Associated Press stories, Page 17
Ukrainian drone attack kills 2 in Russia as millions in Ukraine lose power
A Ukrainian drone attack in southwestern Russia killed two people and parts of Ukraine went without power following Russian assaults on energy infrastructure, authorities said Saturday, as U.S.-led peace talks were about to restart on Sunday. Foreign policy advisers from the U.S., Ukraine and Germany, among others, will meet in...
Trump pledges retaliation after 3 Americans killed in Syria attack that U.S. blames on IS
DAMASCUS, Syria — President Donald Trump said Saturday that “there will be very serious retaliation” after two U.S. service members and one American civilian were killed in an attack in Syria that the United States blames on the Islamic State group. “This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and...
Belarus frees Nobel Prize laureate Bialiatski, opposition figure Kolesnikova as U.S. lifts sanctions
VILNIUS, Lithuania — Belarusian authorities on Saturday freed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova and other prominent political prisoners, a human rights group confirmed. Their release comes as authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko seeks to improve relations with Washington. The U.S. earlier on Saturday announced lifting...
Expert tips to ease financial pressure and avoid holiday overspending
NEW YORK — Are you feeling overwhelmed by the pressure to spend money on gifts, parties and travel this holiday season? The job market is tough, student loan and credit card debt are rising, and prices for many items remain high due to inflation. If you’re feeling financially strained, know...
Speaker Johnson unveils health care plan as divided Republicans scramble for alternative
WASHINGTON — The Senate failed to get anywhere on the health care issue this week. Now it’s the House’s turn to show what it can do. Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled a Republican alternative late Friday, a last-minute sprint as his party refuses to extend the enhanced tax subsidies for those...
Man’s death on roller coaster at Universal Orlando Resort ruled accidental
ORLANDO, Fla. — The death of a 32-year-old man after riding a high-speed roller coaster at the Universal Epic Universe theme park was accidental, and an investigation has been closed, according to a Florida sheriff’s office report released this week. Meanwhile, a medical examiner’s report released Friday showed that the...
GOP chairman threatens Clintons with contempt of Congress in Epstein inquiry
WASHINGTON — The Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee threatened Friday to begin contempt of Congress proceedings against former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton if they refuse to appear for depositions as part of the committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Rep. James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, said in...
Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza wins Maxwell and O’Brien awards with Heisman on deck
BRISTOL, Conn. — Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza won the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien awards on the eve of the Heisman Trophy presentation, and the redshirt junior is heavily favored to take the top prize in college football. Mendoza took the honors for the nation’s player of the year and top...
Wild acquire Quinn Hughes from the Canucks in blockbuster trade
The Minnesota Wild have acquired Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in the biggest blockbuster trade of the NHL season. The teams announced the seismic move Friday night, after the 2024 Norris Trophy winner as the league’s top defenseman had been the most talked-about trade candidate over the past couple...
Critically wounded National Guard member being moved to in-patient rehabilitation
A West Virginia National Guard member who was shot last month in the nation’s capital is being transitioned from hospital acute care to in-patient rehabilitation, a doctor said Friday. Staff. Sgt. Andrew Wolfe was airlifted to MedStar Washington Hospital Center with a critical gunshot wound to the head on Nov....
Hailee Steinfeld and NFL husband Josh Allen are expecting their first child
Actor Hailee Steinfeld and her husband, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, are expecting their first baby together. Steinfeld, known for her roles in “Hawkeye,” “Sinners” and the “Pitch Perfect” franchise, announced her pregnancy Friday in her Substack newsletter as part of a list of her favorite moments of the year....
New Orleans jail escapee who evaded capture for months gets life sentence for double murder
NEW ORLEANS — The last inmate caught after an audacious New Orleans jailbreak was sentenced Friday to two life sentences over a 2018 double murder, with the Louisiana judge rebuking him for the disruption caused by his five months on the run. Derrick Groves, 28, wore shackles and an orange...
