Associated Press stories, Page 355
Trump appoints longtime foreign policy adviser Richard Grenell to serve as special missions envoy
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday that he’s picked longtime foreign policy adviser Richard Grenell to serve as an envoy for special missions, tasking him with helping the incoming administration deal with some of the toughest foreign policy challenges. Grenell served as ambassador to Germany during...
Columbus, Ohio, police launch homicide investigation after bodies of 3 women found in home
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Authorities in Ohio launched a homicide investigation after the bodies of three women were found Saturday inside a home in Columbus. Officers were called to a home on the city’s south side just before 4 p.m. Saturday for what a 911 caller described as a medical event....
Ukrainian drone hits Russia’s Chechnya as Kyiv continues pushback after Moscow bombardment
KYIV, Ukraine — A Ukrainian drone struck a campus belonging to Russia’s National Guard Sunday in the Russian region of Chechnya, as Kyiv continues to strike back after a mass air attack from Moscow. Footage on social media showed a drone swooping low over the Chechen capital, Grozny, some 500...
Jackson State wins its first Celebration Bowl, beating South Carolina State
ATLANTA — Jacobian Morgan threw a pair of touchdown passes to Joanes Fortilien, Irv Mulligan added two short touchdown runs and Jackson State defeated South Carolina State, 28-7, on Saturday in the Celebration Bowl that serves as the HBCU national championship. The Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Tigers (12-2) outgained the...
Bishop Davenport, South Alabama rally to beat Western Michigan at Veterans Bowl
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Bishop Davenport made his second start of the season and accounted for three touchdowns, Jeremiah Webb had six receptions for 182 yards and two TDs on Saturday night and South Alabama rallied to beat Western Michigan, 30-23, at the Veterans Bowl. South Alabama (7-6), under first-year head...
Racy photos of Bashar Assad discovered after his fall spark ridicule
BEIRUT — Bizarre and personal photos of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad have surfaced from his abandoned residences, sparking ridicule among Syrians who only until recently were persecuted for criticizing his leadership. The images, reportedly discovered in photo albums from Assad’s mansions in the hills of Damascus and Aleppo, painted...
Death toll in French territory of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido is ‘several hundred,’ top official says
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — The death toll in the French territory of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido is “several hundred” and may run into the thousands, the island’s top government official told a local broadcaster Sunday. France rushed rescue teams and supplies to its largely poor overseas department in the...
Police search for whoever discarded an emaciated bulldog inside a trash bag in Iowa
DES MOINES, Iowa — Police are trying to find out who taped a bulldog inside a trash bag and abandoned him in Des Moines. The emaciated dog was found Tuesday afternoon near a railroad viaduct with his head sticking out of a black plastic garbage bag. The dog was unable...
Palestinian refugees return to Yarmouk amid questions about their place in the new Syria
DAMASCUS — The Yarmouk refugee camp outside Damascus was considered the capital of the Palestinian diaspora before the war in Syria reduced it to row after row of blasted out buildings where there were once falafel stands, pharmacies and mosques. Taken over by a series of militant groups then bombarded...
Mystery drone sightings keep happening in New Jersey. Here’s what we know (and don’t know)
A large number of mysterious drones have been reported flying over parts of New Jersey and the East Coast in recent weeks, sparking speculation and concern over who sent them and why. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden asking for answers. New Jersey’s new senator, Andy...
Charles Dickens’ characters come alive in a Dutch town enamored with the English author
DEVENTER, Netherlands — The Dutch city of Deventer transformed Saturday into a pocket of 19th-century England, with 950 people in costumes bringing characters from Charles Dickens’ books to life. Oliver Twist, Ebenezer Scrooge and Miss Havisham were among the characters at hand, mingling with chimney sweeps, livestock and Christmas carolers...
Colorado 2-way star Travis Hunter wins Heisman Trophy
NEW YORK — Two-way star Travis Hunter of Colorado won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, punctuating a tireless performance by a dynamic player with a unique combination of skills. The wide receiver and lockdown cornerback dominated on both sides of the ball for coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes,...
