Associated Press stories, Page 1884
Theo Epstein steps down after 9 seasons leading Cubs
CHICAGO — Theo Epstein, who transformed the long-suffering Chicago Cubs and helped bring home a drought-busting championship in 2016, is stepping down after nine seasons as the club’s president of baseball operations. The team announced Tuesday that Epstein is leaving the organization, and general manager Jed Hoyer is being promoted...
Another booming quarter for Walmart, but sales are slowing
NEW YORK — Walmart turned out another stellar quarter as the world’s largest retailer powers through a pandemic that has felled other national chains. But sales at stores opened at least a year slowed in the three months that ended with October compared with earlier this year as the pandemic...
Stocks fall as virus worries force big rally to take a pause
NEW YORK — Worries about the worsening pandemic pushed Wall Street to tap the brakes Tuesday on its big November rally, which had vaulted stocks back to record heights. Treasury yields also dipped after a report showed U.S. shoppers spent less at retailers last month than economists expected. The numbers...
Volunteers still needed to test variety of covid-19 vaccines
Two covid-19 vaccines might be nearing the finish line, but scientists caution it’s critical that enough people volunteer to help finish studying other candidates in the U.S. and around the world. Moderna Inc. and competitor Pfizer Inc. recently announced preliminary results showing their vaccines appear more than 90% effective, at...
Pentagon says it shot down unarmed missile in sea-based test
WASHINGTON — In a first for the Pentagon’s push to develop defenses against intercontinental-range ballistic missiles capable of striking the United States, a missile interceptor launched from a U.S. Navy ship at sea hit and destroyed a mock ICBM in flight on Tuesday, officials said. Previous tests against ICBM targets...
Joe Biden filling top White House team with campaign veterans
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden announced a raft of top White House staff positions on Tuesday, drawing from the senior ranks of his campaign and some of his closest confidants to fill out an increasingly diverse White House leadership team. Biden confirmed that former campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon will...
Remains found in 1988 identified as West Virginia fugitive
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Remains found in Ohio in 1988 have been identified as a West Virginia fugitive, authorities said. DNA testing was used to identify the remains as John Paul Devaughn, who was wanted for parole violations in West Virginia, WDTV-TV reported, citing the U.S. Marshals Service. Devaughn was convicted...
Head of government agency under pressure to let presidential transition proceed
WASHINGTON — The head of an obscure federal agency that is holding up the presidential transition knew well before Election Day that she might soon have a messy situation on her hands. Before Nov. 3, Emily Murphy, the head of the General Services Administration, held a Zoom call with Dave...
Amazon opens online pharmacy, shaking up another industryVideo
NEW YORK — Now at Amazon.com: insulin and inhalers. The retail colossus opened an online pharmacy Tuesday that allows customers to order medication or prescription refills, and have them delivered to their front door in a couple of days. The potential impact of Amazon’s arrival in the pharmaceutical space rippled...
This date in sports history: Nov. 17Video
1956 — Syracuse beats Colgate, 61-7, behind halfback Jim Brown. He sets an NCAA-record for points by an individual player in a single game by scoring six touchdowns and kicking seven extra points for 43 points. 1959 — Connie Dierking of the Syracuse Nationals becomes the first player to foul...
Dangerous Hurricane Iota makes landfall on Nicaragua coastVideo
MANAGUA, Nicaragua — Powerful Hurricane Iota made landfall on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast late Monday, threatening catastrophic damage to the same part of Central America already battered by equally strong Hurricane Eta less than two weeks ago. Iota had intensified into an extremely dangerous Category 5 storm early in the day,...
Cardinals’ stunning Hail Mary: part planned, part All-Pro excellenceVideo
GLENDALE, Ariz. — D.J. Humphries’ stunned expression — mouth hanging open and arms in the air while slowly walking around the field — said it all as Arizona’s left tackle tried to process what he just saw. But here’s the deal about DeAndre Hopkins’ miraculous catch over three defenders on...
