Associated Press stories, Page 654
South Carolina women stay perfect, surge past N.C. State 78-59 to reach NCAA title gameVideo
CLEVELAND — All-America center Kamilla Cardoso scored 22 points, and unbeaten South Carolina avoided a second straight stumble in the women’s Final Four, surging past N.C. State, 78-59, on Friday night. The talented and tenacious Gamecocks (37-0) led by one at halftime before putting their full arsenal on display in...
Akshay Bhatia stretches lead to 5 shots at windy Texas OpenVideo
SAN ANTONIO — Akshay Bhatia survived a rocky start Friday in the Valero Texas Open by rallying with a pair of late birdies for a 2-under-par 70 that stretched his lead to five shots and raised hopes of getting the final spot in the Masters next week. Bhatia started with...
Actor in spinoff of TV Western ‘Yellowstone’ found dead
MISSION, Kan. — An actor who appeared in a spinoff of the popular television western “Yellowstone” was found dead after he went missing amid a domestic violence investigation in Kansas, authorities said Friday. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement deputies found the body of 27-year-old Cole Brings...
Mets, Julio Teheran finalize 1-year contract, filling hole in rotation
CINCINNATI — Julio Teheran and the New York Mets finalized a $2.5 million, one-year contract Friday, filling an immediate need in the team’s injury-depleted rotation. A longtime Mets nemesis with the rival Braves, the veteran right-hander is scheduled to start Monday against his former club in the opener of a...
Before Alabama’s biggest basketball game, the insults will be flying
GLENDALE, Ariz. — In the 15 minutes before Alabama makes its first Final Four appearance in school history Saturday, there probably won’t be many warm and fuzzy moments in the locker room. Instead, there will be insults. Lots of them. One of the most important jobs during the Crimson Tide’s...
Inter Miami says Lionel Messi will play Saturday against Colorado in MLS match
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi is coming back to Inter Miami’s lineup, with the team saying his absence for a hamstring injury will end Saturday at home in an MLS match against the Colorado Rapids. “He’s back,” the team wrote in a social media post Friday. Messi has missed...
Biden urges Egypt, Qatar leaders to press Hamas on agreement for Israeli hostages
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday wrote to the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, calling on them to press Hamas for a hostage deal with Israel, according to a senior administration official, one day after Biden called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to redouble efforts to reach a...
Former Trump officials among most vocal opponents of returning him to White House
NEW YORK — Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper has called him a “threat to democracy.” Former national security adviser John Bolton has declared him “unfit to be president.” And former Vice President Mike Pence has declined to endorse him, citing “profound differences.” As Donald Trump seeks the presidency for a...
Crimson Tide trying to slow down the UConn juggernaut in the Final FourVideo
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Alabama coach Nate Oats had to rebuild his roster and replace three assistant coaches. The pieces ended up fitting perfectly. The fast-and-furious Crimson Tide were among one of the nation’s best offenses all season and rolled into the program’s first Final Four. The run has taken Alabama...
3 people killed in crash of small plane in southeastern Oklahoma
ANTLERS, Okla. — Three people died when the single-engine aircraft they were aboard crashed in southeastern Oklahoma, authorities said. Pilot Brian Davis, 62, and passengers Michael Davis, 23, and Kelly Thompson, 21, all of Antlers, died in Thursday’s crash, according to an Oklahoma Highway Patrol report. The crash occurred near...
Fire outside Vermont office of Sen. Bernie Sanders investigated as arson
BURLINGTON, Vt. — Police in Vermont are seeking a suspect who allegedly started a fire Friday outside the office of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. The small blaze caused minor damage but no injuries. Authorities say an unknown male suspect sprayed what they described as a possible accelerant on the office...
Dolphins signing defensive tackle Teair Tart to 1-year deal
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins are signing defensive tackle Teair Tart to a one-year deal to further bolster their defense, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told the Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team has not...
At Final Four, they turn back the clock with Purdue, N.C. State and an old-school matchup of big menVideo
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The opener at the Final Four on Saturday might feel like a trip through a time machine. Yes, those are Purdue and N.C. State, one program here for the first time since 1980, the other trying to write a 21st-century version of college basketball’s greatest story ever...
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson edges UConn’s Dan Hurley for AP coach of the year
There was a moment during the NCAA Tournament, when top-seeded Houston was well on its way to a 40-point rout of No. 16 seed Longwood, that helps to capture why the Cougars have become so dominant under Kelvin Sampson. It was late in the game, and Mylik Wilson was late...
Purdue’s Zach Edey is the overwhelming choice for 2nd straight AP Player of the Year award
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The child who wanted Zach Edey’s autograph during his Purdue recruiting trip apparently saw something others missed. Big Maple was destined to be a basketball star. While many college coaches passed on the unpolished Canadian prospect as the basketball world became enamored with perimeter play and...
USC’s Bronny James declares for NBA draft and enters transfer portal after 1 season
LOS ANGELES — Bronny James will enter the NBA draft after one season at Southern California that was shortened by his recovery from cardiac arrest. The 19-year-old son of LeBron James announced Friday on his Instagram account that he also plans to retain his college eligibility and will enter the...
NYC to pay $17.5M to settle lawsuit by 2 Muslim women forced to remove hijabs for mug shots
NEW YORK — New York City has agreed to pay $17.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by two Muslim women who were forced to remove their head coverings to be photographed after they were arrested. The class-action lawsuit was filed in 2018 by Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz, two...
Earthquake centered near New York City rattles the Northeast
NEW YORK — An earthquake shook the densely populated New York City metropolitan area Friday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said, with residents across the Northeast reporting rumbling in a region where people are unaccustomed to feeling the ground move. The agency reported a quake at 10:23 a.m. with a...
U.S. employers added a surprisingly robust 303,000 jobs in March in a sign of economic strength
WASHINGTON — America’s employers delivered another outpouring of jobs in March, adding a sizzling 303,000 workers to their payrolls and bolstering hopes that the economy can vanquish inflation without succumbing to a recession in the face of high interest rates. Last month’s job growth was up from a revised 270,000...
Israel dismisses 2 officers over deadly drone strikes on aid workers in Gaza
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said Friday that it dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles in drone strikes in Gaza that killed seven aid workers on a food-delivery mission, saying they had mishandled critical information and violated the army’s rules of engagement. The findings of a...
Iran vows to ‘punish Zionist regime’ over deadly strike on Iranian consulate attributed to Israel
TEHRAN, Iran — The commander of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard warned Friday that “our brave men will punish the Zionist regime,” escalating threats against Israel for an airstrike that killed seven of the group’s members, including two Iranian generals, earlier this week. The strike, widely attributed to Israel, destroyed the...
Biden to tour collapsed Baltimore bridge where recovery effort has political overtones
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is expected to get a firsthand look Friday at efforts to clear away the hulking remains of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, as cranes, ships and diving crews work to reopen one of the nation’s main shipping lanes. Biden will receive updates...
Powerball jackpot reaches $1.23B as long odds mean lots of losing, just as designed
Powerball will match a record for lottery drawings Saturday night with a stretch of more than three months without a jackpot winner. It’s that string of futility that has enabled Powerball’s top prize to reach $1.23 billion, the 8th largest in U.S. lottery history. And it’s a sign that the...
Total solar eclipse forecast: Will your city have clear skies Monday?
DALLAS — Some who hope to witness Monday’s total solar eclipse may see the sun obscured by clouds instead of by the moon. There’s still plenty of time for forecasts to change, but meteorologists predict that eclipse day storms could blanket parts of the path, which stretches from Mexico and...
6 inmates who sued New York over its prison lockdown order will get to view solar eclipse after all
NEW YORK — Six inmates who sued New York’s corrections department over its decision to lock down prisons during next Monday’s total solar eclipse will get to watch the celestial event after all. Lawyers for the six men incarcerated at the Woodbourne Correctional Facility in upstate New York said Thursday...
