Associated Press stories, Page 1711
Richard Branson plans 1st space trip days before Jeff Bezos blasts off
Richard Branson plans to fly to space on July 11, days before a similar journey by fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos. The shares of Branson’s Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. surged. The VSS Unity spacecraft will also carry three Virgin Galactic employees and two pilots from the launch site in New Mexico,...
Cargo plane makes emergency landing in ocean off coast of Hawaii; 2 rescued
HONOLULU — A cargo plane made an emergency landing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Hawaii early Friday and both people on board have been rescued. The pilots of the Transair Flight 810 had reported engine trouble and were attempting to return to Honolulu when they were forced...
Stocks climb on Wall Street following encouraging jobs data
NEW YORK — Stock indexes are ticking higher on Wall Street Friday after a report showed the nation’s job market was even stronger last month than expected. The S&P 500 was up 0.3% in morning trading and on pace for its seventh straight gain, though slightly more stocks were falling...
Some fans. No fans. Tokyo undecided as games open in 3 weeks
TOKYO — Banning all fans from the Tokyo Olympics is still an option with the games opening during a pandemic in just three weeks, Seiko Hashimoto, the president of the Tokyo organizing committee, said Friday. This would be a reversal of a decision spelled out 10 days ago by organizers...
Overdue Sabalenka on verge of breakthrough at Wimbledon
WIMBLEDON, England — No. 2-seeded Aryna Sabalenka is into the second week at Wimbledon and on the verge of a career breakthrough. The hard-hitting Belarusian beat qualifier María Camila Osorio Serrano 6-0, 6-3 Friday to reach the fourth round, and she might be overdue for a deep run in a...
California homicides jump 31% in 2020, most in 13 years
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Homicides in California jumped 31% last year, making it the deadliest year since 2007, and Black people accounted for nearly one-third of all victims as the nation’s most populous state struggled with the coronavirus pandemic and concerns over racial injustice, according to reports released Thursday. The 2,202...
Sha’Carri Richardson tests for marijuana, will miss Olympic 100
American champion Sha’Carri Richardson cannot run in the Olympic 100-meter race after testing positive for a chemical found in marijuana. Richardson, who won the 100 at Olympic trials in 10.86 seconds on June 19, told of her ban Friday on the “Today Show.” She tested positive at the Olympic trials...
U.S. hands Bagram Airfield to Afghans after nearly 20 years
KABUL, Afghanistan — After nearly 20 years, the U.S. military left Bagram Airfield, the epicenter of its war to oust the Taliban and hunt down the al-Qaida perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America, two U.S. officials said Friday. The airfield was handed over to the Afghan National Security...
Boy Scouts of America reaches pivotal agreement with victims
DOVER, Del. — The Boy Scouts of America have reached an agreement with attorneys representing some 60,000 victims of child sex abuse in what could prove to be a pivotal moment in the organization’s bankruptcy case. Attorneys for the BSA filed court papers late Thursday outlining a restructuring support agreement,...
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr. voted MLB All-Star startersVideo
NEW YORK — The sons are coming out for this year’s All-Star Game in Denver. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. joined his father as an All-Star, and Fernando Tatis Jr. accomplished a feat his dad never achieved. Toronto’s first baseman and San Diego’s shortstop were among nine first-time All-Stars elected Thursday to...
‘Hillbilly Elegy’ author JD Vance joins U.S. Senate campaign
The venture capitalist and author of “Hillbilly Elegy” officially joined the crowded Republican race for the Ohio U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Rob Portman. JD Vance, whose book was widely seen in 2016 as helping explain Republican Donald Trump’s appeal to struggling white, working-class voters, made the announcement Thursday...
PGA rookie Davis Thompson takes early lead at Rocket ClassicVideo
DETROIT — Davis Thompson, in his third PGA Tour event as a professional, is leading the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He’s not excited about that fact. Yet. “Sounds good on Sunday,” Thompson said after matching a Detroit Golf Club record with a 9-under-par 63 to take the early first-round lead. “It’s...