Michigan State’s Tom Izzo gets $1 million raise and is the highest-paid coach in Big Ten
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State’s Tom Izzo is getting a $1 million raise in his 5-year contract that automatically renews annually, a boost that makes him the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten with a salary of about $7.2 million. The school said Friday that its Board of Trustees...
TSA renews push to end collective bargaining agreement for airport security screeners
The Transportation Security Administration is renewing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s push to end a collective bargaining agreement with airport screening officers — the second such attempt this year and one that comes just a month after the longest government shutdown on record. The agency said Friday the move is...
Iran arrests Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, supporters say
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran has arrested Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, her supporters said Friday. A foundation in her name said she was detained in Mashhad, some 420 miles northeast of the capital, Tehran, while attending a memorial for a human rights lawyer recently found dead under...
EU indefinitely freezes Russian assets so Hungary and Slovakia can’t veto their use for Ukraine
BRUSSELS — The European Union on Friday indefinitely froze Russia’s assets in Europe to ensure that Hungary and Slovakia, both with Moscow-friendly governments, can’t prevent the billions of euros from being used to support Ukraine. Using a special procedure meant for economic emergencies, the EU blocked the assets until Russia...
U.S. accuses Rwanda of violating peace deal as M23 rebels seize key city in eastern Congo
UNITED NATIONS — The United States accused Rwanda on Friday of violating a U.S.-brokered peace agreement by backing a new and deadly offensive in the mineral-rich eastern Congo and warned that the Trump administration will take action against “spoilers” of the deal. The remarks by U.S. Ambassador to the United...
Navy investigation finds Osprey safety issues were allowed to grow for years
WASHINGTON — After a spate of deadly accidents that have claimed the lives of 20 service members in the past four years, a Navy report acknowledges that the military failed to address a growing series of issues with the V-22 Osprey aircraft since it took flight almost 20 years ago....
House Democrats release photos of Trump, Clinton and Andrew from Epstein’s estate
WASHINGTON — House Democrats released a selection of photos from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, including some of Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and the former Prince Andrew. The 19 photos released by Democratic lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee were a small part of more than 95,000 they...
Threat of equine virus looms over major rodeo event in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS — Declaring Las Vegas a “cowboy town,” dozens of riders on horseback have traditionally kicked off the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo by galloping into the arena and then lining up their horses side by side as the riders tip their hats to cheers. But an equine virus outbreak...
Trump administration delays decision on federal protections for monarch butterflies
MADISON, Wis. — President Donald Trump’s administration has delayed a decision on whether to extend federal protections to monarch butterflies indefinitely despite years of warnings from conservationists that populations are shrinking. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced during the waning days of then-President Joe Biden’s term in December 2024...
Washington flooding forces an entire city to evacuate as rivers top historic highs
BURLINGTON, Wash. — National Guard troops went door-to-door early Friday to evacuate a farming city north of Seattle as severe flooding throughout Western Washington stranded families on rooftops, washed over bridges and ripped homes from their foundations. Days of torrential rain have swelled rivers to record or near-record levels, with...
Church Nativity scenes add zip ties, gas masks and ICE to protest immigration raids
DEDHAM, Mass. — One baby Jesus lays in a manger in the snow, wrapped in a silver emergency blanket with his wrists zip-tied. Mary stands nearby outside the Lake Street Church in Evanston, Illinois, wearing a plastic gas mask and flanked by Roman soldiers in tactical vests labeled “ICE.” In...
Chinese whistleblower now living in U.S. is being hunted by Beijing with help from U.S. tech
MIDLAND, Texas — Retired Chinese official Li Chuanliang was recuperating from cancer on a Korean resort island when he got an urgent call: Don’t return to China, a friend warned. You’re now a fugitive. Days later, a stranger snapped a photo of Li in a cafe. Terrified South Korea would...
Crypto mogul Do Kwon sentenced to 15 years in prison for $40 billion stablecoin fraud
NEW YORK — Onetime cryptocurrency mogul Do Kwon was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison after a $40 billion crash revealed his crypto ecosystem to be a fraud. Victims said the 34-year-old financial technology whiz weaponized their trust to convince them that the investment — secretly propped up by...
