Associated Press stories, Page 1943
Pfizer CEO pushes back against Trump claim on vaccine timing
The head of Pfizer, one of the drugmakers racing to develop a coronavirus vaccine, told employees on Thursday he was disappointed that its work was politicized during the presidential debate and tried to reassure U.S. staff that the company won’t bend to pressure to move more quickly. CEO Albert Bourla...
Stay in Congress to be fleeting for Georgia election winner
ATLANTA — More than $1 million and 30,000 ballots later, Georgia voters will be sending someone to Congress amid hopes that a month in Washington is worth it. Former Atlanta City Council member Kwanza Hall and former Morehouse College President Robert Franklin are headed to a Dec. 1 runoff after...
Trump in ‘quarantine process’ after top aide gets covid-19
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says he and first lady Melania Trump are beginning a “quarantine process” as they await coronavirus test results after a top aide he spent substantial time with this week tested positive for covid-19. Trump’s comments came after he confirmed that Hope Hicks, one his closest...
Top Trump aide Hope Hicks tests positive for coronavirus
WASHINGTON — Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump’s closest aides, has tested positive for the coronavirus after spending time in close proximity to him this week. Hicks, who serves as counselor to Trump and traveled with him to a rally Wednesday, tested positive Thursday, according to an administration official,...
Ian Anderson shines, Braves shut out Reds again to sweep series
ATLANTA — It had been so long since the Atlanta Braves won a postseason series, Marcell Ozuna wanted to make sure he captured the moment. Then Adam Duvall joined the selfie bandwagon. Ian Anderson dazzled in another shutout performance for Atlanta, and the Braves won a playoff series for the...
Trump opposes changing debate rules but will still attend
MORRISTOWN, N.J. — President Donald Trump opposes changing the rules for the remaining two presidential debates against Democrat Joe Biden, but his campaign says he will attend regardless. Tuesday’s opening debate in Cleveland quickly turned chaotic, with frequent interruptions by the candidates — particularly Trump. The Commission on Presidential Debates...
Review: Sofia Coppola’s ‘On the Rocks’ is a modest delight
Few filmmakers can bring a rut to life like Sofia Coppola. When her characters are in a funk, whether it’s a Hollywood actor in between jobs, a few lost souls in a foreign place or a Queen, it’s never the stuff of melodrama. She has an eye for the comedic...
Laptop, USB drives stolen from Philly election-staging site
Computer thumb drives used to program Philadelphia voting machines were stolen from a city warehouse along with the laptop of an employee from the machines’ manufacturer. The items were stolen from a warehouse in the city’s East Falls section, city election commission spokesman Nick Custodio said in a brief emailed...
Hundreds of Honduran migrants set out for U.S. amid pandemic
CORINTO, Honduras — About 2,000 Honduran migrants hoping to reach the United States entered Guatemala on foot Thursday morning, testing the newly reopened frontier that had been shut by the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities had planned to register the migrants as they crossed and offer assistance to those willing to turn...
NASA tests new $23M titanium space toilet
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s first new space potty in decades — a $23 million titanium toilet better suited for women — is getting a not-so-dry run at the International Space Station before eventually flying to the moon. It’s packed inside a cargo ship set to blast off late Thursday...
Doctors ask Supreme Court to strike down Trump abortion rule
WASHINGTON — The nation’s largest doctors’ group on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to strike down a Trump administration rule that’s had a far-reaching impact on family planning by prohibiting taxpayer-funded clinics from referring women for abortions. The American Medical Association acted after two U.S. appeals courts issued conflicting rulings...
Court: Amazon not liable in Ohio teen’s powdered caffeine death
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Retail giant Amazon can’t be held responsible under current Ohio product liability law in the death of a high school senior who ingested powdered caffeine, the state Supreme Court said Thursday. At issue before the court was whether the state’s law, which predates online commerce, could be...
