Associated Press stories, Page 904
Top teams not worried when NASCAR Cup Series takes only break in grinding schedule
SONOMA, Calif. — The relentless grind of the NASCAR Cup Series pauses this week, and just about everybody involved with the cars is looking to take advantage. Martin Truex Jr. plans to go fishing after claiming his second victory of the season Sunday at Sonoma Raceway. Aric Almirola’s wife and...
New York firefighter drowns while trying to rescue daughter at Jersey Shore beach, authorities sayVideo
NEW YORK — A New York City firefighter lost his life while trying to save his daughter, who became distressed while swimming at a New Jersey beach, authorities said. FDNY firefighter Mark Batista of Teaneck, N.J., died Friday morning, WNBC-TV reported. The 39-year-old reportedly went into the water at Sylvania...
1 dead after tour boat capsizes in Erie Canal water tunnel cave in New York
LOCKPORT, N.Y. — One person was killed and multiple people were sent to local hospitals after a boat capsized Monday during a tour of an underground cavern system built to carry water from the Erie Canal beneath the western New York city of Lockport, officials said. Police and fire crews...
Flames promote from within, hire Ryan Huska as head coachVideo
CALGARY, Alberta — The Calgary Flames promoted from within for their next head coach. Ryan Huska takes over after five years as a Flames assistant, it was announced Monday. The 47-year-old replaces Darryl Sutter, who was fired in May. Calgary has changed head coaches five times in eight years. The...
The Great Grift: How billions in covid-19 relief aid was stolen or wasted
WASHINGTON — Much of the theft was brazen, even simple. Fraudsters used the Social Security numbers of dead people and federal prisoners to get unemployment checks. Cheaters collected those benefits in multiple states. And federal loan applicants weren’t cross-checked against a Treasury Department database that would have raised red flags...
Brittney Griner, Mercury teammates confronted at airport by ‘provocateur,’ WNBA says
DALLAS — Brittney Griner and her Phoenix Mercury teammates were confronted by a “provocateur” at a Dallas airport on Saturday. The WNBA said in a statement it was looking into the team’s run-in with a “social media figure” whose “actions were inappropriate and unfortunate.” “The safety of Brittney Griner and...
Senator asks LIV Golf, PGA Tour leaders for records on merger
WASHINGTON — The leader of a Senate subcommittee is demanding the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s LIV Golf present records about negotiations that led to their new agreement and plans for what golf will look like under the arrangement. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., sent letters Monday to PGA Tour Commissioner...
Heat upgrade Tyler Herro to questionable for Game 5 of NBA Finals
Miami guard Tyler Herro has been upgraded to questionable for Game 5 of the NBA Finals, a strong indication that the Heat plan on having him available to play against the Denver Nuggets on Monday night as they try to extend their season. Herro has not played since breaking his...
NCAA champion athletes go to White House
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris saluted more than a thousand U.S. college athletes from championship teams who gathered Monday at the White House South Lawn, saying that sports have a “very special way of bringing people together.” President Joe Biden had been scheduled to greet the athletes, but he...
Analysis: Novak Djokovic has 23 Slams, so is he the GOAT?
PARIS — The query was swift and direct. Novak Djokovic’s reply was slow, thoughtful and revelatory, delivered in paragraphs. “How does it feel,” a reporter wanted to know, “to be the greatest male player in history?” First, a quick bit of background: Djokovic’s championship at the 2023 French Open, earned...
Biden to undergo root canal, will miss collegiate athletics event at White House
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is undergoing a root canal after experiencing some dental pain — a procedure that will take him out of commission for at least one public event Monday. Biden’s personal physician, Kevin O’Connor, said in a memo released by the White House that Biden reported the...
NCAA changes delay-of-game penalty in women’s basketball, adds rule on flopping
The NCAA is changing its penalty for delay-of-game violations in women’s basketball and adding a new rule on flopping. Players will no longer get charged a technical foul for certain delay-of-game violations, including the one Iowa star guard Caitlin Clark got called for in the Hawkeyes’ NCAA championship game loss...
Moms for Liberty rises as power player in GOP politics after attacking schools over gender, race
NEW YORK — To its members, it’s a grassroots army of “joyful warriors” who “don’t co-parent with the government.” To anti-hate researchers, it’s a well-connected extremist group that attacks inclusion in schools. And to Republicans vying for the presidency, it has become a potential key partner in the fight for...
