By MARTÍN ADAMES ALCÁNTARA and DÁNICA COTO Associated Press PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco appeared in a Dominican court Friday to face allegations that he had a brief relationship with a 14-year-old girl and gave her mother a small car and thousands of dollars in exchange for her
Continue ReadingBy BRIAN WITTE Associated Press ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A former police officer who defended the U.S. Capitol against rioters on Jan. 6 has announced he is running for Congress in Maryland. Harry Dunn wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he will be running in a crowded Democratic primary to replace Rep. John
Continue ReadingBy MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration on Friday cleared the way for Florida’s first-in-the-nation plan to import prescription drugs from Canada, a long-sought approach to accessing cheaper medications that follows decades of frustration with U.S. drug prices. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the plan into law in
Continue ReadingBy AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer Top one-and-done NBA prospects are making a big impact in their college team’s AP Top 25 standing. Roughly 70% of the one-and-done lottery picks who saw college minutes dating to 2006 played for teams that cracked the top 10 of the poll. The list includes stars and eventual top
Continue ReadingBy Alisha Ebrahimji and Artemis Moshtaghian, CNN (CNN) — A migrant surge continues to overwhelm authorities at the US-Mexico border — and in US cities where many asylum seekers are being sent. Here are the latest developments: After attempting to pump the brakes on “rogue buses” from Texas dropping off migrants by the thousands, the mayor of New
Continue ReadingLONDON (AP) — Actor David Soul, who earned fame as the blond half of crime-fighting duo “Starsky & Hutch” in the popular 1970s television series, has died at the age of 80. His wife, Helen Snell, said Friday that “David Soul – beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother – died yesterday after a valiant battle
Continue ReadingBy COLLIN BINKLEY AP Education Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is docking more than $2 million in payments to student loan servicers that failed to send billing statements on time after the end of a pandemic payment freeze. The Education Department said Friday it will withhold payments from Aidvantage, EdFinancial and Nelnet for
Continue ReadingBy Katie Lobosco, CNN Washington (CNN) — Many federal student loan borrowers faced long hold times on the phone, experienced significant delays in application processing and received inaccurate bills when payments resumed in October, according to a report released Friday by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. When the three-plus-year pandemic pause ended, many borrowers needed
Continue ReadingBy STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is holding relatively steady Friday after a report showed a strong job market is still powering the economy, even if it may be a touch too strong. The S&P 500 was 0.1% higher in early trading but still on track for its first
Continue ReadingBy JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The lawyer representing the woman who was allegedly sexually assaulted by Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves has filed a legal complaint with Spanish authorities after a video circulated on social media that reportedly reveals the identity of her client. Ester García, the lawyer of the alleged
Continue ReadingBy GERALD IMRAY, NQOBILE NTSHANGASE and MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, a double-amputee who became a global star competing at his sport’s highest level while running on carbon-fiber blades, was released from prison on Friday after serving nearly nine years for killing his girlfriend, the model Reeva
Continue ReadingBy MARTÍN ADAMES ALCÁNTARA and DÁNICA COTO Associated Press PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco appeared in a Dominican court Friday to face allegations that he had a brief relationship with a 14-year-old girl and gave her mother a small car and thousands of dollars in exchange for her
Continue ReadingBy JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jo Koy remembers watching major award ceremonies like the Golden Globes with his mother on their living room sofa trying to guess the winners. It was a ritual that Koy cherished as a child. Since then, he’s grown as a comedian with various stand-up
Continue ReadingBy JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jo Koy remembers watching major award ceremonies like the Golden Globes with his mother on their living room sofa trying to guess the winners. It was a ritual that Koy cherished as a child. Since then, he’s grown as a comedian with various stand-up
Continue ReadingELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) — An official says New Jersey firefighters are battling a four-alarm fire at the historic former Singer sewing machine factory building in Elizabeth. City spokesperson Ruby Contreras says a passerby reported the fire around 5:30 a.m. Friday. Video from the scene shows a building engulfed in flames with firefighters surrounding the structure.
Continue ReadingBy KENYA HUNTER AP Health Writer More than 6 million people receive benefits through the nation’s food assistance program for women, infants and children, which is known as WIC. But it’s not always easy to get what you might need. Unlike food stamps, the fresh produce, baby formula and other nutritious items that are WIC-approved
Continue ReadingBy COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press DENVER (AP) — A Colorado police officer convicted of killing Elijah McClain, a young Black man walking home from a store, is expected to learn Friday whether a judge will sentence him to prison or he will receive probation. McClain’s mother also may speak at the sentencing hearing. Among the
Continue ReadingRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian officials say they have postponed for the second time the reintroduction of requirements to obtain tourist visas for citizens of the U.S., Australia and Canada. Former president Jair Bolsonaro scrapped the visa requirements in 2019 to support the tourism industry, but the three countries continued to demand visas from
Continue ReadingBy ASHOK SHARMA Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian navy commandos have boarded a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier that was the subject of a hijacking attempt in the Arabian Sea and have started the clearing operations. The navy says it’s a big ship and it will take time to clear it of the hijackers as
Continue ReadingBy KEN MORITSUGU Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday that the United States and China must insist on peaceful coexistence and transcend their differences like they did when they established diplomatic relations 45 years ago this week. Wang also promised that giant pandas would return to the U.S. —
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