Associated Press stories, Page 731
The Republican leading the probe of Hunter Biden has his own shell company and complicated friends
WASHINGTON — Rep. James Comer boasts of being one of the largest landholders near his rural Kentucky hometown, and he has meticulously documented nearly all of his holdings on congressional financial disclosure documents — roughly 1,600 acres in all. But there are 6 acres that he bought in 2015 and...
Bull on tracks disrupts trains between Newark and New YorkVideo
NEWARK, N.J. — A loose bull in New Jersey’s largest city found its way onto train tracks, snarling rail traffic for a while Thursday before it was captured, authorities said. The ruddy brown bull with long, dark-tipped horns stood on the tracks at Newark Penn Station, prompting a police response...
Ex-FBI counterintelligence official gets over 4 years in prison for aiding Russian oligarch
NEW YORK — A former top FBI counterintelligence official was ordered Thursday to spend over four years in prison for violating sanctions on Russia by going to work for a Russian oligarch seeking dirt on a wealthy rival after he finished his government career. Charles McGonigal, 55, was sentenced to...
Retail sales rise 0.3% in November as Americans hit gas rather than brakes on spending
NEW YORK — Americans picked up their spending from October to November unexpectedly as the unofficial holiday season kicked off, underscoring the power of shoppers despite elevated prices. Retail sales rose 0.3%, in November from October, when sales were down a revised 0.2% according to the Commerce Department on Thursday....
Dak Prescott, Maxx Crosby, Khalil Mack among 8 finalists for Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award
NEW YORK — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Los Angeles Chargers three-time All-Pro edge rusher Khalil Mack and Las Vegas Raiders two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby are among the eight finalists for the ninth annual Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. Each NFL team nominated one of its players for...
Amazon won’t have to pay hundreds of millions in back taxes after winning EU case
LONDON — Amazon won’t have to pay about 250 million euros ($273 million) in back taxes after European Union judges ruled in favor of the U.S. e-commerce giant Thursday, dealing a defeat to the 27-nation bloc in its efforts to tackle corporate tax avoidance. The ruling by the EU’s top...
U.S. applications for jobless benefits fall again as labor market continues to thrive
The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits fell last week as the labor market continues to thrive despite high interest rates and elevated costs. Applications for unemployment benefits fell by 19,000 to 202,000 for the week ending Dec. 9, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Analysts were expecting around 224,000....
U.S. Coast Guard and cruise line save 12 passengers after boat sinks near Dominican Republic
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A boat carrying 12 passengers sank north of the Dominican Republic during inclement weather, and all have been rescued, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Six of the passengers who were aboard a raft were rescued Wednesday by a Carnival Cruise Line ship in the...
Putin says there will be no peace in Ukraine until his goals, still unchanged, are achieved
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday there would be no peace in Ukraine until the Kremlin realizes its goals, which remain unchanged after nearly two years of fighting that has sent tensions soaring between Moscow and the West. Speaking at a year-end news conference that offered him an...
Putin says Russia is in dialogue with the U.S. on exchanging jailed Americans Gershkovich, Whelan
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday Moscow is in dialogue with with the United States on the issue of bringing home jailed Americans Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich and the Kremlin hopes to “find a solution,” even though “it’s not easy.” Putin spoke about Whelan and Gershkovich during...
Pennsylvania is in its Taylor Swift era, her home state decides
HARRISBURG — She’s Time magazine’s person of the year. She’s the most-played artist globally on Spotify. She’s helmed the first tour to gross more than $1 billion and then the highest-grossing concert film of all time. And now Taylor Swift can add one more accolade: A state House of Representatives...
Pennsylvania lawmakers defeat funding for Penn amid criticism over school’s stance on antisemitism
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives on Wednesday night defeated legislation to send more than $33 million to the University of Pennsylvania’s veterinary school after the university’s president resigned amid criticism that the school has tolerated antisemitism. The legislation won a majority in two different votes, but it failed to...
