Heat’s Rozier and Trail Blazers’ Billups charged in sports betting and Mafia-backed poker schemes
NEW YORK (AP) — Officials say Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier are among more than 30 people charged in connection with schemes involving illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by the Mafia. Rozier is accused in participating in an illegal sports betting scheme using private insider NBA information. Authorities said Thursday that Billups is charged in a separate indictment alleging a scheme to rig underground poker games backed by Mafia families. Rozier’s lawyer previously told ESPN that Rozier was told an initial investigation determined he did nothing wrong. A message seeking comment has been left with Billups, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year.
The Latest: Dozens charged in illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by the Mafia
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier are among 34 people charged in connection with schemes involving illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by Mafia, authorities said on Thursday. FBI Director Kash Patel and other law enforcement officials are releasing more information at a news conference in New York. Patel said multiple charges involve multiple mafia families and organized crime networks, and “mind-boggling” amounts of fraud. Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty, accused the FBI of aiming for “misplaced glory” by embarrassing the professional athlete with a perp walk, rather than allowing him to self-surrender.
EU joins US in heaping more sanctions on Russia to push Putin into Ukraine peace talks
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has imposed more economic sanctions on Russia. The new penalties announced on Thursday add to measures by U.S. President Donald Trump against the Russian oil industry. The sanctions aim to cut off revenue and supplies fueling Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has welcomed the sanctions. He urged more nations to join. The EU measures target Russian oil and gas, banning imports of liquefied natural gas and adding port bans on ships. Russian officials have dismissed the sanctions as ineffective. The war shows no sign of ending despite these efforts with ongoing drone strikes and other military actions.
Protesters gather as federal agents arrive in San Francisco area
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — Protesters have gathered outside a U.S. Coast Guard base in the San Francisco Bay Area, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents are arriving to help to support federal efforts to track down immigrants in the country illegally. About 150 people, many carrying signs saying “No ICE or troops in the Bay,” referring to U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, gathered shortly after dawn Thursday outside the base in Alameda. Police used at least one flash-bang grenade to clear a handful of demonstrators from the entrance as CBP vehicles drove through.
Vance criticizes Israel’s parliament vote on West Bank annexation, says the move was an ‘insult’
JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance has criticized Israel’s parliament vote on West Bank annexation, saying the move was an “insult.” Vance said that if the vote was a “political stunt, then it is a very stupid political stunt” and that he takes “some insult to it.” He also said that the Trump administration’s policy is that ”the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel.” Vance’s harsh words at the end of his trip to Israel on Thursday came a day after the Israeli parliament passed a symbolic preliminary vote in support of annexation. The bill is unlikely to pass the final vote but was an embarrassment to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while Vance was still in the country.
Health care compromise appears far off as the government shutdown stalemate persists
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government shutdown has reopened debate on the future of health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Tax credits for people who get health insurance through the law expire at the end of the year. Democrats say they won’t vote to reopen the government until Republicans negotiate an extension of the subsidies. Republicans say they won’t negotiate that issue until the government reopens. As lawmakers debate, a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds about 6 in 10 Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about their health costs going up in the next year.
Where the jewels stolen from the Louvre Museum might end up
NEW YORK (AP) — Just days after a stunning heist at the Louvre Museum, speculation is growing around where the lavish, stolen jewels that once adorned France’s royals might end up. Some warn the artifacts, valued at over $100 million, could be melted or broken into parts — and later sold as pieces of new jewelry. Still, such pieces are often sold for a fraction of the value of what was fully stolen. And it isn’t a simple process. Others believe the characteristics of the historical jewels might make them difficult to sell. Museums have increasingly faced a rash of similar thefts over the years.
Trump allies, undeterred by setbacks in courts and Congress, push anew for citizenship proof to vote
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — President Donald Trump’s attempts to impose a proof-of-citizenship requirement to vote in the U.S. have stalled in Congress and been blocked by the courts. Now Trump’s allies are trying through a little-known independent federal commission that’s typically worked with states to set election and voting machine standards. The independent Washington-based U.S. Election Assistance Commission received 380,000 public comments reacting to a petition to add the requirement to the federal voter registration form. The proof-of-citizenship effort is being pushed by America First Legal, a conservative group co-founded by the Republican president’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller. Voting rights groups say it’s unnecessary and a potential tool for voter disenfranchisement.
Tropical Storm Melissa lumbers through the Caribbean, killing an elderly man in Haiti
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Melissa is lumbering through the Caribbean Sea and bringing a risk of dangerous landslides and life-threatening flooding to Jamaica and the southern part of the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Officials urged residents of flood-prone areas to seek higher ground. The storm was blamed for downing a large tree that killed an elderly man in southern Haiti, while five others were injured in flooding in the central Artibonite area. Schools and offices were closed in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica and storm shelters were opening. Melissa could be a hurricane by Friday and a major hurricane by the late weekend.
US home sales accelerated in September to their fastest pace since February as mortgage rates eased
Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes accelerated in September as declining mortgage rates and a pickup in available properties on the market encouraged home shoppers. The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that existing home sales rose 1.5% last month from August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.06 million units. That’s the fastest sales pace since February. Sales jumped 4.1% compared with September last year. The national median sales price climbed 2.1% in September from a year earlier to $415,200. The housing market has been in a slump since 2022, when mortgage rates climbed from historic lows. Affordability remains a daunting challenge for most aspiring homeowners following years of skyrocketing home prices.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
