Associated Press stories, Page 620
Biden says U.S. won’t supply weapons for Israel to attack Rafah, in warning to allyVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he would not supply offensive weapons that Israel could use to launch an all-out assault on Rafah — the last major Hamas stronghold in Gaza — over concern for the well-being of the more than 1 million civilians sheltering there. Biden, in...
Nuggets Nikola Jokic wins NBA’s MVP award, his 3rd in 4 seasons
Nikola Jokic did it all again. And the MVP trophy is his again. Jokic, the Denver Nuggets star from Serbia, was announced Wednesday night as the NBA’s MVP — his third time winning the award in the past four seasons, a feat that just six other players in league history...
House quickly rejects Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s effort to remove Speaker Johnson from officeVideo
WASHINGTON — Hardline Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stunned colleagues Wednesday calling for a vote to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, but lawmakers quickly rejected it. Greene pressed ahead with her long-shot effort despite pushback from Republicans at the highest levels tired of the political chaos. One of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters...
Indianapolis sports columnist won’t cover Fever following awkward back-and-forth with Caitlin Clark
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Star sports columnist Gregg Doyel, whose interaction with WNBA No. 1 draft pick Caitlin Clark at her introductory news conference was criticized in the national media as being inappropriate, will not cover the Indiana Fever in person this season. Gannett spokesperson Lark-Marie Antón said in a statement...
Nikki Haley won 1 in 5 Indiana Republican voters in the presidential primary. She left the race in March
INDIANAPOLIS — The ghost of Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign is ringing up significant support in state primaries despite her withdrawal from the race in March shortly before Donald Trump had clinched the Republican nomination. The backing for Haley — most recently in Indiana, where she grabbed more than 21% of...
Pennsylvania sees fewer mail ballots rejected for technicalities, a priority for election officials
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania election officials said Wednesday that the number of mail-in ballots rejected for technicalities, like a missing date, saw a significant drop in last month’s primary election after state officials tried anew to help voters avoid mistakes that might get their ballots thrown out. The success of the...
Biden lauds new Microsoft center on the same site where Trump’s Foxconn project failedVideo
STURTEVANT, Wis. — President Joe Biden on Wednesday laced into Donald Trump over a failed project in the previous administration that was supposed to bring thousands of new jobs into southeastern Wisconsin and trumpeted new economic investments under his watch that are coming to the same spot. That location in...
Rory McIlroy won’t rejoin PGA Tour board, says others were ‘uncomfortable’ with his potential return
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Rory McIlroy won’t be returning to the PGA Tour board, saying Wednesday that a plan to replace Webb Simpson was met with resistance from board members. Simpson, one of six player directors, recently offered to give up his seat — but only if McIlroy were to replace...
Olympic swimmer Florent Manaudou becomes first torch carrier in France as relay heads to Paris
MARSEILLE, France — French Olympic swimmer Florent Manaudou became the first Olympic torch carrier in France after the Olympic flame arrived in Marseille’s Old Port Wednesday on a majestic three-mast ship from Greece for the welcoming ceremony at sunset in the city’s Old Port. The ship sailed into Marseille’s old...
Advocates ask Supreme Court to back Louisiana’s new mostly Black House district
NEW ORLEANS — Voting rights advocates filed an emergency motion Wednesday asking the Supreme Court to keep a new Louisiana congressional map in place for this year’s elections that gives the state a second majority Black district. A divided panel of federal judges in western Louisiana ruled April 30 that...
Travis Kelce lines up another TV job joining FX’s ‘American Horror Story: Grotesquerie’ season
While his superstar girlfriend Taylor Swift resumes her world Eras tour, Travis Kelce is keeping busy. The NFL player has joined the cast of “American Horror Story: Grotesquerie.” Late Tuesday, cast member Niecy Nash posted a series of videos to Instagram featuring her on set with Kelce. “Guys, guess who...
FTX will return money to most customers less than 2 years after catastrophic crypto collapse
FTX says that nearly all of its customers will receive the money back that they are owed, two years after the cryptocurrency exchange imploded, and some will get more than that. FTX said in a court filing late Tuesday that it owes about $11.2 billion to its creditors. The exchange...
