Associated Press stories, Page 1898
Brandt Snedeker takes Houston Open lead; Johnson and fans return
HOUSTON — Brandt Snedeker found a lot of fairways and greens at difficult Memorial Park, top-ranked Dustin Johnson returned from the coronavirus, and fans were back, too, Thursday at the Houston Open. Snedeker shot a 5-under-par 65 in the afternoon to take a two-stroke lead in the last event before...
Guatemala president says 37 dead in landslides caused by Eta
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei said Thursday that a water-soaked mountainside in the central part of the country had slid onto the town of San Cristobal Verapaz, burying homes and leaving at least 25 dead. Two other slides in Huehuetenango had killed at least 12 more, he said....
Path to NASCAR title clear with Kevin Harvick out of way
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Kevin Harvick was a sure bet to make the NASCAR finale and likely close out one of the most dominant seasons of the decade. Instead, he’s been eliminated and the hyped head-to-head matchup between Harvick and Denny Hamlin has been scrapped. For better or worse, NASCAR’s title-deciding...
Matt Rhule: Christian McCaffrey expected to play barring setback
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule said barring a setback he expects Christian McCaffrey to play Sunday against the Chiefs. The 2019 All-Pro running back, who has missed the past six games with a high ankle sprain, practiced for the second straight day Thursday. Rhule said McCaffrey looked...
Kosovo’s president resigns to face war crimes charges
The president of Kosovo, who served as a guerrilla leader during Kosovo’s war for independence from Serbia in the late 1990s, resigned Thursday and was sent to a special court in The Hague where he will face charges for war crimes and crimes against humanity. President Hashim Thaci said he...
Counties with worst virus surges overwhelmingly voted Trump
U.S. voters went to the polls starkly divided on how they see President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, with a surprising twist: In places where the virus is most rampant now, Trump enjoyed enormous support. An Associated Press analysis reveals that in 376 counties with the highest number...
Explainer: How much misinformation is kicking around?
They go together all too closely these days: momentous events — and bad information that tells an inaccurate story about how they’re happening. The two days since Election Day, predictably, demonstrate this to be true. Karen Mahabir, fact check and misinformation editor for The Associated Press, says her team of...
Poll watchers emerge as a flashpoint in battle over ballots
Election officials in key battleground states pushed back on claims by the Trump campaign that Republican poll watchers were being improperly denied access to observe the counting of ballots, saying Thursday that rules were being followed and they were committed to transparency. Tasked this year with monitoring a record number...
First-place Eagles have reasons for optimism despite record
The Philadelphia Eagles reached the midpoint of their season with a losing record and a spot in first place. Only in the NFC East. The Eagles (3-4-1) won two straight games entering a bye to take control of the weakest division in the NFL. They struggled to earn both victories...
‘Tenet’ to head to home release in Dec. after theatrical run
After several months in pandemic-altered theaters, Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” will head to home release on Dec. 15, Warner Bros. said Thursday. “Tenet” will be available digitally as well as on Blu-ray, DVD and 4K just before the holidays, potentially bringing an end to its turbulent but singular run in theaters....
Judge rejects moving trial of ex-officers in George Floyd’s death
MINNEAPOLIS — A judge on Thursday rejected defense requests to move the trial of four former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd’s death, and also ordered that all four will be tried together instead of separately. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill ruled after defense attorneys had argued that pretrial...
Voters in Jersey Shore town of Margate reject a boardwalk
Not everyone at the Jersey Shore loves boardwalks. Voters in Margate, a well-to-do seaside community near Atlantic City, overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to build a boardwalk along its beachfront. In incomplete tallies released by the Atlantic County Clerk’s office, a non-binding referendum on whether Margate should study the feasibility of...
Fed signals readiness to do more for economy as virus rages
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest rate at a record low near zero Thursday and signaled its readiness to do more if needed to support an economy under threat from a worsening coronavirus pandemic. The Fed announced no new actions after its latest policy meeting but left...
American imprisoned in Russia complains of sleep deprivation
MOSCOW — The brother of an American convicted of espionage in Russia said Thursday that his imprisoned sibling is suffering sleep deprivation at a prison colony where he is serving a 16-year sentence. David Whelan said his brother, Paul, complained that he was being woken up at approximately 2-hour intervals...
Officials name new road in Florida after Trayvon Martin
MIAMI — A section of road that leads to the South Florida high school that Trayvon Martin attended now bears the name of the Black teenager whose 2012 death sparked a movement for social justice. The road became Trayvon Martin Avenue during a brief ceremony on Thursday morning near Dr....
Missouri election judge worked despite covid-19 diagnosis, then died
O’FALLON, Mo. — A suburban St. Louis election official who worked at a polling place on Election Day despite a positive test for the coronavirus has now died, raising concerns for the nearly 2,000 people who voted there. St. Charles County, Missouri, spokeswoman Mary Enger said in a news release...
Dept. of Justice sues to block Visa’s $5.3B purchase of Plaid
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Department of Justice sued payment processing giant Visa on Thursday to block the company’s purchase of financial technology startup Plaid, calling it a monopolistic takeover of a potential competitor to Visa’s ubiquitous payments network. The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of California, seeks to stop...
ESPN announces 300 layoffs, citing ‘disruption’ amid virus
ESPN announced Thursday it is eliminating about 500 jobs worldwide, including about 300 through layoffs. The cuts amount to about 10% of the employees at the sports network and are due largely to the impact of the pandemic on its business and the “tremendous disruption in how fans consume sports.”...
Danish farmers lament decision to cull all Denmark’s minks
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Danish fur farmers say they’ve been dealt a major blow after the world’s largest mink fur exporter decided to cull all 15 million minks in Denmark’s farms, to minimize the risk of them re-transmitting the coronavirus to humans — a decision that has also raised eyebrows among...
Judges in Michigan, Georgia dismiss Trump campaign lawsuits
WASHINGTON — Judges in Georgia and Michigan quickly dismissed Trump campaign lawsuits Thursday, undercutting a campaign legal strategy to attack the integrity of the voting process in states where the result could mean President Donald Trump’s defeat. The rulings came as Democrat Joe Biden inched closer to the 270 Electoral...
Officials clarify military role in coronavirus vaccination amid wariness
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has often touted the role of the military in distributing a covid-19 vaccine, but health officials close to the process who are concerned about public distrust are taking pains to say the federal government won’t actually be handling vaccines. The president said at the final...
How 2 blind brothers became Two Blind Brothers for a cause
Would you buy something you can’t see? That’s the question posed by two New York brothers who’ve lost much of their vision to a rare degenerative eye disorder and have dedicated their lives — and livelihoods — to raising money for a cure. Bradford Manning, 35, and his 30-year-old brother,...
Wall Street rallies again as stocks ride post-election wave
Stocks are still riding Wall Street’s post-election wave Thursday, as markets bet on the continuation of several business-friendly policies, and the S&P 500 is rallying 2.3% toward its biggest weekly jump since April. Markets are banking on Tuesday’s election leading to split control of Congress, which could mean low tax...
New kids’ series ‘Pikwik Pack’ puts spotlight on deliveries
The studio behind the kids’ mega-hit TV show “Paw Patrol” has a new animated series that arrives timed perfectly for a global pandemic: It celebrates delivery people. “Pikwik Pack,” which airs on Disney Junior and DisneyNOW, stars four animal friends working together to deliver packages in their community. In the...
France reinforcing its border controls following attacks
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that France is reinforcing its border controls after a series of attacks that hit the country in recent weeks. Macron said the number of police and troops in charge of border controls will double from 2,400 now to 4,800. They will...
