Associated Press stories, Page 486
Pennsylvania man accused of beheading father in their home is competent to stand trial, judge rules
DOYLESTOWN — The man accused of beheading his father in their suburban Philadelphia home early this year and posting a video of the severed head online is competent to stand trial, a judge ruled Thursday. The decision by Judge Stephen Corr came after a five-hour hearing in which prosecutors and...
West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice in fight to keep historic hotel amid U.S. Senate campaign
CHARLESTON — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, is in a fight to keep his iconic Greenbrier hotel. A legal notice announcing a public auction for the luxury resort near White Sulphur Springs due to unpaid debts was publicized in the West Virginia Daily News...
GOP senators reject legislation that would expand child tax credit, restore business tax breaksVideo
WASHINGTON — A bill to expand the child tax credit and restore some tax breaks for businesses failed to advance Thursday in the Senate as Republicans largely opposed the measure, arguing they would be in position to get a better deal next year. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., dared Republicans...
Who’s in the prisoner swap between Russia and the West?
TALLINN, Estonia — One spent over 5½ years behind bars in Russia while other, higher-profile detainees were released ahead of him. Another was jailed for only a few months. They include journalists, veteran political activists and those simply opposed to the war in Ukraine. The youngest is 19, the oldest...
Simone Biles edges Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade for her 2nd Olympic all-around gymnastics titleVideo
PARIS — Simone Biles remains peerless. Even when she’s not quite perfect. The American gymnastics star edged Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade during a tense Olympic all-around final Thursday. Biles’ total of 59.131 was just ahead of Andrade at 57.932, one of the closest calls Biles has endured at a major international...
Tampa Bay’s Wirfs agrees to $140.63 million extension, becoming highest-paid OL in NFL historyVideo
Tampa Bay’s Tristan Wirfs became the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history after agreeing Thursday to a five-year, $140.63 million contract extension. The deal, which runs through 2029, surpasses extensions signed this year by Minnesota’s Christian Darrisaw (four years, $113 million) and Detroit’s Penei Sewell (four years, $112 million). ESPN...
Inmate sentenced to over 4 years in prison killing of Boston gangster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — An inmate was sentenced to more than four years Thursday for his role in the 2018 fatal bludgeoning of notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger in a troubled West Virginia federal prison. Massachusetts gangster Paul J. DeCologero was sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty to an...
Federal protections of transgender students are in effect where courts haven’t blocked them
New federal protections for transgender students at U.S. schools and colleges took effect Thursday with muted impact because judges have temporarily blocked enforcement in 25 states and hundreds of individual colleges and schools across the country. The regulation also adds protections for pregnant students and students who are parents, and...
Appeals court upholds Trump’s gag order as he again presses judge to bow out of hush money case
NEW YORK — Two months after his felony conviction, Donald Trump still isn’t allowed to say everything he wants about his historic hush money criminal case. After a New York appeals court upheld his gag order on Thursday, he won’t be for a while. The state’s mid-level appellate court denied...
Hezbollah leader says war with Israel has entered ‘new phase’ after killings of top militant figures
BEIRUT — Hezbollah’s leader warned Thursday that the conflict with Israel has entered a “new phase,” as he addressed mourners at the funeral of a commander from the group who was killed by an Israeli airstrike this week in Beirut. Meanwhile in Tehran, Iran’s supreme leader prayed over the body...
Mpox cases have surged by 160% in Africa so far this year, but few treatments and vaccines available
BANGUI, Central African Republic — African health officials said mpox cases have spiked by 160% so far this year, warning the risk of further spread is high given the lack of effective treatments or vaccines on the continent. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report...
Gordon Hayward retires after 14 NBA seasons with Utah, Boston, Charlotte and Oklahoma City
BROWNSBURG, Ind. — Gordon Hayward, who nearly gave Butler a national title over Duke with a half-court shot that just missed on the final play of the 2010 NCAA men’s basketball championship game, retired from the NBA after 14 seasons on Thursday. Hayward played for Utah, Boston, Charlotte and Oklahoma...