Attorney General Merrick Garland halts federal executions, orders review of protocols
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is halting federal executions after a historic use of capital punishment by the Trump administration, which carried out 13 executions in six months. Attorney General Merrick Garland made the announcement Thursday night, saying he was imposing a moratorium on federal executions while the Justice Department...
5 injured after building under construction collapses in D.C.Video
WASHINGTON — Five workers were injured Thursday when a building under construction collapsed in the nation’s capital, trapping one man for more than an hour as firefighters worked feverishly to free him from layers of debris. The collapse happened around 3:30 p.m. in the Brightwood Park neighborhood of Washington. Fire...
Dodgers’ manager says Trevor Bauer still expected to start Sunday
WASHINGTON — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said pitcher Trevor Bauer is still on track to start Sunday against the Washington Nationals while police and Major League Baseball investigate an assault allegation made against the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner. Police in Pasadena, Calif., are investigating claims by...
Wildfire consumes small British Columbia town that hit 121 degreesVideo
LILLOOET, British Columbia — A wildfire that forced people to flee a small town in British Columbia that had set record high temperatures for Canada on three consecutive days burned out of control Thursday as relatives desperately sought information on evacuees. The roughly 1,000 residents of Lytton had to abandon...
Canadiens, Lightning get rugged in Stanley Cup FinalVideo
Corey Perry walked into the locker room after his 164th career NHL playoff game and 19th with the Montreal Canadiens and told his teammates to savor the experience. “This is hockey,” Perry said. “It’s fun. Enjoy it.” It would have been far more enjoyable for the Canadiens had they won,...
Analysis: Suns’ worst-to-first turnaround nearly completeVideo
The seeds for this were planted nearly a year ago. The Phoenix Suns were in the middle of their eight-game unbeaten run inside the bubble at Walt Disney World last summer when someone asked coach Monty Williams if it was fun to be the feel-good story of the event. His...
Mark Cavendish does it again, posts another stage win in Tour de FranceVideo
CHATEAUROUX, France — Mark Cavendish is rolling back the years at the Tour de France. Back in the race for the first time since 2018, the British sprinter has regained some of the luster of his youth to dominate the field again. Cavendish claimed the short and flat sixth stage...
Phylicia Rashad draws critics and dismissal calls for defending Bill CosbyVideo
WASHINGTON — Phylicia Rashad has found herself embroiled in controversy after expressing public support for Bill Cosby’s release from prison, with some prominent Black voices calling for her dismissal as dean of Howard University’s College of Fine Arts. It remains to be seen whether Rashad’s position at Howard is in...
Trump-era law on surprise medical bills advances under Biden
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Thursday began putting in place consumer protections against “surprise” medical bills enacted in bipartisan legislation signed last year by former President Donald Trump. Regulations jointly issued by four federal agencies spell out protections for insured patients against surprise billing in medical emergencies, and unexpected...
Wall Street hits another record; energy stocks, banks gain
Stocks finished broadly higher Thursday on Wall Street, adding to the gains that helped the market close out its best first half of a year since the dotcom bubble. The S&P 500 rose 0.5%, marking its sixth straight gain and fourth consecutive record high. The price of U.S. crude oil...
CBO projects federal deficit will hit $3 trillion this year
The Congressional Budget Office says that the federal budget deficit will again hit $3 trillion this year, $745 billion more than its estimate five months ago, as it takes into account the cost of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue plan. In an updated forecast Thursday, the CBO said...
Meghan McCain says she’s quitting ‘The View’ in late JulyVideo
NEW YORK — Meghan McCain, whose outspoken conservative views have frequently led to verbal fireworks and compelling television on ABC’s “The View,” said Thursday that she is quitting the daytime talk show after four years. McCain, daughter of the late Arizona Sen. John McCain, announced on the air that she...
Construction spending fell 0.3% in May, housing slowing
WASHINGTON — Construction spending fell 0.3% in May. Growth in housing, the economy’s standout performer, slowed while activity in areas most directly impacted by the pandemic showed further weakness. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the May decline followed a slight 0.1% rise in April and left overall construction spending...
