Associated Press stories, Page 708
Chiefs rule out All-Pro LG Joe Thuney for Super Bowl
LAS VEGAS — The Kansas City Chiefs ruled out All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney for the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday because of a pectoral injury. Wide receiver Rashee Rice and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, though, appear ready to go. Rice was a full participant in...
Analysis: Why will Chiefs win Super Bowl? Their vast experience
LAS VEGAS — The Kansas City Chiefs have been here before. They’ve won here before. In fact, they’ve beaten the San Francisco 49ers here before. Of all the reasons why the Chiefs will raise their third Lombardi Trophy in four trips to the Super Bowl over the past five years...
2 dead after small plane attempts emergency landing on Florida interstate
NAPLES, Fla. — Two people have died after a small plane attempted to make an emergency landing on Interstate 75 in southwest Florida on Friday afternoon, colliding with a vehicle and bringing traffic to a halt as a massive plume of black smoke rose into the air. The crash landing...
Here’s what you can expect from Super Bowl commercials this Sunday
NEW YORK — Big name advertisers will be pulling out all the stops on Super Bowl Sunday — enlisting high-profile actors, investing in dazzling special effects and, they hope, going for laughs as they seek to win over viewers during game breaks. Marketers will use Sunday’s game, which will air...
Magnitude 5.7 earthquake strikes Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island
HONOLULU — A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the world’s largest active volcano — Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii — Friday, knocking items off shelves in nearby towns but not immediately prompting reports of serious damage. No tsunami was expected. The earthquake, which the U.S. Geological Survey initially...
5 Marines killed in helicopter crash identified as troops in their 20s
SAN DIEGO — The Marine Corps released the names Friday of the five Marines killed when their CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter went down in the mountains outside San Diego during a historic storm. All of them were in their 20s. The decorated Marines were assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron...
200-foot radio tower stolen in Alabama, silencing small town’s voice
JASPER, Ala. — The theft of a giant radio tower has silenced what used to be the voice of a small Alabama town and the surrounding county, the radio station’s general manager said. A thief or thieves made off with the 200-foot tower, shutting down WJLX radio in Jasper, Ala....
Israel’s next target in Gaza war is likely Rafah. Terrified people say there’s nowhere left to go
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Gaza’s southernmost town, Rafah, is bursting at the seams. Nearly the last place spared an Israeli offensive so far, Rafah’s population has more than quintupled with Palestinians streaming in to escape fighting. They pack by the dozens into apartments. Sidewalks and once-empty lots are clogged with...
NFL will host its 1st regular-season game in Spain in 2025 at Real Madrid’s stadium
LAS VEGAS — The NFL is headed to Spain in 2025 for the first regular-season game in that country. The league announced Friday at the Super Bowl that its international slate of games for the 2025 season will feature a game at Real Madrid’s iconic Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. “We could...
UCLA coach Chip Kelly steps down after 6 seasons as Bruins prepare for move to Big Ten
UCLA coach Chip Kelly stepped down Friday after six seasons leading the Bruins, and a person involved in the decision confirmed to the Associated Press he was leaving to join Ohio State as offensive coordinator. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Ohio State still was finalizing the deal...
Chemical attack suspect likely vanished in the Thames, U.K. police say
LONDON — The suspect in a London chemical attack that left a woman hospitalized with life-changing injuries and injured her two young daughters likely has vanished in the River Thames, police said Friday. Metropolitan Police Commander Jon Savell said closed-circuit television images showed Abdul Ezedi walking on a bridge over...
Prince Harry settles tabloid phone hacking claim, says his mission to tame the media continues
LONDON — Prince Harry said Friday that his “mission” to rein in the British media continues, after he accepted costs and damages from a tabloid publisher that invaded his privacy with phone hacking and other illegal snooping. Harry’s attorney, David Sherborne, said at a court hearing that Mirror Group Newspapers...
Oklahoma judge who sent more than 500 texts during a murder trial resigns
OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma judge who sent more than 500 texts to her bailiff during a murder trial will resign, according to a court filing. In a proposed settlement agreement filed Thursday with the Oklahoma Court on the Judiciary, District Judge Traci Soderstrom agreed to resign on Friday and...
