Associated Press stories, Page 323

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Trevor Lawrence has ditched the crutches and the walking boot. The Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback feels “a lot better” than he thought he would two days after suffering a high ankle sprain against Cincinnati. Lawrence sat out practice Wednesday but wouldn’t rule out playing Sunday at Cleveland (7-5),...

WASHINGTON — White House officials will take more time to review a sweeping plan from U.S. health regulators to ban menthol cigarettes, an unexpected delay that anti-tobacco groups fear could scuttle the long-awaited rule. Administration officials indicated Wednesday the process will continue into next year, targeting March to implement the...

WASHINGTON — The military announced late Wednesday it was grounding all of its Osprey V-22 helicopters, one week after eight Air Force Special Operations Command service members died in a crash off the coast of Japan. The Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps took the extraordinary step of grounding hundreds...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Major-league teams stocked up on pitching Wednesday in the big-league phase of the winter meeting draft of unprotected players, taking pitchers with eight of the 10 selections — including three from the New York Yankees’ system. The Yankees lost a pair of right-handers in first two picks,...

LAS VEGAS — A day after NCAA President Charlie Baker made an aggressive and potentially groundbreaking pitch to allow some schools to pay their athletes, his proposal was met with praise, caution and questions from around college sports. “I think Charlie has indicated his intent for that to begin a...

EAGAN, Minn. — Joshua Dobbs still has the starting quarterback job for the Minnesota Vikings. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell announced Wednesday that Dobbs will remain the starter this week, after he threw four interceptions — three of them off deflections of varying degrees — during a damaging 12-10 loss at...

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Though disappointed in the allegations of domestic violence made against Von Miller, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane stressed Wednesday that he wants the legal process to play out and not rush to making any judgments. Otherwise, Beane said, Miller will participate in practice and is...

BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback situation remains cloudy and somewhat convoluted. At least they’re consistent. Coach Kevin Stefanski declined to announce his starter for this week’s game against Jacksonville on Wednesday, saying he wants to evaluate practices before choosing between Joe Flacco and rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson. “We’ll make...

RENO, Nev. — A Nevada grand jury on Wednesday indicted six Republicans who submitted certificates to Congress falsely declaring Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 presidential election in their state, making Nevada the third to seek charges against so-called “fake electors.” “We cannot allow attacks on democracy to go...

LAS VEGAS — The man suspected of fatally shooting three people and wounding another at a Las Vegas university Wednesday was a professor who unsuccessfully sought a job at the school, a law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press. The gunman was killed in...

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The number of candidates on stage is shrinking, but the fundamentals of Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate may be familiar to anyone who has watched the previous three meetings. No one has yet emerged as the clear Republican alternative to former President Donald Trump, whose lead is so...

Former President Donald Trump is urging supporters to “guard the vote” during next year’s election, a phrase that has set off alarm bells among pro-democracy advocates who say it signals permission to take extreme measures that could intimidate voters and threaten election workers. The phrase is a relatively novel one...

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy is away from the team to undergo surgery for appendicitis but expects to be on the sideline Sunday night for a highly anticipated rematch with Philadelphia. The team said McCarthy was hospitalized after experiencing abdominal pain Wednesday morning. He was expected to...

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Banning marijuana growing at home, increasing the substance’s tax rate and altering how those taxes get distributed are among vast changes Ohio Senate Republicans proposed Monday to a marijuana legalization measure approved by voters last month. The changes emerged suddenly in committee just days before the new...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday in a lightning tour intended to raise Moscow’s profile as a Middle East power broker, even as his war in Ukraine grinds on. Putin landed in Abu Dhabi, the capital of...

McDonald’s expects to open nearly 10,000 restaurants over the next four years, a pace of growth that would be unprecedented even for the world’s largest burger chain. At an investor update Wednesday, the Chicago burger giant said it aims to have 50,000 restaurants in operation worldwide by the end of...

U.S. health officials have launched an inspection of a plant in Ecuador that made the cinnamon applesauce pouches linked to dozens of cases of acute lead poisoning in U.S. children. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said that contaminated cinnamon is the likely source of the lead. An FDA...

MADISON, Wis. — Ten Republicans who posed as fake electors for former President Donald Trump in Wisconsin and filed paperwork falsely saying he had won the battleground state have settled a civil lawsuit and admitted their actions were part of an effort to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory, attorneys who...

LOS ANGELES — Two months after his historic ouster as House speaker, Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California announced on Wednesday that he is resigning from his congressional seat and will leave by the end of the year. His announcement marked the stunning coming end of the House career of...

Google took its next leap in artificial intelligence Wednesday with the launch of project Gemini, an AI model trained to behave in human-like ways that’s likely to intensify the debate about the technology’s potential promise and perils. The rollout will unfold in phases, with less sophisticated versions of Gemini called...

AUSTIN, Texas — A pregnant Texas woman whose fetus has a fatal diagnosis asked a court Tuesday to let her have an abortion, bringing what her attorneys say is the first lawsuit of its kind in the U.S. since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. Texas is one of...

NEW YORK — The heads of Wall Street’s biggest banks used an appearance on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to plead with senators to stop the Biden administration’s proposed changes to how banks are regulated, warning that the new proposals could negatively impact the economy at a time of geopolitical turmoil...

Norman Lear, the writer, director and producer who revolutionized prime time television with “All in the Family” and “Maude,” propelling political and social turmoil into the once-insulated world of sitcoms, has died. He was 101. Lear died Tuesday night in his sleep, surrounded by family at his home in Los...

NEW YORK — Is the year of Taylor Swift over now? Not yet. Time magazine named Swift its person of the year on Wednesday, a week after Spotify announced she was the most-played artist on the streaming platform. Swift was picked from a group of nine finalists that included Barbie,...