Associated Press stories, Page 1768
Stephen King talks about crime, creativity and new novel
NEW YORK — Stephen King doesn’t think of himself as a horror writer. “My view has always been you can call me whatever you want as long as the checks don’t bounce,” King told The Associated Press during a recent telephone interview. “My idea is to tell a good story,...
Anticipating 2021 boom, Q4 GDP revised up slightly to 4.1%
WASHINGTON — The economy grew at a 4.1% pace in the final three months of 2020, slightly faster than first estimated, ending a year in which the overall economy, ravaged by a global pandemic, shrank more than in any year in the past seven decades. The influx of new government...
Republican wants to require national anthem in Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. — The national anthem would have to be played before all sporting events at Lambeau Field, the Fiserv Forum and all other Wisconsin venues that have received taxpayer money under a bill introduced Thursday in the state Legislature by a Republican lawmaker. The proposal from Sen. Patrick Testin,...
Ohio bill toughening welfare program eligibility criticized
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Social service advocates are criticizing an Ohio bill that would toughen eligibility for food stamps and Medicaid benefits. Beefed up monitoring of changes in food stamp recipients’ income would be required along with photos on state food stamp cards, called EBT cards, under legislation proposed by Sen....
Republicans rally solidly against Democrats’ coronavirus relief package
WASHINGTON — Republicans rallied solidly against Democrats’ proposed $1.9 trillion covid-19 relief bill as lawmakers awaited a decision by the Senate’s parliamentarian that could bolster or potentially kill a pivotal provision hiking the federal minimum wage. Despite their paper-thin congressional majorities, Democratic leaders were poised to push the sweeping package...
Tech rout pulls Nasdaq down 3.5%, biggest loss since October
Rising bond yields triggered a broad sell-off on Wall Street Thursday that erased the market’s gains for the week and handed the Nasdaq composite its biggest loss in nearly four months. The S&P 500 dropped 2.4%, led lower by heavy selling in technology and communications companies. The tech-heavy Nasdaq fell...
‘Blinding Lights’ and more hits the Grammys left in the dark
NEW YORK — The wattage in The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” wasn’t strong enough to compete at the Grammys — but the song isn’t the only electrifying No. 1 hit that the Recording Academy snubbed. The Weeknd joins an exclusive club of songs that were crowned biggest hit of the year...
Marvel’s Wanda has a future, but ‘WandaVision’ fate unclearVideo
LOS ANGELES — When “WandaVision” wraps its initial run next month on the Disney+ streaming service, Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda will make her next appearance in the big-screen “Doctor Strange” sequel. It’s storytelling that determines how and when characters from the Marvel Comics universe hopscotch between TV and movies, Marvel Studios...
U.S. jobless claims fall to 730,000 but layoffs remain high
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week but remained high by historical standards. Applications for benefits declined 111,000 from the previous week to a seasonally adjusted 730,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. It is the lowest figure since late November. Still, before the virus...
‘The Mighty Ducks’ coaxes Emilio Estevez back into actingVideo
LOS ANGELES — Emilio Estevez said “The Mighty Ducks” TV series wooed him out of the director’s chair and back into acting, but only because it was a worthy successor to the 1990s movie franchise. Estevez reprises his role as youth hockey coach Gordon Bombay for the Disney+ streaming service’s...
China celebrates official end of extreme poverty, lauds Xi
BEIJING — The ruling Communist Party is celebrating the official end of extreme poverty in China with a propaganda campaign that praises President Xi Jinping’s role, part of efforts to cement his image as a history-making leader who is reclaiming his country’s rightful place as a global power. The propaganda...
Pfizer studying effects of 3rd vaccine dose
NEW YORK — Pfizer announced Thursday that it has begun studying a third dose of its covid-19 vaccine, part of a strategy to guard against mutated versions of the coronavirus. Health authorities say first-generation covid-19 vaccines still protect against variants that are emerging in different parts of the world. But...
