Associated Press stories, Page 1462

ATLANTA — Georgia Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker has called off a fundraiser in Texas because an organizer was displaying a swastika made of syringes in her social media profile to protest mandatory covid-19 vaccination. The Walker campaign said Wednesday that it had canceled the event, which had been...

ANCHORAGE — Several Republican state lawmakers are urging easier access for Alaskans to ivermectin amid the pandemic, though ivermectin is not authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for preventing or treating covid-19. Senate Majority Leader Shelley Hughes of Palmer said she urged Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the state...

Major stock indexes closed mostly higher Wednesday, snapping a three-day losing streak for the S&P 500 despite another choppy day of trading. The benchmark index rose 0.3% after having been down 0.5% in the early going. It’s still on pace for a 0.6% weekly loss. The Dow Jones Industrial Average...

ATLANTA — A judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit alleging fraud in Georgia’s most populous county during the 2020 election. The suit sought a review of some 147,000 absentee ballots to see if any were illegitimate. The lawsuit was originally filed in December and alleged evidence of fraudulent ballots and...

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — Police in central Florida have arrested the father of a toddler who found a loaded handgun in his “Paw Patrol” backpack and fatally shot his mother while she was on a Zoom call for work. Veondre Avery, 22, was arrested Tuesday and charged with negligent manslaughter...

WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol issued a subpoena Wednesday to a former Justice Department lawyer who positioned himself as an ally of President Donald Trump and aided Trump’s efforts to challenge the results of the presidential election. The committee on Wednesday...

KONGSBERG, Norway — A Danish man suspected of a bow-and-arrow attack in a small Norwegian town that killed five people is a Muslim convert who was previously flagged as having been radicalized, police said Thursday. Norway’s national security agency said the suspect’s actions “currently appear to be an act of...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Utility regulators have approved a request by two American Electric Power subsidiaries to keep three West Virginia power plants operational until at least 2040. The request granted Tuesday by the state Public Service Commission involves three coal-fired power plants operated by Appalachian Power Co. and Wheeling Power...

BEREA, Ohio — The Browns have an all-star roster of players hurt as they begin preparing for the unbeaten Cardinals. NFL sacks leader Myles Garrett and star running back Nick Chubb are two of several key Cleveland players not practicing because of injuries on Wednesday. Garrett, who has seven sacks...

Delta Air Lines posted a $1.2 billion profit for the third quarter on Wednesday, helped by the latest installment of federal pandemic aid for the airline industry, but warned that rising fuel prices will lead to a “modest” loss in the fourth quarter. The airline also expects higher labor costs...

BUCHAREST, Romania — Romanian doctors sent an open letter Wednesday titled “a cry of despair” as the country’s overwhelmed and deteriorated health care system copes with a record-setting surge of coronavirus infections and deaths. The College of Physicians of Bucharest, a nongovernmental organization representing doctors in Romania’s capital, said in...

WASHINGTON — In a case involving a Jan. 6 Capitol riot defendant, a federal judge held the District of Columbia’s corrections director and jail warden in contempt of court Wednesday and asked the Justice Department to investigate whether inmates’ civil rights are being abused. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth had...

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that the Kremlin has “constructive” relations with Washington and voiced hope that mutual interests would eventually help normalize U.S.-Russia ties. Putin, speaking during a panel discussion at an international energy conference in Moscow, also said that Russia stands ready to boost natural...

NEW YORK — Food companies are coming under renewed pressure to use less salt after U.S. regulators spelled out long-awaited guidelines aimed at reducing sodium levels in dozens of foods including condiments, cereals, french fries and potato chips. The voluntary goals finalized Wednesday for 163 food categories are intended to...

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday it is wrestling with whether and when recipients of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson covid-19 vaccine need another dose — at six months or as early as two months. In an online review, FDA scientists didn’t reach a firm conclusion, citing...

VAN HORN, Texas — Hollywood’s Captain Kirk, 90-year-old William Shatner, blasted into space Wednesday in a convergence of science fiction and science reality, reaching the final frontier aboard a ship built by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company. The “Star Trek” hero and three fellow passengers soared to an estimated 66...

ATLANTA — A judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit that alleged fraud in Georgia’s most populous county during the 2020 election. The suit sought a review of some 147,000 absentee ballots in search of illegitimate votes, but no evidence emerged to justify such a broad search, the judge said. The...

DETROIT — U.S. safety investigators want to know why Tesla didn’t file recall documents when it updated Autopilot software to better identify parked emergency vehicles, escalating a simmering clash between the automaker and regulators. In a letter to Tesla, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told the electric car maker...

Kenyan runner Agnes Tirop, a two-time world championships bronze medalist, has been found dead at her home, the country’s track federation said Wednesday. Athletics Kenya said it was still working to uncover details of the incident but it had been informed of Tirop’s death. She was 25. The track federation...

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Wednesday approved the crediting of what was described as the miraculous healing of a child to the intercession of John Paul I, advancing the cause for sainthood for one of his predecessors who died 33 days after being elected pontiff in 1978. His signing...

WASHINGTON — Millions of retirees on Social Security will get a 5.9% boost in benefits for 2022. The biggest cost-of-living adjustment in 39 years follows a burst in inflation as the economy struggles to shake off the drag of the coronavirus pandemic. The COLA, as it’s commonly called, amounts to...