Associated Press stories, Page 679
Ace Baldwin scores 15 points, D’Marco Dunn adds 14 to lead Penn State past Rutgers
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Ace Baldwin Jr. scored 15 points, D’Marco Dunn added 14 and Penn State defeated Rutgers 61-46 on Wednesday night. Baldwin added seven assists and five steals for the Nittany Lions (10-11, 4-6 Big Ten). Dunn had seven rebounds and three steals. Qudus Wahab had nine points and...
European Union overcomes threat of Hungary veto to seal $54 billion aid package for Ukraine
BRUSSELS — Leaders of the 27 European Union countries sealed a deal Thursday to provide Ukraine with 50 billion euros ($54 billion) in support for its war-ravaged economy after Hungary dropped weeks of threats to veto the measure. European Council President Charles Michel said the agreement “locks in steadfast, long-term,...
House passes bill to enhance child tax credit, revive key tax breaks for businesses
WASHINGTON — The House accomplished something unusual Wednesday in passing with broad, bipartisan support a roughly $79 billion tax cut package that would enhance the child tax credit for millions of lower-income families and boost three tax breaks for businesses, a combination that gives lawmakers on both sides of the...
PGA Tour strikes $3 billion deal with Fenway-led investment group. Players to get equity ownershipVideo
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — The PGA Tour is getting a $3 billion investment from Strategic Sports Group in a deal announced Wednesday that would give players access to more than $1.5 billion as equity owners in the new PGA Tour Enterprises. The launch of PGA Tour Enterprises, with SSG as...
Pebble Beach has an elite field, no celebrities but the same old ‘Crosby’ weatherVideo
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Even with a smaller field and a bigger purse, one element about Pebble Beach doesn’t change. Just check in with Tony Finau. He was on the seventh hole, among the most famous par 3s in golf that measures 106 yards down the hill toward the waves...
After Teamsters meeting, Trump says of possible union endorsement, ‘Stranger things have happened’
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump met with leaders of the Teamsters Union on Wednesday in Washington as he tried to chip away at President Joe Biden’s organized labor support heading into a likely general election rematch. Trump participated in a roundtable with the union’s executive board, its president and...
Alec Baldwin pleads not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charge in fatal film set shooting
SANTA FE, N.M. — Actor Alec Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer during a rehearsal on a Western movie set in New Mexico. Court documents filed Wednesday show Baldwin entered the plea in state district court in Santa Fe,...
First of back-to-back atmospheric rivers pushes into California. Officials urge storm preparationsVideo
LOS ANGELES — The first of two back-to-back atmospheric rivers slowly pushed into California on Wednesday, triggering statewide storm preparations and calls for people to get ready for potential flooding, heavy snow and damaging wind. Known as a “Pineapple Express” because its long plume of moisture stretched back across the...
Blue Jackets rookie C Adam Fantilli expected to miss 8 weeks after being cut with skateVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus Blue Jackets rookie center Adam Fantilli is expected to miss eight weeks after being cut on the left calf with a skate blade in Sunday’s game at Seattle. The injury to the 19-year-old Fantilli, announced by the team on Wednesday, is the latest blow for the...
Early money heavily on Kansas City Chiefs to repeat as Super Bowl champions
LAS VEGAS — Minutes after beating Baltimore 17-10 on Sunday to clinch a spot in the Super Bowl, Travis Kelce had a message to send. “The Chiefs are still the Chiefs,” Kelce said. Bettors agree. The early money is heavily on Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City to repeat as Super...
Federal judge dismisses Disney’s free speech lawsuit against Ron DeSantis
ORLANDO, Fla. — A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed Disney’s free speech lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, leaving the company’s remaining hopes of regaining control of the district that governs Walt Disney World to a separate state court challenge. U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor in Tallahassee said in his...
Repeating in NFL used to be more common, but Chiefs aim to be first back-to-back champs in 19 years
Repeat championships in the NFL used to be more common. Over the first 39 Super Bowls, it happened eight times. But no team has done it since Tom Brady and the New England Patriots won two in a row following the 2003-04 seasons. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs...
