Associated Press stories, Page 64
Seahawks, Rams meet for 3rd time this season, this time with Super Bowl berth on line
RENTON, Wash. — To some extent, Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams was anticipating the NFC championship game would shake out this way, with Seattle facing the division rival Los Angeles Rams for a third time this season. Williams, a key contributor on the league’s top-ranked scoring defense, has seen firsthand...
Broncos backup Jarrett Stidham steps in to face ex-team, Patriots, in AFC Championship
DENVER — If any opponent is familiar with Denver Broncos fill-in quarterback Jarrett Stidham, it’s the New England Patriots, who drafted him in 2019 to serve as Tom Brady’s backup. When Josh McDaniels took the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coaching job, he traded for Stidham, who backed up Derek Carr...
West Virginia can’t keep up with top-ranked, undefeated Arizona in blowout loss
TUCSON, Ariz. — Brayden Burries scored 22 points, Koa Peat added 17 and top-ranked Arizona remained undefeated with an 88-53 dismantling of West Virginia on Saturday. The Wildcats (20-0, 7-0 Big 12) were unanimous No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time in program history to start...
The man killed by a federal officer in Minneapolis was an ICU nurse, family says
MINNEAPOLIS — Family members say the man killed by a federal officer in Minneapolis on Saturday was an intensive care nurse at the Veterans Administration who cared deeply about people and was upset by President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in his city. Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, was an avid outdoorsman...
Gas explosion, fire on top floors of New York City apartment building kills 1, injures 14
A gas explosion sent fire racing through the top floors of a high-rise apartment building in New York City early Saturday, killing one person and injuring 14 others as temperatures plunged into the single digits overnight, authorities said. Firefighters responded shortly before 12:30 a.m. to the 17-story building in the...
Man shot and killed during Minneapolis immigration crackdown
MINNEAPOLIS — Federal immigration officers shot and killed a man Saturday in Minneapolis, drawing hundreds of protesters in a city already shaken by another fatal shooting weeks earlier. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said a 37-year-old man was killed but declined to identify him. He added that information about what...
U.S. envoys meet with Netanyahu, urge Israel to move into the 2nd phase of Gaza ceasefire
CAIRO — American officials met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, urging Israel to move into the second phase of the ceasefire that stopped the war in Gaza. Netanyahu met with President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East adviser, according to the...
Trump threatens Canada with 100% tariffs over its new trade deal with China
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to impose a 100% tariff on goods imported from Canada if America’s northern neighbor went ahead with its trade deal with China. Trump said in a social media post that if Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney “thinks he is going to make...
Almost 12,000 flights canceled as major winter storm bears down across much of the US
OKLAHOMA CITY — Nearly 12,000 flights across the U.S. set to take off over the weekend were canceled as a monster storm started to wreak havoc Saturday across much of the country and threatened to knock out power for days and snarl major roadways with dangerous ice. Roughly 140 million...
Toyota recalls 162,000 trucks over faulty screens
NEW YORK — Toyota announced Friday it would recall about 162,000 pickup trucks in the United States after it was discovered that the vehicles’ multimedia displays could compromise driver safety. The recall affects the company’s model year 2024-25 Tundra and Tundra Hybrid line of trucks. Affected customers are currently being...
Zelenskyy says trilateral talks concluded constructively and more are possible next week
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that two days of trilateral talks with Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi concluded with “constructive” discussions on “possible parameters for ending the war.” The talks are the first known instance that officials from the Trump administration have sat...
Packers offensive tackle Rasheed Walker arrested on gun possession charge at LaGuardia Airport
NEW YORK — Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Rasheed Walker has been arrested after police say he presented a firearm for inspection without proper credentials at LaGuardia Airport. Port Authority police said Walker was arrested Friday morning after they responded to a request for a firearms check at LaGuardia’s Terminal...
