Associated Press stories, Page 251
In NASCAR antitrust fight, Michael Jordan’s manager goes from adviser to stock car series to targetVideo
LAS VEGAS — Long before the battle over the charter system led to the antitrust lawsuit now engulfing NASCAR, its executives found Michael Jordan and his small group of advisers a beneficial resource in discussing growth for the top racing series in the United States. They held meetings with Curtis...
Rory McIlroy takes drama out of playoff to win The Players, build momentum to the Masters
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The playoff was only three holes. Rory McIlroy needed only three swings. And yet his victory Monday over J.J. Spaun in The Players Championship revealed so much about the state of his game and the cruel nature of the notorious TPC Sawgrass. McIlroy delivered an...
UCLA and South Carolina headline AP Top 25 women’s poll and are top seeds in NCAA Tournament
UCLA remained No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 on Monday one day after the Bruins earned the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. The Bruins head into March Madness with two losses, both coming to Southern Cal during...
Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins reach extensions with Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals have agreed to four-year extensions with receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, assuring that Joe Burrow will have his top two targets with him for some time. A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that Chase will become the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history,...
Chase, Higgins reach extensions with Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals have agreed to four-year extensions with receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, assuring that Joe Burrow will have his top two targets with him for some time. A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that Chase will become the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history,...
Duke remains at No. 1 in AP Top 25 entering March Madness; St. John’s rises to No. 5
Duke remained atop The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll on Monday a day after the committee that selects the 68-team field for the NCAA Tournament went with Auburn as the No. 1 overall seed. The Blue Devils (31-3) earned 49 of 59 first-place votes in the latest...
Homeland Security says professor deported to Lebanon with U.S. visa supported Hezbollah leader
BOSTON — Homeland Security officials on Monday said that a doctor from Lebanon who was deported over the weekend despite having a U.S. visa “openly admitted” to supporting a Hezbollah leader and attending his funeral. The department’s statement, posted on social media, provides a possible explanation Dr. Rasha Alawieh’s deportation,...
Private lunar lander Blue Ghost falls silent on the moon after a 2-week mission
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — It’s lights out for the first private lunar lander to pull off a fully successful moon mission. Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander fell silent over the weekend, wrapping up two weeks of science experiments for NASA. The end came as the sun set at the moon,...
ACLU asks judge to force the Trump administration to state under oath if it violated his court order
Plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed to halt deportations under a rarely-used 18th century wartime law invoked by President Donald Trump asked a federal judge Monday to force officials to explain under oath whether they violated his court order by removing more than 200 people from the country after it was...
Severe weather moves east after tornadoes, winds and wildfires killed at least 39 people
A dynamic storm that prompted foreboding predictions of dangerous weekend weather spawned tornadoes, dust storms and wildfires that killed at least 39 people and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses. The system that brought severe weather and flooding to the central and eastern part of the country over the weekend...
‘Stagflation’ risk puts Federal Reserve in tricky spot as it meets this week
WASHINGTON — When Federal Reserve officials last met in late January, things looked pretty good: Hiring was solid. The economy had just grown at a solid pace in last year’s final quarter. And inflation, while stubborn, had fallen sharply from its peak more than two years ago. What a difference...
Trump, Putin will speak on Tuesday about the war in Ukraine
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday as efforts continue to end to the war in Ukraine, a move that could represent a possible pivot point in the conflict and an opportunity for Trump to continue reorienting American foreign policy. Trump disclosed...
U.S. shoppers modestly increased spending in February as concerns rise about economic outlook
WASHINGTON — U.S. shoppers stepped up their spending a just bit in February after a sharp pullback the previous month, signaling that Americans are spending more cautiously as concerns about the direction of the economy mount. Retail sales rose just 0.2% in February, a small rebound after a sharp drop...
Congo says it will participate in peace talks with M23 rebels
DAKAR, Senegal — Congo’s government will participate in peace talks in Angola on Tuesday with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group that has captured key areas of Congo’s mineral-rich east, a spokesperson said Monday. A delegation representing Congo is currently in the Angolan capital, Luanda, for the talks, Tina Salama, the...
