Associated Press stories, Page 851
Senate confirms chairman of joint chiefs as GOP senator still blocking hundreds of military nomineesVideo
The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Gen. CQ Brown as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, putting him in place to succeed Gen. Mark Milley when he retires at the end of the month. Brown’s confirmation on a 83-11 vote, months after President Joe Biden nominated him for...
UN chief warns of ‘gates of hell’ in climate summit, but carbon polluting nations stay silent
UNITED NATIONS — The head of the United Nations warned Wednesday that the “gates of hell” are at hand as climate change intensifies, and top international officials said the world’s leaders still aren’t doing nearly enough to curb pollution of heat-trapping gases. They pleaded with major emitting nations to do...
Browns re-sign running back Kareem Hunt after star Nick Chubb lost for season with left knee injury
BEREA, Ohio — Kareem Hunt ran right back to the Browns. Desperate to find a quality running back after losing star Nick Chubb for the season, the Browns have reunited with Hunt, who was available as a free agent and is expected to be able to help Cleveland’s offense immediately....
Man who shot Black teen who mistakenly went to his door enters not guilty plea; trial scheduled
LIBERTY, Mo. — A white 84-year-old homeowner who is accused of shooting a Black teenager after the high-schooler mistakenly came to his Kansas City home entered a not guilty plea Wednesday, and the judge scheduled his trial for next year. Andrew Lester, a retired aircraft mechanic, is charged with first-degree...
Woman rescued from outhouse toilet in northern Michigan after dropping Apple Watch, police say
BAGLEY TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A woman was rescued Tuesday from an outhouse toilet in northern Michigan while trying to retrieve her Apple Watch. The woman, whose name was not released, lowered herself inside the toilet after dropping the watch at the Department of Natural Resources boat launch at Dixon Lake...
House Republicans clash with Attorney General Garland, accusing him of favoring Hunter Biden
WASHINGTON — House Republicans clashed with Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday, accusing him and the Justice Department of the “weaponization” of the department’s work in favor of President Joe Biden ‘s son Hunter. Garland’s appearance before the House Judiciary Committee was his first in two years and came at...
Alabama school band director says he was ‘just doing my job’ before police arrested him
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — An Alabama high school band director said Wednesday that he was just “doing my job” when police officers arrested him and shocked him with a stun gun after he refused to immediately stop the band as it played in the bleachers following a football game. Johnny Mims,...
Autopsy finds man punched at Patriots game before he died had medical issue
BOSTON — A man who died at a New England Patriots home game last weekend after he was punched at least twice in the head did not suffer a “traumatic injury” in the stands but had a medical issue, authorities in Massachusetts announced Wednesday. Police and safety personnel responded to...
This simple log structure may be the oldest example of early humans building with wood
NEW YORK — Researchers have uncovered a simple structure from the Stone Age that may be the oldest evidence yet of early humans building with wood. The construction is basic a pair of overlapping logs, fitted together with a notch. It’s nearly half a million years old and provides a...
Rough surf batters Bermuda as Hurricane Nigel charges through open waters
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Forecasters in Bermuda warned Wednesday of dangerous swells and rip currents as Hurricane Nigel spun through open waters in the northern Atlantic. The Category 1 hurricane was located about 650 miles east-northeast of Bermuda. It had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph and was moving...
Kraft Heinz recalls some American cheese slices because wrappers could pose choking hazard
Kraft Heinz said Tuesday it’s recalling more than 83,000 cases of individually-wrapped Kraft Singles American processed cheese slices because part of the wrapper could stick to the slice and become a choking hazard. The company, which is based in Chicago and Pittsburgh, said one of its wrapping machines developed a...
Challenges to library books continue at record pace in 2023, American Library Association reports
NEW YORK — Book bans and attempted bans continue to hit record highs, according to the American Library Association. And the efforts now extend as much to public libraries as school-based libraries. Through the first eights months of 2023, the ALA tracked 695 challenges to library materials and services, compared...
Big Ten riding rugged defenses in early going, with Michigan, Ohio State among bestVideo
Read the names of the players in the Football Hall of Fame, and there is a who’s who of Big Ten Conference defensive players — Dick Butkus, Rod Woodson, Ray Nitschke, Alex Karras, Herb Adderley, Charles Woodson and others. The NFL ranks are loaded with guys who played recently in...
