Associated Press stories, Page 1858
U.S. carries out rare execution during presidential transition
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — The Trump administration Thursday carried out its ninth federal execution of the year in what has been a first series of executions during a presidential lame-duck period in 130 years, putting to death a Texas street-gang member in the slayings of a religious couple from Iowa...
Gifty new and unusual pandemic-proof games for the holidays
The pandemic has proven there’s no shortage of games to keep families, couples and kids amused. The classics are ever-present, but a range of new or off-the-beaten-track gift entries are available. A sampling: Tragos It’s a party card game focused on Latino pop culture that comes in a variety of...
Congress stuck as McConnell torpedoes emerging covid relief dealVideo
WASHINGTON — An emerging $900 billion covid-19 aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers all but collapsed Thursday after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republican senators won’t support $160 billion in state and local funds as part of a potential trade-off in the deal. McConnell’s staff conveyed to...
Jerry Falwell Jr. drops defamation lawsuit against Liberty University
LYNCHBURG, Va. — Jerry Falwell Jr. has dropped a defamation lawsuit against his former employer, Liberty University. A judge granted a motion this week to dismiss the case in a move that left open the possibility of Falwell refiling a similar one later, The News & Advance reported Thursday. Court...
SEC on ABC: ESPN to be exclusive TV home, starting 2024Video
The Southeastern Conference’s signature mid-afternoon Saturday game will move from CBS to ABC starting in 2024 as part of a new 10-year contract announced Thursday with ESPN and the powerhouse football league. The deal makes ESPN the exclusive media rights holder of SEC football and men’s basketball, and will end...
Army hosts Navy for 1st time in 77 years because of covid-19
Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo never tires of the feeling that permeates the locker room in the moments before the opening kickoff of the annual matchup against Army. “There’s a chill that goes through you unlike any other game,” Niumatalolo said. “It’s the craziest thing because you’re in the locker room...
Duke basketball cancels remainder of nonconference games
Duke won’t play any more nonconference men’s basketball games in the regular season. The school announced the move Thursday. That followed coronavirus-related postponements of three nonconference games this year, though only one had been rescheduled. In a release, the school said it was a cautionary step because of the pandemic...
Exposure feared after New Hampshire speaker dies of covid-19
The speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives died of covid-19, a medical examiner ruled Thursday, a day after the Republican’s unexpected death, raising concerns that other members of one of the world’s largest legislative bodies might have been exposed at their swearing-in last week. Dick Hinch, who was...
Amy Olson comes up aces and takes 1-shot lead in Women’s Open
HOUSTON — Amy Olson got back to under par with one swing, an 8-iron for a hole-in-one on her seventh hole Thursday, and kept right on going until she had a 4-under-par 67 and a one-shot lead in the U.S. Women’s Open. On a perfect day, the scores made it...
Pennsylvania blasts Texas’ bid in Supreme Court to overturn Biden’s election
HARRISBURG — Lawyers for Pennsylvania responded in the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to Texas’ effort to overturn the election result in four states for President-elect Joe Biden, calling it a “seditious abuse” of the courts that rests on conspiracy theories and falsehoods. Texas lacks standing to bring the challenge,...
FDA panel endorses widespread use of Pfizer covid-19 vaccine
WASHINGTON — A government advisory panel endorsed widespread use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine Thursday, putting the country just one step away from launching an epic vaccination campaign against the outbreak that has killed close to 300,000 Americans. Shots could begin within days, depending on how quickly the Food and Drug...
5 bicyclists killed, 3 injured in crash on Nevada highway
BOULDER CITY, Nev. — Five bicyclists were killed and three others injured in a crash Thursday involving a box truck on U.S. Highway 95 north of Searchlight, Nevada Highway Patrol officials said. Authorities said the truck driver remained on the scene and commercial units were called to inspect the vehicle’s...
