SANTA CLARA — The amount of talent on the San Francisco 49ers' offense can be staggering at times. The Niners have five skilled position players who have been first- or second-team All-Pros the past three seasons, an MVP finalist in quarterback Brock Purdy and the best left tackle in football...
Woman’s 2023 Death Was First Fatal Black Bear Attack on a Human in California Records, Officials Say
DOWNIEVILLE — A woman found dead last year in a mountain community was the victim of the first documented fatal black bear attack on a human in California, authorities said. The death occurred in Downieville, a tiny town in the Sierra Nevada, two hours northeast of the state capital, Sacramento...
A New Account Rekindles Allegations That Trump Disrespected Black People on ‘The Apprentice’
Gene Folkes had just been jettisoned as a contestant on “The Apprentice” and was commiserating with a crew member at a bar inside the lobby of Trump Tower. He was indignant — and not just at having been kicked off the reality show after its star, Donald Trump, had delivered...
Oklahoma Secures Record Fourth Consecutive NCAA Softball Title
OKLAHOMA CITY — Patty Gasso's Oklahoma Sooners have done it again. Oklahoma slugged its way to a record fourth straight NCAA softball title, getting a go-ahead, bases-clearing double from Cydney Sanders and beating Texas 8-4 on Thursday night for a two-game sweep of the Women’s College World Series championship. The...
Celtics Rout Mavericks in Game 1 of NBA Finals Behind Brown, Returning Porzingis
BOSTON — Kristaps Porzingis didn’t want to make predictions about how his body would respond heading into the NBA Finals after he spent more than a month on the sideline with a calf injury. Just fine, it turned out. Jaylen Brown scored 22 points, Porzingis made an immediate impact off...
Southern Baptists Are Poised to Ban Churches with Women Pastors. Some Are Urging Them to Reconsider
From its towering white steeple and red-brick facade to its Sunday services filled with rousing gospel hymns and evangelistic sermons, First Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia, bears many of the classic hallmarks of a Southern Baptist church. On a recent Sunday, its pastor for women and children, Kim Eskridge, urged...
Dodgers Avoid Sweep with Home Runs from Betts, Freeman, Hernandez
PITTSBURGH — Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez homered and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-7 on Thursday night to avoid a three-game sweep. Freeman hit a three-run shot in the first for his eighth home run of the season. Betts added a three-run shot of...
US-Built Gaza Pier Reconnected, Aid to Flow Soon
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military-built pier designed to carry badly needed aid into Gaza by boat has been reconnected to the beach in the besieged territory after a section broke apart in storms and rough seas, and food and other supplies will begin to flow soon, U.S. Central Command...
US Employers Add 272,000 Jobs in May, Signaling Economic Health
WASHINGTON — America’s employers added a strong 272,000 jobs in May, accelerating from April and a sign that companies are still confident enough in the economy to keep hiring despite persistently high interest rates. Economy is Growing Steadily Last month’s sizable job gain suggests that the economy is still growing steadily,...
Trump Ally Steve Bannon Must Surrender to Prison by July 1 to Start Contempt Sentence, Judge Says
WASHINGTON — Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, must report to prison by July 1 to serve his four-month sentence for defying a subpoena from the House committee that investigated the U.S. Capitol insurrection, a federal judge ruled Thursday. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington...