Associated Press stories, Page 657
Elon Musk’s X has a new safety leader, 9 months after predecessor left
NEW YORK — Elon Musk’s X has named a new head of safety nine months after the last executive to hold the position departed from the social media company. X said that company veteran Kylie McRoberts will oversee the global safety team. The platform also announced that Yale Cohen, who...
Strongest earthquake in 25 years rocks Taiwan, killing 9 people and stranding 70 workers in quarries
HUALIEN, Taiwan — The strongest earthquake in a quarter-century rocked Taiwan during the morning rush hour Wednesday, killing nine people, stranding dozens of workers at quarries and sending some residents scrambling out the windows of damaged buildings. The quake, which also injured more than 1,000, was centered off the coast...
North Korea says it tested a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile that’s easier to hide
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Wednesday it had tested a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile powered with solid propellants, extending a run of weapons tests that’s deepening a nuclear standoff with neighbors and the United States. With the supposed success of the demonstration, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un...
Amazon is cutting hundreds of jobs in its cloud computing unit AWS
Amazon said Wednesday it will cut hundreds of jobs in its cloud computing unit AWS as part of a strategic shift. The company will trim “a few hundred roles” in the team that overlooks technology for physical stores, a move that comes just a day after Amazon said it was...
Russia: U.S. shares blame in a concert hall attack claimed by Islamic militants
TALLINN, Estonia — The head of Russia’s national security council on Wednesday contended that the U.S. shares blame for the attack by gunmen on a Moscow concert hall that killed 145 people, even though a branch of the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility. Since the March 22 attack at...
Ukraine lowers its conscription age to 25 to plug a shortfall in troop numbers fighting Russia
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine on Wednesday lowered the military conscription age from 27 to 25 in an effort to replenish its depleted ranks after more than two years of war following Russia’s full-scale invasion. The new mobilization law came into force a day after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed it....
EPA didn’t declare a public health emergency after fiery Ohio train derailment
The aftermath of last year’s fiery train derailment in eastern Ohio doesn’t qualify as a public health emergency because widespread health problems and ongoing chemical exposures haven’t been documented, federal officials said. The Environmental Protection Agency never approved that designation after the February 2023 Norfolk Southern derailment even though the...
Pope shows off rosary of slain Ukrainian soldier, denounces ‘madness of war’
ROME — Pope Francis led thousands of people in a moment of silence Wednesday to pray for the aid workers killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza and a young Ukrainian soldier named Oleksandre who was killed in ”this madness of war.” Francis appealed anew for an immediate cease-fire in...
Caitlin Clark will take stage in Final Four loaded with star players, power programs
CLEVELAND — The final shows for Caitlin Clark’s tour are booked in an arena just a short drive from the Rock & Roll Hall Fame. Hello, Cleveland. College basketball’s biggest act — men’s or women’s — will close her magnificent Iowa career this weekend in the Final Four after Clark...
Biden and Trump win Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and Wisconsin primaries
KENOSHA, Wis. — Voters in four states weighed in Tuesday on their parties’ presidential nominees, a largely symbolic vote now that both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have locked up the Democratic and Republican nominations. Biden and Trump easily won primaries in Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York...
Tsunami threat largely passes after strong earthquake strikes TaiwanVideo
TAIPEI, Taiwan — The tsunami threat from a strong earthquake that struck Taiwan has largely passed. The Japan Meteorological Agency downgraded its forecast from 9.8 feet to 3.3 feet. One island had a wave of about a foot, while smaller waves were detected in other islands. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary...
12.3 million: Iowa’s victory over LSU is the most-watched women’s college basketball game on record
BRISTOL, Conn. — Caitlin Clark can claim another highlight — the most-watched women’s college basketball game on record. Iowa’s 94-87 victory over LSU in Monday night’s Albany 2 Region final averaged 12.3 million viewers on ESPN, according to Nielsen. Clark scored 41 points as the Hawkeyes avenged last year’s loss...
N.C. State’s Final Four double has Wolfpack fans howling with March Madness delightVideo
RALEIGH, N.C. — The grave sits perched on a hill in the historic 72-acre Oakwood Cemetery near downtown. It bears “Valvano” carved in large letters on polished black stone, honoring N.C. State’s charismatic coach who sold big dreams then lived them in an unforgettable run to the 1983 national championship....
