Pitney Bowes Celebrates 20-Year Partnership with Reading Is Fundamental with 20 Events in 20 Cities (2024)

Hungary's prime minister has portrayed Europe as a continent teetering on the edge of armed conflict in a speech opening his party’s campaign for European Union elections. Viktor Orbán, Hungary's right-wing populist leader, told members of his Fidesz party on Friday that a changing of the guard among EU leaders was necessary to prevent the bloc's countries from being drawn into the war in Ukraine. The long-serving Orbán goes into EU elections in June facing significant challenges at home and abroad, including the recent resignations of senior Hungarian officials and an economy struggling under the weight of billions in funding the EU has withheld over rule-of-law and corruption concerns.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration has compromised on long-sought rules that would protect indoor workers from extreme heat, saying tens of thousands of prison and jail employees — and prisoners — would have to wait for relief.

Heart — the pioneering band that melds Nancy Wilson’s shredding guitar with her sister Ann’s powerhouse vocals — is hitting the road this spring for a world tour that Nancy Wilson describes as “the full-on rocker size.” The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers who gave us classic tracks like “Magic Man,” “Crazy on You” and “Alone” will be playing all the hits, some tracks from of their solo albums and a new song called “Roll the Dice.” The tour kicks off Saturday at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, and will hit cities including Atlanta, Boston, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Cleveland and Detroit.

Dick Van Dyke is vying for a historic Daytime Emmy at age 98. The actor has been nominated as guest performer in a daytime drama series for his part as amnesiac Timothy Robicheaux on Peaco*ck's “Days of Our Lives.” Van Dyke is the oldest Daytime Emmy nominee. Producer Norman Lear was 100 when he received his final Primetime Emmy nomination in 2022 and died the next year. Van Dyke has won four Primetime Emmys, including three in the 1960s for his classic comedy series “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” Other Daytime Emmy nominees include actors Selena Gomez and Valerie Bertinelli for their cooking shows.

The Cavaliers have waited a year to redeem themselves in the NBA playoffs. Their chance starts Saturday against the Orlando Magic. Cleveland wilted on the postseason stage a year ago, losing in five games to the New York Knicks, who were simply too tough for the Cavs. After surviving a litany of injuries this season, the Cavs are fairly healthy heading into the first-round series. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell was able to rest a bruise left knee that has bothered him for months. Orlando is led by second-year forward Paolo Banchero, who at just 21 led the Magic in scoring, rebounding and assists. Game 2 is Monday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Two-time world champion cyclist Remco Evenepoel is targeting a June return to racing after a bad crash this month. Evenepoel says he expects to return at the week-long Critérium du Dauphiné ahead of the Tour de France and Paris Olympics. The Belgian needed surgery after breaking a collar bone and shoulder blade in a crash while descending two weeks ago in the Tour of Basque Country. He won the worlds time trial last year and the road race in 2022. He should target both Olympic events on the Paris streets.

A Belarusian hacker activist group claims to have infiltrated computers at the country’s largest fertilizer plant to pressure the government to release political prisoners. The state-run Grodno Azot plant has made no comment on the claim by the Belarusian Cyber-Partisans group to have done damage including destroying backup systems and encrypted internal mail, document flow and hundreds of PCs. However, the company’s website has been unavailable since Wednesday, the day the group claimed the attack. Group coordinator Yuliana Shametavets told The Associated Press from New York on Friday that because the plant works with dangerous substances including ammonia the attack was designed to affect only documentation.

Perhaps never before have so many been so eager for something so steeped in heartbreak.

Erling Haaland has suffered a muscle injury and will be assessed ahead of Manchester City's FA Cup semifinal against Chelsea. City manager Pep Guardiola says the Norway striker felt discomfort during Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal against Real Madrid and asked to be substituted. City went on to lose the match on penalties. Haaland will be monitored ahead of the game against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium. Kevin De Bruyne was also taken off against Madrid but is expected to be play against Chelsea.

