Associated Press stories, Page 77
Erich von Däniken, Swiss writer who spawned alien archaeology, dies at 90
BERLIN — Erich von Däniken, the Swiss author whose bestselling books about the extraterrestrial origins of ancient civilizations brought him fame among paranormal enthusiasts and scorn from the scientific community, has died. He was 90. Von Däniken’s representatives announced on his website on Sunday that he had died the previous...
Google teams up with Walmart and other retailers to enable shopping within Gemini AI chatbot
NEW YORK — Google said Sunday that it is expanding the shopping features in its AI chatbot by teaming up with Walmart, Shopify, Wayfair and other big retailers to turn the Gemini app into a virtual merchant as well as an assistant. An instant checkout function will allow customers to...
Suspect arrested after a fire damages a historic Mississippi synagogue
A person was taken into custody late Saturday after a fire ripped through a synagogue in Mississippi, heavily damaging the historic house of worship in what authorities say was an act of arson. No congregants were injured in the blaze, which broke out at the Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson,...
Timothée Chalamet wins his 1st Golden Globe, ‘Sinners’ wins for cinematic achievement
Timothée Chalamet won his first Golden Globe at Sunday’s ceremony, while “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners” collected multiple awards and Amy Poehler won for best podcast. The win Sunday for Chalamet was possible foreshadowing for the 30-year-old star’s first Oscar. Though he memorably won at the Screen Actors Guild...
U.S. launches new retaliatory strikes against IS in Syria after deadly ambush
WASHINGTON — The U.S. has launched another round of retaliatory strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria following last month’s ambush that killed two U.S. soldiers and one American civilian interpreter in the country. The large-scale strikes, conducted by the U.S. alongside partner forces, occurred around 12:30 p.m. ET...
Transgender teen athlete in a Supreme Court fight knows the upcoming sports season could be her last
WASHINGTON — Becky Pepper-Jackson finished third in the discus throw in West Virginia last year though she was in just her first year of high school. Now a 15-year-old sophomore, Pepper-Jackson is aware that her upcoming season could be her last. West Virginia has banned transgender girls like Pepper-Jackson from...
A $400,000 payout after Maduro’s capture is putting prediction markets in the spotlight
Prediction markets let people wager on anything from a basketball game to the outcome of a presidential election — and recently, the downfall of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The latter is drawing renewed scrutiny into this murky world of speculative, 24/7 transactions. Last week, an anonymous trader pocketed more...
Hamas says it will dissolve its Gaza government when new Palestinian body takes over
CAIRO — Hamas said Sunday it will dissolve its existing government in Gaza once a Palestinian technocratic leadership committee takes over the territory, as mandated under the U.S.-brokered peace plan. But the group gave no specifics on when the change will occur. Hamas and the rival Palestinian Authority, the Palestinians’...
Death toll from protests in Iran hits at least 544, activists say, as Trump says Iran wants to talk
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that Iran proposed negotiations after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown targeting demonstrators there, a move coming as activists said the death toll in protests rose to at least 544. Trump and his national...
Caleb Williams rallies Bears from 18 points down for 31-27 playoff win over rival Packers
CHICAGO — Caleb Williams came through in his playoff debut, throwing a go-ahead, 25-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore with 1:43 remaining, and the Chicago Bears rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the rival Green Bay Packers, 31-27, in a wild-card playoff game Saturday night. The NFC North champion...
All-Star 3B Alex Bregman agrees to a $175 million, 5-year contract with the Cubs, AP sources say
CHICAGO — All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman agreed to a $175 million, five-year contract with the Chicago Cubs, according to two people familiar with the deal. The people spoke to the Associated Press on Saturday night on condition of anonymity because the agreement was pending a physical. The contract includes...
Stafford’s late TD pass lifts Rams past Panthers 34-31 in the wild-card round
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Matthew Stafford threw a 19-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds left to lift the Los Angeles Rams to a dramatic 34-31 wild-card round win over the Carolina Panthers in the opening game of the NFL playoffs Saturday. Stafford finished 24 of 42 for...
Grateful Dead founding member Bob Weir dies at 78
LOS ANGELES — Bob Weir, guitarist, singer and founding member of the Grateful Dead, has died at 78. Weir’s death was announced Saturday in a statement on his Instagram page. “It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir,” the statement said. “He transitioned peacefully, surrounded...
