Author: Associated Press

Tennessee lawmakers send bill to ban first-cousin marriages to governor

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Republican-led Tennessee Legislature has overwhelmingly voted to send GOP Gov. Bill Lee a proposal that would ban marriage between first cousins. The House cast a 75-2 vote Thursday on the bill after the Senate previously approved it without any opposition. But a particularly vocal opponent, Republican Rep. Gino Bulso, took up most of the debate…

Kentucky hires BYU’s Mark Pope as men’s basketball coach to replace John Calipari

By GARY B. GRAVES AP Sports Writer

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky has hired BYU’s Mark Pope as men’s basketball coach, bringing home a captain of the Wildcats’ 1996 national championship team to succeed John Calipari. The school announced the 51-year-old Pope’s hiring in a release Friday morning but did not mention any contract details. Pope replaces Calipari, a Hall of Famer who took Kentucky to its…

BYU coach Mark Pope in talks with Kentucky to succeed John Calipari, reports say

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — BYU coach Mark Pope was negotiating with Kentucky to succeed John Calipari, multiple outlets reported Thursday night. Pope, who played for Kentucky’s 1996 national championship team and was co-captain for two seasons, was close to finalizing a deal, CBS Sports reported, citing anonymous sources. ESPN, also citing anonymous sources, also reported that an an agreement with…

Severe weather takes aim at parts of the Ohio Valley after battering the South

ATLANTA (AP) — Powerful storms rumbled over parts of the U.S. Southeast Thursday, prompting a few tornado warnings, causing flash flooding, and delaying the start of one of the world’s biggest sporting events, in Georgia. The storm system, which has already been blamed for at least one death in Mississippi, demolished buildings and flooded streets in the New Orleans area…

Instagram begins blurring nudity in messages to protect teens and fight sexual extortion

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer

LONDON (AP) — Instagram says it’s deploying new tools to protect young people and combat sexual extortion, including a feature that will automatically blur nudity in direct messages. The social media platform said in a blog post Thursday that it’s testing out the features as part of its campaign to fight sexual scams and other forms of “image abuse,” and…

Congress summons Boeing’s CEO to testify on its jetliner safety following new whistleblower charges

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A Senate subcommittee has opened an investigation into the safety of Boeing jetliners, intensifying concerns about the airworthiness of the company’s aircraft. The panel has summoned Boeing’s CEO to a hearing next week at which Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour is expected to detail safety concerns involving the manufacture and assembly of the 787 Dreamliner. The subcommittee…

OJ Simpson, fallen football hero acquitted of murder in ‘trial of the century,’ dies at 76

By KEN RITTER Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — O.J. Simpson, the decorated football superstar and Hollywood actor who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend but later found liable in a separate civil trial, has died. He was 76. Simpson’s attorney confirmed to TMZ he died Wednesday night in Las Vegas. A message posted Thursday on Simpson’s official X…

Kentucky governor cites higher incarceration costs in veto of criminal justice bill

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)- Kentucky’s Democratic governor vetoed a GOP-backed criminal justice bill that would impose harsher sentences for a range of crimes, saying it would saddle the state with sharply higher incarceration costs. The sweeping measure also would criminalize homelessness by creating an “unlawful camping” offense, Gov. Andy Beshear said in his veto message late Tuesday. The bill’s lead Republican…

Track and field becomes first sport to pay prize money at Olympics. Paris gold medalists get $50,000

By JAMES ELLINGWORTH AP Sports Writer

Track and field is set to become the first sport to introduce prize money at the Olympics, with World Athletics saying Wednesday it would pay $50,000 to gold medalists in Paris. The move is a symbolic break with the amateur past of the Olympics in one of the games’ most-watched events. The governing body of athletics said it was setting…

Ford recalls nearly 43,000 SUVs due to gas leaks that can cause fires, but remedy won’t fix leaks

Photo source: CNNDETROIT (AP) — Ford is recalling nearly 43,000 small SUVs because gasoline can leak from the fuel injectors onto hot engine surfaces, increasing the risk of fires. But the recall remedy does not include repairing the fuel leaks. The recall covers certain Bronco Sport SUVs from the 2022 and 2023 model years, as well as Escape SUVs from…