Casper Ruud has beaten Matteo Arnaldi in straight sets to advance to the semifinals of the Barcelona Open and notch his season-leading 27th win. The sixth-ranked Norwegian won 6-4, 6-3 on the outdoor clay to give him two more wins than Jannik Sinner. Ruud is trying to reach his fourth final this year. Ruud will face Tomas Martin Etcheverry next after the Argentine defeated Cameron Norrie 7-6, 7-6.

Friday

MLB

New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba might be the most interesting man in the NHL. Trouba asked for a trade to an American team to make sure his fiancée could pursue her medical career. He was the first and only player to agree to have his photo taken getting the COVID-19 vaccine. He paints on the side and met with Fortune 500 CEOs about leadership before he became team captain. The big-hitting defenseman's latest venture is a commercial alongside his mother for AstraZeneca and Hockey Fights Cancer about early detection.

TAMPA, Fla. — From the first line in her new song “Florida!!!,” you can already tell that Taylor Swift has heard our state’s unofficial motto: A sunny place for shady people.

UConn freshman Stephon Castle has entered his name into the NBA draft, becoming the fifth Husky starter to at least explore moving on after Connecticut’s latest title run. UConn and coach Dan Hurley confirmed the move Friday on social media after it was first reported by ESPN. The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in his only season as a Husky, while often drawing the defensive assignment to shut down the opposition’s top perimeter player. He was even more impressive during the Final Four, scoring 21 points in UConn's semifinal win over Alabama and putting up 15 points in the win over Purdue in the national championship game.

New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba might be the most interesting man in the NHL. Trouba asked for a trade to an American team to make sure his fiancée could pursue her medical career. He was the first and only player to agree to have his photo taken getting the COVID-19 vaccine. He paints on the side and met with Fortune 500 CEOs about leadership before he became team captain. The big-hitting defenseman's latest venture is a commercial alongside his mother for AstraZeneca and Hockey Fights Cancer about early detection.

TAMPA, Fla. — From the first line in her new song “Florida!!!,” you can already tell that Taylor Swift has heard our state’s unofficial motto: A sunny place for shady people.

UConn freshman Stephon Castle has entered his name into the NBA draft, becoming the fifth Husky starter to at least explore moving on after Connecticut’s latest title run. UConn and coach Dan Hurley confirmed the move Friday on social media after it was first reported by ESPN. The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in his only season as a Husky, while often drawing the defensive assignment to shut down the opposition’s top perimeter player. He was even more impressive during the Final Four, scoring 21 points in UConn's semifinal win over Alabama and putting up 15 points in the win over Purdue in the national championship game.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — All that screaming and crying late Thursday night in Kansas City and points beyond came from fans of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce as they listened to her new album, “The Tortured Poets Department.”

Trump back at court, complains gag order is ‘unfair’

The superintendent and several other top officials of a Pennsylvania school district say their school board's cancellation of a gay actor's visit to a middle school was premature and ill-advised. In a letter sent to the Cumberland Valley School District on Thursday, they said they were not given an opportunity to answer questions or provide guidance about Maulik Pancholy's scheduled appearance at the Mountain View Middle School to speak out against bullying. A member of the school board cited concerns about what he described as Pancholy’s activism and “lifestyle” before the board voted unanimously Monday to cancel his appearance next month.

Alejandro Garnacho has apologized for liking social media posts criticizing Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag. Garnacho ‘liked’ comments on X that called into question Ten Hag’s handling of the Argentine forward. He later ‘unliked’ them but not before his actions were screen grabbed and shared on the platform. Ten Hag says Garnacho apologized. The posts were made after Garnacho was substituted at halftime of United’s 2-2 draw against Bournemouth last week. One described Ten Hag’s treatment of him as a “joke.” Earlier this season Jadon Sancho went on social media to claim he was made a scapegoat after being omitted from the squad for a game against Arsenal. He was loaned to Borussia Dortmund.

