Associated Press stories, Page 829

JACKSON, Miss. — Retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre filed lawsuits Thursday in Mississippi, accusing the state auditor and two national sportscasters of defaming him in public discussions about the misspending of welfare money that was supposed to help some of the poorest people in one of the poorest states in...

WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota was assaulted in her Washington apartment building on Thursday, suffering bruises while escaping serious injury in an attack that did not appear to be politically motivated, her chief of staff said. Craig was assaulted in the elevator at about 7:15 a.m., called...

Former Vice President Mike Pence has been subpoenaed by the special counsel overseeing investigations into efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to a person with direct knowledge of the event. The subpoena to Pence as part of the...

NEW YORK — A New York City woman accused of feeding poisoned cheesecake to her lookalike in a bid to steal the other woman’s identity has been convicted of attempted murder, prosecutors said Thursday. Viktoria Nasyrova, 47, was found guilty by a jury on Wednesday of trying to kill 35-year-old...

ORLANDO, Fla. — Questions about female athletes’ menstrual history will no longer appear on the medical forms that Florida high school students have to fill out before participating in sports. The Florida High School Athletic Association axed the questions on Thursday after listening to a flood of complaints contained in...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Producers of spirits have new bragging rights in the age-old whiskey vs. beer barroom debate. New figures show that spirits surpassed beer for U.S. market-share supremacy, based on supplier revenues, a spirit industry group announced Thursday. The rise to the top for spirit-makers was fueled in part...

SAN DIEGO — Yu Darvish has agreed to a new contract with the San Diego Padres that guarantees the pitcher an additional $90 million and will keep him with the club through the 2028 season, a person with direct knowledge of the deal said Thursday. The person spoke to The...

TAMPA, Florida — With an eye toward the 2024 campaign, President Joe Biden on Thursday ventured to Florida, a state defined by its growing retiree population and status as the unofficial headquarters of the modern-day Republican Party. The president sees a chance to use Social Security and Medicare to drive...

WASHINGTON — The China balloon shot down by the U.S. was equipped to detect and collect intelligence signals as part of a huge, military-linked aerial surveillance program that targeted more than 40 countries, the Biden administration declared Thursday, citing imagery from American U-2 spy planes. A fleet of balloons operates...

Chick-fil-A is jumping on the plant-based bandwagon. The Atlanta chain said Thursday that it’s testing its first plant-based entrée — a breaded cauliflower sandwich — at restaurants in Denver; Charleston, S.C.; and the Greensboro, N.C., area. The test begins Monday. Chick-fil-A said its culinary team spent four years developing the...

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday announced a joint U.S.-U.K. effort to sanction Russian cybercriminals as the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nears and Treasury tightens its efforts to financially punish violators of existing sanctions. The U.S. coordinated with the United Kingdom to impose sanctions on...

NEW YORK MILLS, Minn. — Workers at a boat factory in Minnesota subdued a person armed with a weapon at the plant early Thursday, authorities said. The unidentified person was taken into police custody and no one was injured at the Lund Boat Co., the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s office...

WASHINGTON — The House voted unanimously Thursday to condemn China’s balloon surveillance program as a “brazen violation” of U.S. sovereignty, a rare and swift bipartisan rebuke of Beijing as questions mount about the craft the U.S. says was part of a vast aerial spy program. The 419-0 action comes as...