Author: The Associated Press

Russia Fires 122 Missiles And 36 Drones In What Ukraine Calls The Biggest Aerial Barrage Of The War

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched 122 missiles and dozens of drones against Ukrainian targets, officials said Friday, killing at least 27 civilians across the country in what an air force official called the biggest aerial barrage of the war. At least 144 people were injured and an unknown number were buried under rubble during the roughly 18-hour onslaught, Ukrainian officials said. A…

Vikings Turn to Jaren Hall Again in Latest Spin of QB Carousel

Hall is 8 for 10 for 101 yards passing and one sack plus four rushes for 10 yards this season.

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have switched starting quarterbacks for the fourth time in nine weeks, handing the offense again to rookie Jaren Hall with two must-win games left for making the playoffs. Coach Kevin O’Connell announced Thursday that Hall will start Sunday against Green Bay, benching Nick Mullens after his six interceptions in two games doomed the…

Wisconsin University Chancellor Says He Was Fired For Producing And Appearing In Porn Videos

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Former University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow said Thursday that regents fired him because they were uncomfortable with him and his wife producing and appearing in pornographic videos. The regents voted unanimously during a hastily convened closed meeting Wednesday evening to fire Gow. After the vote, Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman and regents President…

Sweden Moves Closer To NATO Membership

Turkey's parliamentary committee gave approval Tuesday.

The United Nations Security Council meets on North Korea, Monday, Sept. 4, 2017, at U.N. headquarters. (AP) ANKARA, Turkey (AP)–The Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee has given its consent to Sweden’s bid to join NATO. The move on Tuesday draws the previously nonaligned Nordic country closer to membership in the Western military alliance. Sweden’s accession protocol will now need to…

The Secret Life Of Gift Cards: Here’s What Happens To The Billions That Go Unspent Each Year

(AP) — Gift cards make great stocking stuffers — just as long as you don’t stuff them in a drawer and forget about them after the holidays. Americans are expected to spend nearly $30 billion on gift cards this holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation. Restaurant gift cards are the most popular, making up one-third of those sales. Most of those…

Wisconsin Supreme Court Orders New Legislative Maps In Redistricting Case Brought By Democrats

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned Republican-drawn legislative maps on Friday and ordered that new district boundary lines be drawn as Democrats had urged in a redistricting case they hope will weaken GOP majorities. The ruling comes less than a year before the 2024 election in a battleground state where four of the six past presidential elections have been decided…

Storied US Steel to be acquired for more than $14 billion by Nippon Steel

The Associated Press — U.S. Steel, the Pittsburgh steel producer that played a key role in the nation’s industrialization, is being acquired by Nippon Steel in an all-cash deal valued at approximately $14.1 billion. The transaction is worth about $14.9 billion when including the assumption of debt. The combined company will be among the top three steel-producing companies in the…

WI Man Gets 3 Years In Prison For Bomb Threat Against Governor In 2018

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin man who made a bomb threat in 2018 that prompted a search of then-Gov. Scott Walker’s office in the state Capitol has been sentenced to three years in prison and two years of extended supervision, the state Department of Justice announced on Friday. Terrance Grissom, 53, was already serving time for making other threats…

Wisconsin Supreme Court Makes Interim State Court Director Permanent Despite Complaints

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court announced Thursday that the director of state courts job will be filled by the person who has been doing it since August, despite complaints that the hiring was illegal because she had been elected to serve as a Milwaukee County judge. Audrey Skwierawski took a leave from her job as a Milwaukee County circuit…

Supreme Court Will Hear A Case That Could Undo Capitol Riot Charge Against Hundreds, Including Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will hear an appeal that could upend hundreds of charges stemming from the Capitol riot, including against former President Donald Trump. The justices will review a charge of obstruction of an official proceeding that has been brought against more than 300 people. The charge refers to the disruption of Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential…

The Vikings Will Start Nick Mullens This Week in Their Latest Quarterback Shuffle

Mullens is the fourth different starter for the Vikings. They've never used that many in the same season before in franchise history.

