Associated Press stories, Page 961
FDA clears extra covid booster for some high-risk Americans
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators on Tuesday cleared another booster dose of the Pfizer or Moderna covid-19 vaccines for older Americans and people with weak immune systems. The Food and Drug Administration also took steps to make coronavirus vaccinations simpler for everyone, saying that anyone getting a Pfizer or Moderna dose...
Twitter removes policy against deadnaming transgender people
SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter has quietly removed a policy against the “targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals,” raising concerns that the Elon Musk-owned platform is becoming less safe for marginalized groups. Twitter enacted the policy against deadnaming, or using a transgender person’s name before they transitioned, as well as...
Ralph Yarl shedding ‘buckets of tears;’ shooter in custodyVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As 16-year-old Ralph Yarl struggled to come to grips with being shot for going to the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers, the white Kansas City, Missouri, homeowner who shot the Black teenager turned himself in on Tuesday. Andrew Lester, 84, surrendered at the...
Pennsylvania to restrict ‘tranq,’ animal sedative linked to overdoses
HARRISBURG — States are increasingly looking to restrict access to an animal tranquilizer showing up in supplies of illicit drugs and contributing to a growing number of human overdose deaths. Pennsylvania’s governor said Tuesday that his administration will add xylazine to the state’s list of controlled substances, tightening regulations on...
Brock Purdy’s success could open door for other QBs late in NFL draft
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Jake Haener bristles when asked about the obvious comparison to fellow experienced but undersized quarterback Brock Purdy. “I just feel like Brock is different. I’m different. There’s different things that we do in our games,” said Haener, the former Fresno State star. “Brock did a lot...
Republicans object to replacing Dianne Feinstein on Judiciary panel
WASHINGTON — Republicans blocked a Democratic request to temporarily replace California Sen. Dianne Feinstein on the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday, leaving Democrats with few options for moving some of President Joe Biden’s stalled judicial nominees. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, objected to...
Behind scenes, Schwartz-Morini guiding force for Coach Prime
BOULDER, Colo. — Everyone knows Deion Sanders. Behind the scenes and not as well known is the guiding force behind his evolution from “Prime Time” to “Coach Prime.” The orchestrator, too, of the deal that brought Sanders to Boulder to revive a University of Colorado football program that’s fallen on...
Former NFL defensive end Chris Smith dead at 31
CLEVELAND — Former NFL defensive end Chris Smith, who was touched by tragedy while he played for the Cleveland Browns, has died. He was 31. Smith’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and the Browns confirmed his passing on Tuesday. The cause of death was not immediately known. “Rest in Peace Chris,” Rosenhaus...
Old NASA satellite falling to Earth, risk of danger ‘low’
An old NASA satellite is expected to fall to Earth this week, but experts tracking the spacecraft say chances are low it will pose any danger. The defunct science satellite known as Rhessi will plummet through the atmosphere Wednesday night, according to NASA and the Defense Department. NASA said Tuesday...
Oklahoma sheriff says recording of killing talk was illegal
An Oklahoma sheriff’s office says a newspaper’s audio recording in which the sheriff and others are reportedly heard discussing killing two journalists and hanging Black people was illegal and predicted felony charges will be filed. A post on the sheriff’s office Facebook page — the agency’s first public comment since...
Patriots owner Kraft joined by Meek Mill for Holocaust march
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft led a delegation that included rapper Meek Mill on a march in Poland on Tuesday to honor victims and survivors of the Holocaust. The 3-kilometer “March of the Living” is an annual commemoration that covers the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex, the largest Nazi...
Column: IndyCar decries online abuse directed at drivers
LONG BEACH, Calif. — Callum Ilott and Agustín Canapino are teammates. Ilott is British, Canapino is Argentine and through their first three months working together, everything seemed just fine as tiny Juncos Hollinger Racing showed decent on-track progress. But when a sequence of ill-timed events caused Canapino to crash while...