U.S. B-52H bombers fly to Middle East in mission to deter IranVideo
WASHINGTON — In a new show of military might, two American bomber aircraft flew from the United States to the Middle East on Thursday, in a round-trip mission that U.S. officials said covered a wide swath of the region and was a direct message of deterrence to Iran. The flight...
Federal judge casts doubt on Trump’s Wisconsin lawsuitVideo
MADISON, Wis. — A federal judge Thursday cast doubt on President Donald Trump’s lawsuit that seeks to overturn Joe Biden’s win in Wisconsin, saying siding with Trump would be “the most remarkable ruling in the history of this court or the federal judiciary.” Trump is pursuing extraordinary attempts to overturn...
Watchdog faults VA Secretary Robert Wilkie over handling of sex assault report
WASHINGTON — Confronted with a sexual assault allegation at a veterans hospital, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie repeatedly sought to discredit the congressional aide who made the complaint and his staff worked to spread negative information about her while ignoring known problems of harassment at the facility, according to an...
CDC official says she was ordered to destroy emails to alter scientific reportVideo
WASHINGTON — A senior manager with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told congressional investigators she was ordered to delete an email suggesting attempted political interference by the Trump administration in coronavirus reports to the public, according to a transcript released Thursday. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., who released the...
Airbnb shares more than double in price in long-awaited IPO
Airbnb proved its resilience in a year that has upended global travel. Now it needs to prove to investors that it sees more growth ahead. The San Francisco-based home sharing company made a triumphant debut on the public market Thursday, with its shares more than doubling in price to open...
Fauci, Kamala among famous names on mispronounced words list
Fauci, Kamala….da Vinci? America’s preeminent infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, and its incoming vice president, Kamala Harris, join the Renaissance master himself, Leonardo da Vinci, atop this year’s list of most mispronounced words, as compiled by the U.S. Captioning Company, which captions and subtitles real-time events on TV and in...
Northern lights a ‘big miss,’ U.S. space forecaster says
PORTLAND, Maine — An initially promising U.S. forecast for the northern lights has gone bust. Stargazers in the continental 48 states have essentially zero chance of seeing the astronomical phenomenon this week, the head of operations at the U.S. government’s space weather prediction center said Thursday. Curtains of color paint...
1-day U.S. deaths top 3,000, more than D-Day or 9/11
MISSION, Kan. — Just when the U.S. appears on the verge of rolling out a covid-19 vaccine, the numbers have become gloomier than ever: Over 3,000 American deaths in a single day, more than on D-Day or 9/11. One million new cases in the span of five days. More than...
Ellen DeGeneres: Positive test for coronavirus but ‘feeling fine’
LOS ANGELES — Ellen DeGeneres says she has tested positive for covid-19 but is “feeling fine right now.” Production on her daytime talk show has been paused until January, producer Telepictures said in a statement that followed DeGeneres’ Thursday announcement. In an Instagram post, DeGeneres said anyone who was in...
Steelers, Chiefs top AFC, but plenty of others could contend
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are already in. No surprise for the defending Super Bowl champions. Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers are undefeated no more, but they’re also on the verge of clinching an AFC playoff spot. After that, well, there are plenty of other contenders who...
Gun restrictions face uphill battle even under Biden
The gun debate in America will soon enter a new chapter with a Democrat in the White House after four years under President Donald Trump in which gun control advocates developed a long wish list for reform amid a spate of large-scale mass killings in places like Las Vegas, El...
Baby elephant dies suddenly, just before 2nd birthday
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A baby elephant at a Syracuse zoo died from a virus just before his second birthday . The Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse announced the death of Ajay, an Asian elephant calf, on Wednesday. He died from Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpes Virus, which poses a high risk to...
Trump announces Israel-Morocco to normalize relations
WASHINGTON — Israel and Morocco have agreed to normalize relations, President Donald Trump said Thursday, marking the fourth Arab-Israeli agreement in four months. As part of the deal announced near the end of Trump’s term, the United States will recognize Morocco’s claim over the disputed Western Sahara region. Trump said...