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) —In this unsettled season for the Minnesota Vikings, Nick Mullens is next up at quarterback. Coach Kevin O’Connell announced Tuesday that Mullens will start Saturday at Cincinnati after relieving an ineffective Joshua Dobbs last week and helping lead the Vikings to a 3-0 victory at Las Vegas. Mullens is the fourth different starter for the Vikings. They’ve…

Biden Takes A Tougher Stance On Israel’s ‘Indiscriminate Bombing’ Of Gaza

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned that Israel was losing international support because of its “indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza, speaking out in unusually strong language as the United Nations neared a vote on demanding a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. “Israel’s security can rest on the United States, but right now it has more than the United States. It…

Justin Jefferson Could Play for the Vikings This Week After a Chest Injury From a Hard Hit

Jefferson was sidelined again Sunday at Las Vegas when he went high for a 15-yard completion in the second quarter and was smacked hard from the side by Raiders safety Marcus Epps.

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson avoided internal injury from the airborne hit he took while catching a pass that cut short his return to action and has a “good chance” to play this week, coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday. After missing seven games with a hamstring strain, Jefferson was sidelined again Sunday at Las Vegas…

Man Imprisoned As Teen For Flower Shop Killing Is Released After Judge Throws Out His Conviction

BAYPORT, Minn. (AP) — A 35-year-old man who was sent to prison for the 2004 killing of a man in a Minneapolis flower shop was released Monday after a judge ruled the eyewitness evidence on which his conviction rested was unreliable. Marvin Haynes, who was 16 at the time of the killing, was released from prison shortly afterward the judge’s ruling. The…

Zelenskyy Will Address The US Military In Washington As Funding For Ukraine’s War Runs Out

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address U.S. military officers at the National Defense University on Monday as part of a last-minute push to convince Congress to provide more money for weapons before funding runs out. President Joe Biden has asked Congress for $61.4 billion for wartime funding for Ukraine as part of a $110 billion package that also includes…

Appeals Court Upholds Gag Order On Trump In Washington Case But Narrows Restrictions On His Speech

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court in Washington on Friday largely upheld a gag order on former President Donald Trump in his 2020 election interference case but narrowed the restrictions on his speech. The three-judge panel’s ruling modifies the gag order to allow the Republican 2024 presidential front-runner to make disparaging comments about special counsel Jack Smith, but it reimposes a bar on…

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Is More Common Than Some Past Studies Suggest, CDC Says

NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials on Friday released the first nationally representative estimate of how many U.S. adults have chronic fatigue syndrome: 3.3 million. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s number is larger than previous studies have suggested, and is likely boosted by some of the patients with long COVID. The condition clearly “is not a rare illness,” said…

Son Of US Sen. Kevin Cramer Crashes During Police Chase, Killing North Dakota Sheriff’s Deputy

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The 42-year-old son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer crashed his family’s SUV through a hospital emergency room bay and then drove 70 miles before slamming into a squad car as he was being chased by police, killing a sheriff’s deputy who was laying down a tire deflation device, according to authorities and the senator’s family. Ian Cramer, of…

Centenarian Survivors Of Pearl Harbor Attack Are Returning To Honor Those Who Perished 82 Years Ago

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — The ceremony to honor the more than 2,300 U.S. servicemen killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor got underway Thursday in Hawaii with a moment of silence at the exact moment the assault began 82 years ago. A half-dozen survivors who are still living — most of them over 100 years old — traveled…

Authorities Responding To Reports Of Multiple Victims In Shooting At University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Police said a suspect was found dead Wednesday as officers responded to an active shooter and reports of multiple victims at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The university said on X, formerly Twitter, the shooter was at the Beam Hall, Frank and Estella Building, home of UNLV’s Lee Business School, and that police were responding…

Former Career US Diplomat Charged With Secretly Spying For Cuban Intelligence For Decades