Proposed U.S. rule would ban airlines from charging parents additional fees to sit with their children
The U.S. Department of Transportation is proposing a new rule that would ban airlines from charging parents more to sit with their young children. Under the proposal, released Thursday, U.S. and foreign carriers would be required to seat children 13 or younger next to their parent or accompanying adult for...
What polling shows about the top VP contenders for Kamala Harris
As Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to announce her running mate, a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that several of the top contenders for the role are largely unknown to Americans. Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly stands out as one with more name recognition and...
Gershkovich, Whelan released in Russian prisoner swap; Fogel remains in custodyVideo
WASHINGTON — The United States and Russia completed their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history Thursday, with Moscow releasing journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan, along with dissidents, in a multinational deal that set two dozen people free, the White House said. The Wall Street Journal reported that...
Carrie Underwood will return to ‘American Idol’ as its newest judge
LOS ANGELES — Carrie Underwood will be the next singer to sit behind the judges’ table on “American Idol,” filling Katy Perry’s spot after her departure from the show in May. Underwood, who rose to fame after she won the singing competition show in 2005, will return 20 years later...
Trump ramps up his defense of Vance after one of the rockiest VP rollouts in recent memory
HARRISBURG — Donald Trump is used to defending himself. But this week, the Republican presidential nominee has been put in the rare position of having to defend someone else — his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. When Vance was first introduced at the Republican National Convention last month, many...
British police charge 17-year-old with murder over a stabbing attack that killed 3 children
LONDON — British police said Thursday they have charged a 17-year-old with murder over a stabbing attack that left three little girls dead and several more in critical condition. The charges came as the traumatized town of Southport cleaned up after a bout of far-right violence, and agitators fired up...
Hopes of finding more survivors in the mud and debris wane after landslides in India kill 194
WAYANAD, India — Hopes of finding more than 180 missing people alive waned as rescue workers searched through mud and debris for a third day Thursday after landslides set off by torrential rains killed at least 194 people in southern India. The rescue work was challenging in a forested, hilly...
Judge says jury did not follow instructions on damages in NFL ‘Sunday Ticket’ caseVideo
LOS ANGELES — The judge who presided over the class-action lawsuit filed by “Sunday Ticket” subscribers against the NFL said the jury did not follow his instructions in determining damages. U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez made the remark as he heard the NFL’s post-trial motion asking that Gutierrez rule for...
Dwight Freeney defied odds and scouts by spinning into Hall of Fame
INDIANAPOLIS — The conventional wisdom heading into the 2002 NFL Draft was Dwight Freeney was too small to play defensive end or hold up against the run. Critics also contended his trademark spin move would hit a wall against the league’s bigger, stronger offensive linemen. Former Colts general manager Bill...
U.S. men fall to 0-2 in 3×3 basketball pool play at Olympics with loss to PolandVideo
PARIS — The U.S. men’s 3x3 basketball team dropped to 0-2 in pool play in the Paris Olympics with a 19-17 loss to Poland on Wednesday night. Jimmer Fredette cut the lead to 1 with about 90 seconds left before Michal Sokolowski made a free throw a few seconds later...
Andre Johnson dedicating Hall of Fame honor to Houston
HOUSTON — Andre Johnson knows his induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame isn’t simply about him. As the first Houston Texan to become a member of the esteemed group, the receiver is representing so much more. “This was for the whole city of Houston. It’s for the whole...
By the dozen, accusers tell of rampant sexual abuse at Pennsylvania juvenile detention facilities
A group of nearly 70 people alleged Wednesday they were sexually abused as children while housed in detention centers in Pennsylvania, adding to earlier lawsuits targeting what the accusers’ lawyers say is the state’s broken juvenile justice system. The latest group of plaintiffs filed suit in state or federal court...
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused as the main plotter of 9/11 attacks, agrees to plead guilty
WASHINGTON — Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused as the mastermind of al-Qaida’s Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, has agreed to plead guilty, the Defense Department said Wednesday. The development points to a long-delayed resolution in an attack that killed thousands and altered the course of the United States...
