Associated Press stories, Page 9
Disney invests $1B in OpenAI in deal to bring characters like Mickey Mouse to Sora AI video tool
Disney is investing $1 billion in OpenAI and will bring characters such as Mickey Mouse, Cinderella and Luke Skywalker to the AI company’s Sora video generation tool, in a licensing deal that the two companies announced on Thursday. The agreement makes the Walt Disney Co. the first major content licensing...
MyPillow founder and Trump supporter Mike Lindell says he’s running for Minnesota governor in 2026
SHAKOPEE, Minn. — Mike Lindell, the fervent supporter of President Donald Trump known to TV viewers as the “MyPillow Guy,” officially entered the race for Minnesota governor Thursday in hopes of winning the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Gov. Tim Walz in 2026. Lindell made the announcement at a news...
Office holiday parties can be dreadful for introverts and people with social anxiety
NEW YORK — The year the radio station company where he worked held its holiday party at a dive bar, Ryan Arnold walked in and saw coworkers passing around a tall glass boot filled with beer. He heard the office manager belting out ’80s power ballads between whiskey shots. Arnold’s...
U.S. jobless benefit applications jump to 236,000, but continuing claims are lowest since April
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits jumped last week, but the total number of those collecting benefits fell to the lowest level in eight months. U.S. jobless claim applications for the week ending Dec. 6 climbed by 44,000 to 236,000 from the previous week’s 192,000, the...
Trump’s handling of the economy is at its lowest point in AP-NORC polling
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s approval on the economy and immigration have fallen substantially since March, according to a new AP-NORC poll, the latest indication that two signature issues that got him elected barely a year ago could be turning into liabilities as his party begins to gear up for...
What are parents to do as doctors clash with Trump administration over vaccines?
It’s normal for parents, or anyone, to have questions about vaccinations — but what happens if your pediatrician urges a shot that’s under attack by the Trump administration? That’s getting more likely: The nation’s leading doctors groups are in an unprecedented standoff with federal health officials who have attacked long-used,...
Sophie Kinsella, author of the millions-selling ‘Shopaholic’ novels, dies at 55
LONDON — Writer Sophie Kinsella, whose effervescent rom-com “Confessions of a Shopaholic” sparked a millions-selling series, died Wednesday, her family said. She was 55 and had been diagnosed with brain cancer. The family said in a statement on Kinsella’s Instagram account that “she died peacefully, with her final days filled...
Trump wants to keep farmers happy with cash. They’re still worried about the future
RANDOLPH, Minn. — When Donald Trump promised new tariffs while running for president, Gene Stehly worried that trade disputes would jeopardize his international sales of corn, soybeans and wheat. A little more than a year later, Stehly said his fears have become a reality, and Trump’s latest promise of federal...
Tariffs have cost U.S. households $1,200 each since Trump returned to the White House, Democrats say
WASHINGTON — Sweeping taxes on imports have cost the average American household nearly $1,200 since Donald Trump returned to the White House this year, according to calculations by Democrats on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee. Using Treasury Department numbers on revenue from tariffs and Goldman Sachs estimates of who ends up...
Trump administration separates thousands of migrant families in the U.S.
MIAMI — President Donald Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy split more than 5,000 children from their families at the Mexico border during his first term. Border crossings sit at a record low nearly a year into his second administration and a new wave of immigration enforcement is dividing families inside the...
Calibri font becomes the latest DEI target as Marco Rubio orders return to Times New Roman
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered diplomatic correspondence to stop using the Calibri font and return to the more traditional Times New Roman effective Wednesday, reversing a Biden administration shift to the less formal typeface that he called wasteful, confusing and unbefitting the dignity of U.S. government...
Trump’s ‘gold card’ program goes live, offering U.S. visas starting at $1 million per person
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that his long-promised “gold card” was officially going on sale, offering legal status and an eventual pathway to U.S. citizenship for individuals paying $1 million and corporations ponying up twice that per foreign-born employee. A website accepting applications went live as Trump revealed...
