Associated Press stories, Page 969
DeSantis asks that judge be disqualified from Disney’s free speech lawsuit
ORLANDO, Fla.— Gov. Ron DeSantis is asking that a federal judge be disqualified from the First Amendment lawsuit filed by Disney against the Florida governor and his appointees, claiming the jurist’s prior statements in other cases have raised questions about his impartiality on the state’s efforts to take over Disney...
World leaders warn China and North Korea on nukes as Ukraine’s Zelenskyy travels to G7 summit
HIROSHIMA, Japan — Leaders of the world’s most powerful democracies warned China and North Korea against building up their nuclear arsenals, pivoting to major northeast Asian crises ahead of the arrival later Saturday of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The focus on Asia at the Group of Seven summit comes as...
‘One of us’: Club pro Michael Block scores one for working man at PGA Championship
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Michael Block is supposed to work on Monday, just like nearly every other PGA club professional this time of year. The 46-year-old’s daily routine at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Southern California is a mixture of lessons and paperwork. It’s typically followed by an early-evening visit from...
Scheffler tied for lead in PGA Championship as Oak Hill delivers a new challenge
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Oak Hill is delivering a little bit of everything at this PGA Championship. One constant is Scottie Scheffler, who is getting used to chasing majors. A frost delay at the start gave way to warmth and wind Friday morning before rain showers brought out the umbrellas in...
Bob Baffert is back at Preakness, his 1st Triple Crown race in 2 years
BALTIMORE — Bob Baffert is back at the Preakness for his first Triple Crown race in two years, returning from a suspension and looking for a record-breaking win with National Treasure. The white-haired Hall of Fame trainer and one of the faces of horse racing was in a familiar spot...
Column: A city fights back against new arenas and what they representVideo
Congratulations are in order for the good people of Tempe, Ariz. They might’ve cost themselves an NHL team, but that was a small price to pay to hang on to their wallets. In a rare setback for billionaire owners and their endless scams to get the public to build them...
Takuma Sato, Marcus Ericsson put Ganassi on top in final practice before Indy 500 qualifyingVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Two-time Indy 500 champion Takuma Sato turned the fastest lap at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 27 years on Friday, and defending winner Marcus Ericsson was close behind him, making Chip Ganassi Racing the team to beat heading into qualifying weekend for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Sato turned...
American Airlines and JetBlue must abandon their partnership in the Northeast, federal judge rules
American Airlines and JetBlue Airways must abandon their partnership in the northeast United States, a federal judge in Boston ruled Friday, saying that the government proved the deal reduces competition in the airline industry. The ruling is a major victory for the Biden administration, which has used aggressive enforcement of...
Mage faces tough challenge in second Triple Crown race at Preakness
BALTIMORE — Mage’s path through Triple Crown season is not an easy one. The Kentucky Derby winner opened as the favorite for this weekend’s Preakness Stakes, but Mage will have to top a field that includes Bob Baffert-trained National Treasure and others to become the first horse to take the...
All-time NFL great running back, social activist Jim Brown dead at 87
CLEVELAND — Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown, an unstoppable running back who retired at the peak of his brilliant career to become an actor as well as a prominent civil rights advocate during the 1960s, has died. He was 87. A spokeswoman for Brown’s family said he passed...
Biden endorses F-16 training for Ukrainians at G7 summit
HIROSHIMA, Japan — President Joe Biden told allies Friday he was approving plans to train Ukrainian pilots on U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, according to two people familiar with the matter, as leaders of the world’s most powerful democracies worked to toughen punishments on Russia for its 15-month invasion of Ukraine....
Diplomatic tour by Ukraine’s Zelenskyy highlights Putin’s stark isolation
TALLINN, Estonia — While the world awaits Ukraine’s spring battlefield offensive, its leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has launched a diplomatic one. In the span of a week, he’s dashed to Italy, the Vatican, Germany, France and Britain to shore up support for defending his country. On Friday, he was in Saudi...
