Associated Press stories, Page 1412
Supreme Court allows Jan. 6 committee to get Trump documentsVideo
WASHINGTON — In a rebuff to former President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court is allowing the release of presidential documents sought by the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. The justices on Wednesday rejected a bid by Trump to withhold the documents from the committee until the issue is...
Naomi Osaka, Ash Barty advance toward Australian Open showdown
MELBOURNE, Australia — For the first set, Naomi Osaka’s rediscovered love of the game meant it was anything but fun for Madison Brengle in the second round of the Australian Open. The defending champion conceded only four points in the first four games Wednesday and rifled forehand winners seemingly at...
3 of Tonga’s smaller islands badly damaged by tsunami
SYDNEY — Three of Tonga’s smaller islands suffered serious damage from tsunami waves, officials and the Red Cross said Wednesday, as a wider picture begins to emerge of the destruction caused by the eruption of an undersea volcano near the Pacific archipelago nation. U.N. humanitarian officials report that about 84,000...
NHL reschedules games, season set to end on time April 29
The NHL on Wednesday revealed new dates for 98 games postponed for coronavirus-related reasons, keeping the end of the regular season on schedule for April 29. The changes include moving 23 other games around and 95 games — including nine of the Penguins’ — filling the Feb. 7-22 gap that...
Starbucks nixes vaccine mandate after Supreme Court ruling
Starbucks is no longer requiring its U.S. workers to be vaccinated against covid-19, reversing a plan it announced earlier this month. In a memo sent Tuesday to employees, the Seattle coffee giant said it was responding to last week’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. In a 6-3 vote, the...
Pennsylvania Senate passes bills aimed at ransomware, data breaches
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s state Senate passed a package of legislation on Wednesday aimed at preventing data security breaches and requiring victims and law enforcement officials to be notified when they do happen. The bills’ passage comes barely two weeks after the state’s unemployment compensation system acknowledged that hackers changed bank...
Sotomayor, Gorsuch deny report they were at odds over masksVideo
WASHINGTON — Two Supreme Court justices say a media report that they were at odds over the wearing of masks in court during the recent surge in coronavirus cases is false. The court on Wednesday issued an unusual three-sentence statement from Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch. It read: “Reporting...
Dale Earnhardt Jr. matches his father as NASCAR Hall of Famer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. recognized early he would never be a seven-time NASCAR champion like his dad. It was unrealistic to believe he would match the late Dale Earnhardt on the track. The Intimidator was tough as nails, didn’t tolerate any nonsense and built a winning resume that...
Jon Stewart to receive Mark Twain lifetime award for comedy
Comedian, talk show host and political influencer Jon Stewart has been named the 23rd recipient of the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Award for lifetime achievement in comedy. The 59-year-old Stewart — born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz — rose to prominence as a standup comic and host of multiple failed talk shows...
Yvette Mimieux, ’60s starlet of ‘Time Machine,’ dies at 80
Yvette Mimieux, the blond and blue-eyed 1960s film star of “Where the Boys Are,” “The Time Machine” and “Light in the Piazza,” has died. She was 80. Michelle Bega, a family spokeswoman, said Mimieux died in her sleep of natural causes overnight Monday evening at her home in Los Angeles....
1st for Louisiana: Drug-resistant fungus found at hospital
A hospital in New Orleans says it has identified two patients infected with a rare, drug-resistant fungus — the first time it’s been found in Louisiana. Candida auris has already been found in Washington, D.C., and at least 20 other states including Georgia, Florida and Texas, according to the Centers...
What the No Surprises Act means for your medical bills
More Americans worry about unexpected medical bills than any other expense, according to polls by the Kaiser Family Foundation in 2018 and 2020. Unfortunately, those bills aren’t rare: 18% of emergency visits and 16% of in-network hospital stays had at least one out-of-network charge, a 2020 Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker...