U.S. launches new retaliatory strikes against ISIS in Syria after deadly ambush
WASHINGTON — The U.S. has launched another round of retaliatory strikes against the Islamic State in Syria following last month’s ambush that killed two U.S. soldiers and one American civilian interpreter in the country. The large-scale strikes, conducted by the U.S. alongside partner forces, occurred around 12:30 p.m., according to...
Veteran actor T.K. Carter, known for ‘The Thing’ and ‘Punky Brewster,’ dies at 69
DUARTE, Calif. — Veteran actor T.K. Carter, who appeared in the horror film “The Thing” and “Punky Brewster” on television, has died at the age of 69. Carter was declared dead Friday evening after deputies responded to a call regarding an unresponsive male in Duarte, California, according to the Los...
Filipino rescuers detect ‘signs of life’ in garbage avalanche that killed 4 and left dozens missing
MANILA, Philippines — Rescuers detected signs of life in an avalanche of garbage that killed at least four workers and left more than 30 others missing Thursday in a central Philippines landfill and plan to intensify search efforts, an official said Saturday. Twelve workers have been rescued with injuries from...
Honor Huff and Brenen Lorient help West Virginia beat No. 22 Kansas 86-75
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Honor Huff scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half, Brenen Lorient added 18 points and West Virginia used a big second-half run to defeat No. 22 Kansas, 86-75, on Saturday. The Mountaineers (11-5, 2-1 Big 12) beat the Jayhawks (11-5, 1-2) for the third...
6 people killed in Mississippi rampage, including 7-year-old girl
WEST POINT, Miss. — A 24-year-old Mississippi man killed six people — his father, brother, uncle, 7-year-old cousin, a church pastor and the pastor’s brother — at three locations during a Friday night rampage in a rural area, authorities said. Daricka M. Moore was arrested at a police roadblock in...
Congress is debating the possible consequences for ICE and even Noem after Renee Good’s killing
WASHINGTON — The killing of a Minnesota woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer is reverberating across Capitol Hill where Democrats, and certain Republicans, are vowing an assertive response as President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation operations spark protests nationwide. Lawmakers are demanding a range of actions, from a full...
Anti-ICE protesters assemble across U.S. after shootings in Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota leaders urged protesters to remain peaceful Saturday as people gathered nationwide to decry the fatal shooting of a woman by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis and the shooting of two protesters in Portland, Oregon. On Friday night, a protest outside a Minneapolis hotel that attracted about...
Trump pushes a 1-year, 10% cap on credit card interest rates and banks balk
NEW YORK — Reviving a campaign pledge, President Donald Trump wants a one-year, 10% cap on credit card interest rates, a move that could save Americans tens of billions of dollars but drew immediate opposition from an industry that has been in his corner. Trump was not clear in his...
Rioter convicted for carrying Pelosi’s podium seeks Florida county office
BRADENTON, Fla. — A Florida man who grabbed then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s podium and posed for photographs with it during the U.S. Capitol riot is running for county office. Adam Johnson filed to run as a Republican for an at-large seat on the Manatee County Commission on Tuesday. That was...
Defending champion Crystal Palace loses to 6th-tier Macclesfield 2-1 in massive FA Cup upset
MACCLESFIELD, England — Macclesfield beat title holder Crystal Palace 2-1 in one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history on Saturday to reach the fourth round. Macclesfield is a team playing in the sixth tier of English soccer, five levels below its Premier League opponent, and took the lead...
Former QB Matt Ryan to lead search for Falcons’ new coach and GM as president of football
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons on Saturday named former longtime quarterback Matt Ryan to the newly created role of president of football. Ryan, who holds most of the team’s passing records after he spent 14 years as the starter, was announced to the new role after interviewing on Friday. Ryan...
It’s Indiana and Miami in a college-football title matchup that once seemed impossible
It looked improbable two months ago. Two years ago — impossible. But against the odds, Miami and Indiana have a date in the College Football Playoff final — a first-of-its-kind matchup on Jan. 19 in the second national title game of the expanded-playoff era. The Hoosiers (15-0), the top-seeded favorite...