House passes defense bill to raise troop pay and overhaul weapons purchases
WASHINGTON — The House voted to pass a sweeping defense policy bill Wednesday that authorizes $900 billion in military programs, including a pay raise for troops and an overhaul of how the Department of Defense buys weapons. The bill’s passage on a 312-112 vote comes at a time of increasing...
CBS appoints Tony Dokoupil as anchor of its flagship ‘CBS Evening News’ broadcast
CBS News appointed Tony Dokoupil as anchor of the “CBS Evening News” on Wednesday, charging him with taking on ABC’s dominant David Muir on one of the flagship shows for broadcast television. Dokoupil, who has been part of the “CBS Mornings” team since 2019, will start his new job on...
Raiders’ Geno Smith misses practice with shoulder injury, status for game at Philadelphia uncertain
HENDERSON, Nev. — Raiders quarterback Geno Smith did not practice Wednesday because a shoulder injury, placing his status for Sunday’s game at Philadelphia in question. Coach Pete Carroll termed Smith’s status as day-to-day. Kenny Pickett, who was Jalen Hurts’ backup last season with the Eagles, took first-team snaps in practice....
Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore jailed, hours after his firing
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore was jailed on Wednesday, according to court records, hours after he was fired for what the university said was an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member.” According to the Washtenaw County Jail, the 39-year-old Moore had been booked into the...
What a Democrat’s victory in the Miami mayoral election may mean for TrumpVideo
MIAMI — Democrat Eileen Higgins’ victory in the Miami mayoral race marks a setback for Republican President Donald Trump, who endorsed her rival and has touted his 2024 win in the area as a testament to his appeal in Florida and particularly among Hispanic voters. Higgins, who will become the...
Botulism outbreak sickens more than 50 babies and expands to all ByHeart products
Federal health officials on Wednesday expanded an outbreak of infant botulism tied to recalled ByHeart baby formula to include all illnesses reported since the company began production in March 2022. The Food and Drug Administration said investigators “cannot rule out the possibility that contamination might have affected all ByHeart formula...
Browns’ Shedeur Sanders keeps focus on improving after strong 3rd startVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Shedeur Sanders is still learning to decipher NFL defenses, recognize coverages and make much smarter decisions. He can already read the room. The rookie quarterback’s path to starting for the Browns has been curious and circuitous, to say the least. But just because he’s currently atop the...
QB Jayden Daniels will miss Commanders’ game against Giants on SundayVideo
ASHBURN, Va. — Quarterback Jayden Daniels will sit out the Washington Commanders’ game at the New York Giants on Sunday after aggravating his injured left elbow last weekend. Coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday that Daniels did not re-dislocate the elbow — which originally was hurt in a loss to the...
Federal Reserve cuts key rate but signals higher bar for future reductionsVideo
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve reduced its key interest rate by a quarter-point for the third time in a row Wednesday but signaled that it may leave rates unchanged in the coming months, a move that could attract ire from President Donald Trump, who has demanded steep reductions to borrowing...
Foreigners allowed to travel to the U.S. without a visa could soon face new social media screening
WASHINGTON — Foreigners who are allowed to come to the United States without a visa could soon be required to submit information about their social media, email accounts and extensive family history to the Department of Homeland Security before being approved for travel. The notice published Wednesday in the Federal...
Trump says the U.S. has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela as tensions mount with the government of President Nicolás Maduro. Using U.S. forces to take control of a merchant ship is incredibly unusual and marks the Trump administration’s latest...
QB Philip Rivers eager to get back in the game with the Colts after coming out of retirement
INDIANAPOLIS — Philip Rivers wanted one more shot at winning that elusive Super Bowl ring. So the 44-year-old grandfather and Hall of Fame semifinalist is coming out of retirement and rejoining the Indianapolis Colts. Just hours after team officials announced they’d signed Rivers to the practice squad, the eight-time Pro...
Orioles agree to $155 million, 5-year deal with slugger Pete Alonso, AP source says
BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles agreed to a $155 million, five-year contract with slugger Pete Alonso, according to multiple reports Wednesday. The deal was pending a physical. It’s a major move for a Baltimore team that vowed to be aggressive after a last-place finish in the AL East. Alonso hit...
