Associated Press stories, Page 4
Lions are out of the playoff race, Packers are among 11 teams in and 3 spots remain open
The Lions are staying home for the playoffs, the Packers are in the postseason and only one spot remains open in the NFC. Detroit’s dismal performance in a 23-10 loss to Minnesota on Christmas eliminated the Lions (8-8) and allowed Green Bay (9-5-1) to clinch at least a wild-card berth....
What to know about the militants targeted by U.S. airstrikes in northwest Nigeria
ABUJA, Nigeria — The United States airstrikes that targeted Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria on Thursday marked a major escalation in an offensive that Nigeria’s overstretched military has struggled with for years. U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media that the “powerful and deadly” strikes in Sokoto state...
China sanctions 20 U.S. defense companies and 10 executives over massive arms sales to Taiwan
BEIJING — Beijing imposed sanctions on Friday against 20 U.S. defense-related companies and 10 executives, a week after Washington announced large-scale arms sales to Taiwan. The sanctions entail freezing the companies’ assets in China and banning individuals and organizations from dealing with them, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. The...
South Korea vows to end foreign adoptions as UN presses Seoul to address past abuses
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s government said it plans to end its waning foreign adoptions of Korean children, while United Nations investigators voiced “serious concern” over what they described as Seoul’s failure to ensure truth-finding and reparations for widespread human rights violations tied to decades of mass overseas adoptions....
Trump’s talks with Zelenskyy to address security guarantees and reconstruction, Ukraine leader says
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that he will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida over the weekend. Zelenskyy told journalists that the two leaders will discuss security guarantees for Ukraine during Sunday’s talks, and that the 20-point plan under discussion “is about 90% ready.”...
Bo Nix’s late TD pass helps finish off win over Chiefs as Broncos move closer to division title
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bo Nix ran for a score before throwing a go-ahead touchdown pass to R.J. Harvey with 1:45 left in the game, and the Denver Broncos held on in the closing seconds for a 20-13 victory over the banged-up Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night. Nix finished...
Vikings eliminate Lions from playoff contention by forcing 6 turnovers, racking up 5 sacks
MINNEAPOLIS — Jordan Addison took a jet sweep handoff 65 yards for the game-sealing touchdown with 3 minutes, 43 seconds left after the Minnesota Vikings forced six turnovers and eliminated the Detroit Lions from contention for the playoffs with a 23-10 victory Thursday. Harrison Smith, the 14th-year veteran safety, had...
Trump says U.S. struck Islamic State targets in Nigeria after group targeted Christians
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump said Thursday night that he’d launched a “powerful and deadly strike” against Islamic State forces in Nigeria, after he spent weeks decrying the group for targeting Christians. The president’s post did not include information about how the strike was carried out and...
Raves’ Lamar Jackson doubtful, Packers’ Jordan Love questionable for matchup Saturday
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Lamar Jackson is listed as doubtful for Baltimore’s game against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night as he continues to deal with a back injury that knocked him out of the game against the New England Patriots last weekend. The two-time MVP quarterback hasn’t practiced...
Dak Prescott throws for 307 yards and 2 TDs to lead Cowboys past skidding Commanders
LANDOVER, Md. — Dak Prescott threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, and the Dallas Cowboys blew most of an 18-point lead before squeezing past the Washington Commanders, 30-23, on Thursday. Dallas (7-8-1) scored touchdowns on its first three possessions to go up 21-3. Although the Commanders (4-12) cut the...
Jaguars CB Jourdan Lewis to have season-ending foot surgery, AP source says
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jourdan Lewis will have season-ending foot surgery, a person familiar with the injury told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because neither the player nor the team has confirmed Lewis’ status. Lewis injured his foot in a 34-20...
Somalis vote in 1st 1-person, 1-vote local election in decades
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Residents of Somalia’s capital are set to vote Thursday in a controversial local election that marks the country’s first-ever one-person, one-vote poll since 1969. Analysts say it is a major departure from clan-based power-sharing negotiations. The election of local council members, to be conducted across Mogadishu’s 16...
