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Amazon gets Thursday night games, NFL nearly doubles TV deal

The NFL will nearly double its media revenue to more than $10 billion a season with new rights agreements announced Thursday, including a deal with Amazon Prime Video that gives the streaming service exclusive rights to “Thursday Night Football” beginning in 2022. The league took in $5.9 billion a year in its current contracts. Amazon has partnered with the league to stream Thursday night games since 2017, but it will take over the entire package from Fox. Games will continue to air on CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN, while ABC will have a limited schedule of games as well as returning to the Super Bowl rotation (two games) for the first time since the 2005 season.

Atlanta police on shooting probe: 'Nothing is off the table'

Police say “nothing is off the table” in their investigation of the deadly shootings at two Atlanta massage parlors, including whether the slayings were a hate crime. Those attacks and a third one near the suburban town of Woodstock killed eight people. The shootings prompted President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to change their plans for a previously scheduled trip to Atlanta. The pair postponed a political event in favor of meeting Friday with Asian American community leaders. A 21-year-old white man, Robert Aaron Long, is charged with murder in the killings. Six of the victims were women of Asian descent.

Biden dispatching Sen. Coons to Ethiopia amid Tigray crisis

President Joe Biden is dispatching Sen. Chris Coons to Ethiopia to meet with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to express the administration’s “grave concerns” about the growing humanitarian crisis and human rights abuses in the Tigray region and the risk of broader instability in the Horn of Africa. National security adviser Jake Sullivan says Coons will also discuss the situation with African Union leaders. Coons, a Democrat, will be heading to Ethiopia as a long-running conflict in the Tigray intensifies and the Biden administration steps up pressure on Ahmed to withdraw troops from the northern region amid growing reports of war crimes.

German archbishop offers to resign after abuse criticism

COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — A report commissioned by Germany’s Cologne archdiocese on church officials’ handling of past cases of sexual abuse found 75 cases in which high-ranking officials neglected their duties. The findings on Thursday prompted the archbishop of Hamburg…

Harvick reflects on anniversary of emotional Atlanta victory

Kevin Harvick returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend celebrating the 20th anniversary of his first Cup win. That victory in 2001 came in just his third Cup start and during the whirlwind that followed the death of Dale Earnhardt. Harvick was moved into Earnhardt's seat to keep the car on track and the Atlanta victory was an emotional boost for the reeling team. His memories of that day are jumbled and Harvick has said that he wishes he recognized the significance of the win 20 years ago. 

Abmas leads crop of potential mid-major NCAA bracket busters

National scoring leader Max Abmas at Oral Roberts headlines a group of players at mid-major programs capable of shaking up the NCAA Tournament bracket. Abmas is averaging 24 points per game for the Golden Eagles in the program's first NCAA appearance since 2008. They face Ohio State in the first round of the tournament. The list includes guards like UNC Greensboro's Isaiah Miller and UC Santa Barbara's JaQuori McLaughlin. There are also big men poised to make an impact in Utah State 7-footer Neemias Queta and Morehead State freshman Johni Broome.

I got the COVID-19 vaccine. What can I safely do?

I got the COVID-19 vaccine. What can I safely do? You can enjoy small gatherings again, but should continue wearing a mask and social distancing in public. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says fully vaccinated…

Prepare the popcorn: AMC opening more movie theaters

It’s showtime! AMC Theatres says it will have 98% of its U.S. movie theaters open on Friday as a bunch of theaters reopen in California. Even more theaters are expected to open by March 26. AMC said that California is expected to open 52 of its 54 locations by Monday. The company is preparing to resume operations at the rest of its California locations once the proper local approvals are in place. AMC’s announcement is welcomed by movie fans not only because more of them will get to return to AMC’s reclining seats and stadium style format, but because it means the company has hopefully put the worst behind it. 

Wentz says goodbye to Eagles, welcomes fresh start in Indy

Carson Wentz appreciated his time in Philadelphia. He's also ready for a fresh start in Indianapolis. More than a month after being traded from the Eagles to the Colts for two draft picks, the quarterback finally got a chance to speak publicly about the deal. And after a quick and harrowing descent from being the Eagles undisputed franchise quarterback, Wentz can't wait to get started with the Colts.

Flood of Capitol riot, tribal cases swamps US prosecutors

The U.S. Justice Department’s to-do list is always intense. And now two very different legal controversies -- insurrection cases and tribal lands disputes -- are threatening to swamp a department already flooded with pandemic-delayed cases. Together, the unprecedented investigation into the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection and court decisions giving the federal government jurisdiction over crimes on Native American lands have put enormous pressure on the Justice Department. It's created an immediate challenge for new Attorney General Merrick Garland. And defendants could be waiting a long time - some of them behind bars - for their day in court. 

Indiana man charged with killing 4 after stimulus argument

An Indianapolis man has been formally charged with murder in the killings of three adults and a child he allegedly shot to death after he and a former girlfriend argued because he wanted a share of her federal COVID-19 relief money. Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced Thursday that 25-year-old Malik Halfacre faces charges including four counts of murder one count of attempted murder in Saturday’s attack. Halfacre allegedly shot a former girlfriend, critically wounding her, and fatally shot four others Saturday. Police found the bodies of 35-year-old Anthony Johnson, 23-year-old Dequan Moore, 44-year-old Tomeeka Brown, and 7-year-old Eve Moore inside the home. Halfacre’s attorney declined comment.

