The Associated Press

Thursday's American League Capsules

Games played May 16, 2013

AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP: Will Middlebrooks had a three-run double off closer Fernando Rodney with two outs in the ninth inning that lifted the Boston Red Sox past the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Thursday night.

Tornado targets Habitat homes in Texas subdivision

Habitat for Humanity spent years in a North Texas suburb, helping build many of the 110 homes in the low-income area. But its work was largely undone during an outbreak of 10 tornadoes Wednesday night that killed six people and injured dozens.

Venezuelans scrambling to find scarce toilet paper

Venezuelans scrambled to stock up on toilet paper Thursday as fears of a bathroom emergency spread despite the socialist government’s promise to import 50 million rolls.

Obama acts, but Republicans unsatisfied

President Barack Obama, seeking to regain his footing amid controversies hammering the White House, named a temporary chief for the scandal-marred Internal Revenue Service Thursday and pressed Congress to approve new security money to prevent another Benghazi-style terrorist attack.

Sheriff: Ex-NASCAR driver Dick Trickle dead at 71

Dick Trickle, a former NASCAR driver whose larger-than-life personality and penchant for fun won him legions of fans despite a lack of success beyond the nation’s small tracks, died Thursday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. He was 71.

Head of harassment program arrested

The manager of the sexual harassment and assault response program at Fort Campbell, Ky., was arrested in a domestic dispute and relieved of his post, authorities said Thursday.

Brazil says new robots to be used in Confed Cup

The Brazilian government says some of the security robots bought to improve public safety during the 2014 World Cup will be ready for the Confederations Cup in June.

Donovan left off roster for World Cup qualifiers

Landon Donovan was left off the 29-man U.S. roster for a training camp ahead of a trio of World Cup qualifiers next month. But American coach Jurgen Klinsmann anticipates he will rejoin the team at some unspecified point.

Dying man's eye blinks lead to Ohio murder verdict

An Ohio man was found guilty Thursday of fatally shooting a man who authorities say identified his assailant by blinking his eyes while paralyzed and hooked up to a ventilator.

Wildfire started by logging operations

Investigators say a large wildfire caused by logging operations in northwestern Wisconsin wasn’t intentionally set and criminal charges aren’t expected.

Bill to curb welfare fraud sent to Nixon

Missouri welfare recipients could not spend their cash benefits at casinos, liquor stores or adult-entertainment establishments under legislation sent to Gov. Jay Nixon on Thursday.

Students returning from SC weight loss program

Students from a suburban Kansas City school district will be nearly 600 pounds lighter when they return Friday from the spring semester at a weight-loss boarding school in South Carolina.

Bill would limit lawsuits over lead contamination

A Missouri-based lead mining company could be shielded from punitive damages in state lead contamination lawsuits under a bill sent to Gov. Jay Nixon.

Trove of Gretzky memorabilia set for auction

It started almost two decades ago with a $20 hockey stick once wielded by a forgotten player for a string of mediocre teams.

Beckham to retire from soccer at end of season

David Beckham is retiring from soccer after the season, ending a career in which he become a global superstar since starting his career at Manchester United.

MLB hoping for large replay expansion in 2014

Major League Baseball appears set for a vast expansion of video review by umpires in 2014 and is examining whether all calls other than balls and strikes should be subject to instant replay.

New York snaps six-game skid, beats St. Louis

Adam Wainwright grimaced at the notion fatigue factored into an unsatisfactory follow-up to perhaps the most dominant effort of his career.

Chiefs announce moves within scouting department

The Kansas City Chiefs shook up their scouting department Thursday by hiring Will Lewis as director of pro scouting and Marvin Allen as the director of college scouting.

Sporting KC sends Convey to Toronto

Sporting Kansas City traded forward Bobby Convey to Toronto FC on Thursday for a third-round pick in next year’s MLS SuperDraft.

Chiefs defense wins day during offseason workouts

There’s a not-so-subtle difference between the way the Kansas City Chiefs are operating their defense under new coordinator Bob Sutton, and what they’ve done the past couple years under former coach Romeo Crennel.

UN: 14 Iranian exiles moved from Iraq to Albania

The first exiles from an Iranian opposition group have moved to Albania from a camp near Baghdad as part of a relocation process, the United Nations said Thursday, a step toward defusing an explosive dispute left over from the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s and the U.S.-led ousting of the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Afghanistan: Bomb kills 15, including 6 Americans

A suicide car bombing tore through a U.S. convoy in Kabul on Thursday, killing at least 15 people including six Americans in a blast so powerful it rattled the other side of the Afghan capital. U.S. soldiers rushed to help, some wearing only T-shirts or shorts under their body armor.

Justice Department faulted over terrorist identities

The government allowed “a small but significant number” of terrorists into America’s witness protection program and then failed to provide the names of some of them for a watch list that’s used to keep dangerous people off airline flights, the Justice Department’s inspector general says.

7 Egyptian security personnel abducted in Sinai

Suspected militants in Egypt’s Sinai abducted seven security personnel as they headed to Cairo for holidays early Thursday, security officials said. It was the first such kidnapping of security forces in the lawless peninsula.

