falloutVideo
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, faced fresh scrutiny Monday on Capitol Hill about her proximity to Russian-ally Syria amid the sudden collapse of that country’s hardline Assad rule. Gabbard ignored shouted questions about her 2017 visit to war-torn Syria as she ducked into one...
Oregon’s Gabriel, Colorado’s Hunter, Boise State’s Jeanty, Miami’s Ward are named Heisman finalistsVideo
Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and Miami’s Cam Ward were announced as the Heisman Trophy finalists Monday night. The Heisman has been given to the nation’s most outstanding college football player since 1935. This year’s winner will be announced Saturday in New York. The top...
Analysis: Eagles WRs DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown complain about offense entering Steelers gameVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Let’s get the good news in Philadelphia out of the way first. The Eagles are riding a nine-game winning streak, Saquon Barkley is making a serious run at the NFL season rushing record and a playoff berth was clinched for the fourth straight year under coach Nick Sirianni....
Tennessee grabs No. 1 in AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll; Pitt falls out of rankingsVideo
Tennessee is the new No. 1 in men’s college basketball after a massive shakeup in the AP Top 25. The Vols received 58 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel Monday to reach No. 1 for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Tennessee climbed two spots from last week...
Jay-Z says lawsuit accusing him of raping a child at awards after-party is part of an extortion ploy
NEW YORK — Jay-Z says a rape allegation made against him is part of an extortion attempt. A woman who previously sued Sean “Diddy” Combs, alleging she was raped at an awards show after-party in 2000 when she was 13, amended the lawsuit Sunday to include a new allegation that...
‘Polarization’ is Merriam-Webster’s 2024 word of the year
The results of the 2024 U.S. presidential election rattled the country and sent shockwaves across the world — or were cause for celebration, depending on who you ask. Is it any surprise then that the Merriam-Webster word of the year is “polarization”? “Polarization means division, but it’s a very specific...
Santa Ana winds return means increased fire risk, possible power shut-offs for Southern California
LOS ANGELES — Southern California’s notorious Santa Ana winds were predicted to return Monday night and utilities said they are prepared to cut power to hundreds of thousands of customers in areas where strong gusts could damage electrical equipment and spark wildfires. The National Weather Service issued a rare “particularly...
No. 19 Tennessee back in women’s AP Top 25 after year out of poll; UCLA, UConn remain 1-2
Tennessee has returned to The Associated Press Top 25 at No. 19, ending the school’s longest drought in the 48-year history of the women’s basketball poll. The Lady Vols (7-0) had not been ranked since Nov. 27, 2023, a span of 22 polls. Since the rankings began in 1976, Tennessee...
Military pauses Osprey flights again after more metal failures are found in near-crash in November
The Pentagon is temporarily pausing flights again of its V-22 Osprey fleet after weakened metals in a part inside one of the aircraft broke apart in flight in November, causing an engine failure and a near crash in New Mexico, based on an initial investigation of the incident. The pause...
Veteran Daniel Penny is acquitted in NYC subway chokehold case over Jordan Neely’s death
NEW YORK — A Marine veteran who used a chokehold on an agitated subway rider was acquitted on Monday in a death that became a prism for differing views about public safety, valor and vigilantism. A Manhattan jury delivered the verdict, clearing Daniel Penny of criminally negligent homicide in Jordan...
What are the matchups in the College Football Playoff?
After a chaotic end to the regular season in college football, the matchups are set for the first 12-team version of the College Football Playoff. The first-round games are Dec. 20-21 on campuses before the games shift to bowl games for the quarterfinals and semifinals. Here is what to know:...
Rust vs. rest: Extra time off or potentially losing edge brings another worry for CFP coaches
CLEMSON, S.C. — The expanded College Football Playoff brings something new for coaches who are used to planning for one game, maybe two: rust vs. rest. The 12-team bracket released Sunday features four teams — Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State — with first-round byes, whose games will take...
‘Emilia Pérez’ leads Golden Globe nominations with 10, followed by ‘The Brutalist’ and ‘Conclave’
Jacques Audiard’s audacious musical “Emilia Pérez,” about a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender affirming surgery to become a woman, led nominations to the 82nd Golden Globes on Monday, scoring 10 nods to lead it over other contenders like the musical smash “Wicked,” the papal thriller “Conclave” and the postwar...
How should the opioid settlements be spent? Those hit hardest often don’t have a say
People with substance use disorder across the country are not getting a formal say in how most of the approximately $50 billion in opioid lawsuit settlement money is being used to stem the crisis, a new analysis found. Some advocates say that is one factor in why portions of the...
In promising to shake up Washington, Trump is in a class of his own
WASHINGTON — In the history of American politics, there’s no shortage of presidents who promised to shake up Washington once they got to the White House. But Donald Trump may prove to be in a class of his own, and he appears more interested in beating the federal government into...
New York prosecutors charge suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing with murderVideo
ALTOONA — Authorities arrested a suspect and charged him with murder Monday in the brazen Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO after a quick-thinking McDonald’s customer in Pennsylvania spotted a man who officers found with a gun, mask and writings linking him to the ambush. The chance sighting at the restaurant...
U.S. believes journalist Austin Tice is alive after disappearing in Syria in 2012, Biden says
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Sunday that the U.S. government believes missing American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared 12 years ago near the Syrian capital, is alive and that Washington is committed to bringing him home after Bashar Assad’s ouster from power in Damascus. “We think we can get...
Assad’s fall in Syria is a ‘fundamental act of justice,’ but also ‘a moment of risk,’ Biden says
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Sunday that the sudden collapse of the Syrian government under Bashar Assad is a “fundamental act of justice” after decades of repression, but it was “a moment of risk and uncertainty” for the Middle East. Biden spoke at the White House hours after rebel...
Syrian prime minister says government is still functioning but foreign and domestic challenges loom
DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria’s prime minister said Monday that most cabinet ministers are still working from offices in Damascus after rebels entered the capital over the weekend and overthrew President Bashar Assad. Streams of refugees crossed in from neighboring countries, hoping for a more peaceful future. But there were already...
Lara Trump steps down as RNC co-chair and addresses speculation about Florida Senate seat
Lara Trump will step down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee as she considers a number of potential options with her father-in-law, President-elect Donald Trump, set to return to the White House. Among those possibilities is replacing Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whom Trump tapped to be the next secretary...
Reports: Juan Soto agrees to record $765 million, 15-year contract with MetsVideo
DALLAS — Star outfielder Juan Soto and the New York Mets have agreed to a record $765 million, 15-year contract, according to multiple reports. Soto’s deal is the largest and longest in Major League Baseball history, topping Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a deal...
Trump taps his attorney Alina Habba to serve as counselor to the president
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump has announced that he is appointing one of his defense attorneys in the New York hush money case as counselor to the president. Alina Habba, 40, defended Trump earlier this year, also serving as his legal spokesperson. Habba has been spending time with...