An appeals court dismissed charges against a Michigan election worker who put a flash drive into an electronic poll book and downloaded the names of voters in 2022. The court says James Holkeboer’s conduct was improper but not a crime. He was charged with election fraud. But Holkeboer’s lawyers pointed out that the law used by prosecutors only bars acts that change the election record. Holkeboer’s acts did not affect election results. He had been working at a polling place south of Grand Rapids in Kent County’s Gaines Township in 2022. The Kent County clerk says she wants to appeal the decision to the Michigan Supreme Court.

AP Global Top 20 Pollstar Week of 04/22/24

Tesla is recalling nearly 4,000 of its 2024 Cybertrucks after it discovered that the accelerator pedal can become stuck, potentially causing the vehicle to accelerate unintentionally and increase the risk of a crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tesla informed the agency that the pedal pad may dislodge and become trapped by the interior trim. The recall involves model year 2024 Cybertrucks made between Nov. 13, 2023 and April 4, 2024, according to the NHTSA. Tesla is not aware of any collisions, injuries or deaths related to the issue.

House advances a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies, teeing up final votes this weekend.

Italy is the first nation to benefit from UEFA’s move to award an extra Champions League qualifying spot based on countries’ overall records in European competitions. Roma and Atalanta qualified for the Europa League semifinals and Fiorentina advanced to the last four in the Europa Conference League. The results mean the top five finishers in this season’s Serie A will qualify for next season’s expanded 36-team Champions League. And the Italian league could have a sixth team in the Champions League if Roma or Atalanta win the Europa League. Italy leads UEFA’s European performance standings ahead of Germany and England with the top two finishers earning an extra Champions League spot. UEFA confirms Italy can now finish no lower than second.

Lyon forward Alexandre Lacazette has recovered from a face injury and could play against Paris Saint-Germain in the French league on Sunday. Lyon coach Pierre Sage says Lacazette has resumed light training and is on track to feature against league leader PSG at Parc des Princes. Sage says "He should be able to play the match, or at least a part” of it. Lacazette was accidentally struck by goalkeeper Marco Bizot near the end of last Sunday’s game against Brest and taken off on a stretcher. Lyon won 4-3 with a penalty deep into stoppage time following Bizot’s foul on Lacazette.

FedEx has pledged $25 million over the next five years to be used in sponsorship deals with University of Memphis athletes. The program is a huge boost for the school’s name, image and likeness compensation efforts. The Memphis-based shipping giant says the program will initially focus on football, men’s and women’s basketball and other women’s sports. The deal was facilitated by Altius Sports Partners, a company that works with dozens of schools on NIL activities. The deal is for $5 million per year. The Tigers compete in the American Athletic Conference.

Mexico's president is in a rush to finish the big projects he promised before his term ends in September, and experts say officials are getting a bit sloppy amid all the haste. On Wednesday, legislators from the governing Morena party mistakenly submitted the wrong bill on pension reform for a vote in Congress, before sheepishly admitting the error and rescheduling the vote. The pension reform has become a lightning rod for criticism, because it would essentially seize unclaimed pension funds if a worker doesn't start drawing them by age 70. But the rushed atmosphere extends to infrastructure, with the president's beloved train projects suffering from a number of construction accidents in recent months.

Lyon forward Alexandre Lacazette has recovered from a face injury and could play against Paris Saint-Germain in the French league on Sunday. Lyon coach Pierre Sage says Lacazette has resumed light training and is on track to feature against league leader PSG at Parc des Princes. Sage says "He should be able to play the match, or at least a part” of it. Lacazette was accidentally struck by goalkeeper Marco Bizot near the end of last Sunday’s game against Brest and taken off on a stretcher. Lyon won 4-3 with a penalty deep into stoppage time following Bizot’s foul on Lacazette.

FedEx has pledged $25 million over the next five years to be used in sponsorship deals with University of Memphis athletes. The program is a huge boost for the school’s name, image and likeness compensation efforts. The Memphis-based shipping giant says the program will initially focus on football, men’s and women’s basketball and other women’s sports. The deal was facilitated by Altius Sports Partners, a company that works with dozens of schools on NIL activities. The deal is for $5 million per year. The Tigers compete in the American Athletic Conference.

