Associated Press stories, Page 701
Weekend of ferocious winter weather could see low-temperature records set in U.S. heartland
O’FALLON, Mo. — Icy winter weather blanketed the U.S. on Saturday as a wave of Arctic storms threatened to break low-temperature records in the heartland, spread cold and snow from coast to coast and cast a chill over everything from football playoffs to presidential campaigns. As the three-day Martin Luther...
As a new generation rises, tension between free speech and inclusivity on college campuses simmers
Generations of Americans have held firm to a version of free speech that makes room for even the vilest of views. It’s girded by a belief that the good ideas rise above the bad, that no one should be punished for voicing an idea — except in rare cases where...
War in Gaza, election factor into some of the many events planned for MLK holiday
As communities nationwide prepare this weekend to celebrate the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday with events ranging from parades to prayer services, some will take a cue from the slain civil rights icon’s history of protest to demonstrate against the war in Gaza and draw attention to a looming...
U.S. struggles to sway Israel on its treatment of Palestinians. Why Netanyahu is unlikely to yield
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s administration keeps pressing Israel to reengage with Palestinians as partners once fighting in Gaza is over and support their eventual independence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keeps saying no. Even on actions to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians, the two allies are far apart. That...
More than 30 Palestinians killed in Israeli Gaza strikes while fears grow the conflict could widen
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — More than 30 Palestinians, including young children, were killed in Israeli bombardments overnight into Saturday in the Gaza Strip, officials said, while a new U.S. strike against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen heightened fears that the Israel-Hamas war could escalate into a regional conflict. Fears of a...
Supreme Court agrees to hear Starbucks appeal in Memphis union case
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear an appeal from Starbucks in a dispute with the National Labor Relations Board over efforts by workers to unionize at a store in Memphis, Tenn. The case has been among the most closely watched in the more than 2-year-old effort...
U.S. military strikes another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military early Saturday struck another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen that it had determined was putting commercial vessels in the Red Sea at risk, two U.S. officials said, a day after the U.S. and Britain launched multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels. Associated Press journalists in Sanaa, Yemen’s...
Dodgers finalize $23.5M deal with Teoscar Hernández
LOS ANGELES — Teoscar Hernández finalized a $23.5 million, one-year contract with the Dodgers on Friday, the latest deal by big-spending Los Angeles that includes deferred money. The outfielder agreed to defer $8.5 million that will be paid in 10 equal installments each July 1 from 2030-39. He also has...
Jordan Hicks, Giants agree to $44 million, 4-year contract
SAN FRANCISCO — Free-agent pitcher Jordan Hicks and the San Francisco Giants have agreed on a $44 million, four-year contract, a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations said Friday. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical and had...
State trooper plunged into icy Vermont pond to save 8-year-old girl
CAMBRIDGE, Vt. — A Vermont state trooper plunged into a frigid pond and pulled out an 8-year-old girl who had fallen through the ice while playing with siblings. The child survived and fully recovered after a brief hospital stay. The girl and her younger sister fell through the thin ice...
Biden asks Supreme Court to tell Texas to stop blocking U.S. border agents from patrols
McALLEN, Texas — The Justice Department on Friday asked the Supreme Court to order Texas to stop blocking Border Patrol agents from a portion of the U.S.-Mexico border where large numbers of migrants have crossed in recent months, setting up another showdown between Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and the Biden...
Fox News stops running MyPillow commercials in payment dispute with Mike Lindell
MINNEAPOLIS — MyPillow chief executive and prominent election denier Mike Lindell said Friday that Fox News has stopped running his company’s commercials, disputing the network’s assertion it is simply because he hasn’t paid his bills. Lindell went public by tweeting that Fox, which had been one of MyPillow’s biggest advertising...
RB Aaron Jones rebounds from injuries to help Packers into postseason
GREEN BAY, Wis. — This hasn’t been a typical season for Green Bay’s Aaron Jones, but the veteran running back has regained his peak form just in time to help the Packers reach the playoffs. Jones, 29, bounced back from hamstring and knee injuries to rush for at least 112...
