AP Trending SummaryBrief at 9:44 p.m. EDT
The last new Beatles song, ‘Now And Then,’ will be released next week
NEW YORK (AP) — This is it — the last “new” Beatles song. Sixty years after the onset of Beatlemania, the surviving members of the quartet are releasing the song “Now And Then.” Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr got a little help from artificial intelligence. The song was written and recorded in sketch form by the late John Lennon in the late 1970s. McCartney, Starr and the late George Harrison worked on it in the 1990s but were stymied by technical limitations. AI was used last year to clean up Lennon’s vocals, and McCartney and Starr added backing voices and instrumentation. It will be released next week.
DC pandas will be returning to China in mid-November, weeks earlier than expected
WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Zoo’s three three celebrity pandas will be heading home a little earlier than expected. Zoo officials told The Associated Press on Thursday that adult bears Mei Xiang and Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji will be returning to China sometime in mid-November. The zoo’s exchange agreement with the Chinese government, originally brokered by President Richard Nixon 50 years ago, expires Dec. 7. Ongoing negotiations to extend the agreement haven’t produced results, amid speculation from China-watchers that Beijing is gradually pulling its pandas from Western nations due to deteriorating diplomatic relations with the U.S. and other countries.
Radio host Larry Elder ends Republican presidential campaign and endorses Donald Trump
Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder says he is ending his 2024 Republican campaign for president. Elder said in a statement Thursday that he was endorsing former President Donald Trump. He is the fourth major candidate to suspend or end his campaign, following Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, former Texas congressman Will Hurd and businessman Perry Johnson. Elder found little visibility in a primary race dominated by Trump and other high-profile figures. He wasn’t among the GOP candidates on stage for the two presidential debates after failing to meet the polling and donor qualifications required by the Republican National Committee to participate.
Ottawa’s Shane Pinto suspended 41 games, becomes the 1st modern NHL player banned for gambling
Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto has been suspended 41 games for violating the NHL’s gambling policy. He is the first modern-day NHL player to be suspended for sports wagering. The league says the 22-year-old was banned for activities related to sports wagering. It added there was no evidence Pinto bet on NHL games. Pinto in a statement apologized to the league, Senators and his teammates. Coach D.J. Smith said Pinto would be welcomed back when eligible to return. Pinto is unsigned and can be back at the midway point of the season.
No. 1 pick Wembanyama scores 15 points in NBA debut as Spurs fall to Mavericks in opener
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The Victor Wembanyama era is underway in San Antonio. Wembanyama made his NBA debut with the Spurs against the Dallas Mavericks and made an immediate splash with the world watching. The No. 1 pick in the NBA draft blocked a shot in the opening minute of the game and misfired on a 3-point attempt from the top of the key. But Wembanyama found his spot and scored his first NBA points with a 3-pointer — again from near the top of the key — at the 8:25 mark of the first quarter. He added another 3 later in the quarter. Slowed by foul trouble, he broke loose for nine points in the fourth quarter and finished with 15 points in a 126-119 loss. The debut of the 19-year-old from France forced the Spurs to sell standing-room only tickets for their season opener.
China sends its youngest-ever crew to space as it seeks to put astronauts on moon before 2030
JIUQUAN SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER, China (AP) — China has launched its youngest-ever crew for its orbiting space station as it seeks to put astronauts on the moon before 2030. The Shenzhou 17 spacecraft lifted off from the launch center on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northwestern China atop a Long March 2-F rocket Thursday morning. The China Manned Space Agency said the average age of the three-member crew is the youngest since the launch of the space station construction mission. State media China Daily said their average age is 38. Beijing and Washington are competing to reach new milestones in outer space among other fields.
Former NBA star Dwight Howard denies sexual assault lawsuit filed by Georgia man
ATLANTA (AP) — Dwight Howard has denied accusations by a Georgia man who says he was sexually assaulted by the former NBA star and another person. Stephen Harper filed a state civil suit against Howard in July, alleging assault and battery, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Harper says he was sexually assaulted by Howard and another man dressed as a woman during a 2021 encounter at Howard’s home in the Atlanta suburbs. In a response filed this week, Howard described the encounter as consensual and requested that the case be dismissed. No criminal charges have been filed.
Rep. Bowman of New York charged with misdemeanor, to pay fine after triggering House fire alarm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman says he plans to pay a fine after being charged with a misdemeanor for triggering a fire alarm as lawmakers scrambled to pass a funding bill before a government shutdown deadline in September. He said on Wednesday that he expects the charges to ultimately be dropped. The alarm prompted an evacuation of a House office building. It reopened an hour later after Capitol Police determined it was not a threat. The New York lawmaker acknowledged pulling the alarm, telling reporters hours later that it was a mistake. He said he was rushing to get to votes and trying to get through a door that was closed for a weekend.
First ever Florida Man games will feature beer belly wrestling and ‘evading arrest’ obstacle course
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) — It ain’t the Olympics, but a group of Floridians plan to host competitions themed according to the collective antics of the beer-loving, gator-possessing, rap-sheet heavy, mullet-wearing social media phenomenon known as “Florida Man.” The games will poke fun at Florida’s reputation for producing strange news stories involving guns, drugs, booze and reptiles — or some combination of the four. Organizers say the contests planned for next February in St. Augustine, Florida, includes the the self-explanatory beer-belly wrestling contest, as well as the Evading Arrest Obstacle Course. Contestants will be asked to jump over fences and through yards while being chased by real police officers.
Bud Light to return as the UFC’s official beer next year as it recovers from a conservative backlash
NEW YORK (AP) — Bud Light is set to return as the official beer of the UFC in the U.S. next year as the brand tries to recover from a conservative backlash to a promotion with a transgender influencer. The companies announced that under a new multiyear marketing deal between the promoter of mixed martial arts fights and Bud Light maker Anheuser-Busch, the brewer will become the UFC’s “Official Beer Partner” in the U.S. starting Jan. 1. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. News of the partnership comes during a rocky year for Anheuser-Busch. The brewer has seen a monthslong sales decline for Bud Light after conservative critics vowed to boycott the brand for sending a commemorative can to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney earlier this year.