Associated Press stories, Page 1774

Protesters backing President Donald Trump breached the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday in violent clashes with police that force a delay in the constitutional process to affirm Joe Biden’s victory in the November election. Trump had urged his supporters to come to Washington to protest Congress’ formal approval of Biden’s win....

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged fellow Republicans on Wednesday to abandon their effort to overrule President-elect Joe Biden’s election triumph, directly rebuking defeated President Donald Trump and asserting that the GOP drive threatened the country’s democratic foundations. “The voters, the courts and the states have all spoken,”...

SALT LAKE CITY — Supporters of President Donald Trump heckled Republican U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah in an airport, illustrating divisions in the Republican Party between Trump loyalists and those ready to accept the results of the presidential election. Romney has been considered Trump’s sharpest GOP critic and is...

Walgreens Boots Alliance will sell its pharmaceutical wholesale business to AmerisourceBergen in a $6.5 billion cash and stock deal. Pharmaceutical wholesalers essentially act as middlemen, purchasing drugs from manufacturers and then distributing them to customers like drugstore chains, hospitals and doctor’s offices. Walgreens said Wednesday that the deal will allow...

The Justice Department disclosed on Wednesday that it was among the federal agencies harmed by a massive breach of government networks that U.S. officials have linked to Russia. The extent of the damage was unclear. The department said that 3% of its Microsoft Office 365 email accounts were potentially affected,...

CLEVELAND — Browns coach Kevin Stefanski doesn’t know how he contracted covid-19, and he’s not going to let the virus stop him from preparing his team for the playoffs. Beating the Pittsburgh Steelers is priority No. 1. “We’ve got to find a way,” Stefanski said. Cleveland’s first-year coach, who has...

DETROIT — A new government report says gas mileage for new vehicles dropped and pollution increased in model year 2019 for the first time in five years. The mileage increase comes as Americans continue to buy SUVs and trucks, and shift away from more efficient vehicles. The Environmental Protection Agency...

President-elect Joe Biden introduced Merrick Garland as his pick for attorney general on Thursday, turning to an experienced judge to help de-politicize the Justice Department and restore the rule of law after what he described as four years of lawlessness under President Donald Trump. Biden also described the pro-Trump mob...

WASHINGTON — Defying President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence acknowledged Wednesday he does not have the power to throw out the electoral votes that will make Democrat Joe Biden the next president in two weeks, dashing Trump’s baseless hopes that Pence somehow could find a way to keep him...

NEWBURYPORT, Mass. — A passerby spotted a wandering llama in a field off an interstate in Massachusetts and with the help of an animal control officer, brought it to a farm for safekeeping. Patrick Boddy was driving in Newburyport when he spotted the male gray-and-white llama, stopped his truck and...

NEW ORLEANS — A subdued Carnival season began Wednesday after the coronavirus pandemic put an end to the crowd-heavy balls and street parades that draw thousands of people to the city every year. The Mardi Gras season always starts on Jan. 6 and ends on Fat Tuesday, which this year...

AMSTERDAM — The European Union’s executive commission gave the green light Wednesday to Moderna Inc.’s covid-19 vaccine, providing the 27-nation bloc with a second vaccine to use in the desperate battle to tame the virus rampaging across the continent. The European Commission granted conditional marketing authorization for the vaccine. The...

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence has made it official — he’s heading to the NFL. Lawrence, the 6-foot-6 QB with the power arm and flowing hair, released a video on social media Wednesday announcing he was leaving school and declaring for the NFL draft. “I really feel like I’m a man...

NEW YORK — The New York Stock Exchange is going ahead with plans to delist shares of three Chinese state-owned phone carriers under an executive order from President Donald Trump, reversing course just days after saying they wouldn’t be delisted. The exchange said trading in the three companies, China Telecom...

BERLIN — Germany, France and Britain pressed Iran on Wednesday to reverse a decision to start enriching uranium to levels beyond the limits of a 2015 nuclear agreement, a move they said “risks compromising” chances of diplomacy with the incoming U.S. administration. The foreign ministers of the three European nations...

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Testing is replacing tailgating in the Bills Stadium parking lot, with a limited number of fans being allowed to attend Buffalo’s wild-card playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday. Before that can happen, New York state guidelines require the approximate 6,700 fans, plus 200 employees...

New York’s governor is threatening to fine hospitals that don’t use their allotment of COVID-19 vaccine fast enough. His South Carolina counterpart says health care workers have until Jan. 15 to get a shot or move to the back of the line. California’s governor wants to use dentists to vaccinate...

NEW YORK — Wall Street is piling into stocks of smaller companies, banks and other companies that would be winners if Washington can prop up the economy with another dose of financial support amid rising expectations that Democrats may take control of Washington. Most stocks across Wall Street were higher...

LOS ANGELES — Hospitals in California are so swamped by the coronavirus pandemic that the state has ordered those with room to accept patients from others that are out of intensive care beds. The public health order issued Tuesday night could result in patients being shipped to Northern California from...

LOS ANGELES — Dr. Dre says he will be “back home soon” after the music mogul received medical treatment at a Los Angeles hospital for a reported brain aneurysm. The rapper and producer said in a social media post Tuesday night that he’s thankful for the “well wishes.” TMZ reported...

SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico’s top elections official is urging a federal court to dismiss a challenge by President Donald Trump of absentee voting procedures for ballot drop boxes. She also wants Trump’s campaign to be sanctioned for pursuing meritless litigation. Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver says the...

ATLANTA — Democrats won both Georgia Senate seats — and with them, the U.S. Senate majority — as final votes were counted Wednesday, serving President Donald Trump a stunning defeat in his last days in office while dramatically improving the fate of President-elect Joe Biden’s progressive agenda. Jon Ossoff and...

NEW YORK — Spring training could be delayed for Double-A and Class A players if major leaguers are not vaccinated for the novel coronavirus by the time big league practice is scheduled to start in mid-February. Major League Baseball, which has taken over operation of the minors, gave notice to...