New to volunteering? A how-to guide to find the right fit
Over the last 20 years, fewer and fewer people in the U.S. have donated their time through volunteering with nonprofits. While it’s not the only way to give back to your community, volunteering through nonprofit organizations is a powerful way to make a difference. Nonprofits support many of our society’s...
Damar Hamlin cleared to play, 4 months after cardiac arrest
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Having spent the past several months meeting President Joe Biden, raising millions of dollars for his charitable foundation and promoting the benefits of CPR training, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin can focus now on the next big objective in his life: returning to football. Wearing a...
Southwest passengers face delays after nationwide grounding
DALLAS — Southwest Airlines planes were briefly grounded nationwide Tuesday for what the airline called an intermittent technology issue, leading to more than 1,800 delayed flights just four months after the carrier suffered a much bigger meltdown over the Christmas travel rush. The hold on departures was lifted by late...
Rat ambassadors try to counter bad press amid NYC’s rat war
SAN DIEGO — As an ambassador for rats, it’s never easy to win over the public. There’s that hairless tail after all. But Runa at the San Diego Zoo is doing her best to counter the bad press. She is one of a handful of such so-called ambassadors showing off...
Gun safety demonstrators carry caskets to Tennessee Capitol
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Protesters calling for gun safety legislation were blocked from bringing caskets inside Tennessee’s Capitol on Monday, but a recently reinstated legislator escorted an infant-sized casket inside before he was barred from carrying it onto the House floor. Protesters led by Bishop William Barber II marched in Nashville,...
Donut painting sparks free speech debate for bakery, town
CONWAY, N.H. — Bakery owner Sean Young was thrilled when high school art students covered the big blank wall over his doorway last spring with a painting of the sun shining over a mountain range made of sprinkle-covered chocolate and strawberry donuts, a blueberry muffin, a cinnamon roll and other...
Poland building electronic barrier on border with Russia
WARSAW, Poland — Poland has begun building a state-of-the-art electronic barrier at its land border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave to monitor and counteract any illegal activity, the Polish interior minister said Tuesday. The barrier, which will be equipped with 24-hour monitoring cameras and motion detectors, will run for 130 miles...
Biden signs executive order to improve access to child care
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has signed an executive order containing more than 50 directives to increase access to child care and improve the work life of caregivers, the White House said Tuesday. But the directives would be funded out of existing commitments, likely meaning their impact would carry more...
How some White House hopefuls inflate their fundraising success
WASHINGTON — Long before ballots are tallied and reliable polls are conducted, one of the earliest ways to gauge the popularity of presidential candidates is with dollars. Getting donors to part with their money is a key measure of viability, especially in the early stages of a White House campaign....
Soundgarden, Chris Cornell’s widow settle recordings lawsuit
The widow of singer Chris Cornell and his former bandmates in Soundgarden said Monday that they have resolved her lawsuit against them, clearing the way for the release of the band’s final recordings more than five years after his death. Vicky Cornell sued Soundgarden in federal court in 2019 over...
Fox, Dominion reach settlement over false election claimsVideo
WILMINGTON, Del. — Fox and Dominion Voting Systems reached a settlement Tuesday in the voting machine company’s defamation lawsuit, averting a trial in a case that exposed how the top-rated network chased viewers by promoting lies about the 2020 presidential election. An attorney for Dominion said the settlement was for...
Wall Street Journal reporter held by Russia on spying charges denied release
A Russian judge ruled Tuesday that American journalist Evan Gershkovich must remain behind bars on espionage charges in a case that is part of a crackdown the Kremlin has intensified on dissent and press freedom since invading Ukraine. Appearing in public for the first time in weeks, the 31-year-old Wall...
Printing error forces Pennsylvania county to replace ballots
HARRISBURG — Elections officials in a central Pennsylvania county were scrambling on Monday to fix an error on more than 18,000 mail-in ballots for the spring primary, when voters will elect judges for the state Supreme Court and other positions. Late last week someone noticed that the ballot for Superior...
