FBI informant charged with lying about Joe and Hunter Biden’s ties to Ukrainian energy company WASHINGTON (AP) — An FBI informant has been charged with fabricating a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden, his son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company, a claim that is central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress. Alexander Smirnov falsely reported to the …

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Another juror was dismissed Thursday in the murder trial of a former Ohio sheriff’s deputy, forcing the panel to start over its deliberations for the second time in two days. Jason Meade, who is white, is charged with murder and reckless homicide in the December 2020 killing in Columbus of 23-year-old Casey Goodson Jr., who was …

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Thursday signed legislation censuring a conservative member of the state Board of Education whose social media post questioning the gender of a high school basketball player triggered threats against the girl and led state officials to call for the board member’s resignation. Both legislative chambers had swiftly passed a resolution …

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s economy is now the world’s fourth-largest after it contracted in the last quarter of 2023 and fell behind Germany. The government reported the economy shrank at an annual rate of 0.4% in October to December, according to Cabinet Office data on real GDP released Thursday, though it grew 1.9% for all of 2023. It contracted 2.9% …

ZURICH (AP) — Asian Cup winner Qatar and new African champion Ivory Coast moved up into the top 40 of the FIFA men’s world rankings on Thursday. Qatar retaining its Asian title fueled a rise of 21 places to No. 37 – its highest in the rankings’ 32-year history – and Ivory Coast moved up 10 to No. 39. Ivory …

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Saints named Klint Kubiak as their offensive coordinator on Wednesday, marking a new direction for a unit that has been overseen by either former coach Sean Payton or his protege, Pete Carmichael Jr., since 2006. The 36-year-old Kubiak was the passing game coordinator for the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers last season, and …

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Richard Petty’s signature cowboy hat has been an iconic symbol of NASCAR for decades. Now it’s a work of art. Legacy Motor Club and Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday unveiled the first of 28 unique statues featuring Petty’s famed hat, the feathered Charlie 1 Horse. Titled “The King’s Hat,” the fiberglass and concrete statues are …

The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. Brown Bears (6-16, 2-5 Ivy League) at Princeton Tigers (17-3, 5-2 Ivy League) Princeton, New Jersey; Friday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Brown faces the Princeton Tigers after …

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is confident the Oakland Athletics will be playing in Las Vegas starting in 2028. “The reality of the situation is that whenever you’re leaving a market where you’ve been for decades and you’re going to make a move to a different city where there’s not a stadium, that’s a really difficult undertaking, …

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Florida Panthers are playing so well, they don’t need any bounces. They’re getting them anyway. Anton Lundell scored twice — including a fluttering shot that floated high in the air over Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry — and the Panthers extended their franchise-record road winning streak to nine with a 5-2 win over the Penguins on Wednesday. …