A fugitive gains fame in New Orleans eluding dart guns and nets
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- For months, a fugitive dog known as Scrim has transfixed the city of New Orleans. The 17-pound mutt has gained fame eluding a tenacious band of citizens wielding a tranquilizer dart gun and night vision binoculars. He's already escaped two homes. Now his sightings are plotted on a crowd-sourced Google map. Animal rescuers hope to capture the renegade pooch and put him in a place that's safe and secure. But there's a backlash, fueled by the now-viral video of Scrim leaping out a two-story window, under the hashtag #FreeScrim, as some think the dog should be able to roam free.
Athletes in $2.8 billion college lawsuit tell judge they want to create a players' association
The athletes whose lawsuit against the NCAA is primed to pave the way for schools to pay them directly also want a players' association to represent them in the complex contract negotiations that have overtaken the industry. Grant House, Sedona Prince and Nya Harrison wrote to the judge overseeing what's known as the House Settlement, saying that although they are generally happy with the terms of the proposed settlement "there still remains a critical need for structural changes to protect athletes and prevent the failures of the past."
Joe Burrow's home broken into during Monday Night Football in latest pro-athlete home invasion
ANDERSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio (AP) -- Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow's home was broken into during Monday Night Football in the latest home invasion of a pro athlete in the U.S. Authorities said Tuesday no one was injured in the break-in, but the home was ransacked. Deputies weren't immediately able to determine what items were stolen. Both the NFL and NBA issued alerts to players following prior break-ins, urging them to take precautions. The homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were broken into in October. In the NBA, Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr. had their homes broken into.
What did you Google in 2024? From the elections to Copa América, here's what search trends show
NEW YORK (AP) -- Remember what you searched for in 2024? Google does. Google has released its annual "Year in Search," rounding up 2024's top trending searches. It shows terms that saw the highest spike in traffic compared to last year. Sports -- particularly soccer and cricket -- dominated overall search trends, led by queries for Copa América, the UEFA European Championship and ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, the U.S. election led news-specific searches worldwide. Queries about excessive heat and this year's Olympic Games followed. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump topped searches in Google's people category this year -- followed by Catherine, Princess of Wales, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif.
McConnell falls and sprains wrist after GOP luncheon, colleague says he is 'fine'
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell fell and sprained his wrist while walking out of a GOP luncheon on Tuesday, the latest in a series of medical incidents for him in recent years. That's according to a senator who was with him when it happened. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the No. 3 Senate Republican and a doctor, said McConnell walked back to his office after the fall with no assistance and had "a small scratch." Medical staff were seen taking a wheelchair into McConnell's office just before a scheduled weekly news conference. McConnell, who is stepping down from his leadership post at the end of the year, did not attend the news conference.
Who is Tony Buzbee, the lawyer suing Jay-Z as part of civil cases against Sean 'Diddy' Combs?
HOUSTON (AP) -- High-profile legal battles are nothing new for Texas attorney Tony Buzbee. His latest is a lawsuit he's filed against rapper Jay-Z. Buzbee is accusing the iconic rapper as well as Sean "Diddy" Combs of sexually assaulting a minor at an awards show after-party in 2000. The lawsuit against Jay-Z is part of multiple civil cases Buzbee has filed on behalf of more than 150 people who allege sexual abuse and exploitation at the hands of Combs, who denies the claims. In his legal career, Buzbee has represented a variety of clients, including victims of sexual assault and well-known politicians. His critics say he's full of bluster and bombast. Buzbee's firm says he's worked to "pursue justice against powerful figures."
OpenAI releases AI video generator Sora but limits how it depicts people
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- OpenAI has publicly released its new artificial intelligence video generator Sora but won't let most users depict people as it monitors for patterns of misuse. Users of a premium version of OpenAI's flagship product ChatGPT can now use Sora to instantly create AI-generated videos based on written commands. Among the highlighted examples are high-quality video clips of sumo-wrestling bears and a cat sipping coffee. But only a small set of invited testers can use Sora to make videos of humans as OpenAI works to "address concerns around misappropriation of likeness and deepfakes," the company said in a blog post.
Soto's record $765 million, 15-year contract with Mets reverberates through Major League Baseball
DALLAS (AP) -- Juan Soto's record $765 million, 15-year contract with the New York Mets, the largest and longest deal in baseball history, has reverberated across the winter meetings. It stung the Yankees, who offered $760 million over 16 years to the All-Star outfielder. Soto's deal sparked even greater expectations in a free agent market that includes pitchers Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, first basemen Pete Alonso and Christian Walker, third baseman Alex Bregman and outfielder Anthony Santander. Many small-market teams have long sought a salary cap but the consensus since the 1994-95 strike has been not to propose a hard limit.
Rupert Murdoch's attempt to change his family's trust over Fox News media empire control rejected
RENO, Nev. (AP) -- A sealed document obtained by The New York Times says a Nevada commissioner has ruled against Rupert Murdoch's effort to change his family's trust to give his son Lachlan Murdoch control of his media empire and ensure Fox News maintains its conservative editorial slant. The commissioner concluded in a decision filed on Saturday that the two men had acted in "bad faith" in their bid to amend the irrevocable trust. Lachlan Murdoch is the head of Fox News and News Corp. The trust divides control of the company equally among Murdoch's four oldest children after his death. A lawyer for Rupert Murdoch says he and his son intend to appeal the ruling.
Greyhound racing is increasingly rare worldwide. New Zealand now plans to outlaw the practice
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- New Zealand's racing minister says the country will outlaw greyhound racing, citing the injury rates for racing dogs. He says it will be shut down over the next 20 months, allowing time for those it employs to find other work and homes to be found for the 2,900 racing dogs. New Zealand is one of only a handful of countries where commercial greyhound racing is held. The industry body says the government has not recognized the progress it has made in animal welfare. The government passed an urgent law Tuesday barring greyhound owners from killing dogs as the industry winds down.