Pope blasts ‘radical individualism’ as he meets with Argentines ahead of big canonization
ROME — Pope Francis on Friday blasted the “radical individualism” that he said was infecting society today, as he greeted Argentine pilgrims who are in town for this weekend’s canonization of the first female saint from his home country. Instead, Francis held up as a model the 18th century Argentine...
Netanyahu orders population of Gaza’s crowded Rafah evacuated ahead of an expected ground invasion
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has ordered the military to prepare a plan to evacuate the population of Rafah ahead of an expected Israeli invasion of the southern Gaza town. Netanyahu made the announcement Friday following international criticism of Israel’s plan to invade the...
Damar Hamlin on a lesson of the past year: ‘Trust what you know and trust what got you here’
LAS VEGAS — Damar Hamlin learned a lot about himself over the past year. That’s no surprise after his near-death experience on the field about 13 months ago. Hamlin spoke for a few minutes Thursday on a platform overlooking radio row at this year’s Super Bowl. It was easy to...
Hannah Stuelke drops 47, Caitlin Clark within 39 points of scoring record as No. 2 Iowa tops Penn State
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Hannah Stuelke scored a career-high 47 points and Caitlin Clark added 27 points in her quest for the scoring record as No. 2 Iowa defeated Penn State, 111-93, on Thursday night. Clark now has 3,489 career points and needs just 39 more to break the NCAA...
Wisconsin has been hit with its 1st-ever February tornado
MADISON, Wis. — The first-ever February tornado for the state of Wisconsin was spotted Thursday just south of Madison, the National Weather Service confirmed. It was the first time a tornado was confirmed during the second month of the year in the state since records have been kept, the Milwaukee...
Thousands of doctors in England to strike again as health likely to become a key U.K. election issue
LONDON — Thousands of doctors in the early years of their careers in England are to go on strike later this month for another five-day stretch as their long-standing pay dispute with the British government remains in stasis. The British Medical Association, the union that represents the so-called junior doctors,...
Putin uses Tucker Carlson interview to press his Ukraine narrative, hints at swapping WSJ reporter
Russian President Vladimir Putin used an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to urge Washington to recognize Moscow’s interests and persuade Ukraine to sit down for talks. Putin also said that Russia stands ready to negotiate a potential prisoner exchange that would free Wall Street Journal reporter Evan...
Usher says it’s been a challenge to squeeze 30-year career into 13-minute Super Bowl halftime showVideo
LAS VEGAS — Usher found fitting a successful three decades of music into a super-short Super Bowl halftime show a challenge, but the multiple Grammy winner decided to concentrate on past hits, moments from his popular Las Vegas residency and possibly draw from his new album. “I was very mindful...
Ravens’ Lamar Jackson near-unanimous pick for 2nd AP NFL MVP
LAS VEGAS — Lamar Jackson was a near-unanimous choice for his second AP NFL MVP award announced at NFL Honors on Thursday night. Baltimore’s All-Pro quarterback received 49 of 50 first-place votes from a nationwide panel of voters that includes media members who regularly cover the NFL, former players and...
Julius Peppers headlines defensive-focused Pro Football Hall of Fame class
LAS VEGAS — First-time candidate Julius Peppers headlines a 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class that has a distinctive defensive feel. The star defensive end was joined by another elite pass rusher in Dwight Freeney and do-everything linebacker Patrick Willis in the modern era category announced Thursday night. Prolific...
Ace Baldwin Jr.’s hot finish sends Penn State over Iowa for 3rd straight win
UNIVERSITY PARK — Ace Baldwin Jr. scored 13 of Penn State’s final 18 points and finished with 22 in an 89-79 victory over Iowa on Thursday night for the Nittany Lions’ third straight win. Baldwin hit a 3-pointer to give Penn State (12-11, 6-6 Big Ten) its final lead. Qudus...
Body-camera footage shows chaotic lead-up to Times Square brawl between police and migrantsVideo
NEW YORK — The confrontation begins with police officers ordering a group of migrants to leave a bustling Times Square block. It escalates when one of those men, slowly walking away, lobs an insult in Spanish: “They look like Ugly Betty.” Second later, he is pushed up against a wall...
