Associated Press stories, Page 1868
U.S. lawmakers unveil anti-slavery constitutional amendment
NEW YORK — National lawmakers are expected on Wednesday to introduce a joint resolution aimed at striking language from the U.S. Constitution that enshrines a form of slavery in America’s foundational documents. The resolution, spearheaded and supported by Democratic members of the House and Senate, would amend the 13th Amendment’s...
Lawmakers bristle after Trump threatens defense bill veto
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is closing out his relationship with Congress with one more power jab, threatening to veto a hugely popular defense bill unless lawmakers clamp down on big tech companies he claims were biased against him during the election. Trump is demanding that Congress repeal so-called Section...
GOP objects to Biden nominees, a sign of what’s to come
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet picks are quickly running into the political reality of a narrowly controlled Senate that will leave the new Democratic administration dependent on rival Republicans to get anything done. Under leader Mitch McConnell, the Republican senators will hold great sway in confirming Biden’s nominees regardless...
People magazine reveals its ‘2020 People of the Year’
People magazine has named George Clooney, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Selena Gomez and Regina King as the “2020 People of the Year.” The magazine revealed its list Wednesday morning as part of a year-end double issue with four covers. The four will be celebrated for their positive impact in the world...
EU pushes for ‘right to disconnect’ from work at home
BRUSSELS — European Union lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favor of a “right to disconnect” from the internet and email, with around one third of people now working from home across the 27-nation bloc due in large part to coronavirus restrictions. In a resolution, the parliamentarians argue that disconnecting from...
Police in Pa., N.J. seek man who attempted to abduct women
CHERRY HILL, N.J. — Police in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are seeking a man who they believe attempted to abduct women on three occasions in the past month. Lower Merion Township police in Pennsylvania said the suspect pressed an object into a woman’s back at the Royal Athena Apartment Complex...
Brazilian bank robbers seize another city, sow chaos, death
RIO DE JANEIRO — Heavily armed bank robbers invaded the Brazilian city of Cameta just one day after criminals struck another mid-sized city on the opposite side of the country, taking residents hostage as they looted a bank. Para state’s public security secretariat said in a statement that more than...
U.K. authorizes Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for emergency use
British officials authorized a covid-19 vaccine for emergency use on Wednesday, greenlighting the world’s first shot against the virus that’s backed by rigorous science and taking a major step toward eventually ending the pandemic. The go-ahead for the vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech comes as the...
This Date in Sports History: Dec. 2
1907 — Tommy Burns defends his world heavyweight title by knocking out Gunner Moir in the 10th round at London. 1944 — Ohio State quarterback Leslie Horvath wins the Heisman Trophy. 1947 — Notre Dame quarterback Johnny Lujack wins the Heisman Trophy. 1952 — Oklahoma halfback Billy Vessels is named...
Alabama soldier arrested after girlfriend’s son forced out of car, killed by vehicle
FORT MITCHELL, Ala. — An Alabama soldier was charged with reckless murder after allegedly forcing his girlfriend’s unruly 5-year-old son to get out of a car at night along a road where the boy was hit and killed by another vehicle, authorities said. Army Sgt. Bryan Starr, 35, surrendered to...
Salesforce buying work-chat service Slack for $27.7 billionVideo
SAN RAMON, Calif. — Business software pioneer Salesforce.com is buying work-chatting service Slack for $27.7 billion in a deal aimed at giving the two companies a better shot at competing against longtime industry powerhouse Microsoft. The acquisition announced Tuesday is by far the largest in the 21-year history of Salesforce....
Ohio State still 4th in CFP rankings after cancellation
Ohio State held on to the fourth spot in the College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday night after having its previous game canceled, landing behind No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Clemson for a second straight week. The selection committee’s top seven teams were unchanged from last...
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos says free college amounts to a ‘socialist takeover’
In a veiled swing at President-elect Joe Biden’s education plans, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Tuesday blasted the push for free college as a “socialist takeover of higher education” that could damage the nation’s economy. Speaking at an online conference hosted by the Education Department’s Federal Student Aid office, DeVos...
No. 2 Irish get spot in ACC title game after cancellation
No. 2 Notre Dame wrapped up a spot in the ACC championship game by virtue of the league shuffling its schedule Tuesday to create an open date for the Fighting Irish and No. 4 Clemson before their likely rematch on Dec. 19. The ACC announced Notre Dame’s game against Wake...
Justice Department probing potential bribery, lobbying scheme for pardonVideo
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is investigating whether there was a secret scheme to lobby White House officials for a pardon as well as a related plot to offer a hefty political contribution in exchange for clemency, according to a court document unsealed Tuesday. Most of the information in the...
Visitor: Monolith toppled by group of men who said ‘leave no trace’Video
SALT LAKE CITY — New clues have surfaced in the disappearance of a gleaming monolith in Utah that seemed to melt away as mysteriously as it appeared in the red-rock desert — though it’s no longer the only place where a strange structure has come and gone. A Colorado photographer...
Browns’ Myles Garrett back from covid-19 list after 2-game absence
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns got back their most valuable defensive player and lost another vital one. Myles Garrett is ready. Ronnie Harrison won’t be for some time. Cleveland’s defensive star was activated from the covid-19 list Tuesday after missing two games with the virus. Garrett, who was leading the...
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin defends shutdown of Fed emergency loan programsVideo
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is defending his decision to close down a number of emergency Federal Reserve loan programs at a time when coronavirus cases are surging. Democrats were unconvinced, however, saying that Mnuchin’s actions are politically motivated and intended to remove tools that the Biden administration could...
Sen. Mitch McConnell says he’s revising his covid relief planVideo
WASHINGTON — Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he’s revising his scaled-back covid-19 relief bill with the goal of passing a significant downpayment during the lame-duck session and then revisiting the topic next year. The Kentucky Republican made the announcement after President-elect Joe Biden called upon lawmakers to follow...
After White House visit, Pa. state Sen. Doug Mastriano calls covid-19 case mild
HARRISBURG — A Republican state lawmaker from Pennsylvania revealed he has covid-19, confirming the positive test five days after he went to the White House to meet with President Donald Trump and went maskless at a packed public meeting to discuss efforts to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. State Sen....
Canada: U.S. border measures to last until coronavirus under control
TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday the ban on nonessential travel with the United States will not be lifted until covid-19 is significantly more under control around the world. Canada and the U.S. have limited border crossings since March, extending the restrictions each month. “Until the virus...
AG William Barr appoints John Durham as special counsel in Russia probe investigation
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr has given extra protection to the prosecutor he appointed to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, giving him the authority of a special counsel to complete the work without being easily fired. Barr told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he had appointed...
‘All my love, Elliot’: Actor Page comes out as transgender
NEW YORK — Oscar-nominated actor Elliot Page, the star of “Juno,” “Inception” and “The Umbrella Academy,” came out as transgender Tuesday in an announcement greeted as a watershed moment for the trans community in Hollywood. “I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer,” Page said...
Biden unveils economic team declaring, ‘Help is on the way’
WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday introduced top advisers he says will help his administration rebuild an economy hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, declaring, “I know times are tough but I want you to know that help is on the way.” Biden said he’d chosen a “first rate...
AG William Barr: No evidence of fraud that’d change election outcome
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday the Justice Department has not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. His comments in an interview with The Associated Press come despite President Donald Trump’s repeated baseless claims that the election was...