Federal Reserve signals that interest rate cuts aren’t imminent and leaves them unchanged for now
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve indicated Wednesday that it’s nearing a long-awaited shift toward cutting interest rates, a sign that its officials have grown confident that they’re close to fully taming inflation. But the Fed also signaled that the first rate cut is likely months away. The central bank kept...
From marching bands to megastars: How the Super Bowl halftime show became a global spectacleVideo
LOS ANGELES — Underneath his umbrella, NFL legend Dan Marino stood nearly drenched on the sideline watching Prince’s epic “Purple Rain” Super Bowl halftime performance in 2007 during a torrential Miami downpour. For Marino, Prince’s iconic show was one the greatest moments in the history of halftime shows — which...
Formula One rejects Michael Andretti’s bid to join series, will reconsider when GM has engine built
Formula One rejected Andretti Global’s application to join the global racing series in 2025 or 2026 but said Wednesday it is willing to revisit the issue in 2028 when General Motors has an engine ready for competition. F1, in its decision, said it did not believe Andretti would be a...
Seahawks to hire Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as new coach
RENTON, Wash. — It was a defensive-centric head coach that brought the Seattle Seahawks their only Super Bowl title. The Seahawks are hoping a newer — albeit much younger — version can return them to the elite of the NFL. The Seahawks are hiring Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald...
Russia, Ukraine swap scores of POWs despite tensions over plane crash last week
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia and Ukraine have exchanged about 200 prisoners of war each, the countries said Wednesday, despite tensions stemming from last week’s crash of a military transport plane that Moscow claimed was carrying Ukrainian POWs and was shot down by Kyiv’s forces. After the Jan. 24 crash of...
Laser strikes against aircraft including airline planes have surged to a new record, the FAA says
WASHINGTON — Laser strikes aimed at aircraft including airline planes surged 41% last year to a record high, according to federal officials. The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it received 13,304 reports from pilots about laser strikes last year, erasing a record set in 2021. “Aiming a laser at...
Walmart to build or convert 150-plus stores in next 5 years. It hasn’t opened new stores in 3 years
NEW YORK — Walmart plans to build or convert more than 150 stores in the next five years, while continuing to remodel existing stores. The plan, announced Wednesday, marks a big change for the discounter. In 2016, Walmart announced it was slowing its new store opening s and instead investing...
H&M’s top leader steps down in surprise move as earnings at fashion retailer disappoint
LONDON — H&M’s top executive unexpectedly stepped down Wednesday and the company’s stock plunged as the fashion giant reported a drop in sales over the holiday shopping season. Helena Helmersson resigned after four years as CEO and 26 years at the company, saying she was proud of the work done...
Meta, TikTok and other social media CEOs testify in heated Senate hearing on child exploitation
Sexual predators. Addictive features. Suicide and eating disorders. Unrealistic beauty standards. Bullying. These are just some of the issues young people are dealing with on social media — and children’s advocates and lawmakers say companies are not doing enough to protect them. On Wednesday, the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X...
Groundhog Day’s biggest star is Phil, but the holiday’s deep roots extend well beyond Punxsutawney
KUTZTOWN — The spotlight will be on Gobbler’s Knob in Western Pennsylvania early Friday morning, when handlers of a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil will announce whether he saw his own shadow and predicts six more weeks of winter or an early spring. Thousands are expected to attend the annual event...
‘Traitor’: After bitter primary, DeSantis may struggle to win over Trump supporters if he runs again
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Before launching his ill-fated campaign for the White House, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was a star. Again and again, Republican voters said they saw him as the future of the party — a potential vice president who, after serving four years alongside Donald Trump, could become the...
Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny and others may vanish from TikTok as licensing dispute boils over
Universal Music Group, which represents artists including Taylor Swift, Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish, says that it will no longer allow its music on TikTok now that a licensing deal between the two parties has expired. UMG said that it had not agreed to terms of a new...
Simon & Schuster marks centennial with list of 100 notable books, from ‘Catch-22’ to ‘Eloise’
NEW YORK — One of the world’s largest and most influential publishers, Simon & Schuster, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. To mark the centennial, the publisher has unveiled a list of 100 notable releases — a blend of bestsellers, prize winners, headline makers and cultural sensations. The list tells...