A new anti-LGBTQ+ bill in Hungary would ban Pride event and allow use of facial recognition software
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungary’s ruling coalition continued its crackdown on the country’s LBGTQ+ community on Monday, as members submitted a bill to parliament that would ban the popular Budapest Pride event and allow authorities to use facial recognition software to identify attendees. The bill is almost certain to pass, as...
Forever No More. Operator of mall staple Forever 21 files for bankruptcy protection
Forever 21 has filed for bankruptcy protection for a second time and plans to close down its U.S. business as traffic in U.S. shopping malls fades and competition from online retailers like Amazon, Temu and Shein intensifies. F21 OpCo, which runs Forever 21 stores, said late Sunday that it will...
Southern California Hindu temple desecrated with anti-India and anti-Hindu graffiti calls for peace
CHINO HILLS, Calif. — The recent desecration of an iconic Hindu temple in Southern California with anti-Hindu and anti-Indian government graffiti has heightened concerns among South Asian groups following a slew of such incidents over the past year. Devotees who arrived early morning on March 8 at the BAPS Shri...
Tariffs on lumber and appliances set stage for higher costs on new homes and remodeling projects
Shopping for a new home? Ready to renovate your kitchen or install a new deck? You’ll be paying more to do so. The Trump administration’s tariffs on imported goods from Canada, Mexico and China — some already in place, others set to take effect in a few weeks — are...
UCLA, South Carolina, USC, Texas earn top seeds for women’s NCAA TournamentVideo
UCLA is the top overall seed in the women’s NCAA Tournament. The Bruins were joined by South Carolina, Southern Cal and Texas as the No. 1 seeds that the NCAA revealed Sunday night. It’s the first time in school history that the Bruins are the top team in the tournament....
PJ Haggerty, No. 16 Memphis win AAC tourney over UAB
FORT WORTH, Texas — PJ Haggerty scored 23 points, Dain Dainja had another double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds and 16th-ranked Memphis won the American Athletic Conference tournament with an 84-72 win over UAB on Sunday. Haggerty put the Tigers (29-5) ahead to stay with his tiebreaking bankshot with...
Rory McIlroy, J.J. Spaun tie at The Players Championship to set up Monday playoff
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Rory McIlroy built a three-shot lead on the back nine at The Players Championship, and unheralded J.J. Spaun didn’t blink. They wound up tied after a four-hour rain delay and have to return Monday for a playoff to decide who wins the richest tournament in...
Josh Berry races to 1st NASCAR Cup Series win with Las Vegas score
LAS VEGAS — Josh Berry raced to the first Cup Series victory of his career, taking NASCAR’s oldest team to victory lane Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Berry, in his first season driving the famed No. 21 for Wood Brothers Racing, had the first victory for a Ford team...
Auburn, Duke, Houston, Florida receive No. 1 seeds for NCAA TournamentVideo
Auburn is the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, with Duke, Houston and Florida joining the Tigers on the No. 1 line in the March Madness brackets released Sunday. The NCAA selection committee favored the regular-season champs of the record-setting SEC despite three losses in their last four games,...
Tre Donaldson helps No. 22 Michigan rally to beat No. 18 Wisconsin for Big Ten titleVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Tre Donaldson and Vladislav Goldin each scored 11 points, and No. 22 Michigan closed Saturday’s Big Ten Tournament championship game on an 11-2 run to beat No. 18 Wisconsin, 59-53, and claim its first tourney crown since 2018. Donaldson also had eight assists one day after driving the...
‘Novocaine’ leads numbingly slow weekend at domestic box office
Five new movies opened wide in North American theaters this weekend including a starry spy picture from Steven Soderbergh, an A24 thriller, a Looney Tunes movie and a high concept action-comedy with “The Boys” star Jack Quaid. But the myriad options did not result in box office gold. When final...
