Associated Press stories, Page 493
People flee Idaho town through tunnel of fire and smoke as Western wildfires spread
Lightning strikes have sparked fast-moving wildfires in Idaho, prompting the evacuation of multiple communities, including one in which a man drove past a building and trees engulfed in flames as a tunnel of smoke rose over the roadway. Videos posted to social media include a man who said he heard...
Autopsy findings confirm Sonya Massey, Black woman shot by deputy, died from gunshot wound to head
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Autopsy findings released Friday on Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman fatally shot in her Illinois home by a now-fired sheriff’s deputy charged in her death, confirm that she died from a gunshot wound to the head. Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon had previously disclosed initial findings...
Agreement with Russia is ‘deal with the devil,’ adviser to Ukrainian president says
KYIV, Ukraine — Signing an agreement with Russia to stop the war with Ukraine would amount to signing a deal with the devil, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as pressure mounts on the country to seek an end to more than two years of fighting. A...
Sunken treasure: Is the champagne nestled in a 19th-century shipwreck still fit for a toast?
WARSAW, Poland — Is the 19th century Champagne on the bottom of the Baltic Sea still fit for a toast? A team of Polish divers has discovered the wreckage of an old sailing ship loaded “to the brim” with luxury goods including porcelain items and about 100 bottles of Champagne...
Paris Olympics off to rough start, with sabotaged trains and weather dampening mood before opening
PARIS — The Paris Olympics were getting off to a rough start Friday, with suspected acts of sabotage targeting France’s flagship high-speed rail network and cloudy skies and forecast rains over the French capital ahead of its sprawling, ambitious opening ceremony. On a day of utmost importance for France and...
Barack and Michelle Obama endorse Kamala Harris, giving her expected but crucial support
ATLANTA — Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have endorsed Kamala Harris in her White House bid, giving the vice president the expected but still crucial backing of the nation’s two most popular Democrats. The endorsement, announced Friday morning in a video showing Harris accepting a...
Oakland All-Star closer Mason Miller breaks left pinky finger pounding training table in frustrationVideo
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Oakland Athletics All-Star closer Mason Miller broke the pinky finger on his non-pitching hand when he pounded a table in frustration after he was reminded he had to do postgame lifting following Monday night’s game against Houston. The 25-year-old right-hander, the hardest-throwing pitcher in the major leagues...
Clayton Kershaw makes 2024 debut with Dodgers, strikes out 6
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw made his season debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, striking out six and allowing two runs and six hits in his return from offseason shoulder surgery. With his return to the lineup against the San Francisco Giants, Kershaw became the only pitcher to...
Bridgeman shoots an 8-under 63 at the TPC Twin Cities to take the 3M Open leadVideo
BLAINE, Minn. — Jacob Bridgeman birdied five of his last seven holes for an 8-under-par 63 and a one-stroke lead over Mackenzie Hughes on Thursday after the first round of the 3M Open. Patrick Rodgers, Martin Trainer and Andrew Novak were two shots back at the TPC Twin Cities. Billy...
Bears’ Jonathan Owens leaves camp to support wife Simone Biles at Olympics
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Most NFL players wouldn’t take five days off during the peak of job battles at training camp. Then again, most NFL players aren’t Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens. The sixth-year backup is taking the time away to watch his wife, Simone Biles, compete for the U.S....
‘El Mayo’ Zambada, historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, and son of ‘El Chapo’ arrested in U.S.
WASHINGTON — Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of another infamous cartel leader, were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas on Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department said. A leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel for decades alongside Joaquín “El...
Canada women’s soccer coach removed over drone controversy
PARIS — The Canadian Olympic Committee removed women’s national soccer coach Bev Priestman for the remainder of the Paris Games following an alleged drone spying scandal. The COC said in a statement released early Friday that assistant coach Andy Spence would lead the defending gold medalists for the remainder of...
Browns coach Stefanski holding onto calling plays; 2 defensive starters out injured as camp opensVideo
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — The Cleveland Browns intend to follow the same steps that got them to the playoffs last season. After one day of training camp, it already feels like 2023 again. Moments after the team finished its first practice at Greenbrier Resort, coach Kevin Stefanski revealed that...