This date in sports history: Feb. 25
1940 — The first telecast of an American hockey game is transmitted over station W2XBS in New York. The viewing audience watches the New York Rangers battle the Montreal Canadiens at Madison Square Garden. 1957 — The United States Supreme Court rules that pro football, unlike professional baseball, is subject...
Blackouts bring up ‘a four-letter word’ in Texas: regulationVideo
AUSTIN — All the groceries spoiled and the water was out for days. Then Melissa Rogers, a believer in the Texas gospel that government should know its place, woke up to a $6,000 energy bill before the snow and ice even melted. “The roads were awful, but we were running...
Roger Goodell: NFL learnings from 2020 technology here to stay
One of the major benefits of playing a full season pretty much on schedule during a pandemic is what the NFL learned technologically from 2020. Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league has found new avenues of communication that will be common in future seasons. “Virtual meetings have now become standard...
Facebook says it will pay $1B over 3 years to news industryVideo
Facebook, following in Google’s footsteps, says it plans to invest $1 billion to “support the news industry” over the next three years. The social networking giant, which has been tussling with Australia over a law that would make social platforms pay news organizations, said it has invested $600 million since...
Chief: Capitol Police were warned of violence before riotVideo
WASHINGTON — Capitol Police knew armed extremists were primed for violence at the iconic building on Jan. 6 and even provided officers with assault rifles to protect lawmakers, the acting chief acknowledged Wednesday. But the wild invasion of the Capitol was far worse than police expected, leaving them unprepared to...
Pa. GOP meets to discuss Toomey, impeachment vote
HARRISBURG — Republican Party committee members in Pennsylvania were meeting remotely Wednesday night, for hours, in what involved a discussion of whether to censure U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey for his vote to convict Donald Trump during the former president’s second impeachment trial. Toomey’s vote — and his earlier assessment that...
Analysis: Golf without Tiger Woods? Leg injury brings it closer to realityVideo
The PGA Tour without Tiger Woods always was inevitable purely because of age. His shattered right leg from his SUV flipping down a hill on a sweeping road through coastal Los Angeles suburbs only brings that closer. Golf wasn’t ready Wednesday to contemplate the future of its biggest star after...
Canadiens fire coach Claude Julien amid losing stretchVideo
MONTREAL — The struggling Montreal Canadiens fired coach Claude Julien and associate coach Kirk Muller on Wednesday after a three-game skid. Assistant coach Dominique Ducharme was appointed interim coach, and Alex Burrows was added to the Canadiens’ coaching staff. After a one-week break in their schedule, the Canadiens have lost...
Federal judge says California can enforce net neutrality law
SACRAMENTO — A federal judge ruled that California can for the first time enforce its tough net neutrality law, clearing the way for the state to ban internet providers from slowing down or blocking access to websites and applications that don’t pay for premium service. Former Gov. Jerry Brown signed...
White House aims to distribute masks to millions in ‘equity’ pushVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden plans to distribute millions of face masks to Americans in communities hard-hit by the coronavirus beginning next month as part of his efforts to ensure “equity” in the government’s response to the pandemic. Biden, who like Donald Trump’s administration considered sending masks to all Americans,...
Drunken driving charge against Bruce Springsteen droppedVideo
The government dropped drunken driving and reckless driving charges against Bruce Springsteen on Wednesday stemming from an incident in November, admitting that the rocker’s blood-alcohol level was so low that it didn’t warrant the charges. Springsteen pleaded guilty to a third charge, consuming alcohol in a closed area, the Gateway...
Chairman Jerome Powell: Fed is in no hurry to raise interest ratesVideo
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told Congress on Wednesday that the central bank will not start raising interest rates until it believes its goals on maximum employment and inflation have been reached. Powell also warned that many who had worked in industries hardest hit by the pandemic and...
Florida man charged with trying to join Islamic militants
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A Florida man traveled to Turkey and attempted to enter Syria so he could help Islamic State militants, according to an indictment by a federal grand jury. The grand jury Tuesday charged Mohamed Suliman, 33, with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization....
