Associated Press stories, Page 1319
Report: 49ers All-Pro WR Deebo Samuel requests trade
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — All-Pro receiver Deebo Samuel told ESPN on Wednesday that he has requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers as the two sides have been unable to negotiate a long-term deal for one of the league’s top playmakers. Samuel is entering the final year of the...
Masters champ Scheffler returns to work, partners with Palmer in New OrleansVideo
AVONDALE, La. — One of the perks from winning the Masters is recognition that comes from outside the world of golf. For Scottie Scheffler, that included a letter from fellow Dallas resident and former President George W. Bush. One problem. “His handwriting is really hard to read,” Scheffler said Wednesday....
Watson embraced by teammates in Browns’ offseason programVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Deshaun Watson made a strong impression on his new teammates long ago, scrambling for first downs and rifling touchdown passes while becoming an elite quarterback playing in Houston. Now in Cleveland, the impression he makes off the field might matter more. Acquired from the Texans in a...
Justice Department to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs, officials said Wednesday. The notice came minutes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked the Justice Department to appeal...
Florida Senate passes bill to end Disney self-government
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Senate on Wednesday passed a bill to repeal a law allowing Walt Disney World to operate a private government over its properties in the state, escalating a feud with the entertainment giant over its opposition to what critics call the ” Don’t Say Gay ”...
Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe to return for senior seasonVideo
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky forward Oscar Tshiebwe will return for his senior year with the Wildcats after a breakout season in which he swept national player of the year awards. The 6-foot-9 Tshiebwe announced his decision Wednesday on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “I’ll be here next year for Kentucky,” he said. The...
Court halts South Carolina plan for firing squad execution
South Carolina’s highest court on Wednesday issued a temporary stay blocking the state from carrying out what was set to be its first-ever firing squad execution. The order by the state Supreme Court puts on hold at least temporarily the planned April 29 execution of Richard Bernard Moore, who drew...
Explainer: Why Mideast tensions are soaring yet again
JERUSALEM — Everyone worried this might happen. In the weeks before a rare confluence of major Jewish, Christian and Muslim holidays, with tens of thousands of visitors expected in Jerusalem for the first time since the pandemic, Israeli, Palestinian and Arab leaders discussed how to calm tensions. Israel took steps...
Mega dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say
Every year, one of the world’s leading dance competition companies sells the dream of Hollywood fame to hundreds of thousands of ambitious young dancers hoping to launch careers on television, in movies and on stage. But behind the bright lights and pulsing music, some dancers say they were sexually assaulted,...
New Mexico fines ‘Rust’ for willful gun safety failures
SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico workplace safety regulators on Wednesday issued the maximum possible fine of nearly $137,000 against a film production company for firearms safety failures on the set of “Rust” where a cinematographer was fatally shot in October by actor and producer Alec Baldwin. New Mexico’s Occupational...
U.S. stocks edge higher; Netflix plunges on subscriber losses
Stocks edged mostly higher in afternoon trading on Wall Street Wednesday, but were held back by streaming entertainment giant Netflix, which lost lost more than a third of its value after reporting its first subscriber loss in more than a decade and predicting more grim times ahead. The S&P 500...
Rapper A$AP Rocky arrested at LA airport in 2021 shooting
Rapper A$AP Rocky was taken into custody Wednesday morning at Los Angeles International Airport in connection with a shooting in Hollywood last year, authorities said. The performer, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was detained on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, the Los Angeles Police Department said in...
Most teams welcomed combine’s comeback but some snubbed it
INDIANAPOLIS — Comparison shopping and face-to-face contact with college prospects returned to the NFL this year after the 2021 scouting combine was scuttled by the pandemic. Talent evaluators welcomed back college pro days and private workouts even as the covid-19 broadside entered its third year. The core of the league’s...
Rivian electric car plant blasted by foes at Georgia meeting
Opponents trying to derail a $5 billion, 7,500-job electric truck plant in Georgia dominated a state meeting this week that was meant to gather suggestions on how to design the plant to mitigate any impact on the environment. The state assumed oversight over the Rivian Automotive project after opponents overwhelmed...
Climate change, big agriculture combine to threaten insects
Climate change and habitat loss from big agriculture are combining to swat down global insect populations, with each problem making the other worse, a new study finds. While insects may bug people at times, they also are key in pollinating plants to feed people, making soil more fertile and they...
Wimbledon bans players from Russia, Belarus over Ukraine war
LONDON — Tennis players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to play at Wimbledon this year because of the war in Ukraine, the All England Club announced Wednesday. Among the prominent men’s players affected by the ban are reigning U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who recently reached No....
Birth of endangered Hawaiian monk seal caught on camera
Images of a Hawaiian monk seal being born on an Oahu beach have been captured on camera. An employee of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources shot video and photos of the pup emerging from the mother onto white sands last week. “As soon as its (amniotic) sac...
Poll: Majority of Americans want masks for travelers
A majority of Americans continue to support a mask requirement for people traveling on airplanes and other shared transportation, a new poll finds. A ruling by a federal judge has put the government’s transportation mask mandate on hold. The poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds...
With expansion on hold, College Football Playoff settles in
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — As college football tries to navigate unprecedented upheaval, the status quo holds with the College Football Playoff that crowns its national champion. The playoff is likely to stick with the current four-team format through the end of its contract. It has no plans to engage players on...
Photo gallery: Eyes of Ukraine refugees reflect war and welcome
The United Nations’ refugee agency says more than 5 million people have left Ukraine since Russian troops invaded the country almost eight weeks ago. The Geneva-based U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said Wednesday that data from official border crossing points put the total number of war refugees at 5.03 million....
Michelle Yeoh shows Asian immigrant women are ‘Everything’Video
Michelle Yeoh was adamant about one script change before committing to “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” The main character’s name had to go. She was named Michelle as a love letter to her from the directors. “I’m like ‘No, no, no’ because I believe this person, this character that you’ve...
Southwest wildfires force evacuations, tighten resourcesVideo
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — An Arizona wildfire more than tripled in size as relentless wind pushed the flames through neighborhoods on the outskirts of a college and tourist town, keeping hundreds of residents away from their homes and destroying more than two dozen structures. The blaze continued its run Wednesday through...
Netflix aims to curtail password sharing, considers ads
SAN FRANCISCO — An unexpectedly sharp drop in subscribers has Netflix considering changes it has long resisted: Minimizing password sharing and creating a low-cost subscription supported by advertising. Looming changes announced late Tuesday are designed to help Netflix regain momentum lost over the past year. Pandemic-driven lockdowns that drove binge-watching...
Relentless attacks pound last defenders holed up in Mariupol
KYIV, Ukraine — Relentless Russian attacks pounded the last Ukrainian stronghold in the besieged city of Mariupol as a fighter apparently on the inside issued a video plea for help, saying defenders holed up in a giant steel plant “may have only a few days or hours left.” Another attempt...
One month on, cause of China Eastern crash still a mystery
BEIJING — One month after a China Eastern passenger jet crashed mid-flight, killing all 132 people on board, investigators say they have not determined a cause. A report issued Wednesday by the Civil Aviation Administration of China said no abnormalities had been found in the plane, its crew or external...