Mexico's president is in a rush to finish the big projects he promised before his term ends in September, and experts say officials are getting a bit sloppy amid all the haste. On Wednesday, legislators from the governing Morena party mistakenly submitted the wrong bill on pension reform for a vote in Congress, before sheepishly admitting the error and rescheduling the vote. The pension reform has become a lightning rod for criticism, because it would essentially seize unclaimed pension funds if a worker doesn't start drawing them by age 70. But the rushed atmosphere extends to infrastructure, with the president's beloved train projects suffering from a number of construction accidents in recent months.

Family members say a former Russian tycoon jailed in Azerbaijan on charges stemming from his time as a top separatist figure in the Karabakh region has gone on a hunger strike. Ruben Vardanyan started the fast two weeks ago to press demands for a speedy trial, news agencies cited the family as saying Friday. Vardanyan cofounded a top Russian investment bank. In 2022, he renounced his Russian citizenship and moved to the Karabakh region, parts of which were run by ethnic Armenians who sought to split from Azerbaijan. He became the region’s state minister but was dismissed in 2023. Several months later, Azerbaijan took control of the remainder of Karabakh and arrested Vardanyan.

In 1990 Mark Robins scored a goal that has long been credited for saving former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson his job and provided the platform for more than two decades of success. Now Robins could push current United manager Erik ten Hag closer to the brink Sunday if he leads his second-tier Coventry team to a shock win in the FA Cup semifinals. Ten Hag is desperately trying to mount a convincing argument that he is the man to return United to the summit of English soccer after more than a decade of decline since Ferguson retired.

There’s a 64-win team in Boston that ran away with the league’s best record. The defending champions in Denver, a group that won 57 games. A fearless young bunch in Oklahoma City, whose No. 1 seed was no fluke. A trio of Villanova alums in New York, who turned the Knicks into a real contender. And, once again, there’s LeBron James, too. The NBA playoffs are about to begin with the Celtics and Nuggets the heavy favorites to collide in the Finals, and no shortage of teams have realistic belief that they can win the whole thing as well.

The NBA playoffs start on Saturday. The first-round matchups in the Eastern Conference have Boston against either Chicago or Miami, New York against Philadelphia, Milwaukee against Indiana and Cleveland against Orlando. In the Western Conference, the matchups are Oklahoma City against either New Orleans or Sacramento, Denver against the Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota against Phoenix and the Los Angeles Clippers against Dallas.

On April 20, 1999, two teenage boys dressed in black trench coats went on a killing rampage at Columbine High School in suburban Denver. They shot and killed 12 classmates and a teacher and wounded two dozen others before taking their own lives. Twenty-five years later, The Associated Press is republishing this story about the attack, the product of reporting from more than a dozen AP journalists who conducted interviews in the hours after it happened. The article first appeared on April 22, 1999.

Croatia’s Constitutional Court has banned President Zoran Milanović from becoming prime minister in case his center-left party manages to garner a majority after this week’s highly contested parliamentary election. The ballot on Wednesday ended inconclusively. The governing center-right Croatian Democratic Union won the most votes but not enough to rule alone. Though they finished second in the race, Milanović’s Social Democrats are also trying to muster a coalition in the 151-member parliament. Milanović made a surprise announcement that he would run for prime minister just hours after calling the election for April 17. The Constitutional Court later warned him that he had to resign first, a warning that he ignored.

A St. Louis man has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for causing a downtown accident that resulted in the amputation of the legs of a teenage volleyball player from Tennessee. Daniel Riley was convicted last month of second-degree assault, armed criminal action, fourth-degree assault and driving without a valid license. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Judge Michael Noble on Thursday followed the jury’s recommendation in sentencing Riley. The February 2023 accident set off a chain of events that led to the resignation of Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner. Riley was a robbery suspect out on bond when he sped through an intersection and caused a wreck that pinned 17-year-old Janae Edmondson between two vehicles.