Private schools, child care legislation pass in Pennsylvania as lawmakers move past budget feud
HARRISBURG — Lawmakers moved past a monthslong budget feud Wednesday in Pennsylvania’s Capitol, with the House and Senate advancing legislation to tie up loose ends and send millions more to subsidize private school tuition and child care tax credits for parents. After days of negotiations that typically play out before...
College athletes who transfer twice can play, for now, after judge’s ruling
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — College athletes who were denied the chance to play immediately after transferring a second time can return to competition — for now — after a federal judge issued a 14-day temporary restraining order Wednesday against the NCAA. U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey in northern West Virginia...
Key defensive players Grant Delpit, Ogbo Okoronkwo out for Browns
BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland’s top-ranked defense took two big hits Wednesday. The Browns lost safety Grant Delpit, who had groin surgery and went on injured reserve, for the rest of the regular season and coach Kevin Stefanski said end Ogbo Okoronkwo has a pectoral injury that will likely sideline him...
Patriots’ Bill Belichick deflects questions about coaching future
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick declined to discuss his future Wednesday amid a report that owner Robert Kraft had already decided to fire the six-time Super Bowl champion after the season. Asked repeatedly whether he would be back, or wanted to be back, or whether he’d...
Warriors star Draymond Green suspended indefinitely by NBAVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was suspended indefinitely by the NBA on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after he hit Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face and received a Flagrant 2 foul and ejection. The league announced the penalty handed down by operations chief...
House approves impeachment inquiry into President Biden as Republicans rally behind investigation
WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday authorized the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, with every Republican rallying behind the politically charged process despite lingering concerns among some in the party that the investigation has yet to produce evidence of misconduct by the president. The 221-212 party-line vote put the...
Attacks on officials could ‘kill’ soccer, top former ref says after latest incident
MANCHESTER, England — Attacked on the field by the president of a top Turkish soccer team, referee Halil Umut Meler desperately tried to cover his head to shield himself from the kicks of angry fans. Monday’s shocking scene at the end of a Turkish league game was an example of...
Shorter weeks, longer days? Pennsylvania poised to give schools flexibility on minimum requirements
HARRISBURG — A bill that would give Pennsylvania school districts greater flexibility to have shorter school weeks or longer days, as long as students meet an annual minimum of instructional time, is headed to the governor’s desk for his approval. The legislation passed both chambers unanimously. It changes Pennsylvania law...
Judge in Trump election case pauses court deadlines as appeal is heard on presidential immunity
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case in Washington will be put on hold while the former president further pursues his claims that he is immune from prosecution, a judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the case, agreed in a three-page order to pause...
College athletes who transfer twice can play, for now, after a judge sets aside NCAA transfer rule
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — College athletes who were denied the chance to play immediately after transferring a second time can return to competition — for now — after a federal judge issued a 14-day temporary restraining order Wednesday against the NCAA. U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey in northern West Virginia...
NFL approves regular-season game for Brazil in 2024 in further international expansion
IRVING, Texas — The NFL is adding Brazil as its first regular-season destination in South America next year. An increase in the number of international games by 2025 means other new cities are on the way. The league said Wednesday at the owners meetings in the Dallas area the 2024...
Testimony ends in Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial, but the verdict isn’t expected until next month
NEW YORK — After 10 weeks, 40 witnesses and bursts of courtroom fireworks, testimony wrapped up Wednesday in former President Donald Trump’s civil business fraud trial. But a verdict is at least a month away. Closing arguments are set for Jan. 11, and Judge Arthur Engoron has said he hopes...
Dow hits a record high and Treasury yields drop after the Fed signals rate cutsVideo
NEW YORK — A powerful rally across Wall Street sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a record on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve indicated that the cuts to interest rates investors crave so much may be coming next year. The Dow jumped 512 points, or 1.4%, to top 37,000...
