Associated Press stories, Page 8
Tyler Reddick wins at Darlington in 4th NASCAR win this season for Michael Jordan’s teamVideo
DARLINGTON, S.C. — A malfunctioning battery, a cool suit that got very hot and a big deficit to the leader with less than 50 laps remaining at Darlington Raceway. The “Track Too Tough To Tame” tested Tyler Reddick in every way possible Sunday, and this year’s top star in NASCAR,...
Trump touted bigger tax refunds this year, but Americans will likely spend them on gas
WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy was supposed to start the year with a bang, fueled by an unusually large jump in tax refunds from President Donald Trump’s tax cut legislation. Yet spiking gas prices are on track to eat up those refunds, leaving most Americans with little extra to spend....
California sheriff running for governor seizes more than a half million ballots from 2025 election
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A California sheriff running for governor has seized more than half a million ballots cast in a November special election from county election officials, saying he’s investigating a ballot count discrepancy. County elections officials have disputed the claims by Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican. California...
Cuba begins to restore power after nationwide grid collapse
HAVANA — Cuba began restoring its energy system on Sunday, a day after a nationwide collapse of the entire grid left millions of people in the dark for the third time this month. Some 72,000 customers in the capital, among them five hospitals, had electricity again early Sunday, according to...
Trump’s changing course on Strait of Hormuz strategy raises questions about U.S. war preparationVideo
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — At war with Iran, President Donald Trump is cycling through an increasingly desperate list of options as he searches for a solution to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. He is jumping from calls to secure the waterway through diplomatic means to lifting sanctions...
Nonprofits, unions and airports rally to feed TSA officers as shutdown drags
Across the country, collections are popping up to help Transportation Security Administration officers who have been without full pay for more than a month due to the partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security. The charity World Central Kitchen, more accustomed to feeding those in war zones and...
Democrats sharpen criticism of Vance as they look past Trump to the 2028 presidential campaign
FAIRFIELD, Ohio — Although President Donald Trump is the top Democratic nemesis, some of the party’s most ambitious leaders are increasingly looking past him and at Vice President JD Vance. In the latest example, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear traveled to Vance’s home county in Ohio, where on Saturday night he...
MLB season preview: Robot umpires, Dodgers try for 3 in row, Rays return to Trop as lockout looms
NEW YORK — Baseball is changing at a dizzying speed in 2026 with the arrival of robot umpires, the return home of the Tampa Bay Rays and an alphabet soup of networks televising games in perhaps the last season before a labor shutdown. Much has transpired in the 4 1/2...
Texas goes from First Four to Sweet 16, beating Gonzaga
PORTLAND, Ore. — Jordan Pope and Matas Vokietaitis each scored 17 points, Camden Heide hit a game-sealing 3-pointer and Texas became the first team in five years to go from the NCAA Tournament’s First Four to the Sweet 16, beating Gonzaga, 74-68, on Saturday. First-year coach Sean Miller’s 11th-seeded Longhorns...
Coen Carr, Jeremy Fears lead Michigan State to Sweet 16
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Coen Carr recorded his first career double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Jeremy Fears Jr. had 16 assists as Michigan State advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 17th time under coach Tom Izzo, beating Louisville, 77-69, on Saturday in the second round of the...
Sungjae Im takes lead into Innisbrook finale, with Brandt Snedeker also in final group
PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Sungjae Im was in position for a wire-to-wire victory in the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook after a slow start in his return from a wrist injury. Brandt Snedeker was right beside him in the final pairing, with a hot new putter in the bag. Im holed...
Syney Shaw, Gia Cooke help West Virginia roll in women’s NCAA Tournament
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Sydney Shaw had 19 points and nine rebounds, Gia Cooke scored 18 points and West Virginia used an early defensive lockdown to take control in a 82-54 victory over Miami (Ohio) in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday. West Virginia (28-6), the fourth...