MIAMI (AP) — A former American diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Bolivia has been charged with serving as a secret agent for Cuba’s intelligence services dating back decades, the Justice Department said Monday. Newly unsealed court papers allege that Manuel Rocha engaged in “clandestine activity” on Cuba’s behalf since at least 1981, including by meeting with Cuban intelligence operatives and…

Man Dies In Landslide at Minnesota State Park

Courtesy: Associated Press File MANKATO, Minn. — A 19-year-old man became trapped and died as a result of a landslide at a state park in southern Minnesota. The Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office received a call Saturday afternoon of a landslide trapping someone under collapsed earth at the falls area of Minneopa State Park, near Mankato. Emergency workers recovered the…

Inmate Stabbed Derek Chauvin 22 Times, Charged With Attempted Murder, Prosecutors Say

Derek Chauvin (AP) — An incarcerated former gang member and FBI informant was charged Friday with attempted murder in the stabbing last week of ex-Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin at a federal prison in Arizona. John Turscak stabbed Chauvin 22 times at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson and said he would’ve killed Chauvin had correctional officers not responded so…

The House Expels Rep. George Santos. An Ethics Report Had Accused Him Of Breaking Federal Law

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted on Friday to expel Republican Rep. George Santos of New York after a critical ethics report on his conduct that accused him of converting campaign donations for his own use. He was just the sixth member in the chamber’s history to be ousted by colleagues. The vote to expel was 311-114. Expulsion requires support from two-thirds of the…

Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, The First Woman On The Supreme Court, Has Died At 93

WASHINGTON (AP) — Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, an unwavering voice of moderate conservatism and the first woman to serve on the nation’s highest court, died Friday. She was 93. O’Connor died in Phoenix, of complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness, the Supreme Court said in a news release. Chief Justice John Roberts mourned her death….

More Israeli Hostages Freed By Hamas As Truce In Gaza Lasts Another Day

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas began freeing Israeli hostages Thursday in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners to be released as part of a last-minute deal to extend their cease-fire in Gaza by another day. But any further renewal of the truce, now in its seventh day, could prove more daunting since Hamas is expected to set a higher price for…

Henry Kissinger, Secretary Of State Under Presidents Nixon And Ford, Dies At 100

AP WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the diplomat with the thick glasses and gravelly voice who dominated foreign policy as the United States extricated itself from Vietnam and broke down barriers with China, died Wednesday, his consulting firm said. He was 100. With his gruff yet commanding presence and behind-the-scenes manipulation of power, Kissinger exerted uncommon…

Jets Begin Aaron Rodgers’ 21-Day Practice Window in Next Step in Recovery From Torn Achilles Tendon

At the end of the 21-day period, the Jets will decide whether to activate him or he’ll spend the rest of this season on injured reserve.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets opened the 21-day practice window for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The move Wednesday is the next step in the four-time NFL MVP’s rehabilitation from a torn Achilles tendon. Coach Robert Saleh said Rodgers, who turns 40 on Saturday, was cleared for some football activities but will be limited at practice and isn’t…

Vikings Receiver Justin Jefferson Will Return After 7-Game Absence For Hamstring Injury

Jefferson will be added to the active roster before the Vikings (6-6) play at Las Vegas on Dec. 10 after missing the past seven games.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Vikings All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson is ready to return after missing two months with a hamstring injury. Coach Kevin O’Connell announced on Tuesday that Jefferson will be activated from injured reserve. Minnesota began its bye week after a 12-10 loss to Chicago on Monday, but Jefferson will be added to the active roster before the…

Rosalynn Carter Honored By Family, Friends, First Ladies And Presidents — Including Husband Jimmy

ATLANTA (AP) — Rosalynn Carter was memorialized Tuesday as a matriarch who felt more comfortable among the impoverished and vulnerable than world leaders, as a rare gathering of all living U.S. first ladies and multiple presidents, including her 99-year-old husband Jimmy Carter in the front row, mourned her. The tribute service at Glenn Memorial Church in Atlanta marked the second…

Cardinals Get AL Cy Young Runner-Up Sonny Gray to Anchor Revamped Starting Rotation

The 34-year-old Gray went 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA for Minnesota last season.