Joe Flacco’s remarkable comeback has Cleveland buzzing, Browns believing
CLEVELAND — Joe Flacco still struggles to process this re-found fame, an unexpected rebirth in a city where he was once despised and now adored. It’s all happened so fast for the quarterback who fell from his couch, landed in Cleveland and then the playoffs. “Crazy,” the soon-to-be 39-year-old Flacco...
Mark Andrews back at practice for Ravens after missing 6 games
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Mark Andrews was back at practice for the Baltimore Ravens on Friday after missing the final six games of the regular season because of an ankle injury. The three-time Pro Bowl tight end went on injured reserve after he was hurt early in a Nov. 16...
Florida hotel cancels Muslim conference, citing security concerns
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A South Florida Marriott Hotel canceled a Muslim group’s conference at the last minute after a protest group claimed the coalition was promoting Hamas, terrorism and antisemitism. The South Florida Muslim Federation, a coalition of about 30 mosques and Islamic groups, said Friday it was told...
Winter storm with wind, bitter cold pummels much of the northern U.S.
ST. LOUIS — A massive winter storm swept the northern U.S. on Friday, with blinding snow in some places, freezing rain in others, and bitter cold temperatures and whipping winds across several states. A man was believed dead after an avalanche in the Idaho backcountry. A Wisconsin man died while...
Lights, cameras, Clark: Iowa’s superstar guard gets prime-time spotlight Saturday on Fox
Caitlin Clark has set records on and off the court. The University of Iowa’s superstar guard is on track to do something never accomplished by a women’s basketball player. Appear on all four broadcast networks in the same season. Clark and the third-ranked Hawkeyes host No. 14 Indiana on Saturday...
Black leadership at head coach, QB to be more visible than ever during NFL playoffs
This year’s NFL playoffs will feature a record number of Black men who have thrived in leadership positions they rarely had the opportunity to hold in previous generations. Three Black head coaches have reached the playoffs — Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, Tampa Bay’s Todd Bowles and Houston’s DeMeco Ryans. Miami coach...
Reports: Washington’s Kalen DeBoer signs deal to replace Nick Saban at Alabama
Alabama wasted little time in finding Nick Saban’s successor, hiring Kalen DeBoer away from national runner-up Washington. DeBoer signed a deal with Alabama on Friday to replace Saban, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither...
Christian McCaffrey, Tyreek Hill, Fred Warner unanimous selections for 2023 NFL All-Pro team
Christian McCaffrey, Tyreek Hill and Fred Warner are unanimous choices for The Associated Press 2023 NFL All-Pro Team. The 49ers’ McCaffrey and Warner and the Dolphins’ Hill received first-team votes from all 50 members of a nationwide panel of media members who regularly cover the league. “No freakin’ way,” Warner...
Prosecutors to seek death penalty for white supremacist who killed 10 at Buffalo supermarket
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Federal prosecutors said Friday that they will seek the death penalty against a white supremacist who killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket. Payton Gendron, 20, is already serving a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole after he pleaded guilty to state...
Oregon Supreme Court keeps Trump on primary ballot
SALEM, Oregon — Oregon’s Supreme Court on Friday kept former President Donald Trump on the state’s primary ballot, declining to wade into the legal chaos over whether he’s disqualified to be president until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a similar case out of Colorado. Oregon was one of several...
Elmore Nickleberry, a Memphis sanitation worker who marched with Martin Luther King, has died at 92
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Elmore Nickleberry, a longtime Memphis sanitation worker who participated in the pivotal 1968 strike that brought the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to the city where the civil rights leader was killed, has died at age 92. Nickleberry died on Dec. 30 in Memphis, according to an...
Casey Thompson, former Texas, Nebraska and FAU QB, says he’ll transfer to Oklahoma
Casey Thompson, who has played quarterback at Texas, Nebraska and Florida Atlantic, has announced he will transfer to Oklahoma for the seventh season of an injury-riddled career. Thompson, 25, made the announcement on social media on Thursday night. Thompson’s father is former Oklahoma wishbone Sooners quarterback Charles Thompson. Oklahoma recruited...