Trump in no hurry as he leans into the pageantry of vice presidential tryouts
NEW YORK — As former President Donald Trump remains stuck in the courtroom listening to salacious details of an affair he denies, another spectacle is playing out in the background as his vice presidential tryouts get underway. The dynamic was on full display over the weekend at a closed-door fundraiser...
Georgia appeals court agrees to review ruling allowing Fani Willis to stay on Trump election case
ATLANTA — A Georgia appeals court on Wednesday agreed to review a lower court ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue to prosecute the election interference case she brought against former President Donald Trump. The move seems likely to delay the case and is the second time...
33 arrested at George Washington University as D.C. mayor’s congressional hearing is canceled
WASHINGTON — Police cleared a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at George Washington University early Wednesday and arrested demonstrators, hours after dozens marched to the home of the school’s president as city officials prepared to appear before Congress on the protest’s handling. Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and District of Columbia’s Metropolitan...
Severe storms batter the Midwest, including reported tornadoes that shredded a FedEx facility
DETROIT — Severe storms barreled through the Midwest early Wednesday, a day after two reported tornadoes struck one Michigan city and destroyed homes and commercial buildings, including a FedEx facility. Tornadoes were first reported after dark Tuesday in parts of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, while portions of Illinois, Kentucky and...
Disney receives key approval to expand Southern California theme parks
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Disney has received a key approval to expand its Southern California theme parks in its first push to make major changes to its iconic Disneyland in decades. The Anaheim City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the plan to transform Disney’s 490-acre campus in densely-populated Southern California...
Israel says it reopened a key Gaza crossing after a rocket attack but the U.N. says no aid has entered
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said Wednesday that it has reopened its Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza after days of closure, but the U.N. said no humanitarian aid has yet entered and there is no one to receive it on the Palestinian side after workers fled during Israel’s military incursion...
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, Pentagon chief says
WASHINGTON — The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that the country was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S., Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday. The shipment was supposed...
Panera to stop serving Charged Sips drinks after wrongful death lawsuits over caffeine content
Panera Bread said it’s discontinuing its Charged Sips drinks that were tied to at least two wrongful death lawsuits due to their high caffeine content. Panera didn’t say Tuesday whether the drinks were being discontinued because of the lawsuits or health concerns, and it wouldn’t comment on the timeline for...
Georgia mother identified as person killed in fall at daughter’s Ohio State graduation ceremony
COLUMBUS — A woman who fell from the stands to her death during a graduation ceremony at Ohio State University last weekend has been identified as a Georgia resident, authorities announced Tuesday. The Franklin County Coroner’s Office said Larissa Brady, 53, was pronounced dead Sunday at the scene, just outside...
New York judge blocks amendment barring discrimination on gender identity and pregnancy outcomes
ALBANY, N.Y. — A proposed amendment to New York’s constitution barring discrimination based on “gender identity” and “pregnancy outcomes” cannot appear on the state ballot in November because legislators made a procedural error during an initial round of approval, a judge ruled Tuesday. The ruling from state Supreme Court Justice...
Taylor Swift bill is signed into Minnesota law, boosting protections for online ticket buyers
MINNEAPOLIS — People buying tickets online for concerts, sporting events and other live events in Minnesota will be guaranteed more transparency and protection under a so-called Taylor Swift bill signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Tim Walz. The law, prompted by the frustration a legislator felt at not being able...
Pennsylvania Senate approves GOP’s $3B tax-cutting plan, over objections of top Democrats
HARRISBURG — Republican lawmakers on Tuesday advanced legislation for a $3 billion tax cut, their just-unveiled counterproposal to Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro ‘s budget plan as each side offers a competing vision for how to use a massive cash surplus sitting in the state treasury. The tax legislation cutting taxes...
Colorado supermarket shooter was sane at the time of the attack, state experts say
BOULDER, Colo. — State experts have found the man charged with shooting and killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in 2021 had untreated mental illness but was legally sane at the time of the attack, lawyers said Tuesday. The results of the sanity evaluation of Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa...