March Madness: Tournament ratings up after most-watched Elite Eight Sunday in 5 years
NEW YORK — The Elite Eight game between N.C. State and Duke produced the largest audience for an Easter Sunday telecast on any network in 11 years. The Wolfpack’s 76-64 victory over the Blue Devils in the South Region final averaged 15.1 million viewers on CBS, according to Nielsen. The...
Video shows California deputies fatally shooting abducted teen as she runs toward them
LOS ANGELES — A teenage girl who had been kidnapped by her father was following a sheriff’s deputy’s instructions and appeared to be surrendering when other deputies fatally shot her during a gun battle on a Southern California highway, according to recently released video and audio. Savannah Graziano, 15, was...
Lawsuit seeks to force ban on menthol cigarettes after months of delays by Biden administration
WASHINGTON — Anti-smoking groups sued the U.S. government Tuesday over a long-awaited ban on menthol cigarettes, which has been idling at the White House for months. The lawsuit is the latest effort to force the government to ban menthols, which are disproportionately used by Black smokers and young people. It...
Bob Uecker begins 54th season broadcasting Brewers games after turning 90 earlier this yearVideo
MILWAUKEE — Bob Uecker was back at American Family Field once again to broadcast the Milwaukee Brewers’ home opener as team officials remained circumspect about the 90-year-old’s workload for the rest of the season. This will be Uecker’s 54th season broadcasting Brewers baseball, though he has limited himself to home...
Deadly severe weather roars through several states, spawning potential tornadoesVideo
Thousands of homes and businesses were without power Tuesday as severe weather roared through several states, causing at least one death and spawning possible tornadoes. In West Virginia, about 140,000 customers were without electricity Tuesday afternoon, or about 14% of all customers tracked in the state by poweroutage.us. Meanwhile, a...
‘SCTV’ star, comedian, Pittsburgher Joe Flaherty has died at 82 after illness
TORONTO — Comedian Joe Flaherty, a founding member of the Canadian sketch series “SCTV,” has died. He was 82. His daughter Gudrun said Tuesday that Flaherty died Monday following a brief illness. Flaherty, who was born and raised in Pittsburgh’s Homewood-Brushton neighborhood, spent seven years at The Second City in...
Allderdice grad Larry Lucchino, force behind retro ballpark revolution and drought-busting Red Sox, dies at 78
BOSTON — Larry Lucchino, the force behind baseball’s retro ballpark revolution and the transformation of the Boston Red Sox from cursed losers to World Series champions, has died. He was 78. Lucchino had suffered from cancer. The Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, his last project in a career that also included...
The women’s NCAA Tournament had center stage. The stars, and the games, delivered in a big way
There were plenty of people at a movie theater in central Iowa on Monday night, though very few of them were watching an actual movie. They were there to see Caitlin Clark. And they weren’t alone. Not even close. Millions of people — the preliminary viewing numbers are expected sometime...
U.S. job openings rise modestly to 8.8 million in February in strong labor market
WASHINGTON — U.S. job openings barely changed in February, staying at historically high levels in a sign that the American job market remains strong. The Labor Department reported Tuesday that employers posted 8.76 million job vacancies in February, up modestly from 8.75 million in January and about what economists had...
Carson Wentz agrees to 1-year deal with Chiefs to back up Patrick Mahomes, AP source says
Carson Wentz has agreed to a one-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract hasn’t been announced. Wentz, the No. 2 overall pick in 2016, joins his fifth team...
Hospitals must obtain written consent for pelvic and similar exams, the federal government says
Hospitals must obtain written informed consent from patients before subjecting them to pelvic exams and exams of other sensitive areas — especially if an exam will be done while the patient is unconscious, the federal government said Monday. New guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services now...
Ukraine aims drones at oil refinery, drone factory in its deepest strike yet inside Russia
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian drones attacked one of Russia’s biggest oil refineries and a drone factory in the Russian province of Tatarstan, officials said Tuesday, in what appeared to be Kyiv’s deepest strike inside Russian territory since the war began more than two years ago. The attack on facilities near...