US jobless claims jump to highest level in 6 weeks

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose 32,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 360,000, the most since late March.

American will favor light-packing passengers

In a quest to speed up the boarding process, American Airlines is letting passengers board sooner if they travel lightly.

Wal-Mart's 1Q profit, sales disappoint

The first few months of the year were tough for Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Warplanes, troops in NE Nigeria; mobile phones cut

Mobile phone service was cut off Thursday in areas of northeast Nigeria as jet fighters streaked through the sky and more soldiers were deployed to fight Islamic extremists waging a brutal insurgency.

Mo. lawmakers pass changes to workers’ comp claims

Missouri lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to a measure that would double the fees charged to businesses in order to replenish an insolvent fund for disabled workers who suffer serious job-related injuries or illnesses.

Mo. bill allows return of printed state manual

Missouri’s official state manual has been banished to the Internet for the past few years. But it could make a return to print.

Senate backs bill aimed at injured workers

The Missouri Senate passed legislation early Wednesday that could clear the way for more than a thousand disabled workers to finally begin receiving payments from a special state fund that has essentially run out of money.

Sexual abuse cases put Pentagon under fire

One after another, the charges have tumbled out — allegations of sexual assaults in the military that have triggered outrage, from local commanders to Capitol Hill and the Oval Office.

Diplomat in Russian spy scandal from St. Louis Co.

The U.S. diplomat caught up in a spying investigation in Russia has family in suburban St. Louis and graduated from high school there.

NASCAR’s clarification may favor Patrick

The rules surrounding Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star Race continue to change, and fans are concerned the latest tweak is meant to benefit Danica Patrick.

Tire wear a big concern for F1 drivers

Tires shredded like paper, rubber flew everywhere and cars flitted in and out of pit lane like shoppers in a supermarket parking lot. On a frustrating day for drivers and fans alike, nearly 80 pit stops were made during Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix, highlighting what has become a major concern for Formula One teams five races into the season — the vulnerability of Pirelli’s tires.

Kurt Busch is in better control of his emotions in the car these days

Kurt Busch started from the pole at Darlington Raceway and led 69 laps before his car began to fade. When it did, it triggered some of that salty language Busch is notorious for using on his in-car radio. But the worst of it was still tame by Busch’s standards — something he’s been working on this year.

Kanaan feels love from Indy fans

Tony Kanaan has had 11 chances to win the Indianapolis 500 and come up empty every time. He was leading in 2007 when the race was stopped for rain past the halfway point. Steady showers would have made him the victor, but the bad weather passed, the race resumed, and he watched teammate Dario Franchitti drive to victory.

Smith taking reins in K.C.

It hasn’t taken long for Alex Smith to become the leader of the Kansas City Chiefs. The weight of the franchise was foisted upon his shoulders from the very second word leaked out the former No. 1 draft pick would be sent from the San Francisco 49ers to the Chiefs during a topsy-turvy offseason.

Cardinals get to Mets’ bullpen in 4-2 win

Rookie Shelby Miller followed up his nearly perfect one-hitter with 52⁄3 scoreless innings and the Cardinals scored the go-ahead run in the seventh on a wild pitch in a 4-2 victory against the New York Mets on Wednesday night.

Wednesday's National League Capsules

Games played May 15, 2013

NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP: Shin-Soo Choo hit two homers and four pitchers combined on an 11-hit shutout Wednesday night to help the Cincinnati Reds extend their winning streak to a season-best five games by beating Miami 4-0.

Wednesday's American League Capsules

Games played May 15, 2013

AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP: Raul Ibanez again treated Yankee Stadium as his personal playground, hitting a grand slam and two-run homer Wednesday night to help the Seattle Mariners rout New York 12-2.

Orb to start from rail as 1-1 favorite in Preakness

The Preakness draw was over, and trainer Shug McGaughey listed a variety of reasons why he was OK with having Kentucky Derby winner Orb starting Saturday’s race from the rail.

Officials: ’Multiple fatalities’ in Texas tornado

Officials report a tornado caused “multiple fatalities” as it tore through two neighborhoods of a North Texas town.

Longtime Royals radio broadcaster White dies

Longtime Kansas City Royals broadcaster Fred White died Wednesday of complications from cancer. He was 76.

Rams cornerback gets reduced charges in case

St. Louis Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson has pleaded guilty to reduced charges of reckless driving and refusing a breath test and received a 90-day suspended jail sentence.

Petraeus email objected to Benghazi talking points

Then CIA Director David Petraeus objected to the final talking points the Obama administration used after the deadly assault on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, because he wanted to see more details revealed to the public, according to emails released Wednesday by the White House.

GOP, Dems challenge Holder over subpoenas to AP

Congressional Republicans and Democrats on Wednesday challenged Attorney General Eric Holder over the Justice Department’s handling of the investigation of national security leaks and its failure to talk to The Associated Press before issuing subpoenas for the news service’s telephone records.

Stories by The Associated

Games played May 16, 2013

Games played May 15, 2013

Games played May 15, 2013