Associated Press stories, Page 1822
Mississippi governor signing law for flag without rebel sign
JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves is set to sign a bill Monday that gives the state a new flag with a magnolia and the phrase, “In God We Trust,” just over six months after legislators retired the last state flag in the U.S. that included the Confederate battle...
National Park Service shuts Washington Monument citing threats surrounding inauguration
The National Park Service is shutting down public access to the Washington Monument until Jan. 24, citing threats surrounding Joe Biden’s inauguration. The agency said Monday that it was implementing the temporary closure “in response to credible threats to visitors and park resources.” Park officials say that groups involved in...
Kamala Harris’ team says it was blindsided by VP-elect’s Vogue cover
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has landed on the cover of the February issue of Vogue magazine, but her team says there’s a problem: the shot of the country’s soon-to-be No. 2 leader isn’t what both sides had agreed upon, her team says. Instead of the powder blue power suit Harris...
4 Russian soldiers die, over 40 injured in road crash
MOSCOW — At least four Russian soldiers died and more than 40 others were injured Monday in a traffic crash near Moscow, officials said. The Defense Ministry said that a truck driver lost control of his vehicle and rammed into a convoy of military buses on a highway just northwest...
Gonzaga, Baylor remain atop AP Top 25; UConn in at No. 25
Gonzaga and Baylor were the top two teams in The Associated Press preseason men’s college basketball poll. After eight weeks of twists and turns, that hasn’t changed. The Zags received 63 of 64 first-place votes from a national media panel in the poll released Monday and the Bears had the...
50 countries vow to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030Video
PARIS — At least 50 countries committed to protecting 30% of the planet, including land and sea, over the next decade to halt species extinction and address climate change issues, during a global summit Monday aimed at protecting the world’s biodiversity. About 30 leaders, government officials and heads of international...
Biden inauguration theme set: ‘America United’
WASHINGTON — The theme for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration will be “America United,” an issue that’s long been a central focus for Biden but one that’s taken on added weight in the wake of the violence at the U.S. Capitol last week. In an announcement shared first with the Associated...
U.S. ramps up vaccinations to get doses to more Americans
The U.S. is entering the second month of the biggest vaccination effort in history with a major expansion of the campaign, opening football stadiums, major league ballparks, fairgrounds and convention centers to inoculate a larger and more diverse pool of people. After a frustratingly slow rollout involving primarily health care...
No more puny prizes: Mega Millions, Powerball jackpots soar
After a long stretch of relatively paltry prizes, U.S. lottery players now have a choice of games that offer combined jackpots of more than $1 billion. The jackpot for Mega Millions’ Tuesday night drawing has climbed to $600 million, and the top prize in the Powerball game reached $550 million...
Electric truck maker hits 100,000 orders ahead of fall start
LORDSTOWN, Ohio — An upstart electric vehicle maker said Monday that it now has more than 100,000 orders for its new pickup truck. Lordstown Motors Corp. plans to begin production of the Endurance All-Electric Pickup Truck in September at a former General Motors assembly plant near Youngstown. The company took...
Judge halts 1st U.S. execution of female inmate in 67 years
MISSION, Kan. — A judge has halted the U.S. government’s first execution of a female inmate in nearly seven decades, saying a court must first determine whether the Kansas woman who killed an expectant mother, cut the baby from her womb and then tried to pass off the newborn as...
Trump to honor Belichick with Presidential Medal of Freedom
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will present one of the nation’s highest civilian honors to Bill Belichick, the football coach of the New England Patriots and the only coach to win six Super Bowl titles. The presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom is expected Thursday, a White House official...
Nancy Bush Ellis, sister and aunt of presidents, dies
Nancy Bush Ellis, a longtime Democrat who helped her Republican brother and nephew get elected president, has died of complications of the coronavirus. She was 94. “We are sad to share that President Bush’s beloved sister, Nancy Bush Ellis, has passed away. Our condolences and prayers are with the Ellis...
House speeding to impeach Trump for Capitol ‘insurrection’Video
WASHINGTON — Poised to impeach, the House sped ahead Monday with plans to oust President Donald Trump from office, warning he is a threat to democracy and pushing the vice president and Cabinet to act even more quickly in an extraordinary effort to remove Trump in the final days of...
Bar association seeks to ban Rudy Giuliani over ‘combat’ remarks
Rudy Giuliani is facing possible expulsion from the New York State Bar Association over incendiary remarks he made to President Donald Trump’s supporters last week before they violently stormed the U.S. Capitol. The organization said Monday that it has opened an inquiry into whether Giuliani should remain a member. Its...
Wall Street distances itself from Trump, GOP after riots
A growing number of Wall Street banks and businesses have cut ties with President Donald Trump’s campaign and financial arms, as well as the broader Republican Party, following last week’s riots and insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The financial technology company Stripe has stopped processing payments for the Trump campaign,...
Review: George Saunders offers a prolonged exercise in kindness
Have you ever wondered what makes a story great? George Saunders has, and at Syracuse University, where he has taught for more than 20 years, he takes his students under the hood of great fiction to show them how it works. Now, for the price of his latest book —...
Meet the online gadget show, a hall of mirrors to the future
Every January, huge crowds descend on Las Vegas for the CES gadget show, an extravaganza of tech and glitz intended to set the tone for the coming year in consumer technology. CES kicks off this week, but thanks to the pandemic, it will be in a radical new format —...
Pope says women can read at Mass, but still can’t be priests
ROME — Pope Francis changed church law Monday to explicitly allow women to do more things during Mass, granting them access to the most sacred place on the altar, while continuing to affirm that they cannot be priests. Francis amended the law to formalize and institutionalize what is common practice...
Capitol assault a more sinister attack than first appeared
Under battle flags bearing Donald Trump’s name, the Capitol’s attackers pinned a bloodied police officer in a doorway, his twisted face and screams captured on video. They mortally wounded another officer with a blunt weapon and body-slammed a third over a railing into the crowd. “Hang Mike Pence!” the insurrectionists...
Chunky bootmaker Dr. Martens to sell shares to public
The maker of Dr. Martens boots, the chunky-soled footwear once championed by rebellious young people but now favored by celebrities like Rihanna, plans to sell shares to the public as the existing owners seek to profit from growth of the iconic brand. Dr. Martens Ltd. said Monday that current investors...
Supreme Court won’t hear Pittsburgh abortion clinic free speech case
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is declining to get involved in a case about free speech outside a Pittsburgh abortion clinic. The high court turned away the case Monday. The court’s decision not to hear the case leaves in place a 2019 appeals court decision that upheld a Pittsburgh ordinance...
Stocks slip as Wall Street takes a breather after 4-day run
Stocks are slipping Monday as trading cools on Wall Street and in markets around the world following their strong record-setting runs. The S&P 500 was 0.5% lower in late morning trading and on pace to take a breather from a four-day winning streak that carried it to more all-time highs....
NHL taxi squads to help teams stay on ice in pandemic
The NHL is bracing for bumps as it aims to pull off a season during the covid-19 pandemic, and they’re hoping taxi squads will help teams overcome outbreaks to stay on the ice. Alas, the defending Western Conference champion Dallas Stars have already had to postpone their season-opening game later...
Defenses rise to task in NFL postseason
The lasting memory of the offenses for Seattle, Tennessee and Chicago this weekend is how offensive they were. Not in a good way. Even in a league where scoring was at an all-time high, with more touchdowns than ever, defense becomes a priceless commodity in the postseason. Ask the quarterbacks...