Blake Horvath shines as Navy dominates in a 31-13 victory over Bryson Daily and No. 19 ArmyVideo
LANDOVER, Md. — This was an Army-Navy game unlike any before it. The teams had combined for 19 victories this season before their annual clash, a record for the rivalry. Of course, only one of them would be responsible for No. 20, the biggest win of them all. “I think...
Baldwin sets school record 16 assists to lead Penn St. to 48-point win over Coppin St.Video
UNIVERSITY PARK — Yanic Konan Niederhauser scored 14 points, Ace Baldwin Jr. set a single-game program assists record and Penn State overwhelmed Coppin State, 99-51, on Saturday. Baldwin, a fifth-year senior, recorded his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 11 points and distributing a career-high 16 assists. Tom Doaty held...
Javon Small scores 27 to propel West Virginia to 84-61 victory over Bethune-CookmanVideo
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Javon Small scored 27 to lead West Virginia to an 84-61 victory over Bethune-Cookman on Saturday night. Small made 7 of 15 shots from the floor, with two 3-pointers, and all 11 of his free throws for the Mountaineers (8-2), who have won four in a row...
Movie Review: ‘Kraven the Hunter’ is another misfire in the Spider-Man universeVideo
Kraven the Hunter can climb sheer walls like a gorilla, snatch fish out of streams like a bear and outrun deer. But there’s something this slab of human beef can’t do: Anchor a decent movie. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays the titular hero in “Kraven the Hunter,” the sixth attempt in Sony’s...
Storms across U.S. bring heavy snow, dangerous ice and a tornado in California
OMAHA, Neb. — A tornado near a mall in central California swept up cars, uprooted trees and sent several people to the hospital. In San Francisco, authorities issued the first-ever tornado warning. Elsewhere, inclement weather plagued areas of the U.S., with dangerous conditions including heavy snow in upstate New York,...
Ducks trade D Cam Fowler to St. Louis, ending his 15-season tenure in Anaheim
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Ducks traded Cam Fowler to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, abruptly ending the veteran defenseman’s 15-season tenure in Anaheim. The Blues sent a second-round pick in 2027 and minor-league defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka to Anaheim for a fourth-round pick in 2027 and Fowler, the top-scoring defenseman...
Drones, planes or UFOs? Americans abuzz over mysterious New Jersey sightings
CHATHAM, N.J. — That buzzing coming out of New Jersey? It’s unclear if it’s drones or something else, but for sure the nighttime sightings are producing tons of talk, a raft of conspiracy theories and craned necks looking skyward. Cropping up on local news and social media sites around Thanksgiving,...
Former Manhattan prosecutor to represent suspect in killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO
NEW YORK — The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO has added a prominent defense lawyer to his legal team as Manhattan prosecutors work to return him from Pennsylvania to face a murder charge. Luigi Mangione will be represented by Karen Friedman Agnifilo, who was a high-ranking deputy in...
Ukrainian drones strike Russia as Kyiv reels from consecutive massive air attacks
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian drone strikes on southern Russia killed a 9-year-old boy and set fire to a major oil terminal, officials said Saturday, the day after Moscow launched a massive aerial attack on its neighbor that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was one of the heaviest bombardments of the...
U.S. officials have been in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group that ousted Assad, Blinken says
AQABA, Jordan — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that American officials have been in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group that spearheaded the overthrow of President Bashar Assad’s government but is designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States and others. Blinken is the first...
South Korea’s parliament votes to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his martial law order
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s parliament on Saturday impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his stunning and short-lived martial law decree, a move that ended days of political paralysis but set up an intense debate over Yoon’s fate, as jubilant crowds roared to celebrate another defiant moment in the...
Trump wants to end daylight saving time
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump wants to turn the lights out on daylight saving time. In a post on his social media site Friday, Trump said his party would try to end the practice when he returns to office. “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate...
‘Crown of Thorns’ returns to Notre Dame Cathedral for public veneration
PARIS — An ancient relic that many Christians revere as Jesus Christ’s “Crown of Thorns” returned Friday to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, five years after it was saved from the flames of the medieval monument’s devastating 2019 fire. The crown — a circular band of branches encased in a...