Trump stirs talk of ‘new world order’ as leaders signal shifting global alliances
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump gives. And he takes away. Offended by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s increasingly assertive posture toward the U.S., Trump revoked an invitation to join his Board of Peace. Many Western allies are suspicious of the organization, which is chaired by Trump and was initially formed...
Demand for World Cup tickets could make resellers big winners
MANCHESTER, England — World Cup ticket prices are at exorbitant levels, yet fans are still queueing up in their millions to attend soccer’s biggest tournament. There is a such an over-demand for the event being staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico this year that FIFA president Gianni Infantino...
After applying pressure all season, Broncos produce turnovers in playoffs
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Finally, all that pressure paid off for pass rusher Nik Bonitto and the Denver defense. Finally, the Broncos produced what’s been missing much of the season — takeaways. It’s been a long time coming for a defense that’s been one of the best in the NFL. The...
Ukraine, Russia, U.S. discuss fraught issue of territorial concessions in Abu Dhabi
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the future of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region would be a key focus as negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States meet in Abu Dhabi for talks to end Russia’s nearly four-year full-scale invasion. The UAE’s foreign ministry said the talks, which commenced Friday and...
Defensive coordinators are 3 of first 5 NFL coaching hires
Jesse Minter, Robert Saleh and Jeff Hafley earned their head coaching opportunities on the defensive side of the ball. Three of the five new hires this coaching cycle are former defensive coordinators. There are five openings still remaining and a few more defensive coaches could get a job, including Sean...
What Trump officials and immigration lawyers say about ICE detaining a 5-year-old
MINNEAPOLIS — The detention of a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy with his father outside their home in Minnesota has become the latest lightning rod for America’s divisions on immigration under the Trump administration. Versions offered by government officials and the family’s attorney and neighbors offer contradictory versions of whether the parents...
Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski gets 2nd interview for Browns’ head coach opening
CLEVELAND — Grant Udinski completed his second interview with the Cleveland Browns for their head coaching vacancy Friday. The 30-year old Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator had his first interview with the team Jan. 17. Udinski just completed his first season with the Jaguars. Even though coach Liam Coen called the...
Former 49ers quarterback John Brodie, an NFL MVP and a prolific passer, dies at 90
John Brodie, who won an MVP award and was one of the NFL’s most prolific passers during a 17-year career with the San Francisco 49ers, has died. He was 90. The 49ers said Brodie’s family said he died Friday. Brodie had a stroke on Oct. 24, 2000. “The 49ers family...
Cooper Kupp invaluable to Seahawks ahead of NFC Championship against former team
RENTON, Wash. — Perhaps it was because of his ever-growing playoff beard that veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp felt inclined to comment on how hot it was inside the Seattle Seahawks’ meeting room Thursday. On a balmy January day in the Emerald City, Kupp stood before a gaggle of reporters...
U.S. carries out 1st known strike on alleged drug boat since Maduro’s capture
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said Friday it has carried out a deadly strike on a vessel accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the first known attack since the raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro this month. U.S. Southern Command said on social media the boat...
Meta pauses teen access to AI characters
Meta is halting teens’ access to artificial intelligence characters, at least temporarily, the company said in a blog post Friday. Meta Platforms Inc., which own Instagram and WhatsApp, said, starting in the “coming weeks,” teens will no longer be able to access AI characters “until the updated experience is ready”...
No. 17 Alabama plans to play 7-footer Charles Bediako, who turned pro in 2023, against Tennessee
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Charles Bediako will play against Tennessee on Saturday, Alabama coach Nate Oats said Friday, even while calling the NCAA system that allowed professional players to return to college “broken.” “We are planning to play him,” Oats said. “He’s eligible to play. We’re going to follow the court...
Buffalo Bills interview Philip Rivers for head coaching job
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Philip Rivers interviewed with the Buffalo Bills for their head coaching job Friday, the latest twist in a busy couple of months for one of the most prolific passers in NFL history. The 44-year-old Rivers has no previous NFL coaching experience, having worked since his initial...
