Associated Press stories, Page 1639
Belarus opposition slams dissident TV confessions as coerced
WARSAW, Poland — The Belarusian opposition said Friday a dissident journalist was coerced to appear in a video on state TV in which he wept and praised the country’s authoritarian ruler, a broadcast sharply criticized by Western officials. In the 90-minute video broadcast Thursday night, Raman Pratasevich repented for his...
Stocks end the week higher as U.S. jobs report calms Fed fears
Wall Street closed out a week of mostly choppy trading with broad gains Friday, pushing the S&P 500 to its second straight weekly gain. The S&P 500 rose 0.9% and finished with a 0.6% gain for the week. Technology stocks were biggest gainers and did the most to drive the...
Judge: U.S. can’t delay challenge to public land coal sales
BILLINGS, Mont. — A U.S. judge has rejected the Biden administration’s attempt to delay a lawsuit from several states and environmentalists who are seeking to end lease sales for coal mining on federal lands. The coal leasing program was temporarily shut down under President Barack Obama because of concerns about...
Jordan Staal scores in OT, Hurricanes beat Lightning in Game 3
TAMPA, Fla. — Jordan Staal scored on a power play at 5:57 of overtime to give the Carolina Hurricanes a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night in Game 3 of the second-round series. Staal deflected Sebastien Aho’s shot with Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov serving a penalty...
Facebook suspends Trump accounts for 2 years
Facebook said it is suspending former President Donald Trump’s accounts for two years following its finding that he stoked violence ahead of the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection. “At the end of this period, we will look to experts to assess whether the risk to public safety has receded. We will...
U.S. intel report on UFOs: No evidence of aliens, but …
WASHINGTON — Whatever or whoever they are, they’re still out there. U.S. intelligence is after them, but its upcoming report will not deliver the full and final truth about UFOs. The tantalizing prospect of top government intel finally weighing in — after decades of conspiracy theories, TV shows, movies and...
Bargain hunters pounce as Trump condo prices hit decade lows
NEW YORK — The building has stunning Manhattan skyline views, its spa offers deep-tissue massages, and the fancy restaurant off the lobby serves up prime steaks. Best of all, many apartments at the Trump World Tower are selling at a deep discount — assuming the buyer doesn’t mind the name...
After 2-year battle, House panel interviewing Trump counsel
WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee is questioning former White House counsel Don McGahn behind closed doors on Friday, two years after House Democrats originally sought his testimony as part of investigations into former President Donald Trump. The long-awaited interview is the result of an agreement reached last month in...
Students suspended after schoolyard clash over Pride flags
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A schoolyard clash over gay Pride flags got some students suspended and others expelled from their Florida middle school. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s office is investigating, and a congressman got involved. It happened last Friday at Seminole Middle School, where some students displayed Pride flags at...
House Dems unveil $547B infrastructure bill amid Biden talks
WASHINGTON — House Democrats released a plan Friday for spending $547 billion over the next five years on road, mass transit and rail projects, a blueprint for what they want parts of President Joe Biden’s broader infrastructure proposal to look like. The proposal from Rep. Peter DeFazio, the Democratic chairman...
Football coaches ousted after player says he was forced to eat pork
CANTON, Ohio — The head football coach at an Ohio high school and six other coaches there have been ousted after a football player said he was forced him to eat pork in violation of his religious beliefs for missing a voluntary workout. The Canton City Board of Education voted...
Carmouche riding at ‘new level’ into Belmont for first time
NEW YORK — Five months after breaking his right leg, Kendrick Carmouche needed to get back on a horse. “I start watching those horses go around the track,” he said, mimicking goosebumps popping up on his arms and tingling in his fingers. “That itch came back.” Carmouche came back with...
This Date in Sports History: June 4
1870 — Ed Brown becomes the first African-American jockey to win the Belmont Stakes, with Kingfisher. 1927 — The United States wins the first Ryder Cup golf tournament by beating Britain, 9½-2½. 1932 — Faireno, ridden by Tommy Malley, wins the Belmont Stakes by 1½ lengths over Osculator. Burgoo King,...
