Associated Press stories, Page 1358
IRS plans to hire 10,000 workers to relieve massive backlog
WASHINGTON — The IRS said Thursday it plans to hire 10,000 new workers to help reduce a massive backlog that the government says will make this tax season the most challenging in history. The agency released a plan to work down the tens of millions of filings that includes speeding...
Michigan’s Juwan Howard keeps cool after returning to sideline
INDIANAPOLIS — Juwan Howard was on his best behavior in Michigan’s Big Ten Tournament opener. Sure, he worked the officials. Yes, he spent most of Thursday’s game barking out instructions to his players. He even hugged Indiana’s players and coaches in the handshake line. But after serving a five-game, league-imposed...
AP source: Chargers acquiring Khalil Mack from Bears for 2 picks
In Khalil Mack, The Los Angeles Chargers have found another pass-rusher to pair with Joey Bosa. The Chargers agreed to acquire the defensive end from the Chicago Bears in exchange for two draft picks, two people familiar with the negotiations confirmed to the Associated Press on Thursday. The people spoke...
PennDOT picks construction group for bridge-tolling project
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration has picked a consortium of companies to manage construction on as many as nine major interstate bridges in Pennsylvania — upgrades on the aging spans that are to be paid for by tolls under the administration’s current plan. Wolf’s push for tolling comes as...
AP photos: Ukrainians fleeing war ‘can’t leave’ pets behind
Mounds of abandoned clothes and other personal items lie strewn along corridors leading out of Ukraine. The farther people carry their things, the harder it is, so they leave them behind, said Ludmila Sokol, a gym teacher fleeing Zaporizhzhia in the south. But their pets, they keep alongside them. Everywhere...
West Virginia’s Bob Huggins ejected early in Big 12 tourney loss
Kansas coach Bill Self watched West Virginia counterpart Bob Huggins pick up two technical fouls in quick succession, then stalk off to the locker room to watch the final 30 minutes of their Big 12 quarterfinal matchup. Nobody was more upset about the situation than Huggins. Self might have come...
EU united on Ukraine, but won’t offer fast-track membership
European Union leaders meeting in France Thursday ruled out fulfilling Ukraine’s demand for a fast-track integration with the bloc, as they discussed ways to help the eastern country that’s been invaded by neighboring Russia. EU nations have been fully united in backing Ukraine’s resistance, adopting unprecedented economic sanctions against Russia,...
U.S. misjudged Ukraine’s will to fight Russia, officials admit
WASHINGTON — Top U.S. intelligence officials admitted Thursday that they underestimated Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russia’s invasion, a mistake for intelligence agencies that have otherwise been lauded for accurately predicting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intention to launch a war. “My view was that, based on a variety of...
GOP lawmakers in Kentucky advance 15-week abortion ban
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Republican lawmakers advanced a proposal Thursday to ban abortions after 15 weeks in Kentucky, part of a new push by abortion opponents to place restrictions on the procedure. The measure is modeled after a Mississippi law under review by the U.S. Supreme Court in a case that...
U.S. extends mask rule for travel while weighing new approach
WASHINGTON — Federal officials are extending the requirement for masks on planes and public transportation for one more month — through mid-April — while taking steps that could lead to lifting the rule. The mask mandate was scheduled to expire March 18, but the Transportation Security Administration said Thursday that...
MLB players vote to end lockout, salvaging 162-game season
NEW YORK — Players voted to accept MLB’s latest offer for a new labor deal, paving the way to end a 99-day lockout and salvage a 162-game regular season that would begin April 7. The union’s executive board approved the agreement in a 26-12 vote Thursday, pending ratification by all...
Flyers give Rasmus Ristolainen 5-year contract extension
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Flyers signed defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to a five-year contract extension, the team announced Thursday. The deal is worth $5.1 million a year, Flyers president of hockey operations and general manager Chuck Fletcher said. It comes 11 days before the NHL trade deadline. “Rasmus is an important...
