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Ncaa’s Midwest Region Full Of Upsets But Maybe Not Surprises

NCAA's Midwest Region full of upsets but maybe not surprises

The Midwest Region has caused more busted NCAA Tournament brackets than any other. But perhaps the four teams in the quadrant that have sent Illinois, Tennessee and Oklahoma State packing shouldn't be that surprising. Loyola Chicago, Houston and Syracuse all have coaches that have been to the Final Four. Oregon State has lost just once in the past five weeks. That could make for an intriguing pair of games when the Ramblers face the Beavers and the Cougars and Orange square off on Saturday in Indianapolis.

Explainer: What’s A Spac, The Latest Craze On Wall Street?

EXPLAINER: What's a SPAC, the latest craze on Wall Street?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — WeWork will finally go public this year, allowing investors to buy and sell its shares. But not through a traditional IPO. In the two years since the office-sharing company’s failed IPO, a new way to launch…

Turkey Detains Students And Supporters Over Lgbt Flags

Turkey detains students and supporters over LGBT flags

ISTANBUL (AP) — Police in Turkey detained dozens of people who assembled outside a courthouse Friday in a show of solidarity with 12 students who were taken into custody for unfurling rainbow flags, according to Turkish news reports. The detentions…

Kenosha Police: 55 More Charged For Violence During Protests

Kenosha police: 55 more charged for violence during protests

Kenosha police say 55 people are facing charges related to violent demonstrations after the police shooting of Jacob Blake last summer. Kenosha Officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake seven times in August, leaving him paralyzed. Blake, who is Black, was holding a pocket knife. The shooting spurred several nights of violent protests. Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis said Friday that 49 adults and six minors are facing charges. The tally does not include charges against Kyle Rittenhouse, an Illinois teenager accused of shooting and killing two protesters and injuring a third. Sheskey has not been charged in Blake's shooting, but Blake has filed a civil lawsuit accusing him of using excessive force. 

2 Mlb Players Test Positive For Covid 19 In Past Week

2 MLB players test positive for COVID-19 in past week

Two major league players and two staff members were positive for COVID-19 during the past week among 13,978 tests, a 0.03% positive rate. There have been 17 positive tests — 12 for players, five for staff — among 72,751 monitoring tests during spring training, a rate of 0.02%. The positive tests were among 11 of the 30 teams. Including intake testing upon arrival at spring training, there have been 33 positive tests — 25 players, eight staff — among 78,227 tests, a positive rate of 0.04%. The positive tests were among 18 teams.

Biden Taps Sen. Manchin’s Wife To Co Chair Appalachian Board

Biden taps Sen. Manchin's wife to co-chair Appalachian board

President Joe Biden is nominating Gayle Manchin, the wife of West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, to be the co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission. The commission is an economic development partnership involving the federal government and 13 states. Gayle Manchin has held multiple government positions linked to education in a state where her husband is a political force. A former teacher, she was on the West Virginia Board of Education from 2007 to 2015 and served a two-year term as its president. Manchin was also the state’s secretary of education and the arts in 2017 and 2018, but was removed from the post by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice after releasing a statement critical of a bill to dismantle the department.

Serbia Vaccinates Migrants Amid Surge In Covid 19 Cases

Serbia vaccinates migrants amid surge in COVID-19 cases

KRNJACA, Serbia (AP) — Bashir Ahmad Shirzay lived through wars in Afghanistan, survived a harrowing journey to reach Europe and has no intention of taking a gamble with the coronavirus. He was among the first to roll up his sleeve…

Legislator Being Investigated For Weinstein Backdrop On Zoom

Legislator being investigated for Weinstein backdrop on Zoom

A Maine legislator who appeared for Zoom meetings twice with a background that made a joking reference to convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein is being investigated by the Legislature's human resources department. A spokesperson for House Speaker Ryan Fecteau said Thursday that the investigation will focus on whether Rep. Bruce Bickford's actions violated the Legislature’s harassment policy. The image had the words “Harvey Weinstein Charm School Rehab Center." Bickford quickly changed it both times it was shown. Bickford apologized and called it inappropriate and in poor taste. But he also told a newspaper that the joke would have been funny “in the private setting with the proper people.”

