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Cockfighting in Oklahoma persists frustrating opponents

The Associated Press WILSON, Okla.—Before Oklahoma became one of the last places in the U.S. to outlaw cockfighting in 2002, it wasn’t uncommon to see hundreds of spectators packed into small arenas in rural parts of the state to watch roosters, often outfitted with razor-sharp steel blades, fight until a bloody death. More than 20 years after the ban took effect, some worry Oklahoma is starting to waver. A proposal to weaken cockfighting penalties cleared the Oklahoma House. A political action committee is raising money to support farmers who raise game fowl. And in a video ...

Election disinformation takes a big leap with AI being used to deceive worldwide

The Associated Press LONDON—Artificial intelligence is supercharging the threat of election disinformation worldwide, making it easy for anyone with a smartphone and a devious imagination to create fake—but convincing—content aimed at fooling voters. It marks a quantum leap from a few years ago, when creating phony photos, videos or audio clips required teams of people with time, technical skill and money. Now, using free and low-cost generative artificial intelligence services from companies like Google and OpenAI, anyone can create high-quality “deepfakes” with just a ...

McIlroy has a lot of birdies, a little drama and a share of Players lead

The Associated Press PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Rory McIlroy had a lot of birdies and a little drama Thursday in The Players Championship. All that mattered to him was having a share of the lead at the TPC Sawgrass. McIlroy tied The Players Championship record with 10 birdies, offset by two tee shots into the water, for his lowest start ever at the PGA Tour’s flagship event. He had a 7-under 65 to share the lead with U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark and Xander Schauffele. Schauffele played bogey-free with a two nervous moments toward the end of his round, one leading to birdie ...

Judge dismisses some of Trumps charges in the Georgia election interference case

The Associated Press ATLANTA—The judge overseeing the Georgia 2020 election interference case on Wednesday dismissed some of the charges against former President Donald Trump and others, but the rest of the sweeping racketeering indictment remains intact. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee quashed six counts in the indictment, including three against Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee. But the judge left in place other counts—including 10 facing Trump—and said prosecutors could seek a new indictment to try to reinstate the ones he ...

House passes a bill that could lead to a TikTok ban

The Associated Press WASHINGTON—The House on Wednesday passed a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app TikTok if its China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake, as lawmakers acted on concerns that the company’s current ownership structure is a national security threat. The bill, passed by a vote of 352-65, now goes to the Senate, where its prospects are unclear. TikTok, which has more than 170 million American users, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chinese technology firm ByteDance Ltd. The lawmakers contend that ByteDance is beholden to the Chinese ...

Ridley’s deal with Titans highlights official start of free agency

The Associated Press Calvin Ridley is heading to the Tennessee Titans, the highlight of the official start of free agency Wednesday when teams began reshaping their rosters in a quest to unseat the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. Ridley — who had been expected to re-sign with the Jaguars — and the Titans agreed on a four-year, $92 million contract with $50 million guaranteed, a person with knowledge of the terms told The Associated Press. Ridley gives young Titans quarterback Will Levis another playmaker. He started all 17 games for the Jaguars last season and ...