Associated Press stories, Page 642
To revive stale U.S. sales, candy companies pitch gum as a stress reliever and concentration aid
Candy companies want to know: What will make Americans start chewing gum again? Gum’s bubble burst during the covid-19 pandemic, when masks and social distancing made bad breath less of a worry and fewer people spent on impulse buys. The number of packages of gum sold dropped by nearly a...
For social platforms, the outage was short. But people’s stories vanished, and that’s no small thing
NEW YORK — Once upon a time, there was a brief outage on some social media platforms. It got fixed. The end. On the face of it, kind of a boring story. But the widespread attention given to the blanking of Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, Threads and Messenger platforms on Tuesday...
Biden uses feisty State of the Union to contrast with Trump, sell voters on a second termVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden turned his State of the Union speech Thursday night into an animated argument for a second term as he laced into GOP front-runner Donald Trump for espousing “resentment, revenge and retribution” and jeopardizing freedom at home and abroad. Over and over, Biden delivered broadsides at...
Federal judge orders U.S. minority business agency to serve all races
NEW YORK — A federal judge in Texas has ordered a 55-year-old U.S. agency that caters to minority-owned businesses to serve people regardless of race, siding with white business owners who claimed the program discriminated against them. The ruling was a significant victory for conservative activists waging a far-ranging legal...
Pitt women fall to Georgia Tech in 1st round of ACC Tournament
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Tonie Morgan had 24 points and 11 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season, Kara Dunn added 14 points and nine rebounds and 10th-seeded Georgia Tech knocked off No. 15 seed Pitt, 73-60, on Wednesday in the first round of the ACC Tournament. Georgia Tech (17-14)...
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs legislation protecting IVF providers from legal liability into law
MONTGOMERY — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation into law Wednesday shielding in vitro fertilization providers from potential legal liability raised by a court ruling that equated frozen embryos to children. The decision by the Alabama Supreme Court last month raised concerns about civil liabilities for clinics and prompted an...
After Ohio train derailment, tank cars didn’t need to be blown open to release chemical, NTSB says
The decision to blow open five tank cars and burn the toxic chemical inside them after a freight train derailed in Eastern Ohio last year wasn’t justified, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board told Congress on Wednesday. But she said the key decision-makers who feared those tank cars...
Hot start helps Jamie Dixon, TCU beat West Virginia
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Emanuel Miller scored 21 points, and TCU rode a hot start to a 93-81 victory over West Virginia on Wednesday night. Jameer Nelson Jr. added 17 points, Micah Peavy scored 16 and Chuck O’Bannon 11 for TCU (20-10, 9-8 Big 12). The Horned Frogs broke a two-game...
From Herschel Walker to Russell Wilson, a look at some of the worst NFL trades ever
In a span of just a few days in the 2022 offseason, the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns made aggressive trades to acquire what they hoped would be franchise-altering quarterbacks. The results so far have been underwhelming. The Broncos are cutting ties already with Russell Wilson after investing heavy draft...
New York sends National Guard to subways after a string of violent crimesVideo
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced plans Wednesday to send the National Guard to the New York City subway system to help police search passengers’ bags for weapons, following a series of high-profile crimes on city trains. Hochul, a Democrat, said she will deploy 750 members of the National Guard...
Bay Hill still boasts a strong field. It’s just a lot smallerVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Arnold Palmer Invitational is now one of the signature events on the PGA Tour, meaning it has a $20 million purse with one of the strongest fields of the year on a tough golf course at Bay Hill that rarely produces surprise winners. In other words,...
Bills releasing Jordan Poyer, Mitch Morse; Tre’Davious White also will be cut
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills underwent a drastic makeover on Wednesday, with salary cap constraints forcing the four-time AFC East defending champions to cut into their core by releasing five players, including safety Jordan Poyer and center Mitch Morse. Also cut was cornerback Tre’Davious White, a person with...
