Associated Press stories, Page 1440
NIL was factor on signing day; how big of one up for debate
The three-day signing period last week put name, image and likeness in the spotlight, especially with No. 1 national recruit Travis Hunter de-committing from Florida State to sign with second-tier Jackson State. Neither Hunter nor other top recruits said whether NIL compensation had anything to do with their school choices....
SpaceX launches Christmas presents, supplies to station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched Christmas gifts, goodies and supplies to the International Space Station on Tuesday and got a present in return: the company’s 100th successful rocket landing. The predawn liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center was barely visible in the fog and clouds, as the Falcon rocket...
Texas governor’s decision: Whether to pardon George Floyd
AUSTIN, Texas — Doling out pardons is a holiday tradition for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who around every Christmas grants them to a handful of ordinary citizens, typically for minor offenses committed years or decades ago. But one name stands out on his desk: George Floyd. Abbott has not said...
Putin blames West for tensions, demands security guarantees
MOSCOW — The Russian president on Tuesday reiterated his demand for guarantees from the U.S. and its allies that NATO will not expand eastwards, blaming the West for “tensions that are building up in Europe.” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech at a meeting with Russia’s top military brass came just...
Biden to pledge 500M free covid-19 tests to counter omicron
WASHINGTON — With the omicron variant on the march, President Joe Biden plans to announce 500 million free rapid tests for Americans, increased support for hospitals under strain and a redoubling of vaccination and boosting efforts. In a speech scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, Biden is announcing major changes to his...
Chris Noth out at ‘The Equalizer’ amid sex assault claims
LOS ANGELES — Chris Noth will no longer be part of the CBS series “The Equalizer” in the wake of sexual assault allegations against the actor. Universal Television and CBS made a joint announcement Monday that Noth would no longer be part of filming “effective immediately.” Noth has played a...
This date in sports history: Dec. 21
1891 — Dr. James Naismith introduces the first game of basketball. Based on 13 rules created by Naismith, the game is tested by 18 students at the School for Christian Workers in Springfield, Massachusetts. Using a soccer ball, two peach baskets and two teams of nine players each, the objective...
Cousins throws for 2 touchdowns as Vikings beat Bears
CHICAGO — Kirk Cousins threw two touchdown passes, and the Minnesota Vikings beat the struggling and short-handed Chicago Bears 17-9 on Monday night. The Vikings (7-7), part of a tight pack of teams vying for one of the NFC’s seven playoff spots, were in line for their most lopsided win...
Boston to require vaccination proof for restaurants, others
Workers and customers at restaurants, gyms and many other indoor businesses in Boston will be required to show proof of coronavirus vaccination starting in mid-January in an effort to curb a rise in new cases across the city and state, Mayor Michelle Wu said Monday. In addition, city employees will...
NHL shutting down from Wednesday through Saturday
The NHL is beginning a leaguewide shutdown Wednesday amid a rise in positive covid-19 test results among players, and with 10 of the league’s 32 teams’ schedules already paused and their facilities closed. The league announced Monday night that it will open its annual holiday break two days earlier than...
AP: Several asymptomatic NFL players test positiveVideo
Several asymptomatic, vaccinated NFL players tested positive for covid-19 on the first day of “targeted” testing, a person familiar with the results told the Associated Press on Monday. Overall, 47 players were placed on the reserve/covid-19 list, the most in a single day since the pandemic began. The person, speaking...
Raiders beat covid-ravaged Browns on late field goalVideo
Daniel Carlson’s 48-yard field goal as time expired sent the Las Vegas Raiders to a 16-14 win Monday night over the covid-19-depleted Cleveland Browns in a game pushed back two days by the NFL amid an uptick of virus cases across the league. With his team down by a point,...
Adversity ‘fuels’ Tulsa to win over Old Dominion in Myrtle Beach BowlVideo
CONWAY, S.C. — Tulsa cornerback Tyon Davis thinks his team needs a little adversity to get themselves going. That was certainly true at the Myrtle Beach Bowl, where the Golden Hurricane endured Old Dominion’s stunning start — a 100-yard return touchdown by LeMareon James on the opening kickoff — on...
California sues Walmart over disposal of hazardous waste
SACRAMENTO — Retail giant Walmart illegally dumps more than 1 million batteries, aerosol cans of insect killer and other products, toxic cleaning supplies, electronic waste, latex paints and other hazardous waste into California landfills each year, state prosecutors alleged Monday in a lawsuit that the company labeled “unjustified.” “As we...
Jan. 6 committee seeks interview with Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry
WASHINGTON — The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection requested an interview and documents from Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania on Monday, marking the first time the committee publicly sought to sit down with a sitting member of Congress. The latest request launches a new phase...
Omicron sweeps across nation, now 73% of U.S. covid-19 cases
NEW YORK — Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the United States, accounting for 73% of new infections last week, federal health officials said Monday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers showed nearly a six-fold increase in...
Man who joined Capitol melee gets nearly 4 years in prison
A man who joined a mob in one of the most violent attacks on police during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Monday to nearly four years in prison. Devlyn Thompson, 28, wrote an apology letter to the officer whom he assaulted during a melee...
Jury ends first day of deliberations in Kimberly Potter trialVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — The suburban Minneapolis police officer who says she meant to use her Taser instead of her gun when she shot and killed Black motorist Daunte Wright made a “blunder of epic proportions” and did not have “a license to kill,” a prosecutor told jurors on Monday shortly before...
Pentagon issues rules aimed at stopping rise of extremism
WASHINGTON — Warning that extremism in the ranks is increasing, Pentagon officials are issuing detailed new rules prohibiting service members from actively engaging in extremist activities. The new guidelines come nearly a year after some current and former service members participated in the riot at the U.S. Capitol, triggering a...
UConn out of women’s AP Top 10 for 1st time in 16 years
UConn’s record 16-year run in the top 10 is over. The Huskies fell four spots to No. 11 in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll Monday after losing to Louisville a day earlier. UConn had been ranked among the first 10 teams in the poll for 313 straight weeks...
Chiefs alone in first place in AFC after some weekend help
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs took care of their business with a thrilling come-from-behind overtime victory over the Los Angeles Chargers last Thursday, avenging an earlier loss to their AFC West rival and taking a two-game lead in the division. Then the Chiefs sat back and watched...
Payrolls grow, but Pennsylvania’s labor force shrinks again
Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate fell for the ninth straight month and payrolls grew again in November, according to new state figures, but the labor force shrank, as did the workforce participation rate. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped three-tenths of a percentage point to 5.7% from October’s rate, according to state Department of...
Hubble telescope’s bigger, more powerful successor to soar
The Hubble Space Telescope’s successor is a time-traveling wonder capable of peering back to within a hair’s breadth of the dawn of the universe. And it’s finally on the brink of flight. It will be the biggest and most powerful astronomical observatory ever to leave the planet, elaborate in its...
Baylor stays No. 1 in AP Top 25; Arizona rises to No. 6
Defending national champion Baylor maintained its top spot in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, though not without ceding a No. 1 vote to Arizona, while the six remaining unbeatens continued their rise on Monday. The Bears ended a four-week streak of turnover atop the poll by taking care...
W.Va. judge temporarily blocks charter schools’ implementation
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A judge on Monday temporarily blocked public charter schools from being implemented in West Virginia. Kanawha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey granted a preliminary injunction sought by parents in a lawsuit filed against Gov. Jim Justice and leaders of the House of Delegates and state Senate, news...
