Associated Press stories, Page 1405
Feds accuse Texas man of selling gun used to take synagogue hostages
DALLAS — A Texas man has been charged with a federal gun crime after authorities say he sold a gun to a man who held four hostages inside a Texas synagogue earlier this month before being fatally shot by the FBI, the Justice Department said Wednesday. Henry “Michael” Williams, 32,...
Covid-19 hospitalizations set record in West Virginia
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia set a pandemic record Wednesday for the number of residents hospitalized for the coronavirus. Covid-19 daily hospitalizations hit 1,043, breaking the mark of 1,012 set on Sept. 24, according to state health figures. The number of virus patients in the hospital has increased 52% over...
Los Angeles City Council approves phaseout of oil drilling
The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved a measure to ban new oil and gas wells and phase out existing ones. The council directed the city attorney to draft an ordinance to prohibit oil and gas drilling in Los Angeles, change zoning laws to make drilling illegal and study...
Biden has long been preparing for a Supreme Court pick
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has already narrowed the field for his first Supreme Court pick. Biden said as a presidential candidate that if he were given the chance to nominate someone to the court, he would make history by choosing a Black woman. And word on Wednesday that Justice...
Traded cryptocurrency in 2021? Here’s how to approach taxes
Professionals have a major piece of advice for those who traded cryptocurrency for the first time last year: Take your tax prep seriously. The IRS has been zooming in on cryptocurrency reporting with increasing interest in recent years. And the last thing you want is to lose money and time...
Picasso heirs launch digital art piece to ride ‘crypto’ wave
GENEVA — Pablo, meet Crypto. Heirs of Pablo Picasso, the famed 20th-century Spanish artist, are vaulting into 21st-century commerce by selling 1,010 digital art pieces of one of his ceramic works that has never before been seen publicly — riding a fad for “crypto” assets that have taken the art...
Explainer: Who are the kids trapped in Syria prison attack?
BEIRUT — A distressing series of voice notes sent by an injured Australian teenager from a prison in northeast Syria underscores the plight of thousands of forgotten children who remain trapped in overcrowded detention facilities in Syria and Iraq. Hundreds of minors are believed to be holed up in Gweiran...
AP source: Vikings hire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as GM
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings have hired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as their general manager, according to a person with knowledge of the process, taking an innovative turn by bringing in an analytics expert from Cleveland’s front office who once worked on Wall Street. The person spoke to The Associated Press on...
Americans’ trust in science now deeply polarized, poll shows
WASHINGTON — Republicans’ faith in science is falling as Democrats rely on it even more, with a trust gap in science and medicine widening substantially during the covid-19 pandemic, new survey data shows. It’s the largest gap in nearly five decades of polling by the General Social Survey, a widely...
Medicare posts key nursing home staffing info for consumers
WASHINGTON — Shining a light on key markers for nursing home quality, Medicare said Wednesday it is now posting details on staff turnover and weekend nurse coverage on its Care Compare website, where families can research a facility. The move by the Biden administration comes as covid-19 cases and deaths...
Rioter who wore ‘Camp Auschwitz’ sweatshirt pleads guilty
A Virginia man who wore a “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt at the U.S. Capitol during last year’s riot pleaded guilty Wednesday to joining the mob of people who stormed the building. Photographs of Robert Keith Packer wearing the sweatshirt with the anti-Semitic message went viral after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection....
Herschel Walker reports $5.4M raised for Georgia Senate race
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Herschel Walker raised $5.4 million for his U.S. Senate race in the last quarter of 2021, the former football star’s campaign said Wednesday. Walker is seeking the Republican nomination in Georgia to challenge Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, an Atlanta pastor whose victory in a runoff election a...
U.S. new home sales jump in December as prices fall
Sales of new single family homes in December rose to their highest level in 10 months as buyers took advantage of lower prices in anticipation of higher interest rates. The increase put the seasonally adjusted annual sales pace to 811,000 for the month, according to the Commerce Department, an 11.9%...
Commentary: Baseball harmed itself more than Bonds ever did
Whatever harm Barry Bonds did to baseball pales in comparison to the damage baseball inflicted on itself both at the time and since. So say what you will about the steroids era, at least the games were still worth watching. You can’t say that about baseball today, assuming it’s even...
Netherlands, Ukraine take Russia to European rights court
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Netherlands and Ukraine argued Wednesday that a top European court should hear their cases that seek to hold Russia responsible for human rights violations in eastern Ukraine including the 2014 downing of a passenger jet that killed all 298 people on board. Lawyers representing the...
Carlos Beltrán brings his own baggage to next year’s Hall ballot
With Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling off the ballot, next year’s Hall of Fame vote figures to be a bit less contentious. Then again, the top newcomer arrives with his own recent baggage. Forget about steroids for a minute, it’s time to talk about sign stealing. Carlos Beltrán...
Man paralyzed in Uber vehicle crash sues for $63M
BOSTON — A Massachusetts man who was left a quadriplegic when his Uber vehicle crashed last year is seeking $63 million in damages in a negligence lawsuit he has filed against the ride-hailing platform. William Good, 31, of Somerville alleges in the lawsuit that Uber “failed to appropriately screen, hire...
Nissan recalls 793,000 Rogues; wiring trouble raises fire risk
DETROIT — Nissan is recalling more than 793,000 small SUVs in the U.S. and Canada because water can get into wiring and in rare cases could start a fire. The recall covers Nissan Rogue SUVs from the 2014 through 2016 model years. The Rogue is Nissan’s top-selling vehicle in the...
U.S.-backed Syrian forces capture prison from IS after a week
BEIRUT — U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces said they wrestled control of the last section of a prison controlled by Islamic State militants, ending a weeklong assault by the extremists on one of the largest detention facilities in Syria. The attack was the biggest by IS militants since the fall of the...
Russia threatens retaliation if Ukraine demands not met
MOSCOW — Russia warned Wednesday it would quickly take “retaliatory measures” if the U.S. and its allies reject its security demands over NATO and Ukraine, raising pressure on the West amid concerns that Moscow is planning to invade its neighbor. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied it has any such designs,...
Chicago Bears hire Ryan Poles as general managerVideo
CHICAGO — Ryan Poles made the Chicago Bears this time. Poles was hired as Chicago’s general manager Tuesday, almost 15 years after he signed with the team as an undrafted free agent and then failed to make the final roster. Poles spent the previous 13 seasons in the Chiefs’ front...
Pennsylvania fast-tracks $225M in pandemic aid to hospitals
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s state Senate on Tuesday fast-tracked legislation to spend $225 million to help hospitals struggling to keep staff on board as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has packed hospitals with unvaccinated patients. The bill has backing from Gov. Tom Wolf and House leaders, and was expected to...
Nancy Pelosi to seek reelection with Democratic majority at risk
LOS ANGELES — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Tuesday she will seek reelection, ending speculation that she would retire as Democrats face the threat of losing control of Congress in the 2022 midterms. “While we have made progress, much more needs to be done to improve people’s lives,” the 81-year-old...
NFL divisional round averages record 38.2 million viewersVideo
NEW YORK — The four NFL divisional round playoff games had the highest average viewers on record with 38.2 million tuning in on television and digital platforms. Every game over the weekend came down to the final play. Besides it being the highest average for the divisional round since Nielsen...
Flyers’ Yandle sets Iron Man mark in 965th straight gameVideo
NEW YORK — Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Keith Yandle broke the NHL record by playing in his 965th consecutive game. The 35-year-old Yandle passed the previous mark set by Doug Jarvis, who played 964 straight games over his entire career from Oct. 8, 1975, to Oct. 10, 1987. Yandle started his...