Jury convicts movie armorer of involuntary manslaughter in fatal shooting by Alec BaldwinVideo
SANTA FE, N.M. — A jury convicted a movie weapons supervisor of involuntary manslaughter on Wednesday in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal on the set of the Western movie “Rust.” The verdict against movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed assigns new blame in the...
House passes $460 billion package of spending bills. Senate expected to act before shutdown deadline
WASHINGTON — The House passed a $460 billion package of spending bills Wednesday that would keep money flowing to key federal agencies through the remainder of the budget year. The Senate is expected to take up the legislation before a midnight Friday shutdown deadline. Lawmakers are negotiating a second package...
Ex-Google software engineer charged with stealing AI technology while working with Chinese companies
WASHINGTON — A former software engineer at Google has been charged with stealing artificial intelligence technology from the company while secretly working with two companies based in China, the Justice Department said Wednesday. Linwei Ding, a Chinese national, was arrested in Newark, Calif., on four counts of federal trade secret...
Former track coach sentenced to five years for duping female athletes into sending nude photos
BOSTON — A former college track and field coach was sentenced Wednesday to five years behind bars for setting up sham social media and email accounts in an attempt to trick women, including some he coached, into sending him nude or semi-nude photos of themselves. Steve Waithe, who coached at...
Contenders Florida, Colorado, Edmonton make moves ahead of NHL trade deadline
Stanley Cup contenders aren’t waiting until the NHL trade deadline day to shore up depth for what they hope is a long playoff run. The league-leading Florida Panthers got deeper on the wing Wednesday by acquiring Vladimir Tarasenko from Ottawa, Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers added a pair of centers in...
County exec sues New York over an order to rescind his ban on transgender female athletes
MINEOLA, N.Y. — A Republican official in New York City’s suburbs who prohibited transgender athletes from participating in girls and women’s sports competitions has asked a federal court to affirm that he has the power to implement the ban. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday...
Texas man arrested in alleged scam attempt against disgraced former congressman George Santos
NEW YORK — A Texas man was arrested Wednesday on accusations that he schemed to dupe George Santos into wiring him money with the false promise that he could get the criminal corruption charges against the disgraced congressman dropped. Federal prosecutors said Hector Medina of El Paso concocted a fake...
Alabama legislation to protect IVF providers moves toward final approval
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama lawmakers racing to restart in vitro fertilization services in the state are set to weigh final approval for legislation shielding providers from the fallout of a court ruling that equated frozen embryos to children. The state Senate and House will consider identical bills Wednesday that would...
Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips ends Democratic primary challenge and endorses President Joe Biden
MINNEAPOLIS — U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota ended his long-shot 2024 Democratic presidential bid on Wednesday after failing to win a primary contest against President Joe Biden. Phillips told WCCO Radio in Minneapolis that he was endorsing Biden. Phillips, a 55-year-old multimillionaire who is among the richest members of...
Prosecutors drop charges midtrial against 3 accused of possessing stolen ‘Hotel California’ lyrics
NEW YORK — New York prosecutors abruptly dropped their criminal case midtrial Wednesday against three men who had been accused of conspiring to possess a cache of hand-drafted lyrics to “Hotel California” and other Eagles hits. Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Aaron Ginandes informed the judge at 10 a.m. that prosecutors...
8 teens injured in Philadelphia bus shooting, 4th gunfire incident in as many daysVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Police say eight Philadelphia high school students waiting to board a city bus after classes Wednesday were wounded by gunshots from suspects who jumped from a car and opened fire, the fourth shooting on the transit system in as many days. The previous three shootings each involved a...
McConnell endorses Trump for president. He once blamed Trump for ‘disgraceful’ Jan. 6, 2021, attackVideo
WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell endorsed Donald Trump for president on Wednesday, a remarkable turnaround from the onetime critic who blamed the then-president for “disgraceful” acts in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack but now supports his bid to return to the White House. McConnell, who was the...
U.S. destroyer shoots down missile and drones launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A U.S. destroyer shot down drones and a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels toward it in the Red Sea, officials said Wednesday, as the Indian navy released images of it fighting a fire aboard a container ship earlier targeted by the Houthis. The assault...
