Associated Press stories, Page 931
Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral cost UK government $200 million
LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral and lying-in-state last year cost Britain’s government an estimated 162 million pounds (around $200 million), the treasury said Thursday. The state funeral for the late monarch, held on Sept. 19, was the first in the U.K. since that of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill...
Sam Zell, billionaire real estate investor, dies
Sam Zell, a Chicago real estate magnate who earned a multibillion-dollar fortune and a reputation as “the grave dancer” for his ability to revive moribund properties died on Thursday. He was 81. Zell died at home due to complications from a recent illness, according to Equity Group Investments, a company...
Supreme Court sides with Google, Twitter; avoids ruling on broad protections from lawsuits
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with Google, Twitter and Facebook in lawsuits seeking to hold them liable for terrorist attacks. But the justices sidestepped the big issue hovering over the cases, the federal law that shields social media companies from being sued over content posted by others....
Myanmar raises death toll from Cyclone Mocha to 54, but full extent of damage still unknown
BANGKOK — At least 54 people were killed and more than 185,000 buildings damaged in Myanmar by a powerful cyclone last weekend, state television MRTV reported Thursday. Communication difficulties in the affected areas, where infrastructure was already poor, and the military government’s tight control over information leave the actual extent...
The pandemic widened gaps in reading. Can 1 teacher ‘do something about that’?
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — Richard Evans makes his way through rows of his students in his third grade classroom, stooping to pick up an errant pencil and answering questions above the din of chairs sliding on hardwood floors. The desks, once spread apart to fight covid-19, are back together. But...
Check your artificial intelligence ‘bossware’ tools for bias, says U.S. agency head
The head of the U.S. agency charged with enforcing civil rights in the workplace says artificial intelligence-driven “bossware” tools that closely track the whereabouts, keystrokes and productivity of workers can also run afoul of discrimination laws. Charlotte Burrows, chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, told The Associated Press that...
Supreme Court rules against Andy Warhol in copyright case with Prince photo
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the 2016 publication of an Andy Warhol image of the singer Prince violated a photographer’s copyright, a decision a dissenting justice said would stifle the creation of art. The high court ruled 7-2 for photographer Lynn Goldsmith. “Lynn Goldsmith’s original works, like...
Rafael Nadal to miss French Open with hip injury, expects 2024 to be last year of tennis career
For months, Rafael Nadal waited for his body to heal. Waited to be able to push himself around a court at full speed, with full energy, of the sort that has carried him to a record 14 titles at the French Open and a total of 22 at all Grand...
MLB warns teams that batters may not try to trick pitchers into clock violations
NEW YORK — Teams were warned by Major League Baseball on Wednesday that batters may not attempt to deceive pitchers into quick-pitch violations. “In recent days, we have seen batters attempt to induce pitchers to violate the pitch timer regulations by creating the appearance that they are in the batter’s...
Florida judge rules against Tiger Woods’ ex-girlfriend
A Florida judge ruled late Wednesday that the ex-girlfriend of Tiger Woods must abide by a nondisclosure agreement she purportedly signed and resolve her lawsuits seeking millions from the golf superstar through private arbitration behind closed doors. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Metzger, in an 11-page opinion, rejected Erica Herman’s attempt to...
PGA Championship underway after a frost delay
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Let the sun shine — and Kazuki Higa, as well. The 28-year-old from Japan made the turn at 3 under for an early one-shot lead on the opening day of the weather-delayed PGA Championship at Oak Hill. With the temperature warming to 55 and under a cloudless...
San Francisco to name 1st-in-nation drag laureate
SAN FRANCISCO — Anti-trans legislation is roiling the nation. Bills prohibiting drag performances are cropping up in statehouses. Violence and vitriol are turning children’s drag story hour events into headline-news protests. San Francisco is fighting back Thursday by naming the nation’s first drag laureate, an ambassador-style position designed to represent...