Kyle Dubas out as GM of Toronto Maple Leafs after 5 seasons
TORONTO — Brendan Shanahan started the week wanting to keep Kyle Dubas in the fold. A stunning, roller-coaster five days culminated with the Toronto Maple Leafs now looking for a new general manager ahead of what could be a defining summer for the success-starved Original Six franchise. Shanahan, the team’s...
Bass guitarist Andy Rourke of The Smiths, one of Britain’s most influential bands, dies at 59Video
LONDON — Andy Rourke, bass guitarist of The Smiths, one of the most influential British bands of the 1980s, has died after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer, his former bandmate Johnny Marr said Friday. He was 59. In a lengthy post on Instagram, guitarist and songwriter Marr paid tribute...
Fed Chair Powell hints at a pause in rate hikes when central bank meets next month
WASHINGTON — Chair Jerome Powell indicated Friday that the Federal Reserve will likely forgo an increase in its benchmark interest rate when it meets in June for the first time since it began raising its key rate 14 months ago to fight high inflation. In signaling so, Powell provided some...
Sen. Tim Scott makes it official: He’s a GOP candidate for president
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina made it official Friday: He’s running for president. Scott, the Senate’s only Black Republican, filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission declaring his intention to seek his party’s nomination in 2024. His candidacy will test whether a more optimistic vision of...
Dave Matthews Band has new album ‘Walk Around the Moon’ and perspective: ‘Everything is kind of new’
NEW YORK — Ten studio albums done, the Dave Matthews Band finds itself in a good place, maybe even at a new beginning. “The band is really gelled right now,” says singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews. “We’re all, at least for now, shining favorable lights on each other and laughing...
In Cannes, Harrison Ford bids adieu to Indiana JonesVideo
CANNES, France — As the Cannes Film Festival crowd stood in rapturous applause, a visibly moved Harrison Ford stood on the stage, trying to keep his emotions in check. The warmth of the audience and a clip reel that had just played had left Ford shaken. “They say that when...
German surgeon fired after getting hospital cleaner to assist amputation
BERLIN — Officials at a hospital in western Germany have expressed regret after it emerged that one of their surgeons got a cleaner to assist in a toe amputation. Public broadcaster SWR reported Friday that the incident at the Mainz University Hospital, which happened in 2020, didn’t result in any...
NYC subway choking victim to be mourned at Manhattan church
NEW YORK — Jordan Neely, whose chokehold death on the New York City subway set off a debate about vigilantism, homelessness and public safety, will be mourned by his family Friday at a church in Harlem. A former Michael Jackson impersonator who had been struggling with mental illness and homelessness...
Any indictments in Trump election investigation would likely come in August
ATLANTA — The Atlanta prosecutor investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and others broke the law while trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia seems to be suggesting that any grand jury indictments in the case would likely come in August. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis sent a...
Sean Penn, backing WGA strike, calls Producers Guild the ‘Bankers Guild’
CANNES, France — Sean Penn strongly backed the current Hollywood screenwriters strike while speaking at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, saying the dispute over Artificial Intelligence is “a human obscenity.” Penn addressed the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike in a press conference for his new film, “Black Flies,”...
Former Italian Premier Berlusconi leaves hospital after 45 days
MILAN — Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi was discharged on Friday from a Milan hospital, nearly a month and a half after he was admitted with a lung infection. Berlusconi waved at journalists from behind a closed window as his car drove away from the San Raffaele Hospital. He arrived...
Ukrainian president attends Arab summit in Saudi Arabia
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of an Arab summit on Friday, where he was set to address leaders who have remained largely neutral on Russia’s invasion of his country, including many who maintain warm ties with Moscow. Among those in attendance is...
First Mission scratched from Preakness 36 hours before Triple Crown race
BALTIMORE — Brad Cox-trained First Mission has been scratched from the Preakness on the advice of veterinarians, taking one of the top contenders out of the Triple Crown race 36 hours before post time. Godolphin, which owns the horse, announced the scratch early Friday, saying vets identified a left hind...