French President: No Regrets At Refusing New Virus Lockdown

France's Macron: No regrets for rejecting new virus lockdown

PARIS (AP) — France’s president says he has no reason to be sorry about refusing to impose a third national lockdown earlier this year, even though surging coronavirus infections are straining his country's hospitals and more than 1,000 people with…

Ap Interview: Serie A Trying To Get It Right On Anti Racism

AP Interview: Serie A trying to get it right on anti-racism

Serie A’s efforts to combat racism inside stadiums was in shambles little more than a year ago when league CEO Luigi De Siervo decided to take matters into his own hands. There was a botched anti-racism campaign launch involving a painting of apes. Consistent failures to punish clubs whose fans direct monkey chants at Black players. And a scathing verbal attack from FIFA president Gianni Infantino lambasting Italian soccer authorities for “hiding the truth” about discrimination. De Siervo then hired a lower-league goalkeeper who had been the target of racism to take over the league's anti-discrimination efforts.

Romney Gets Profile In Courage Award For Impeachment Vote

Romney gets Profile in Courage Award for impeachment vote

U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah has been named this year's recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for being the only Republican to vote to convict former President Donald Trump during his first impeachment trial. The honor was announced Friday by the JFK Library Foundation in Boston. Trump’s first trial in 2020 focused on the president’s relationship with Ukraine. The 74-year-old Romney says he is inspired by his late father to do what's right regardless of consequence. The award was created by the family of the late President Kennedy to honor public figures who risk their careers by embracing unpopular positions for the greater good. 

Carrie Underwood’s Faith Shines Through On Church Hymns

Carrie Underwood's faith shines through on church hymns

Country superstar Carrie Underwood has long made hits that speak directly to her faith starting with “Jesus Take the Wheel.” Now she's releasing her first album of gospel music called “My Savior” just in time for Easter. Underwood said she's been making spiritual music all along her career, but the global pandemic was the right time to release a full album of gospel hymns. Underwood brings a fresh sound to the classic hymns and includes a duet with gospel icon CeCe Winans. A standout track is her version of “Softly and Tenderly."

Japanese Pm Suga Expects To Invite Biden To Tokyo Olympics

Japanese PM Suga expects to invite Biden to Tokyo Olympics

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga says he expects to invite President Joe Biden to the Tokyo Olympics when he visits the White House next month. That may become a bigger diplomatic arena as Suga is open to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un or his powerful sister, if either of them visits Tokyo for the Games. Suga was asked by a lawmaker in Parliament if he would invite Biden. Suga says "I expect we will.” The Tokyo Olympics open on July 23. They were postponed a year ago because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

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How two friends made art history buying a $70M digital work

At first, Vignesh Sundaresan and Anand Venkateswaran weren't sure they had just spent $69.3 million on a digital artwork by an artist called Beeple, securing their place in art history. The March 11 auction at Christie’s in London immediately catapulted Beeple’s artwork into the realm of the most expensive pieces ever sold by living artists, alongside a well-known swimming pool painting by David Hockney and an iconic stainless steel rabbit sculpture by Jeff Koons. And it has also kicked off a new explosion of interest in non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, a sort of cryptocurrency-adjacent technology that provides the digital equivalent of a certificate of authenticity.

Biden Leaves Door Open For Us To Stay Longer In Afghanistan

Aid groups call on Biden to develop plans to share vaccines

A coalition of nongovernmental organizations is calling on President Joe Biden to develop plans to share an expected surplus of hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses with the world, once U.S. demand for shots is met. In a letter sent Friday and obtained exclusively by The Associated Press, the groups call on Biden’s administration to commit to sharing excess doses through the World Health Organization-backed COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access facility, or COVAX. The groups include the ONE Campaign, the International Rescue Committee, Catholic Relief Services and Save the Children. Biden has repeatedly said his primary focus is on ensuring all Americans can get vaccinated.