Transgender rights: What to know about bills in the U.S. statehouses
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has highlighted efforts by Republican governors and statehouses across the country to embrace proposals limiting the rights of transgender people, signing new restrictions as he moves closer to a presidential bid. The restrictions are spreading quickly despite criticism from medical groups and advocates who say they’re...
Fewer Americans apply for jobless benefits, labor market still showing strength
Fewer Americans applied for jobless benefits last week after a previous spike that some took as a sign that higher interest rates were finally cooling the labor market. Applications for jobless claims for the week ending May 6 fell by 22,000 to 242,000, from 264,000 the week before, the Labor...
Documents leak suspect had been warned about handling of classified information, prosecutors say
BOSTON — Superiors of the Massachusetts Air National Guard member charged with leaking highly classified military documents had raised concerns internally on multiple occasions about his handling or viewing of classified information, according to a court filing Wednesday. Justice Department lawyers made the disclosure in a court papers urging a...
Texas Legislature OKs ban on gender-affirming care for minors
AUSTIN — Texas would become the largest state to ban gender-affirming care for minors under a bill sent Wednesday night to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who has previously ordered child welfare officials to investigate such treatment as abuse. The bill cleared the GOP-controlled Legislature after a final vote in the...
Rudy Giuliani sued for defamation by supermarket employee he accused of assault
NEW YORK — A man who spent a night in jail for smacking Rudy Giuliani on the back and calling him a “scumbag” is suing him and several New York City police officers for false arrest and defamation. Daniel Gill brought the federal lawsuit in Manhattan court on Wednesday, accusing...
Man indicted in theft of ‘Wizard of Oz’ ruby slippers worn by Judy GarlandVideo
A man has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of stealing a pair of ruby red slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz,” federal prosecutors in North Dakota say. The shoes were stolen in 2005 and recovered in a 2018 FBI sting operation, but no...
EPA rule would force clean-up of toxic coal ash dumped in landfills, ponds near power plants
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency is strengthening a rule aimed at controlling and cleaning up toxic waste from coal-fired power plants. A proposal announced Wednesday would for the first time require safe management of so-called coal ash dumped in hundreds of older landfills, “legacy” ponds and other inactive sites...
1,100-year-old Hebrew Bible sells for $38 million at New York auctionVideo
NEW YORK — A 1,100-year-old Hebrew Bible that is one of the world’s oldest surviving biblical manuscripts sold Wednesday for $38 million in New York. The Codex Sassoon, a leather-bound, handwritten parchment volume containing a nearly complete Hebrew Bible, was purchased by former U.S. Ambassador to Romania Alfred H. Moses...
Montana becomes 1st state to ban TikTok
HELENA — Montana became the first state in the United States to enact a complete ban on TikTok on Wednesday when Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a measure that’s more sweeping than any other state’s attempts to curtail the social media app, which is owned by a Chinese tech company....
Spieth says wrist is feeling good enough to play ‘nasty’ Oak HillVideo
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Jordan Spieth finished nine holes of practice at Oak Hill on Wednesday and said his left wrist felt good enough to play in the PGA Championship and good enough that he’s won’t rule out his chances of a career Grand Slam. That’s a big leap from a...
Effort to expel George Santos falters as Republicans vote to send measure to Ethics CommitteeVideo
WASHINGTON — A resolution to expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from Congress was referred to the House Ethics Committee on Wednesday as Republicans successfully sidestepped an effort to force them into a vote that could have narrowed their already slim four-seat majority. The House voted along party lines, 221-204, to...
Abortion pill case moves to appeals court, on track for Supreme CourtVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Appellate judges with a history of supporting abortion restrictions heard arguments Wednesday over access to a drug used in the most common method of abortion. The closely watched case is likely to wind up at the Supreme Court, which already intervened to keep the drug, mifepristone, available...
Man who killed 8 in NYC terrorist attack gets 10 life sentences plus 260 years
NEW YORK — An Islamic extremist was given 10 life sentences and another 260 years in prison on Wednesday for killing eight people with a truck on a bike path in Manhattan and severely injuring 18 others. “The conduct in this case is among the worst if not the worst...
