Associated Press stories, Page 739
Russia’s Putin is visiting the UAE and Saudi Arabia, seeking to bolster Moscow’s Mideast clout
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday in a lightning tour intended to raise Moscow’s profile as a Middle East power broker, even as his war in Ukraine grinds on. Putin landed in Abu Dhabi, the capital of...
McDonald’s set for unprecedented growth over the next 4 years with 10,000 new stores
McDonald’s expects to open nearly 10,000 restaurants over the next four years, a pace of growth that would be unprecedented even for the world’s largest burger chain. At an investor update Wednesday, the Chicago burger giant said it aims to have 50,000 restaurants in operation worldwide by the end of...
FDA is inspecting plant in Ecuador that made lead-tainted fruit pouches
U.S. health officials have launched an inspection of a plant in Ecuador that made the cinnamon applesauce pouches linked to dozens of cases of acute lead poisoning in U.S. children. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said that contaminated cinnamon is the likely source of the lead. An FDA...
Fake Donald Trump electors settle civil lawsuit in Wisconsin, agree that President Biden won
MADISON, Wis. — Ten Republicans who posed as fake electors for former President Donald Trump in Wisconsin and filed paperwork falsely saying he had won the battleground state have settled a civil lawsuit and admitted their actions were part of an effort to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory, attorneys who...
GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California is resigning 2 months after his ouster as House speaker
LOS ANGELES — Two months after his historic ouster as House speaker, Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California announced on Wednesday that he is resigning from his congressional seat and will leave by the end of the year. His announcement marked the stunning coming end of the House career of...
Google ups the stakes in AI race with Gemini, a technology trained to behave more like humans
Google took its next leap in artificial intelligence Wednesday with the launch of project Gemini, an AI model trained to behave in human-like ways that’s likely to intensify the debate about the technology’s potential promise and perils. The rollout will unfold in phases, with less sophisticated versions of Gemini called...
A pregnant Texas woman is asking a court to let her have an abortion under exceptions to state’s ban
AUSTIN, Texas — A pregnant Texas woman whose fetus has a fatal diagnosis asked a court Tuesday to let her have an abortion, bringing what her attorneys say is the first lawsuit of its kind in the U.S. since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. Texas is one of...
CEOs of the nation’s biggest banks warn that new regulations could harm the economy
NEW YORK — The heads of Wall Street’s biggest banks used an appearance on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to plead with senators to stop the Biden administration’s proposed changes to how banks are regulated, warning that the new proposals could negatively impact the economy at a time of geopolitical turmoil...
Norman Lear, revolutionary TV producer of ‘All in the Family,’ has died at 101
Norman Lear, the writer, director and producer who revolutionized prime time television with “All in the Family” and “Maude,” propelling political and social turmoil into the once-insulated world of sitcoms, has died. He was 101. Lear died Tuesday night in his sleep, surrounded by family at his home in Los...
Taylor Swift is named Time’s person of the year
NEW YORK — Is the year of Taylor Swift over now? Not yet. Time magazine named Swift its person of the year on Wednesday, a week after Spotify announced she was the most-played artist on the streaming platform. Swift was picked from a group of nine finalists that included Barbie,...
When is St. Nicholas Day? And how did this Christian saint inspire the Santa Claus legend?
NEW YORK — The white-bearded Christian saint whose acts of generosity inspired America’s secular Santa Claus figure is known worldwide — but Saint Nicholas’ origin story is not. The legends surrounding jolly old St. Nicholas — celebrated annually on Dec. 6 — go way beyond delivering candy and toys to...
Washington’s center of gravity on immigration has shifted to the right
WASHINGTON — It was a decade ago that Capitol Hill was consumed by an urgency to overhaul the nation’s immigration system, fueled in no small part by Republicans who felt a political imperative to make inroads with minority voters by embracing more generous policies. But nothing ever became law and...
Court filing gives rare look inside FBI seizure of Pa. Rep. Scott Perry’s phone in 2020 election probe
HARRISBURG — Just how hard did some Republican members of Congress work to keep Donald Trump in office after his 2020 election loss? A court case is providing a few tantalizing clues. Snippets and short summaries of texts and emails sent by Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, a top Trump...
Trump declines to rule out abusing power to seek retribution if he returns to the White House
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump declined to rule out abusing power if he returns to the White House after Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity asked him Tuesday to respond to growing Democratic criticism of his rhetoric. The GOP presidential front-runner has talked about targeting his rivals —...
Heavy fighting in Gaza halts most aid delivery and leaves civilians with few places to seek safety
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli forces battled Hamas militants across Gaza on Wednesday in intense fighting that has prevented the distribution of vital aid in much of the territory and brought some of the devastation and mass displacement seen in the north to the south. As the focus of...
Sheriff: Gunman’s parents among 6 dead in Texas attacks; he was earlier arrested for family assault
AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas man suspected of killing his parents in San Antonio and four others in Austin in a violent trail of separate attacks had cut off his ankle monitor from a previous misdemeanor domestic violence arrest, authorities said Wednesday. The suspect, Shane James, 34, also had been...
A 2nd Trump administration will ‘come after’ people in the media in the courts, ally says
NEW YORK — A Donald Trump ally who worked in his Justice Department said Tuesday that if the former president is elected again, his administration will retaliate against people in the media “criminally or civilly.” Kash Patel, who was also chief of staff in the Defense Department and held a...
Tommy DeVito to remain Giants starting QB over Tyrod Taylor
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Tommy DeVito will remain the New York Giants’ starting quarterback, while veteran Tyrod Taylor expressed disappointment with the decision. Coach Brian Daboll made the announcement Tuesday morning before the Giants (4-8) started practicing for Monday night’s home game against the Green Bay Packers (6-6). “I think...
Atmospheric river soaks Pacific Northwest with record-breaking rain, unusually warm temperaturesVideo
PORTLAND, Ore. — An atmospheric river has brought heavy rain, flooding and unseasonably warm temperatures to the Pacific Northwest, closing rail links, schools and roads as it shattered daily rainfall and temperature records in Washington state. Amtrak said Tuesday that no passenger trains will be running between Seattle and Portland,...
Trump’s defense at civil fraud trial zooms in on Mar-a-Lago, with broker calling it ‘breathtaking’
Former President Donald Trump’s civil business fraud trial turned Tuesday to one of the topics that has vexed him most — the value of his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla. Testifying for Trump’s defense, a Florida real estate attorney said the property could be sold as a home, notwithstanding...
Denny Laine, founding member of the Moody Blues and Paul McCartney’s Wings, dead at 79
NEW YORK — Denny Laine, a British singer, songwriter and guitarist who performed in an early, pop-oriented version of the Moody Blues and was later Paul McCartney’s longtime sideman in the ex-Beatle’s solo band Wings, has died at age 79. Laine, inducted five years ago into the Rock and Roll...
Bailey Zappe appears likely to make his 2nd straight start for the offensively challenged PatriotsVideo
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — All signs point to quarterback Bailey Zappe making his second straight start for the New England Patriots on Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 2022 fourth-round pick addressed the media from the podium Tuesday, usually a good sign when trying to figure out who will be...
Shohei Ohtani met with the Dodgers in LA for 2-3 hours, manager Dave Roberts saysVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Shohei Ohtani met with the Los Angeles Dodgers a few days ago at Dodger Stadium, manager Dave Roberts revealed Tuesday at the winter meetings. The two-way star is expected to command a record contract of $500 million-plus on the free agent market coming off his second AL...
With George Santos out of Congress, special election to fill his seat set for February
ALBANY, N.Y. — A special election to pick a successor to George Santos, the New York Republican who was expelled from the U.S. House last week, will be held on Feb. 13, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday. The race for a seat representing some Long Island suburbs and a small...
Roger Goodell says football will become a global sport in a decadeVideo
LAS VEGAS — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sees football becoming a global sport within the next decade, with his league at the forefront of that effort. That includes, Goodell said Tuesday, adding another international market to next year’s regular-season schedule. He wasn’t specific, but Brazil and Spain are the front-runners....