Scathing reports find U.S. military failures in 2020 Kenya attack
Military investigations have found poor leadership, inadequate training and a “culture of complacency” among U.S. forces undermined efforts to fend off a 2020 attack by militants in Kenya that killed three Americans, U.S. officials familiar with the probes told The Associated Press ahead of the release of the findings, expected...
How will covid end? Experts look to past epidemics for clues
NEW YORK — Two years into the covid-19 pandemic, most of the world has seen a dramatic improvement in infections, hospitalizations and death rates in recent weeks, signaling the crisis appears to be winding down. But how will it end? Past epidemics may provide clues. The ends of epidemics are...
‘Black Panther’ director mistaken for bank robber in Atlanta
ATLANTA — Movie director Ryan Coogler was briefly handcuffed by Atlanta police after a bank employee mistook him for a robber when he passed her a note while trying to withdraw a large amount of cash from his account. The “Black Panther” director, who is Black, walked into a Bank...
Stocks slip on Wall Street as oil and inflation worries rise
Stocks slipped on Wall Street Thursday as global markets remain choppy amid uncertainty about where inflation, interest rates and the global economy are heading. The S&P 500 slumped 1.2% in morning trading, on pace for its fifth drop in the last six days. It marks another reversal for U.S. stocks,...
‘Scum of the earth’: Drug victims face Purdue Pharma owners
NEW YORK — Angry, defiant and sometimes tearful, more than two dozen Americans whose lives were upended by the opioid crisis finally had their long-awaited chance Thursday to confront in court some members of the family they blame for fueling it. They were unsparing as they unleashed decades of frustration...
Goldman Sachs to shut down its Russia business
NEW YORK — Goldman Sachs says it is closing its operations in Russia entirely, making it the first major Wall Street bank to do so since Russia invaded Ukraine. Goldman’s announcement comes after Citigroup said it would start winding down its Russia operations. But that process will likely take longer...
At 91, siege of Leningrad survivor is besieged by war again
KHARKIV, Ukraine — Alevtina Shernina was a young girl when she survived the brutal siege of Leningrad during World War II. Eight decades later, so frail she can barely talk, or move unassisted, she is besieged again. The 91-year-old lives in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city and one of the...
Border authorities find 52 reptiles hidden in man’s clothing
A man who tried to slither past U.S. border agents in California had 52 lizards and snakes hidden in his clothing, authorities said Tuesday. The man was driving a truck when he arrived at the San Ysidro border crossing with Mexico on Feb. 25 and was pulled out for additional...
U.S. inflation soared 7.9% in past year, a fresh 40-year high
WASHINGTON — Propelled by surging costs for gas, food and housing, consumer inflation jumped 7.9% over the past year, the sharpest spike since 1982 and likely only a harbinger of even higher prices to come. The increase reported Thursday by the Labor Department reflected the 12 months ending in February...
More Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week
WASHINGTON — Slightly more Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, but layoffs have settled to the low, pre-pandemic levels seen before the coronavirus recession in 2020. Jobless claims rose by 11,000 to 227,000 for the week ending March 5, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The previous week’s number was...
VP Harris embraces call for war crimes probe of Russia
WARSAW, Poland — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday embraced calls for an international war crimes investigation of Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and the bombing of civilians, including a maternity hospital. Speaking in Warsaw, where she is demonstrating U.S. support for NATO’s eastern flank allies, Harris expressed...
Gas price hikes fueling electric vehicle conspiracy theories
WASHINGTON — Some social media users suggest that soaring fuel prices in the U.S. aren’t the result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, increased consumption or supply chain issues as daily life resumes after two years of stagnation brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, the flurry of Facebook and Twitter...
Russia built an economy like a fortress but the pain is real
Western sanctions are dealing a severe blow to Russia’s economy. The ruble is plunging, foreign businesses are fleeing and sharply higher prices are in the offing. Familiar products may disappear from stores, and middle-class achievements like foreign vacations are in doubt. Beyond the short-term pain, Russia’s economy will likely see...