Judge says government’s suit over Bolton book can proceed
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration can move forward with its lawsuit against former national security adviser John Bolton over his tell-all book, a judge ruled Thursday in denying a request to dismiss the complaint. The Justice Department alleges that Bolton’s book, “The Room Where It Happened” contains classified information, and...
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend grieve their miscarriage
LOS ANGELES — Chrissy Teigen said she and John Legend are in “deep pain” following her miscarriage, which she announced in a heart wrenching social media post. Teigen wrote that they were “driving home from the hospital with no baby. This is unreal.” “We are shocked and in the kind...
Pa. lawmaker’s positive covid-19 test cancels voting session
HARRISBURG — A Republican lawmaker’s positive test for COVID-19 on Thursday prompted legislative leaders to immediately cancel the day’s Pennsylvania House voting session, and human resources workers were deployed to trace his personal contacts to see if others should be quarantined. Rep. Paul Schemel, R-Franklin, issued a statement saying he...
New rules for Liverpool as virus cases in England quadruple
Britain imposed tighter restrictions on social gatherings in the port city of Liverpool and three towns as scientists reported Thursday that the number of covid-19 cases in England has quadrupled or more in the last month. Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the House of Commons on Thursday that the infection...
Pompeo, Vatican talk China after tensions spill out publicly
ROME — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vatican officials discussed religious freedom and their differences over China on Thursday, a day after tensions over the Holy See’s outreach to Beijing spilled out in public. Pompeo spent 45 minutes in the Apostolic Palace with his Vatican counterpart, Cardinal Pietro...
Consumer spending gains slow to 1% in August
WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer spending slowed in August and personal income fell as a $600 weekly benefit for Americans who are unemployed during the pandemic expired. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that spending grew by just 1%, the weakest growth since spending fell 12.7% in April when rapidly spreading COVID-19...
Facebook tightens political ad bans as U.S. election nears
With just over a month to go before Americans head en masse to the polls in an extraordinarily contentious election, Facebook is expanding restrictions on political advertising, including new bans on messages claiming widespread voter fraud. New prohibitions laid out in a blog post come days after President Donald Trump...
Subway bread isn’t bread, Irish court says
Ireland’s Supreme Court has ruled that bread sold by the fast food chain Subway contains so much sugar that it cannot be legally defined as bread. The ruling came in a tax dispute brought by Bookfinders Ltd., an Irish Subway franchisee, which argued that some of its takeaway products -...
French ‘Spiderman’ climbs Frankfurt skyscraper, faces fine
German police say French urban climber Alain Robert faces a criminal investigation and fine after scaling one of Frankfurt’s tallest buildings Thursday. Robert, known as “Spiderman” for his daring stunts, clambered to the top of rail company Deutsche Bahn’s 545-foot-high office building in Germany’s financial capital, untethered and wearing a...
Google to pay $1 billion over 3 years for news content
Google will pay publishers $1 billion over the next three years for their news content. The internet search giant said said Thursday that it has signed agreements for its news partnership program with nearly 200 publications in Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, the U.K. and Australia. “This financial commitment - our...
Jimmy Carter, America’s oldest living president ever, turns 96
Former President Jimmy Carter marks his 96th birthday Thursday, the latest milestone for the longest-lived of the 44 men to hold the highest American office. Carter planned to celebrate at his home in Plains, Georgia, with his wife of 74 years, Rosalynn Carter, according to a spokeswoman for the Carter...
Report finds flaws in Catholic Church abuse-prevention plans
NEW YORK — Child-protection policies adopted by Roman Catholic leaders to curb clergy sex abuse in the United States are inconsistent and often worryingly incomplete, according to a think tank’s two-year investigation encompassing all 32 of the country’s archdioceses. The analysis by Philadelphia-based CHILD USA said the inconsistencies and gaps...
U.S. layoffs remain elevated as 837,000 seek jobless aid
The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits declined last week to a still-high 837,000, evidence that the economy is struggling to sustain a tentative recovery that began this summer. The Labor Department’s report, released Thursday, suggests that companies are still cutting a historically high number of jobs, though the weekly...
