Associated Press stories, Page 86
Students face new cellphone restrictions in 17 states as school year begins
Jamel Bishop is seeing a big change in his classrooms as he begins his senior year at Doss High School in Louisville, Kentucky, where cellphones are now banned during instructional time. In previous years, students often weren’t paying attention and wasted class time by repeating questions, the teenager said. Now,...
Jets get Jowon Briggs from Browns, Harrison Phillips from Vikings
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New York Jets made a few more big additions to bolster their defensive line with a pair of trades Wednesday. They agreed to terms on a deal to acquire veteran nose tackle Harrison Phillips from the Minnesota Vikings, a person familiar with the trade told...
Scottie Scheffler doesn’t like comparisons to Tiger Woods, but Tiger inspired him
ATLANTA — Scottie Scheffler shies away from comparisons to Tiger Woods even as the numbers are starting to make that inevitable. Scheffler has been No. 1 in the world longer than anyone since Woods. He is the first player since Woods to have five-plus wins in back-to-back years. He comes...
Top White House officials turn to public appearances with troops as a tense Washington watches
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s law-enforcement crackdown on Washington expanded Wednesday and top administration officials visited National Guard troops to support a deployment that has left parts of the U.S. capital looking like occupied territory. Anger and frustration dotted the city as the vice president lauded an operation that he...
Chiefs deal New Kensington native, Shady Side product Skyy Moore to WR-needy 49ers
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers agreed to a deal to acquire receiver Skyy Moore from the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday. A person familiar with the trade said the teams will swap sixth- and seventh-round picks in 2027 in the deal that sends the New Kensington native...
Rhode Island Judge Frank Caprio, whose empathy in court earned him fame online, dies at 88
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Frank Caprio, a retired municipal judge in Rhode Island who found online fame as a caring jurist and host of ” Caught in Providence,” died. He was 88. His official social media accounts said Wednesday he “passed away peacefully” after “a long and courageous battle with pancreatic...
Trump weaponization czar urged New York Attorney General James to resign over mortgage probe
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump’s political weaponization czar sent a letter urging New York Attorney General Letitia James to resign from office “as an act of good faith” four days after starting his mortgage fraud investigation of her. Then he showed up outside her house. Ed Martin, the director...
Texas House approves redrawn maps sought by Trump ahead of 2026 elections
AUSTIN — The Texas House on Wednesday approved redrawn congressional maps that would give Republicans a bigger edge in 2026, muscling through a partisan gerrymander that launched weeks of protests by Democrats and a widening national battle over redistricting. The approval came at the urging of President Donald Trump, who...
At least 600 CDC employees are getting final termination notices, union says
NEW YORK — At least 600 employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are receiving permanent termination notices in the wake of a recent court decision that protected some CDC employees from layoffs but not others. The notices went out this week and many people have not yet...
2 more beachfront homes near collapse as Hurricane Erin’s waves pound North Carolina’s Outer BanksVideo
Two homes on the North Carolina Outer Banks sit precariously in the high waves with their days seemingly numbered. Since 2020, 11 neighboring homes have fallen into the Atlantic Ocean. While the swells from storms like Hurricane Erin make things worse, the conditions threatening the houses are always present —...
Tulsi Gabbard slashing intelligence office workforce by 40%, cutting budget by more than $700 million
WASHINGTON — The Office of the Director of National Intelligence will dramatically reduce its workforce and cut its budget by more than $700 million annually, the Trump administration announced Wednesday. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said in a statement, “Over the last 20 years, ODNI has become bloated and...
CFP committee adding weight to games against strong opponents, limit reward for beating weak foes
The College Football Playoff selection committee announced Wednesday it will place more emphasis on strength of schedule this year when determining which teams make the 12-team field. The committee said in a statement that the schedule strength metric has been adjusted to apply greater weight to games against strong opponents....