ST. LOUIS, MO. (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals agreed with AL Cy Young runner-up Sonny Gray on a three-year contract Monday to anchor their staff heading into next season. The 34-year-old Gray went 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA for Minnesota last season. He turned down a qualifying offer from the Twins, and St. Louis will lose its second-highest draft…

Minnesota Wild Replace Coach Dean Evason with John Hynes After Losing 14 of First 19 Games

Hynes, 48, is 284-255-63 in eight NHL seasons.

The Minnesota Wild fired coach Dean Evason and replaced him with John Hynes on Monday after losing seven straight games and 14 of their first 19 to start to the NHL season. General manager Bill Guerin announced the moves, including the firing of assistant Bob Woods. Hynes, the former New Jersey and Nashville coach, will take over. The Wild planned…

Israel And Hamas Agree To Extend Truce For Two More Days, And To Free More Hostages And Prisoners

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel and Hamas agreed to extend their cease-fire for two more days past Monday, the Qatari government said, bringing the prospect of a longer halt to their deadliest and most destructive war and further exchanges of militant-held hostages for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The announcement, made by Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al Ansary in a post…

Cyber Monday Marks The Year’s Biggest Online Shopping Day, And One More Chance To Save On Gifts

(AP) — Consumers are scouring the internet for online deals as they begin to cap off the five-day post-Thanksgiving shopping bonanza with Cyber Monday. Even though e-commerce is now part and parcel of our everyday lives and much of the holiday shopping season, Cyber Monday –- a term coined back in 2005 by the National Retail Federation –- continues to…

Derek Chauvin’s Family Has Received No Updates After Prison Stabbing, Attorney Says

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An attorney for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, said Saturday that Chauvin’s family has been kept in the dark by federal prison officials after he was stabbed in prison. The lawyer, Gregory M. Erickson, slammed the lack of transparency by the Federal Bureau of Prisons a day after his client…

A Population Of Hard-To-Eradicate ‘Super Pigs’ In Canada Is Threatening To Invade The US

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An exploding population of hard-to-eradicate “super pigs” in Canada is threatening to spill south of the border, and northern states like Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana are taking steps to stop the invasion. In Canada, the wild pigs roaming Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba pose a new threat. They are often crossbreeds that combine the survival skills of…

Border Crossings Closed After Vehicle Explosion On Bridge Connecting New York And Canada

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — Two people were found dead in a vehicle that exploded at a checkpoint on the American side of a U.S.-Canada bridge in Niagara Falls Wednesday, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. A…

Israeli Cabinet Approves Truce For Hostages Deal With Hamas; Palestinian Prisoners Also To Be Freed

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Cabinet on Wednesday approved a temporary cease-fire with the Hamas militant group that is expected to bring the first halt in fighting in a devastating six-week war and win freedom for dozens of hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for the release of Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons. The deal calls for a…

Wisconsin Opening Weekend Deer Kill Down 16%; Weather To Blame

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A lack of snow and warm temperatures that suppressed deer movement led to a lackluster opening weekend of Wisconsin’s nine-day gun season, with hunters killing thousands fewer deer than last year. The state Department of Natural Resources released preliminary data Tuesday that showed hunters registered 92,050 deer compared with 103,623 deer last year. That’s a 16%…

4 Las Vegas High School Students Charged With Murder As Adults In Classmate’s Fatal Beating

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Prosecutors in Las Vegas have formally charged four high school students as adults with murder in the deadly beating of their schoolmate, a fight that was captured on cellphone video and has been widely shared across social media. The two 16-year-olds and two 17-year-olds are charged with second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit battery. After court, District…