Brad Marchand scores in OT, Bruins beat Islanders in Game 3
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Brad Marchand knew he didn’t have a great angle on his shot in overtime. He just fired the puck at the net and it got past Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov. Marchand scored 3:36 into overtime and the Boston Bruins beat New York 2-1 Thursday night in Game...
Teenage amateur Ganne shares U.S. Women’s Open lead
SAN FRANCISCO — High school junior Megha Ganne shot a 4-under-par 67 on Thursday to become the first amateur in 15 years to have a share of the lead after any round at the U.S. Women’s Open. The 17-year-old from New Jersey made back-to-back birdies on the back nine to...
Jordan Siebatcheu scores to lift U.S. over Honduras in Nations LeagueVideo
DENVER — Jordan Siebatcheu scored his first international goal in the 89th minute, and the United States beat Honduras 1-0 on Thursday night to reach the final of the first CONCACAF Nations League. John Brooks lofted a pass to Weston McKennie, who cushioned a one-hop headed pass ahead of Siebatcheu’s...
North Atlantic right whales getting tinier. Scientists say humans are to blame
One of the giants of the deep is shrinking before our eyes, a new study says. The younger generation of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales are on average about three feet shorter than whales were 20 years ago, drone and aircraft data show in a study in Thursday’s journal...
Jets’ Mark Scheifele suspended 4 games for late hit on Canadiens’ Jake EvansVideo
NEW YORK — Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele was suspended for four games by the NHL on Thursday night for a crushing late hit on Montreal’s Jake Evans in Game 1 of the second-round series. Evans was taken off the ice on a stretcher with 57 seconds left Wednesday night...
Sponsors hail Naomi Osaka’s ‘courage’ on mental health
NEW YORK — A few years ago, a star athlete dropping out of a major tennis tournament over mental health issues might have been seen as a sign of weakness. Today, at least for Naomi Osaka’s corporate sponsors, it is being hailed as refreshingly honest. That would explain why so...
Collin Morikawa leads at Muirfield Village on day suspended by rain
DUBLIN, Ohio — Collin Morikawa had another favorable result at Muirfield Village on a golf course that looked and sounded a lot different from when he won last year. Morikawa felt good vibes from an old putter and posted a 6-under-par 66 in rain-softened conditions Thursday morning at the Memorial....
Hot Rod Charlie being run in Belmont in memory of Jake PanusVideo
NEW YORK — Jake Panus wanted to help Native American children and walk on to play football at South Carolina. His death in August in a car crash stopped all that at age 16. After his father, Stephen, fought through the first wave of grief, good friend and trainer Doug...
Stocks end lower on Wall Street; AMC sinks after stock saleVideo
Technology companies helped drag stocks lower on Wall Street Thursday, knocking the S&P 500 into the red for the week. The benchmark S&P 500 index dropped 0.4% and is now on track for a 0.3% weekly loss. Technology companies, whose pricey valuations make them more sensitive to inflation fears, were...
U.S. to swiftly boost global vaccine sharing, Biden announcesVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Thursday the U.S. will swiftly donate a first tranche of 25 million doses of surplus vaccine overseas through the U.N.-backed COVAX program, promising infusions for South and Central America, Asia, Africa and others at a time of glaring shortages abroad and more than ample...
James Madison stuns No. 1 seed Oklahoma in WCWS openerVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — James Madison looked like a Women’s College World Series regular on Thursday. It actually was the Dukes’ first trip, and they made their first game memorable. Kate Gordon hit a solo homer in the top of the eighth inning and Odicci Alexander threw a complete game to...
No. 1 Ash Barty withdraws; Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer advance at French OpenVideo
PARIS — Bothered by a painful hip, top-ranked Ash Barty retired Thursday from her second-round match at the French Open, leaving the clay-court Grand Slam tournament without its top two women’s seeds and any of the top three women in the rankings. The 2019 champion trailed 6-1, 2-2 when she...