Astros outfielder Taylor Trammell carted off from game vs. Tigers after crashing into fence
DETROIT — Houston Astros outfielder Taylor Trammell left Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers on a cart after crashing into the center field fence in the first inning. The Tigers led 4-0 with no one out when Dillon Dingler hit a line drive to deep center. The ball deflected off...
10 House Democrats ask NCAA about plans to protect women as ways to pay college athletes increase
Ten Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives have asked the NCAA if and how college sports’ major governing body plans to protect the interests of female athletes as the largest portion of NIL and revenue-sharing payments continue to be directed to male athletes. The lawmakers, in a letter...
Hurricane Erin picking up steam as it edges along the East Coast
RODANTHE, N.C. — Hurricane Erin began strengthening again Wednesday while creeping toward the mid-Atlantic coast and churning up menacing waves that have closed beaches from the Carolinas to New York City. Forecasters expect the storm to peak going into Thursday and say it could re-intensify into a major hurricane. While...
Judge denies Justice Department request to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts
NEW YORK — A federal judge on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s request to unseal grand jury transcripts from Jeffrey Epstein ’s sex trafficking case, joining two other judges in denying the public release of material from investigations into the late financier’s decades-long sexual abuse of young women and girls....
Tortoise hatchlings born of century-old parents come out of their shells at Philadelphia ZooVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Sixteen critically endangered western Santa Cruz tortoises born to some very old parents got a slow walk and the red carpet treatment Wednesday at a Philadelphia Zoo event to show off the highly prized hatchlings. Animal care specialists who have watched over the 16 since they were eggs...
Mississippi Supreme Court map violates Voting Rights Act, judge rules
JACKSON, Miss. — A federal judge has ordered Mississippi to redraw its Supreme Court electoral map, after finding the map dilutes the power of Black voters. U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock ruled the map, which was enacted in 1987, violates the Voting Rights Act and cannot be used in future...
Rhode Island prosecutor under review after warning ‘you’re gonna regret this’ during arrestVideo
A Rhode Island prosecutor is under review after police body camera footage recorded her warning officers “you’re gonna regret this” while she was being arrested. Devon Flanagan, a special assistant attorney general, was arrested outside a restaurant by Newport police Aug. 14 for trespassing, according to law enforcement. Body camera...
Target CEO to step down amid company struggles
NEW YORK — Target named an insider as its next chief executive officer Wednesday, a decision that comes as the discount retailer tries to reverse a persistent sales malaise and to revive its reputation as the place to go for affordable but stylish products. Minneapolis-based Target said CEO Brian Cornell,...
Israel approves settlement project that could divide West Bank
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel gave final approval Wednesday for a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank that would effectively cut the territory in two, and that Palestinians and rights groups say could destroy hopes for a future Palestinian state. Settlement development in E1, an open tract of...
Trump calls on Federal Reserve official to resign after official accuses her of mortgage fraud
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook to resign after a member of his administration accused Cook of committing mortgage fraud, the latest example of the Trump administration’s efforts to gain control over the central bank. Bill Pulte, director of the agency that...
Texas can’t put the Ten Commandments in certain school districts’ classrooms, judge says
Texas cannot require public schools in Houston, Austin and other select districts to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom, a judge said Wednesday in a temporary ruling against the state’s new requirement. Texas is the third state where courts have blocked recent laws about putting the Ten Commandments in...
Bus crash in Afghanistan kills more than 70 Afghans returning from IranVideo
A bus crash in northwestern Afghanistan killed at least 79 people returning from Iran, including 19 children, an official said. Two people were also injured in the crash, Ministry of Interior spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qani told The Associated Press. Tolo News, citing the official, said the accident happened Tuesday around...
Rwanda-backed rebels killed over 140 civilians in eastern Congo, rights group says
DAKAR, Senegal — Rwanda-backed rebels killed at least 140 people in farming communities in eastern Congo in July, a human rights group said in a report Wednesday, describing the killings as “summary executions.” Human Rights Watch said 141 people, predominantly Hutus, were feared dead or missing after the attacks near...