Airbnb details years of losses ahead of planned IPOVideo
Airbnb was losing money even before the pandemic struck and cut its revenue by almost a third, the home-sharing company revealed in documents filed Monday ahead of a planned initial public offering of its stock. The San Francisco-based company has yet to set a date for the IPO but it...
As deaths spiral, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem opposes mask rulesVideo
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Monday showed no sign of budging from her hands-off approach to the pandemic, despite finding herself among a dwindling number of Midwest governors holding out against mask mandates and facing a death rate in her state that has risen to...
Nicholas Gioacchini, Sebastian Soto score 2 goals each as U.S. routs Panama 6-2Video
Nicholas Gioacchini and Sebastian Soto both scored their first two international goals, Gio Reyna got his first and a young United States team routed Panama 6-2 on Monday night in an exhibition at Wiener Neustadt, Austria. Gioacchini and Reyna made their first appearances Thursday in a 0-0 draw at Wales,...
‘More people may die’: Biden urges Trump to aid transitionVideo
WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden on Monday warned of dire consequences if President Donald Trump and his administration continue to refuse to coordinate with his transition team on the coronavirus pandemic and block briefings on national security, policy issues and vaccine plans. The remarks marked Biden’s toughest comments to...
With Chubb, Hunt leading way, Browns cutting playoff path
CLEVELAND — The hurricane-like gusts, thunder, lightning, sheets of rain and hail struck first. The Nick Chubb-Kareem Hunt storm followed. In their first game back from the bye on Sunday, the Cleveland Browns may have found the formula to carry them into the NFL playoffs. Hand the ball to Chubb...
About 90K sex abuse claims filed in Boy Scouts bankruptcyVideo
NEW YORK — Close to 90,000 sexual abuse claims have been filed against the Boy Scouts of America as the Monday deadline arrived for submitting claims in the organization’s bankruptcy case. The number far exceeds the initial projections of lawyers across the United States who have been signing up clients...
U.S. appeals court weighs law on supervised injection sites
PHILADELPHIA — A federal appeals court became the latest panel to wrestle with the nation’s opioid epidemic as judges reviewed a long-debated plan Monday to open a medically supervised injection site in Philadelphia. U.S. Attorney William McSwain, an appointee of President Donald Trump, opposes the idea and hopes to overturn...
Trump to order troop reductions in Afghanistan, Iraq
The Trump administration is expected to cut the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan almost in half to 2,500 by Jan. 15, a U.S. official said Monday. The order would stop short of outgoing President Donald Trump’s goal to have all troops withdrawn by the end of the year, which...
Virginia governor pushes to legalize marijuana
RICHMOND, Va. — Gov. Ralph Northam is pushing to legalize marijuana for recreational use in Virginia, which could be the first Southern state to do so. Northam announced his support for legalization Monday, saying he wants a responsible approach that promotes racial equity and preserves youth safety. The Democratic governor...
Hand tally of Georgia presidential race continues
ATLANTA — A hand tally of the nearly 5 million votes cast in the presidential race in Georgia appeared to be going smoothly as it entered its fourth day Monday. The hand count stems from a state law that calls for one race to be audited to ensure the new...
Philadelphia bans indoor gatherings, broadens coronavirus rules
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia is banning indoor dining at restaurants and indoor gatherings of any size, public or private, as the city battles a resurgence of the coronavirus, officials announced Monday. The city also plans to shutter gyms, museums and libraries, prohibit in-person instruction at colleges and high schools, and reduce...
3rd Breonna Taylor grand juror: Cops ‘got slap on the wrist’
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A woman who sat on the Breonna Taylor grand jury said she believes their investigation was incomplete and that prosecutors wanted to give police “a slap on the wrist and close it up.” The woman is the third grand juror to speak anonymously about the September proceedings,...
Police: Man accused of punching Rick Moranis attacked others
NEW YORK — Prosecutors say the man accused of punching actor Rick Moranis is a suspect in multiple other unprovoked attacks on people in New York City. At a Manhattan Criminal Court hearing on Sunday, prosecutors said Marquis Ventura, 35, is charged in five assaults on strangers that took place...