What’s Open And Closed On Thanksgiving This Year? Here’s A List Of Stores

(AP) — The holiday season is here, which means spending time with family on Thanksgiving and also, for millions of people, hunting for the best deals on Black Friday. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November each year, which takes place this week. A lot of national retailers are keeping the doors closed on Thursday to give employees time with…

Biden Pardons National Thanksgiving Turkeys While Marking His 81st Birthday With Jokes About His Age

WASHINGTON (AP) — Liberty and Bell can spread their wings without fear. The two Thanksgiving turkeys played their part Monday in an annual holiday tradition at the White House: a president sparing them from becoming someone’s dinner. “I hereby pardon Liberty and Bell. Congratulations, birds,” Biden said after one of the National Thanksgiving Turkeys was placed on a table near him. The…

Driving Or Flying Before Feasting? Here Are Some Tips For Thanksgiving Travelers

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Getting a big holiday meal on the table can be stressful for the cook (see “The Bear,” Season two, Episode six.) But for guests, just getting to the table also can be difficult, and there’s no Butterball hotline for harried travelers. The number of people traveling 50 miles (80 kilometers) or more from home for Thanksgiving…

Rosalynn Carter: Advocate For Jimmy Carter And Many Others, Always Leveraging Her Love Of Politics

PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — The Washington chattering class, often unsure what to make of outsiders, dubbed Rosalynn Carter the “Steel Magnolia” when she arrived as first lady. A devout Baptist and mother of four, she was diminutive and outwardly shy, with a soft smile and softer Southern accent. That was the “magnolia.” She also was a force behind Jimmy Carter’s…

Wisconsin State Senate Approves Downsized Milwaukee Brewers Stadium Repair Bill

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin lawmakers approved a plan Tuesday to spend nearly half a billion dollars to help the Milwaukee Brewers repair their stadium over the next three decades, pushing the proposal to Gov. Tony Evers’ desk despite arguments that the team has more than enough money and doesn’t deserve such a sizable government subsidy. The Senate approved the legislation on…

Brewers Promote Bench Coach Pat Murphy to Take Over as Manager After Craig Counsell’s Departure

The Brewers will hold an introductory news conference on Thursday for Murphy, who received a three-year contract.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — After spending the last eight seasons as Craig Counsell’s bench coach, Pat Murphy is taking over for his former boss as the Milwaukee Brewers manager. The Brewers announced they were promoting Murphy on Wednesday, a little over a week after the Chicago Cubs announced they had hired Counsell away from Milwaukee. Counsell’s introductory news conference with the…

A Man Arrested Over Death Of A Hockey Player Whose Neck Was Cut With Skate Blade Is Released On Bail

LONDON (AP) — A man who was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in the death of American ice hockey player Adam Johnson, whose neck was cut by a skate during a game, was released on bail Wednesday. Johnson, 29, was playing for the Nottingham Panthers against the Sheffield Steelers on Oct. 28 when he was struck by an opponent’s skate blade in…

Vikings Bring Back LB Anthony Barr on Practice Squad After Jordan Hicks Injury

Barr was the ninth overall pick in 2014 out of UCLA. He was a starting linebacker for eight seasons, before becoming a free agent in 2022.

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings signed linebacker Anthony Barr to their practice squad on Tuesday, bringing back their 2014 first-round draft pick and four-time Pro Bowl pick for depth after an injury to leading tackler Jordan Hicks. Hicks bruised his right shin in the first quarter of Minnesota’s 27-19 win on Sunday over New Orleans, returned late in…

Tens Of Thousands Of Supporters Of Israel Rally In Washington, Crying ‘Never Again’

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supporters of Israel rallied by the tens of thousands on the National Mall under heavy security Tuesday, voicing solidarity in the fight against Hamas and crying “never again.” The “March for Israel” offered a resounding and bipartisan endorsement of one of America’s closest allies as criticism has intensified over Israel’s offensive in Gaza, set off by the bloody…