Associated Press stories, Page 326
Honda Civic hybrid, Ford Ranger and Volkswagen ID. Buzz win 2025 North American vehicle awards
DETROIT — The Honda Civic hybrid won the 2025 North American Car of the Year award, while the Ford Ranger took the crown for the truck honors, and Volkswagen ID. Buzz won the utility award. The honors, announced Friday morning during an Automotive Press Association event kicking off the North...
U.S. added a strong 256,000 jobs in December as unemployment rate dipped to 4.1%
U.S. hiring picked up unexpectedly in December as employers added a strong 256,000 jobs, another sign of the economy’s resilience in the face of high interest rates. The Labor Department reported Friday that job growth was up last month from 212,000 in November. For all of 2024, the economy added...
Constellation buying Calpine in $26.6 billion deal that would join 2 huge U.S. power companies
Constellation is buying power natural gas and geothermal power provider Calpine for $16.4 billion, joining together two of the country’s biggest power companies. The transaction includes 50 million shares of Constellation stock, $4.5 billion in cash and the assumption of approximately $12.7 billion of Calpine debt. When accounting for cash...
Kremlin welcomes the possibility of a meeting between Trump and Putin
The Kremlin has welcomed U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s readiness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a senior Moscow official said Friday. Russia attaches no conditions to the possibility of face-to-face talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a conference call. Trump said Thursday that “Putin wants to meet”...
Bodies found after gas explosion causes coal mine to collapse in southwest Pakistan
QUETTA, Pakistan — At least three miners have died after a methane gas explosion caused a coal mine to collapse in a remote area of southwest Pakistan, officials said Friday, as authorities launched an operation to rescue nine other missing workers. Abdul Ghani, a mines inspector, said the blast happened...
Judge will weigh holding Giuliani in contempt of court after jury’s $148 million defamation award
WASHINGTON — A federal judge is set to hear arguments Friday on whether to hold Rudy Giuliani in contempt of court for continuing to spread lies about two Georgia election workers after they secured a $148 million defamation judgment against him. Plaintiffs’ attorneys have asked U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell...
Trump gets no-penalty sentence in his hush money case, while calling it ‘despicable’
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday to no punishment at all in his hush money case, an outcome that cements his historic conviction while letting him return to the White House unencumbered by the threat of a jail term or a fine. With Trump appearing by video...
Americans have dimmer view of Biden than they did of Trump or Obama as term ends, AP-NORC poll finds
WASHINGTON — As Joe Biden prepares to leave office, Americans have a dimmer view of his presidency than they did at the end of Donald Trump’s first term or Barack Obama’s second, a new poll finds. Around one-quarter of U.S. adults said Biden was a “good” or “great” president, with...
Biden to deliver a capstone address on his foreign policy legacy as he makes way for Trump’s return
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden plans to deliver a capstone address Monday on his foreign policy legacy, according to the White House. The outgoing president is expected to use his address at the State Department to highlight his administration’s efforts to expand NATO, rally dozens of allies to provide Ukraine...
LA area’s 2 biggest blazes burn at least 10,000 structures, while new fire leads to more evacuations
LOS ANGELES — The two biggest wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area have killed at least 10 people and burned more than 10,000 homes and other structures, officials said as they urged more people to heed evacuation orders after a new blaze ignited and quickly grew. The Kenneth Fire started...
Notre Dame’s late interception dooms Penn State in Orange BowlVideo
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Penn State quarterback Drew Allar said he was trying to throw the ball into the ground. Notre Dame defensive back Christian Gray dove for it anyway and — luck of the Irish — the ball ended up right in his hands. A few seconds later, Gray...
Buccaneers-Commanders could be prime-time shootout
ASHBURN, Va. — Todd Bowles as a defensive coach does not want to see the wild-card playoff game between his Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Washington Commanders turn into a high-scoring shootout. His quarterback wouldn’t mind. “If you come out on the right side of it, yeah,” Baker Mayfield said....