Minnesota looks to stretch bowl winning streak to 9 when it faces New Mexico in Rate Bowl
PHOENIX — Opting out has become the in thing to do. Every year, players regularly choose not to play in bowl games, some wary of injuries affecting their pro prospects, others leaving for another school, or sitting out after a coaching change. Entire teams even opt out. Minnesota still finds...
Mikaela Shiffrin is perfect in slalom. She’s got big post-Christmas plans with Olympics approaching
Mikaela Shiffrin has plenty to celebrate this Christmas. The American skiing standout is off to a perfect start in slalom during the Olympic season — with four wins in four World Cup races. And she’s regaining her form in other disciplines, too, following the two biggest crashes of her career....
John Robertson, two-time European Cup winner with Nottingham Forest, dies at 72
NOTTINGHAM, England — John Robertson, a former Scotland winger who won the European Cup twice with Nottingham Forest and scored the only goal in the 1980 final, has died. He was 72. The Premier League club said in a statement Thursday that it was “heartbroken to announce the passing of...
Movie Review: In ‘Testament of Ann Lee,’ a blazing Amanda Seyfried can make you believe anything
Filmmakers Mona Fastvold and Brady Corbet are clearly fascinated by ambition. They’re fascinated, too, by dreamers — difficult dreamers, brilliant but demanding people who have plans they must fulfill no matter the personal cost. They’re also interested in dreamers who cross the ocean to America with these difficult, lofty plans....
College Football Playoff ratings drop 7% as NFL competition impacts viewership
Last weekend’s first round of the College Football Playoff averaged 9.9 million viewers on ABC, ESPN, TNT, TBS and truTV, according to ESPN and Nielson. That is a 7% drop from last year. A big reason for the drop was that the final game, James Madison versus Oregon, was on...
King Charles III leads family to church ahead of annual Christmas Day broadcast
LONDON — King Charles III led his family to church on foot Thursday, hours before his annual Christmas Day speech to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth was expected to focus on the theme of pilgrimage. Charles and Queen Camilla, along with the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and...
Pope Leo XIV urges the faithful on Christmas to shed indifference in the face of suffering
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV during his first Christmas Day message on Thursday urged the faithful to shed indifference in the face of those who have lost everything, like in Gaza, those who are in impoverished, like in Yemen, and the many migrants who cross the Mediterranean Sea and...
3 Palestinians arrested on suspicion of torching a Christmas tree at a Catholic church in West Bank
Three Palestinians have been arrested on suspicion of setting fire to a Christmas tree and damaging part of a Nativity scene at a Catholic Church in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Jenin, Palestinian Authority police said. Police said late Wednesday that the arrests were made after reviewing surveillance footage....
Public release of Epstein records puts Maxwell under fresh scrutiny amid her claims of innocence
NEW YORK — Days after Ghislaine Maxwell asked a judge to immediately free her from a 20-year prison sentence, the public release of grand jury transcripts from her sex trafficking case returned the spotlight to victims whose allegations helped land her behind bars. The disclosure of the transcripts as part...
Virtual reality opens doors for older people to build closer connections in real life
LOS GATOS, Calif. — Like many retirement communities, The Terraces serves as a tranquil refuge for a nucleus of older people who no longer can travel to faraway places or engaging in bold adventures. But they can still be thrust back to their days of wanderlust and thrill-seeking whenever caretakers...
A Powerball player in Arkansas has won a $1.817 billion lottery jackpot
A Powerball player in Arkansas won a $1.817 billion jackpot in Wednesday’s Christmas Eve drawing, ending the lottery game’s three-month stretch without a top-prize winner. The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19. Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot higher than previous...
Hawaii stuns Cal in Hawaii Bowl on backup QB’s last-minute TD pass
HONOLULU — Backup quarterback Luke Weaver threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds left, and Hawaii rallied for a 35-31 comeback victory over California in a thrilling Hawaii Bowl on Wednesday night. Weaver entered the game after Micah Alejado took a hard hit on the previous...
Trump warns against infiltration by a ‘bad Santa,’ defends coal in jovial Christmas calls with kids
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump marked Christmas Eve by quizzing children calling in about what presents they were excited about receiving, while promising to not let a “bad Santa” infiltrate the country and even suggesting that a stocking full of coal may not be so bad. Vacationing...
