Associated Press stories, Page 703
ACC will stay with 15 teams for basketball tournaments next year despite expansion to 18 teams
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The newly expanded Atlantic Coast Conference next year won’t feature every team in its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. The league announced Wednesday that the ACC will feature the top 15 teams in next year’s tournaments, which will be the first after the league has grown to...
49ers fire defensive coordinator Steve Wilks after Super Bowl loss
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers have fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks three days after losing the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs. Coach Kyle Shanahan announced the decision on Wednesday to move on after one season with Wilks in charge of the defense. Shanahan called it...
House Intelligence Committee chair warns of a serious national security threatVideo
WASHINGTON — The Republican head of the House Intelligence Committee urged the Biden administration on Wednesday to declassify information about what he called a serious national security threat. A senior congressional aide speaking to The Associated Press pointed to concerns about Russian anti-satellite weapons. Rep. Mike Turner gave no details...
At least 8 children among 22 hit by gunfire at end of Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade; 1 killedVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Eight children were among 22 people hit by gunfire in a shooting at the end of Wednesday’s parade to celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl win, authorities said, as terrified fans ran for cover and yet another high-profile public event was marred by gun violence....
Gun victims’ re-created voices are being sent to lawmakers who support the NRA
PARKLAND, Fla. — Joaquin “Guac” Oliver died in the 2018 Parkland, Florida, high school massacre, but federal lawmakers who oppose tighter gun regulations began getting phone calls in his voice on Wednesday, lambasting them for their position. The families of Oliver and five others killed with guns are using artificial...
GOP Speaker Johnson says House won’t be ‘rushed’ to approve aid for Ukraine as $95B package stalls
WASHINGTON — Republican Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday the U.S. House will not feel “rushed” to pass the $95.3 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other allies, signaling a further stall over sending military hardware and munitions Kyiv badly needs to fight Russia. Johnson made the remarks behind...
Cyberattacks on hospitals are likely to increase, putting lives at risk, experts warn
WASHINGTON — Cybersecurity experts are warning that hospitals around the country are at risk for attacks like the one that is crippling operations at a premier Midwestern children’s hospital, and that the U.S. government is doing too little prevent such breaches. Hospitals in recent years have shifted their use of...
Date night strike: Thousands of U.S., UK delivery, ride-hailing drivers stop work on Valentine’s Day
Thousands of ride-hailing and delivery workers in the U.S. and the U.K. went on strike on Valentine’s Day, calling for fair compensation and other changes to their working conditions. In the U.S., Uber and Lyft drivers planned daylong strikes in Pittsburgh; Chicago; Philadelphia; Miami; Orlando and Tampa, Florida; Hartford, Connecticut;...
Harvey Weinstein is appealing 2020 rape conviction. New York’s top court to hear arguments
NEW YORK — Nearly four years after Harvey Weinstein was convicted of rape and sent to prison, New York’s highest court will hear arguments Wednesday in his quest to overturn the landmark #MeToo-era verdict. Weinstein’s lawyers are asking the state’s Court of Appeals in Albany to dismiss the disgraced movie...
Franklin from ‘Peanuts’ gets to shine in the spotlight of a new animated Apple TV+ specialVideo
NEW YORK — The mild-mannered Franklin — the first Black character in the “Peanuts” comic strip — gets to shine in his own animated Apple TV+ special this month in a story about friendship. Franklin is a newcomer who bonds with Charlie Brown and is welcomed to the Peanuts universe...
Ukrainian military says it sank Russian landing ship in Black Sea
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s military said Wednesday it used high-tech naval drones to sink a Russian landing ship in the Black Sea, a report that has not been confirmed by Russian authorities. The Caesar Kunikov amphibious ship sank 2.5 miles off Alupka, a city on the southern edge of the...
Sony’s profit rises on growing sales of music, games, pictures, sensors
TOKYO — Japanese electronics and entertainment company Sony’s profit rose 13% in October-December on growing sales of music, image sensors and video games, the company said Wednesday. Tokyo-based Sony Corp.’s quarterly profit totaled 363.9 billion yen, or $2.4 billion, up from 321.5 billion yen the year before. Quarterly sales for...