Colorado coach Deion Sanders condemns death threats against Colorado State player
BOULDER, Colo. — Deion Sanders stood up for Henry Blackburn on Tuesday after the Colorado State safety received death threats for a late hit that sent Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter to the hospital with a lacerated liver. “That’s absurd for people to be threatened,” the Colorado coach said at...
Analysis: Browns QB Deshaun Watson’s rough start vs. Steelers raises major questionsVideo
CLEVELAND — Deshaun Watson doesn’t look elite, composed or anything close to resembling a $230 million quarterback or franchise savior at the moment. Not even close. Two games into his first full season with the Browns, there remain major questions about whether Watson can be the same player who led...
Speaker McCarthy faces an almost impossible task trying to unite House GOP and fund the governmentVideo
WASHINGTON — Facing fresh challenges to his leadership, Speaker Kevin McCarthy is trying to accomplish what at times seems impossible — working furiously to convince House Republicans to come together and pass a conservative bill to keep the federal government open. It’s a nearly futile exercise that could help McCarthy...
Witness said man was punched before he died at a New England Patriots gameVideo
DEDHAM, Mass. — Police are investigating the death of a New Hampshire man at a New England Patriots home game, after a witness said he saw a Miami Dolphins fan punching the man in the head. Police and personnel responded to the upper deck at Gillette Stadium shortly before 11...
Tampa Bay Rays finalizing new ballpark in St. Petersburg as part of a larger urban project
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The playoff-bound Tampa Bay Rays put the finishing touches Tuesday on plans for a new 30,000-seat ballpark in St. Petersburg as part of a $6.5 billion development project that includes affordable housing, retail, bars and restaurants and a Black history museum. The site is on the...
Hunter Biden to plead not guilty to firearms charges
Hunter Biden will plead not guilty to federal firearms charges filed after the collapse of a plea deal in a long-running federal investigation, his lawyers said Tuesday in court documents. Biden is accused of lying about his drug use when he bought a firearm in October 2018, during a period...
Overhaul of Ohio’s K-12 education system is unconstitutional, new lawsuit contends
COLUMBUS — Seven Ohio school board members are alleging that a Republican-backed overhaul of how the state oversees K-12 education — including decisions on academic standards and school curricula — violates the state’s constitution, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday. Through changes included in the latest state budget, oversight of...
Oklahoma, Cincinnati face off in an unusual and temporary Big 12 matchup as league play ramps upVideo
Oklahoma vs. Cincinnati sounds like a dream bowl matchup: the blue-blood Sooners against one of the most consistent Group of Five powers. Not anymore. After realignment, it’s a league game but just for one year. Oklahoma, on its way to the SEC next year, visits Big 12 newcomer Cincinnati on...
New York day care operator tried to cover up fentanyl operation before 1-year-old’s death, feds allege
NEW YORK — The owner of a New York City day care center where a 1-year-old child died after being exposed to fentanyl took steps to cover up her involvement in a sprawling drug operation, even as medics rushed to treat several children in her care who were poisoned by...
Acting Temple University president JoAnne A. Epps dies after falling ill on stage
PHILADELPHIA — Temple University acting president JoAnne A. Epps died Tuesday shortly after becoming ill on stage during a memorial service, officials said, describing her loss as a gut punch and struggling through emotion as they recalled her nearly four decades of service. Epps was attending a memorial service at...
Transfers are fueling some of college football’s biggest success stories as teams embrace the portalVideo
Clemson, the reigning ACC champion, has one player on its depth chart who arrived in Death Valley via the transfer portal: the backup quarterback. No. 4 Florida State is trying to reclaim the ACC crown from the Tigers and has used the portal to supercharge a rebuild under coach Mike...
Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker says ‘other motives’ behind his firing for alleged misconductVideo
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Suspended Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker said Tuesday that he is “disappointed — but not surprised” that the school intends to fire him for misconduct involving activist and rape survivor Brenda Tracy and suggested “other motives are at play” in the school’s decision. The university...
