Associated Press - page 611

Cristiano Ronaldo will play, and Portugal needs to win. The world player of the year hasn’t been able to shake a lingering left knee injury since coming to Brazil, but he trained normally Saturday and is expected to start Sunday when the Portuguese face the United States in a crucial Group G match at the World Cup. “He trains everyday with all of us. So Cristiano is fit to play,” Portugal midfielder Raul Meireles said Saturday. “That’s all I can…

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he National Park Service is taking steps to ban drones from 84 million acres of public lands and waterways, saying the unmanned aircraft annoy visitors, harass wildlife and threaten safety. Jonathan Jarvis, the park service’s director, told The Associated Press he doesn’t want drones flushing birds from their nests, hovering over rock climbers as they cling to the sides of cliffs or buzzing across the face of Mount Rushmore. Jarvis said he would sign a policy memorandum on Friday directing…

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Republican Sen. Ted Cruz says the Obama administration is to blame for the waves of immigrant children crossing the border illegally. The potential presidential candidate told reporters at a Republican fundraiser in Miami on Friday that Obama’s 2012 decision to defer the deportations of some young immigrants who were brought to the country illegally creates a perception of an incentive to cross the border. The Texas Republican calls Obama’s executive order a “lawless act” that grants “amnesty.” More than 47,000…

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Dozens of state legislators earned new terms in office as Florida’s qualifying period for the 2014 election ended Friday. Top state officials, including Gov. Rick Scott, weren’t as fortunate. Scott has to confront two relative unknowns in the Republican primary, while former Gov. Charlie Crist will run against former state Sen. Nan Rich in the Democratic primary. The primary is Aug. 26. The general election is Nov. 4. State Rep. Perry Thurston qualified in the race for attorney general on…

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The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority is being folded into a new regional operation. Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill (SB 230) Friday, creating the new Central Florida Expressway Authority, or CFX. Effective immediately, operations of the Orlando-Orange authority, including all E-PASS toll management, will be incorporated into the larger authority to include Lake, Osceola and Seminole counties. It will be responsible for planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of a 109-mile expressway system serving the four-county jurisdiction. CFX will be…

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 If you use Facebook, the specific ads you see have been based mostly on what you do on Facebook — your profile information, status updates, likes and interests. That’s changing. The company says it will soon give advertisers more options to tailor ads to what you do outside Facebook. Shopping for a new TV? Get ready to see ads for TV sets on Facebook. Unless you’re willing to unplug, there’s little you can do to avoid being tracked online. But…

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House Democrats’ campaign arm said Friday it raised $7.3 million in May despite long odds of toppling Republicans from their majority. A summary of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s finances also shows them with $45.9 million in the bank. House Democrats have consistently outraised their GOP rivals this election cycle and have built a formidable savings account that they are ready to empty on ads this fall. House Republicans also faced a Friday deadline to disclose their May fundraising. They…

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