Gaza cease-fire and hostage release talks appear to stall as Netanyahu blames Hamas
JERUSALEM — International efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas suffered a setback on Wednesday as Israel reportedly recalled its negotiating team and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of hobbling the high-stakes negotiations by sticking to “delusional” demands. Netanyahu’s remarks came hours after local media reported that...
Judge to consider whether to remove District Attorney Fani Willis from Georgia election case
ATLANTA — A Georgia judge who is deciding whether to toss Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis off of the state’s election interference case against former President Donald Trump has set a hearing for Thursday that is expected to focus on details of Willis’ personal relationship with a special prosecutor...
Pond hockey in New Hampshire brightens winter for hundreds. But climate change threatens the sport
MEREDITH, N.H. — Every winter, Pete Kibble and the guys he plays social hockey with in Massachusetts make the trek up to New Hampshire to play in an outdoor tournament many believe embodies the sport in its purest form. They are among the 2,200 players who descend on Meredith each...
Amid artificial intelligence boom, AI girlfriends — and boyfriends — are making their mark
NEW YORK — A few months ago, Derek Carrier started seeing someone and became infatuated. He experienced a “ton” of romantic feelings but he also knew it was an illusion. That’s because his girlfriend was generated by artificial intelligence. Carrier wasn’t looking to develop a relationship with something that wasn’t...
Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fall on the same day this year. Here’s what you need to know
Feb. 14 is a holiday heavyweight this year due to a calendar collision of events. Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day, the fixed annual celebration of love and friendship, marked by cute couples, eager elementary school students — and critics who deride its commercialization. But it also happens to be Ash Wednesday,...
Chocolates, flowers and procrastination. For many Americans, Valentine’s Day is a last-minute affair
In a classic “Saturday Night Live” sketch, a young man hands his girlfriend a Valentine’s Day gift: a bear dressed in a bee costume that he picked up at the drugstore. “When did you get this?” she asks with a strained smile. “One minute ago,” he replies. It has more...
Democrat Tom Suozzi wins New York race to succeed George Santos in Congress
Democrat Tom Suozzi has won a special election in New York for the U.S. House seat that was left vacant when Republican George Santos was expelled from Congress. Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip to retake a seat he held for three terms before giving it up to run, unsuccessfully, for...
1 person killed, 5 injured when vehicle crashes into emergency room in Austin, TexasVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — A car crashed into a Texas hospital’s emergency room Tuesday, killing the driver and injuring five other people, including a child with life-threatening injuries, authorities said. The car smashed into the lobby of the ER at St. David’s North Austin Medical Center shortly after 5:30 p.m., fire...
Column: 3 days of noise, hype in golf will be followed by Tiger Woods playing again
LOS ANGELES — Golf had three big events — not tournaments but events — over the past three days. They were about 400 miles (640 kilometers) apart. Their identity was loud noise and the hype to match. Who would have guessed the tamest of the lot would be LIV Golf?...
Duquesne goes cold down stretch, loses to No. 16 Dayton
DAYTON, Ohio — DaRon Holmes II had 24 points and 11 rebounds as No. 16 Dayton bounced back from an ugly loss and ran away from Duquesne, 75-59, on Tuesday night. Down by four with 6 minutes, 17 seconds left in the game, the Flyers went on a furious 22-2...
Maple Leafs’ Morgan Rielly suspended 5 games for cross check vs. Senators
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly was suspended five games for cross-checking Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig in the final seconds of the teams’ game over the weekend. The NHL’s department of player safety announced the suspension Tuesday after a virtual hearing with Rielly and team and union representatives. It...
Kyle Larson part of 0-for-Daytona 500 club
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — No one needs to remind Kyle Larson about his record at Daytona International Speedway. He’s frustratingly winless at the famed track, which is the only NASCAR venue at which he doesn’t even have a top-five finish. “I do believe that we are much, much better than...
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin released from hospital, has resumed his full duties
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday and has resumed his full duties, the Pentagon said. Austin, 70, has had ongoing health issues since undergoing surgery in December to treat prostate cancer. He was taken back to Walter Reed on...
