Associated Press stories, Page 1478

HARRISBURG — Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania on Monday unveiled sweeping changes to the conduct of elections through a proposed constitutional amendment, the latest turn in a partisan power struggle over elections in the wake of former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims that last year’s presidential contest was rigged against him....

SANTA FE, N.M. — The Energy Department wants to switch to less stringent testing for detecting cancer-causing chemicals at and around one of its premier nuclear weapons laboratories despite concerns from environmentalists and New Mexico regulators. The federal agency is using New Mexico’s three-year review of surface water rules to...

Hospitals and nursing homes around the country are bracing for worsening staff shortages as state deadlines arrive for health care workers to get vaccinated against covid-19. With ultimatums taking effect this week in states such as New York, California, Rhode Island and Connecticut, the fear is that some employees will...

BOISE, Idaho — A former Idaho state lawmaker charged with rape earlier this month has been arrested in Georgia. Aaron von Ehlinger is being held without bond in the Clayton County, Ga., jail on a “fugitive from justice” charge, according to court records. He was arrested Saturday in connection with...

NEW YORK — New York City is planning to hire a private weather forecaster, design more systems to catch and drain water and issue earlier and more aggressive warnings to residents under a new plan to respond to heavy rainfall like the deadly deluge Hurricane Ida dropped on the city...

R. Kelly, the R&B superstar known for his anthem “I Believe I Can Fly,” was convicted Monday in a sex trafficking trial after decades of avoiding criminal responsibility for numerous allegations of misconduct with young women and children. A jury of seven men and five women found Kelly guilty of...

President Joe Biden received his covid-19 booster shot on Monday, days after federal regulators recommended a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine for Americans age 65 or older and approved them for others with preexisting medical conditions and high-risk work environments. “The most important thing we need to do is...

MOLINE, Ill. — An Illinois man unexpectedly won the Quad Cities Marathon this weekend when the two Kenyan runners who had far outpaced him were disqualified after being diverted off the course by a race volunteer bicyclist. Tyler Pence crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 15 minutes, 6 seconds...

Wall Street’s major stock indexes ended mixed Monday as losses by technology and health care companies outweighed gains elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 fell 0.3% after spending much of the day essentially flat. The pullback ended a three-day winning streak for the benchmark index, which last week notched...

The Biden administration on Monday renewed efforts to shield hundreds of thousands of immigrants who came to the United States as young children from deportation, the latest maneuver in a long-running drama over the policy’s legality. The proposed regulation attempts to satisfy concerns of a federal judge in Houston who...

HARRISBURG — Legislation that cleared a House committee on Monday would give Pennsylvania school districts the authority to decide whether student athletes must wear masks while playing. The Republican-controlled House State Government Committee approved the measure 15-10 along party lines. It would give “exclusive authority” to schools, recreational clubs, community...

The guitar played by Johnny Ramone on all 15 Ramones albums and at nearly 2,000 live performances by the rock band sold at auction over the weekend for more than $900,000, the auctioneer said Monday. The 1965 Mosrite Ventures II electric guitar was bought by a collector in the U.S....

Lines of cars formed at British gas stations for a fourth day on Monday, as the government mulled sending in the army to help ease supply disruptions triggered by a shortage of truck drivers. As unions called for emergency workers to be given priority for fuel supplies, Petrol Retailers Association...

Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods found success with realistic plant-based burgers. Now, they’re hoping to replicate that in the fast-growing but crowded market for plant-based chicken nuggets. Beyond Meat said Monday that its new tenders, made from fava beans, will go on sale in U.S. groceries in October. Walmart, Jewel-Osco...

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — The kids are more than all right. After America’s youngest Ryder Cup team handed Europe its biggest beating ever, they’re more than a little cocky, too. Two decades-and-counting worth of frustration poured out alongside plastic cups filled with champagne after the 19-9 final score was posted Sunday...

LAS VEGAS — Denny Hamlin will reach the third round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs next month having faced the make-or-break pressure of the postseason only twice. Ending the first race of each postseason round in victory lane can do wonders for the blood pressure of a driver and...

WARSAW, Poland — A court in Poland convicted a man on Monday of instigating a murder in 2002 and participating in subsequent cannibalism and handed him a 25-year prison term. The body of the victim was never found and his identity isn’t known. But the court in Szczecin, in northwest...

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron was hit at the shoulder Monday by an egg thrown at him by a man during a visit to an international food trade fair in the French city of Lyon. A video of the incident, widely shared on the social media, shows Macron walking...

Instagram is putting a hold on the development of Instagram kids, geared toward children under 13, so it can address concerns about the vulnerability of younger users. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, wrote in a blog post Monday that a delay will give the company time to “work with...

ATHENS, Greece — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of at least 5.8 struck the Greek island of Crete on Monday, killing one person and injuring 20 others, while damaging homes and churches and causing rock slides near the country’s fourth-largest city. The quake sent people fleeing into the streets...

BERLIN — The party that narrowly beat outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bloc pushed Monday for a quick agreement on a coalition government amid concerns that Europe’s biggest economy could be in for weeks of uncertainty after an election that failed to set a clear direction. Olaf Scholz, the candidate...

San Diego police are investigating the deaths of a woman and her 2-year-old son after they fell from the third level of Petco Park before the game, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The woman, 40, and the boy were pronounced dead at 4:11 p.m., about 20 minutes after police were...

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan is traveling to Saudi Arabia on Monday to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the U.S. presses for a cease-fire in the yearslong war between the kingdom and Houthi rebels in Yemen. Sullivan will be the highest-ranking Biden...