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Six are presumed dead in Baltimore bridge collapse

The Associated Press BALTIMORE—A cargo ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, destroying the span in a matter of seconds and plunging it into the river in a terrifying collapse that could disrupt a vital shipping port for months. Six people were missing and presumed dead, and the search for them was suspended until Wednesday morning. The ship’s crew issued a mayday call moments before the crash took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge, enabling authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span, Maryland’s governor said. As the vessel neared ...

Texas AG Ken Paxton reaches deal to end his securities fraud charges after 9 years

The Associated Press HOUSTON—Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday agreed to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution under a deal to end criminal securities fraud charges that have shadowed the Republican for nearly a decade. The announcement by special prosecutors in a Houston courtroom came less than three weeks before Paxton was set to stand trial on felony charges that could have led to a prison sentence. It was the closest Paxton—who was indicted in 2015—has ever come to trial over accusations that he duped investors in a tech startup near Dallas. Under the 18-month ...

NFL owners OK radical overhaul of kickoff rules

The Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. — Kickoff returns are returning to the NFL. Team owners on Tuesday approved a new rule that will take what essentially had become “a dead play” and make it an integral part of the game again. “We feel this is a great day for the NFL,” said Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, who was heavily involved in creating the framework for the new hybrid kickoff. The major overhaul to special teams — which has been in the works for years — takes elements of the kickoff rules used in the XFL and tweaks them for use in the NFL ...

Robots replicate reality: High-tech pitching machine has ability to mimic every pitcher

The Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. — Nestor Cortes got behind the plate in a batting cage and watched an 8-foot-high, 1,200-pound robot spit out fastballs, cutters and sweepers just like the ones spinning off the fingertips of his left hand. “It was like seeing myself pitch. That was crazy,” the New York Yankees All-Star left-hander said. Technology has come a long way since the days of the Iron Mike. The Trajekt Arc pitching machine uses baseball’s high-tech data to mimic the way balls break from every big league pitcher and has been approved by Major League Baseball for ...

Trump’s New York hush money case is set to go to trial on April 15

The Associated Press NEW YORK—The first of Donald Trump’s four criminal trials will begin April 15, a Manhattan judge ruled Monday after tearing into the former president’s lawyers for what he said were unfounded claims that the hush-money case had been tainted by prosecutorial misconduct. Judge Juan M. Merchan scoffed at the defense’s calls to delay the case longer or throw it out entirely because of a last-minute document dump that had bumped the first-ever trial of a former president from its scheduled Monday start. Trump vowed to appeal the ruling. Barring another ...

UN demand for Gaza cease-fire provokes clash between US, Israel since war began

Associated Press UNITED NATIONS—The United Nations Security Council on Monday issued its first demand for a cease-fire in Gaza, with the U.S. angering Israel by abstaining from the vote. Israel responded by canceling a visit to Washington by a high-level delegation in the strongest public clash between the allies since the war began. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the U.S. of “retreating” from a “principled position” by allowing the vote to pass without conditioning the cease-fire on the release of hostages held by Hamas. White House national security spokesman ...