Rachel Maddow’s ‘Deja News’ podcast a boon to fans who like her historical tangents
NEW YORK — Rachel Maddow has something special for anyone who appreciates the occasional digressions into history on her weekly MSNBC show. She and her longtime producer, Isaac-Davy Aronson, debuted the first episode of “Rachel Maddow Presents: Deja News” on Monday. The six-episode podcast looks at historical incidents that can...
Scott rolls out dozens of South Carolina lawmakers and local leaders endorsing his presidential bid
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Sen. Tim Scott is rolling out endorsements from more than 140 current and former elected officials from his home state of South Carolina, aiming to make a show of force in the first-in-the-South presidential primary state. The backing comes as Scott and other presidential contenders aim to...
Jeffrey Epstein victims settle sex trafficking lawsuit against JPMorgan for $290 million
JPMorgan Chase announced a tentative $290 million settlement Monday with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein who had accused the bank of being the financial conduit that allowed the financier to continue operating a sex trafficking operation. Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal charges accusing him of paying underage girls...
Mother of 6-year-old who shot teacher pleads guilty to using marijuana while having a firearm
The mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher in Virginia pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to using marijuana while possessing a firearm, which is illegal under U.S. law. It’s a crime under federal law that’s facing increasing scrutiny as more states legalize the drug. Deja Taylor is...
Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s tarnished 3-time premier, dies at 86
MILAN — Silvio Berlusconi, the boastful billionaire media mogul who was Italy’s longest-serving premier despite scandals over his sex-fueled parties and allegations of corruption, died Monday. He was 86. Supporters applauded as his body arrived at his villa outside Milan from the city’s San Raffaele Hospital, where he had been...
Ukraine claims recapture of 4th village in eastern Donetsk as counteroffensive operations roll on
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian military officials said Monday their troops have retaken another southeastern village from Russian forces, among the first — small — successes in stepped-up counteroffensive operations as the war drags on into its 16th month. Western analysts and military officials have cautioned that an effort to rid...
Long commutes start after part of I-95 collapses in Philadelphia following tanker truck fire
PHILADELPHIA — Drivers began longer commutes Monday after an elevated section of Interstate 95 collapsed in Philadelphia a day earlier following damage caused by a tanker truck carrying flammable cargo catching fire. Sunday’s fire closed a heavily traveled segment of the East Coast’s main north-south highway indefinitely. Newscasts warned of...
Report: Billionaire investor, philanthropist George Soros cedes control of empire to a younger son
NEW YORK — Billionaire investor turned philanthropist George Soros is ceding control of his $25 billion empire to a younger son, Alexander Soros, according to an exclusive interview with The Wall Street Journal published online Sunday. Soros’ business holdings include his nonprofit Open Society Foundations, which is active in more...
Trump allies cite Clinton email probe to attack classified records case. There are big differences
WASHINGTON — As former President Donald Trump prepares for a momentous court appearance Tuesday on charges related to the hoarding of top-secret documents, Republican allies are amplifying, without evidence, claims that he is the target of a political prosecution. To press their case, Trump’s backers are citing the Justice Department’s...
Select list of winners at 2023 Tony Awards
NEW YORK — Select winners so far at the 2023 Tony Awards: Best musical: “Kimberly Akimbo” Best play: “Leopoldstadt” Best revival of a musical: “Parade” Best revival of a play: “Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog” Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical: Victoria Clark, “Kimberly Akimbo” Best...
Police: 3 dead, 3 wounded in shooting at Maryland home stemming from dispute
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Three people were killed and three wounded in a shooting Sunday night at a house in Maryland’s capital city, police said. Annapolis Police Chief Edward Jackson told reporters at a media briefing that the shooting stemmed from what he described as an “interpersonal dispute” and that there...
As Nuggets near title, Jamal Murray blossoms into all-around point guardVideo
DENVER — Even back when Jamal Murray was racking up 50-point games in the NBA bubble, Denver coach Michael Malone marveled as much over his Canadian point guard’s pinpoint passes as his magnificent moves and fadeaway baskets. “Well, I’ve long said that Jamal is not just a scorer,” declared Malone,...