Students who got partial loan relief to see full discharge

The Biden administration says students who were defrauded by their colleges and received only partial relief from their federal loans could now have them fully erased. The action, announced Thursday, reverses a Trump administration policy. The Education Department says the change could lead to $1 billion in loans being canceled for 72,000 borrowers, all of whom attended for-profit schools. The department says the action applies to students who already had their claims approved and received “less than a full loan discharge.” A senior department official briefing reporters says they are reviewing the backlog of claims yet to be decided and those that have been denied.

US long-term mortgage rates edge higher; 30-year at 3.09%

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. long-term mortgage rates continued to edge higher this week as the benchmark 30-year loan stayed above the 3% mark. Rates remain near historic lows, however. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average rate on…

Stone tablet marking First Amendment freedoms finds new home

A four-story, 50-ton marble tablet engraved with the text of the First Amendment will find a new home in Philadelphia now that the Newseum in Washington has closed. The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia will erect the tablet in an atrium overlooking Independence Hall. That's where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were adopted. It’s a gift from the Freedom Forum, and a dedication ceremony is planned for later this year. The Freedom Forum was the creator of the Newseum. The Newseum was sold to Johns Hopkins University and closed in 2019. 

Becerra confirmed to shepherd Biden's ambitious health plans

The Senate has confirmed California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as President Joe Biden's health secretary. Becerra fills a key position in the administration’s coronavirus response and its ambitious push to lower drug costs, expand insurance coverage, and eliminate racial disparities in medical care. Thursday's largely party-line vote was 50-49. The 63-year-old Becerra is the first Latino to head the Health and Human Services Department. The core components of the $1.4 trillion department are the boots on the ground of the coronavirus response, from the Food and Drug Administration's review of vaccines to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidance for reopening schools. He'll also be the point man on Biden’s sweeping health care agenda.

Mexico seizes fake Sputnik vaccine bound for Honduras

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican customs officials have seized purported vials of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine en route to Honduras that the Russian entity that bankrolled the vaccine’s development said Thursday were fake. The seizure came aboard a private…

EXPLAINER: Will you need a 'vaccine passport' to travel?

Airlines and others in the travel industry are throwing their support behind so-called vaccine passports to boost pandemic-depressed travel, and authorities in Europe could embrace the idea quickly enough for the peak summer vacation season. Technology companies and travel-related trade…

As infections rise, Sarajevo's hospitals feel the pressure

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — As Bosnia faces soaring coronavirus infections, pressure has grown on hospitals in the capital of Sarajevo that have struggled with rising numbers of COVID-19 patients. The Abdulah Nakas General Hospital in Sarajevo on Thursday morning had…

Dutch PM Rutte's conservatives see 4th straight election win

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The process of forming a new Dutch governing coalition began Thursday, a day after Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservative party powered to a fourth consecutive victory in a vote held during a nationwide lockdown and…

Police search for motive in fatal Wisconsin warehouse attack

Authorities say a man who opened fire at a Wisconsin grocery distribution center and the two co-workers he killed were long-time employees, but a motive for the attack remains unclear. Police said during a news conference Thursday that the man who carried out Tuesday's night's attack at the Roundy’s distribution center in Oconomowoc, west of Milwaukee, was 41-year-old Fraron Cornelius, of Wauwatosa. The men he killed were 39-year-old Kevin Schneider, of Milwaukee, and 51-year-old Kevin Kloth, of Germantown. Authorities refused to speculate as to Cornelius’ motive, saying detectives were just beginning a lengthy investigation that will include poring over the facility’s surveillance footage and interviewing hundreds of Roundy’s employees.

Michigan ex-governor loses challenge to Flint water charges

A judge has rejected a request to dismiss misdemeanor charges against a former Michigan governor in the Flint water scandal. Lawyers for Rick Snyder said he worked in Ingham County, not Genesee County, so the indictment was returned in the wrong place. But Judge William Crawford II says prosecutors have flexibility about where to pursue a case. Snyder’s attorneys plan to appeal. The former Republican governor is charged with willful neglect of duty in Flint. The city used the Flint River for drinking water without properly treating it to reduce corrosion. Lead in old pipes contaminated the system.

Dan Bongino tapped for national afternoon radio slot in May

NEW YORK (AP) — Conservative commentator Dan Bongino has joined a scramble to inherit the radio talk show mantle left behind by the death of Rush Limbaugh. Cumulus Media’s Westwood One said Bongino will begin a new three-hour radio program…

Freshmen aim to make a big impact in women's NCAA Tournament

UConn's Paige Bueckers is just one in a group of freshmen expected to have an impact on this year's women's NCAA Tournament. Iowa's Caitlin Clark, who leads the nation in scoring at 26.7 points per game, Washington State's  Charlisse Leger-Walker and Louisville's Hailey Van Lith are among the others. Oregon says its freshman point guard, Te-Hina Paupau, won't be available for the start of the tournament, but has a chance to return if the Ducks are able to make a deep tournament run without her.