Economic growth increased last quarter to a healthy 2.8% annual rateVideo
WASHINGTON — The nation’s economy accelerated last quarter at a strong 2.8% annual pace, with consumers and businesses helping drive growth despite the pressure of continually high interest rates. Thursday’s report from the Commerce Department said the gross domestic product — the economy’s total output of goods and services —...
At Paris Olympics, anti-doping leaders accept that some cheating is inevitableVideo
PARIS — The days are over when Olympic organizers and anti-doping officials would typically predict “the cleanest Games ever.” Not at the Paris Olympics. “It’s not our role to do it,” World Anti-Doping Agency President Witold Banka said Thursday. “It’s not that now we want to assure that every single...
Gabrielle Giffords stumps for Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania as campaign for running mate takes shape
PHILADELPHIA — Gabrielle Giffords, the former Democratic congresswoman who was grievously wounded in a 2011 shooting in her Arizona district, took to the campaign trail Thursday for Vice President Kamala Harris, as Harris’ nascent presidential campaign gets off the ground and a parallel campaign to be Harris’ running mate takes...
House Republicans vote to rebuke Kamala Harris over administration’s handling of border policy
WASHINGTON — House Republicans are moving quickly to emphasize Vice President Kamala Harris’s role in the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S. border with Mexico, passing a resolution Thursday that condemns her performance in the job. The resolution, which is purely symbolic, echoes an attack line that Republican Donald Trump...
Scherzer passes Verlander for 10th on career strikeout list at 3,394, most among active pitchersVideo
ARLINGTON, Texas — Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer moved into 10th place on the career strikeout list — and the most among active pitchers — when the Texas Rangers right-hander recorded his 3,394th on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox. Scherzer passed fellow three-time Cy Young winner Justin...
Flyers sign All-Star Travis Konecny to an 8-year extension worth $70 millionVideo
The Philadelphia Flyers signed All-Star Travis Konecny to an eight-year extension worth $70 million, committing to him being a long-term part of their core as they seek to shift from rebuilding mode to contending. The deal announced Thursday keeps Konecny under contract through 2033. He will count $8.75 million against...
Dylan Cease throws 2nd no-hitter in San Diego Padres historyVideo
WASHINGTON — Dylan Cease pitched the second no-hitter in San Diego Padres history, a 3-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Thursday that completed a three-game sweep. After falling one out short of a no-hitter two years ago when he gave up a single to current teammate Luis Arráez, Cease...
Chicken wings advertised as ‘boneless’ can have bones, Ohio Supreme Court decides
Consumers cannot expect boneless chicken wings to actually be free of bones, a divided Ohio Supreme Court ruled Thursday, rejecting claims by a restaurant patron who suffered serious medical complications from getting a bone stuck in his throat. Michael Berkheimer was dining with his wife and friends at a wing...
Kamala Harris is using Beyoncé’s ‘Freedom’ as her campaign song: What to know about the anthem
NEW YORK — In Vice President Kamala Harris’ first 2024 presidential campaign video, a familiar rhythm rings out. The clip, which touches on issues of gun violence, health care and abortion, is soundtracked by Beyoncé’s “Freedom,” a cut from her 2016 landmark album, “Lemonade.” “We choose freedom,” Harris says in...
Spicy dispute over the origins of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos winds up in court
A court case could soon settle a spicy dispute: Who invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos? A former PepsiCo executive is suing the company, saying it destroyed his career after questioning his claim that he invented the popular flavor of Cheetos snacks. PepsiCo said Thursday it has no comment on the lawsuit,...
The Olympics are coming to the capital of fashion. Expect uniforms befitting a Paris runway
PARIS — Sure, they call it the City of Light. But Paris is also the City of Fashion, one of most influential fashion capitals of the world for decades, no, centuries (remember Louis XIV?) So it’s no surprise that fashion designers across the globe are busy getting their national team...
U.S. viewers’ Olympics interest is down, poll finds, except for Simone Biles
PARIS—Following low ratings for the coronavirus pandemic-marred Tokyo and Beijing Olympics, Paris may not do much better among U.S. viewers, a new Gallup poll released Thursday found. Simone Biles and women’s gymnastics are poised to be a bright spot, with those surveyed selecting it as their most anticipated sport. But...
