Associated Press stories, Page 1926

WASHINGTON — Echoing a discredited conspiracy theory, vulnerable Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is suggesting government statistics on coronavirus infections and deaths have been inflated. Ernst, who is facing an unexpectedly tough reelection fight, made the comment after a man at a campaign stop in Waterloo, Iowa, said he believes the...

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A Minnesota man who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota last month has died from covid-19, Minnesota health officials reported Wednesday. The death is the first reported from the biker rally that drew hundreds of thousands of people. Infections linked to the event have...

HARRISBURG — A casino could be built near Penn State University’s flagship campus after Pennsylvania found another taker Wednesday for a mini-casino license, auctioning it for $10 million to a Philadelphia-area private equity investor. Ira Lubert, a Penn State board member and alumnus, beat one other bidder, the Pennsylvania Gaming...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On the night Patrick Mahomes received his Super Bowl ring, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback gave a ring away. Mahomes and his longtime girlfriend, Brittany Matthews, became engaged Tuesday night. The 24-year-old Mahomes, who won the MVP award by leading the Chiefs past the 49ers at...

NEW YORK — The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have a new home: Netflix. Six months after detangling their work lives from the British royal family, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have signed a multiyear deal to produce nature series, documentaries and children’s programming for the streamer, according to...

The St. Louis Blues traded goaltender Jake Allen to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday in a move that clears valuable salary cap space to try to keep their Stanley Cup-winning captain. St. Louis received a third- and a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft in exchange for Allen and a...

NEW YORK — It was the sort of match Andy Murray came back for, the sort of competition and comeback he always lived for, the reason he went through two hip operations and all the hard work that followed. And it was the type of vintage Murray performance — undaunted...

Mounting a comeback at the U.S. Open, Kim Clijsters fell victim to one. The three-time champion powered her way to an early lead but couldn’t hold it, and Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova rallied Tuesday night for a first-round victory, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1. It was Clijsters’ first match at a Grand Slam...

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated the league’s support for players fighting for racial justice and protesting police violence. Citing a police officer shooting Jacob Blake in the back on Aug. 23 in Kenosha, Wis., Goodell said the incident has “brought forth more feelings of anger, frustration, anguish, fear for many...

Black holes are getting stranger — even to astronomers. They’ve now detected the signal from a long ago violent collision of two black holes that created a new one of a size that had never been seen before. “It’s the biggest bang since the Big Bang observed by humanity,” said...

KENOSHA, Wis. — After struggling for much of the year to settle on a clear and concise reelection message, President Donald Trump appears to have found his 2020 rallying cry. Four years ago, it was “Build the Wall,” a simple yet coded mantra to white America that nonwhite outsiders threatened...

WASHINGTON — Pressed by Democrats to quickly negotiate a new coronavirus relief package, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday the administration remains willing to work on a bipartisan agreement to help small businesses, the unemployed, children and schools. Democratic leaders in Congress are holding it up with hardened positions, he...

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has issued a directive halting the eviction of certain renters though the end of 2020 to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Federal, state and local governments have approved eviction moratoriums during the course of the pandemic for many renters, but those protections are...

EDMONTON, Alberta — A couple of American kids made sure Canada’s last team standing in the NHL playoffs will play at least one more game. San Diego native Thatcher Demko made 42 saves in his first NHL playoff start, Minnesota’s Brock Boeser scored and assisted on the go-ahead goal and...

BOSTON — U.S. Sen. Edward Markey defeated U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, harnessing support from progressive leaders to overcome a challenge from a younger rival who is a member of America’s most famous political family. Markey appealed to voters in this deeply Democratic state by positioning...