NASCAR tempers could be flaring as the tires are wearing at Darlington Raceway
“The Track Too Tough to Tame” somehow is expected to get even tougher this weekend, and that’s just fine with NASCAR drivers who have lobbied for bigger challenges. It’s also probably fine with NASCAR executives, who have a crowd-pleasing feud brewing in the Cup Series circuit at Darlington Raceway, the...
Trump’s mixed messages on Iran: ‘Winding down’ the war and easing sanctions but adding more troops
President Donald Trump frequently contradicts himself, sometimes in the same speech, social media post or even sentence. Within the space of a few hours Friday, he sent a torrent of mixed signals about the Iran war that raise more questions about the direction of the conflict and his administration’s strategy....
Senate blocks amendment on transgender athletes during weekend session on voting bill
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Saturday blocked an amendment that would ban transgender athletes from playing in women’s sports, rejecting one of President Donald Trump’s priorities as he pressures Congress to act on a broad voting bill. Senators were holding a rare weekend session to debate the voting legislation, which...
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who investigated Russia-Trump campaign ties, dies
WASHINGTON — Robert S. Mueller III, the FBI director who transformed the nation’s premier law enforcement agency into a terrorism-fighting force after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and who later became special counsel in charge of investigating ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, has died. He was 81....
Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia kills 2 as Ukraine seeks resumption of peace talks
KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on Saturday killed at least two people, an official said, ahead of expected U.S.-Ukraine talks. A man and a woman were killed and six people wounded, including two children, when a Russian drone hit a private house,...
Surprise, embarrassment, unease in Japan after Trump uses Pearl Harbor to defend Iran war
TOKYO — Senior U.S. and Japanese officials tend to shy away from anything but very careful public comments about Japan’s 1941 sneak attack on U.S. forces at Pearl Harbor. So there was embarrassment, confusion and unease on Saturday in Japan after President Donald Trump casually used the World War II...
Congress looks for Trump’s exit plan as the Iran war drags on
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump took the United States to war without a vote of support from Congress, but lawmakers are increasingly questioning when, how and at what cost the war with Iran will come to an end. Three weeks into the conflict, the toll is becoming apparent. At least...
Iran targets British-U.S. base and its main nuclear enrichment site is struck again
CAIRO — Iran targeted a joint U.K.-U.S. military base in the Indian Ocean, and Iran’s main nuclear enrichment site was struck again, as the war in the Middle East entered its fourth week. “The war is not close to ending,” said Israel’s army chief, Gen. Eyal Zamir, while Iran said...
Models with Down syndrome in Romania strike a pose for World Down Syndrome Day
BUCHAREST, Romania — Dozens of models with Down syndrome strutted down a catwalk at a fashion show in Romania’s capital for an evening celebrating style, “atypical beauty” and courage to mark World Down Syndrome Day. The SEEN Anonymous Seamstresses Gala in Bucharest brought together designers from across the country, who...
What to know about Diego Garcia after Iran targets the remote island’s key U.S. military base
LONDON — Iran has launched missiles at Diego Garcia, an Indian Ocean island that is home to a strategic U.K.-U.S. military base. Britain condemned “Iran’s reckless attacks” after the unsuccessful attempt to hit the base. It’s unclear how close the missiles came to the island, which is about 2,500 miles...
Hawaii suffers its worst flooding in 20 years and forecasters warn more rain is coming
HONOLULU — Hawaii suffered its worst flooding in more than 20 years as heavy rains fell on soil already saturated by downpours from a winter storm a week ago, officials said Friday while warning that still more rain was expected during the weekend. Muddy floodwaters smothered vast stretches of Oahu’s...
2-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal could set more contract records next offseason
Tarik Skubal has won back-to-back AL Cy Young Awards and will make $32 million this season after winning his salary arbitration hearing. Detroit’s ace left-hander could next set more contract records for a pitcher in free agency. Skubal could become a free agent for the first time after the World...
West Virginia women look to make the most of rare chance to host March Madness
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia coach Mark Kellogg has made a huge impression in his first three seasons at a major college. All that’s missing is a deep run in the women’s NCAA Tournament. No. 4 seed West Virginia (27-6) is a tournament host for the first time since 1992....