Resolutions for a generous and green new year in the gardenVideo
Something miraculous happens to gardeners at this time of year. I don’t know what triggers it. Perhaps it was the sight of Christmas trees and lights, or the presence of all those poinsettias. Whatever the cause, by January, gardeners have let go of last year’s gardens and start to dream...
Construction to begin soon on new U.S. offshore wind farm
Construction will soon begin on the second commercial-scale, offshore wind energy project to gain approval in the United States, the developers said. The U.S. Department of the Interior approved it in November, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued its approval letter for the constructions and operations plan Tuesday,...
Explainer: Microsoft’s Activision buy could shake up gaming
Microsoft stunned the gaming industry when it announced this week it would buy game publisher Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, a deal that would immediately make it a larger video-game company than Nintendo. Microsoft, maker of the Xbox gaming system, said the deal would be good for gamers and advance...
French actor Gaspard Ulliel, 37, dies after ski accident
French actor Gaspard Ulliel, known for appearing in Chanel perfume ads as well as film and television roles, died Wednesday after a skiing accident in the Alps, according to his agent’s office and local authorities. He was 37. Ulliel portrayed the young Hannibal Lecter in 2007’s “Hannibal Rising” and fashion...
University of Michigan reaches $490M settlement over sexual abuse
The University of Michigan has agreed to a $490 million settlement with more than 1,000 people who say they were sexually assaulted by a former sports doctor during his nearly four-decade career at the school, the university and those involved in the settlement announced Wednesday. The university said 1,050 people...
U.S. begins offering free covid test kits, but doubts persist
WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time, all Americans can log on to a government website and order free, at-home covid-19 tests. But the White House push may do little to ease the omicron surge, and experts say Washington will have to do a lot more to fix the country’s...
Germany criticizes Czech tycoon’s 257 mph Autobahn rideVideo
BERLIN — Germany’s Transport Ministry has criticized a stunt that saw a Czech millionaire drive his high-powered sportscar along a public highway at speeds of up to 414 kilometers per hour — 257 mph. A video posted online this month shows Radim Passer pushing his Bugatti Chiron to extreme speeds...
Israel evicts Palestinians from disputed Jerusalem property
JERUSALEM — Israeli police on Wednesday evicted Palestinians from a disputed property in a flashpoint Jerusalem neighborhood and demolished the building, leaving some 15 people homeless on a cold, rainy day in the wake of a tense standoff earlier this week. The predawn demolition took place in Sheikh Jarrah, an...
Security for Arbery death trial cost taxpayers $1.08 million
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — The trial of three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery cost local taxpayers $1.08 million for security and other expenses related to the high-profile case, which sometimes drew large crowds to the courthouse but resulted in no violence. Commissioners in coastal Glynn County, Georgia, said...
U.K.’s Johnson defies calls to quit as ouster bid gathers pace
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson defied calls to resign in a feisty performance Wednesday in Parliament — but it may be too little to prevent a push by his Conservative Party’s lawmakers to oust him over a string of lockdown-flouting government parties. Pressure on the prime minister grew...
Ford recalls 200K cars because brake lights can stay on
DETROIT — Ford is recalling about 200,000 cars in the U.S. to fix a problem that can stop the brake lights from turning off. The recall covers certain 2014 and 2015 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ midsize cars as well as some 2015 Mustangs. All were sold or registered in...
U.S. home construction rises 3rd straight month in December
SILVER SPRING, Md. — Construction of new homes in the U.S. rose again in December as builders ramp up projects amid a persistent shortage of homes. The December increase puts home construction at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.70 million units, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday, the third consecutive...
New York AG says Trump’s company misled banks, tax officialsVideo
NEW YORK — The New York attorney general’s office late Tuesday told a court its investigators have uncovered evidence that former President Donald Trump’s company used “fraudulent or misleading” asset valuations to get loans and tax benefits. The court filing said state authorities haven’t yet decided whether to bring a...