In A Leaky Underwater Rail Tunnel, Workers Race Against Time

In a leaky underwater rail tunnel, workers race against time

With a new rail tunnel into New York years away at best, Amtrak is embarking on an aggressive and expensive program to fix a 110-year-old tunnel in the interim. The work is is an outgrowth of a study conducted last year. Crews mainly focus on protecting the tunnel against water, which can damage electrical system and cause significant delays. On a recent weekend, millions of gallons of water were pumped out. Rails, wooden ties and 360 tons of rocks supporting the tracks were removed and replaced. Officials have estimated the work could cost $150 million or more. 

Dominion Voting Sues Fox For $1.6b Over 2020 Election Claims

Dominion Voting sues Fox for $1.6B over 2020 election claims

Dominion Voting Systems has filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, arguing the cable news giant falsely claimed in an effort to boost faltering ratings that the voting company rigged the 2020 election. Friday's defamation lawsuit is the first filed against a media outlet by the Denver-based company at the center of false claims spread by President Donald Trump and his allies after Trump's election loss to Joe Biden. Those claims helped spur on rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Some on-air reporting segments by New York-based Fox News have debunked some of the claims targeting Dominion.

Biden: ‘my Plan Is To Run For Reelection’ In 2024

AP FACT CHECK: Biden skews figures on border, taxes, more

Joe Biden has held his first formal news conference as president and an AP Fact Check looks at his remarks. The fact check finds that Biden erred when he asserted that numbers of unaccompanied children coming to the U.S. border from Mexico are the same as when Donald Trump was president. Biden said the numbers from January to February are up 28%, a smaller increase than in the same months in 2019, before the pandemic. But federal statistics show 61% more children came to the border without a parent this January than in the month before — not just 28%.

N Korea Confirms Missile Tests As Biden Warns Of Response

EXPLAINER: North Korean missiles getting more agile, evasive

In resuming its ballistic testing activity after a yearlong pause, North Korea has demonstrated a potentially nuclear-capable weapon that shows how it continues to expand its military capabilities amid a stalemate in diplomacy with the United States. Since a provocative run in North Korean nuclear and missile tests in 2016 and 2017, much of the U.S. focus has been on North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missiles that pose a direct threat to the American homeland. But its growing arsenal of shorter-range solid-fuel weapons can reach U.S. allies South Korea and Japan, where the U.S. stations thousands of troops. And experts say it's clear North Korea is working on arming those weapons with nuclear devices.

Nissan Renault Rift At Center Of Japanese Trial Of American

Nissan-Renault rift at center of Japanese trial of American

TOKYO (AP) — The trial of former Nissan executive Greg Kelly in a Tokyo court is increasingly focusing on a rift between Nissan Motor Co. and its French alliance partner. Kelly, an American, was arrested with former Nissan chief Carlos…

Mlb Stadiums Pass 1 Million Covid 19 Vaccination Shots Given

MLB stadiums pass 1 million COVID-19 vaccination shots given

More than 1 million COVID-19 vaccination shots have been dispensed at Major League Baseball stadiums, with the Oakland Coliseum and Marlins Park among the sites planning to continue operating after opening day. The 11 ballparks that converted to mass vaccination centers in the offseason combined to pass a million total shots this week, MLB says. The regular season starts Thursday. Dodger Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Citi Field and PNC Park will keep providing doses after opening day, while Minute Maid Park and Petco Park are not planning that. The Colorado Rockies are still working to see if Coors Field will continue to be used. Fenway Park and Globe Life Field also were employed to administer doses.

Hands Touch: Italy’s Nursing Homes Emerge From Covid Tunnel

Hands touch: Italy's nursing homes emerge from COVID tunnel

Italy's nursing homes have been on a coronavirus vaccination push that has been declared an initial success despite the country's otherwise lagging vaccine campaign. At a nursing home near Bergamo, one 82-year-old resident received his second vaccine jab and a surprise visit from his 77-year-old wife. Their last hug had been through plastic on his birthday in February. Even then he yearned for her touch.  Then another lockdown came down, ending visits. Now with vaccination shots completed, some hope has returned. That enabled Palmiro Tami to tell his bride of 58 years that “I am crazy in love with you" and ask “Can I touch your hand?” Out in the sunlight, they did.