Paul Peterson makes PGA Tour debut at age 36 and leaves an impressionVideo
HONOLULU — The Sony Open is the PGA Tour stop where introductions are in order, and Paul Peterson made quite the first impression. He opened with a 6-under-par 64 and shared the early lead with four others Thursday on a pleasant day at Waialae. Harry Hall, Denny McCarthy and Eric...
Appeals court denies bid to block public release of special counsel’s report on Trump Jan. 6 probe
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Thursday denied a bid to block the public release of special counsel Jack Smith’s report on President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals turned down a emergency challenge from Trump and his co-defendants...
Bills’ Von Miller won’t let affection for Broncos get in way of playoff objectiveVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Von Miller is as competitive as he can be sentimental, which is why the Buffalo Bills edge rusher won’t utter a negative word about the Denver Broncos. The memories are too fond, and the 10-plus seasons he spent in Colorado too meaningful. Denver is where the...
NFL moves Vikings-Rams playoff game to Arizona because of wildfires in Los AngelesVideo
LOS ANGELES — The NFL moved the Rams’ wild-card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings to Arizona after days of devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The game will be played Monday night at State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals, in suburban Glendale, Ariz. The league...
Doping clouds tennis talk at Australian Open with pair of stars facing scrutinyVideo
MELBOURNE, Australia — It is a topic that shadowed tennis in 2024 and is still a talking point as the 2025 Grand Slam season opens at the Australian Open on Saturday: doping and the cases involving Jannik Sinner — which is still not resolved — and Iga Swiatek. Both spent...
American orange juice, steel will be on Canada’s list for retaliation if Trump imposes tariffs
TORONTO — Canada is looking at putting retaliatory tariffs on American orange juice, toilets and some steel products if U.S. President-elect Donald Trump follows through with his threat to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian products, a senior official familiar with the matter said Thursday. The official said the wide-ranging...
NBA postpones game between Lakers and Hornets due to wildfires in Los Angeles areaVideo
LOS ANGELES — The NBA postponed the Los Angeles Lakers’ home game against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area. It is the second straight day a game slated to be played in downtown Los Angeles has been postponed. The NHL’s...
Tyreek Hill’s agent says he’s committed to the Dolphins and he played in 2024 with a broken wristVideo
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Tyreek Hill is committed to the Miami Dolphins, his agent said, despite the star wide receiver seeming to indicate otherwise last week. Agent Drew Rosenhaus called Hill “very passionate” on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday and said Hill’s comments suggesting he wanted out of...
Las Vegas Raiders fire general manager Tom Telesco after just 1 yearVideo
HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders continued their house cleaning Thursday, firing general manager Tom Telesco just two days after dismissing coach Antonio Pierce. The moves took place after the Raiders went 4-13 this season. “We appreciate his efforts in helping build a foundation for the future,” the club...
Former Steelers DB Townsend, ex-Jets coach Saleh interviewed for 49ers defensive coordinator postVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers began their search for a new defensive coordinator Thursday by interviewing Robert Saleh for a second stint at the job and Detroit Lions assistant Deshea Townsend. Townsend played defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1998-2009, recording 21 interceptions and 15 1/2...
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago
WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman will become the chamber’s first Democrat to meet with President-elect Donald Trump since the election and plans to travel to Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The trip marks Fetterman’s continuing evolution from a leading surrogate for President Joe Biden into a Trump-friendly lawmaker...
Researchers confirm ‘Music City Miracle’ star Frank Wycheck had CTE
Frank Wycheck, the NFL tight end best known for throwing the lateral that started the “Music City Miracle” and launched the Tennessee Titans’ run to the franchise’s lone Super Bowl appearance, had stage III chronic traumatic encephalopathy when he died on Dec. 9, 2023, at his Chattanooga home, his family...
WWE’s ‘Monday Night RAW’ Netflix debut averages 2.6M households in U.S., 4.9M globally
LOS ANGELES — The first episode of World Wrestling Entertainment’s “Monday Night RAW” on Netflix averaged 4.9 million viewers globally and 2.6 million households in the U.S., according to VideoAmp. Monday’s three-hour show from the Intuit Dome outside of Los Angeles kicked off WWE’s 10-year partnership with Netflix. The agreement,...
