Associated Press stories, Page 1952
Visa, Mastercard won’t allow charges for services on Pornhub
Mastercard and Visa said Thursday they would block their customers from using the credit cards to make purchases on Pornhub following accusations the pornographic website showed videos of rape and underage sex. They reacted following an investigation by opinion columnist Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times that also alleged...
5 years on, signs that Paris climate accord is working
The forecast for global warming is looking a little less bleak in the long term, but not so rosy in the short term. With numerous countries pledging to clean up their act and projected temperature rises now smaller than they once were, scientists and diplomats say the outlook for mid-to-late...
Viral spread: Americans paying the price for Thanksgiving
With some Americans now paying the price for what they did over Thanksgiving and falling sick with COVID-19, health officials are warning people — begging them, even — not to make the same mistake during the Christmas and New Year’s season. “It’s a surge above the existing surge,” said Ali...
Utah senator blocks national museums for Latinos, women
A lone senator from Utah has singlehandedly blocked the bipartisan approval of two new national museums to honor American Latinos and women, arguing that “last thing we need is to further divide an already divided nation.” Republican Sen. Mike Lee objected Thursday to the creation of the two proposed Smithsonian...
GSK, Sanofi say their covid-19 vaccine won’t be ready until late 2021
Drugmakers GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi said Friday that their potential covid-19 vaccine won’t be ready until late next year because they need to improve the shot’s effectiveness in older people. The companies said early trials showed the vaccine produced an “insufficient” immune response in people over 60 because it didn’t contain...
Inflation still a no-show, US wholesale prices up just 0.1%
U.S. wholesale prices edged up just 0.1% in November with the economic disruption from the pandemic continuing to suppress demand and keeping inflation at extremely low levels. The increase in the producer price index, which measures inflation pressures before they reach the consumer, followed bigger gains of 0.3% in October...
Stocks extend losses as virus aid languishes in Congress
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks fell in afternoon trading Friday as prospects for another aid package from Washington faded while a surge in virus cases threatens to inflict more damage on an already battered economy. Investors have been hoping for another financial lifeline to help cushion the latest blow from...
Obama reunion? Joe Biden fills Cabinet with former White House leaders
President-elect Joe Biden is getting the old gang back together. Increasingly deep into the process of selecting Cabinet members and other senior staff, the incoming Biden administration has a distinctly Obama feel. There’s Denis McDonough, former President Barack Obama’s chief of staff who Biden announced on Thursday would be nominated...
Pollstar: Live events industry lost $30B because of pandemic
NEW YORK — Because of the global coronavirus pandemic, concert trade publication Pollstar puts the total lost revenue for the live events industry in 2020 at more than $30 billion. Pollstar on Friday said the live events industry should have hit a record-setting $12.2 billion this year, but instead it...
Disney unveils plans to stream a galaxy of new series, films
The Walt Disney Co.’s streaming plans shifted into hyper speed Thursday, as the studio unveiled a galaxy’s worth of new streaming offerings including plans for 10 “Star Wars” series spinoffs and 10 Marvel series that will debut on Disney+. In a virtual presentation for investors, Disney chief executive Bob Chapek...
Trump administration plans 2nd execution in as many days
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — The Trump administration plans to continue its unprecedented series of post-election federal executions Friday by putting to death a Louisiana truck driver who severely abused his 2-year-old daughter for weeks in 2002, then killed her by slamming her head against a truck’s windows and dashboard. Lawyers...
Graduate thanks Nicki Minaj for tuition, med school next
LAFAYETTE, La. — A University of Louisiana at Lafayette student who just graduated is thanking rap artist Nicki Minaj for paying his tuition. Three years ago, someone on Twitter reached out to Minaj with a request for the musician to help pay for college. Minaj agreed — on the condition...
California’s health order falling on many deaf ears
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. — In the Southern California oceanside city of Manhattan Beach, one arm of government is urging residents to stay home except for essential needs while another is encouraging them to get out and shop and even providing places where they can sit down to relax, eat takeout...
U.S. carries out rare execution during presidential transition
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — The Trump administration Thursday carried out its ninth federal execution of the year in what has been a first series of executions during a presidential lame-duck period in 130 years, putting to death a Texas street-gang member in the slayings of a religious couple from Iowa...
Gifty new and unusual pandemic-proof games for the holidays
The pandemic has proven there’s no shortage of games to keep families, couples and kids amused. The classics are ever-present, but a range of new or off-the-beaten-track gift entries are available. A sampling: Tragos It’s a party card game focused on Latino pop culture that comes in a variety of...
Congress stuck as McConnell torpedoes emerging covid relief dealVideo
WASHINGTON — An emerging $900 billion covid-19 aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers all but collapsed Thursday after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republican senators won’t support $160 billion in state and local funds as part of a potential trade-off in the deal. McConnell’s staff conveyed to...
Jerry Falwell Jr. drops defamation lawsuit against Liberty University
LYNCHBURG, Va. — Jerry Falwell Jr. has dropped a defamation lawsuit against his former employer, Liberty University. A judge granted a motion this week to dismiss the case in a move that left open the possibility of Falwell refiling a similar one later, The News & Advance reported Thursday. Court...
SEC on ABC: ESPN to be exclusive TV home, starting 2024Video
The Southeastern Conference’s signature mid-afternoon Saturday game will move from CBS to ABC starting in 2024 as part of a new 10-year contract announced Thursday with ESPN and the powerhouse football league. The deal makes ESPN the exclusive media rights holder of SEC football and men’s basketball, and will end...
Army hosts Navy for 1st time in 77 years because of covid-19
Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo never tires of the feeling that permeates the locker room in the moments before the opening kickoff of the annual matchup against Army. “There’s a chill that goes through you unlike any other game,” Niumatalolo said. “It’s the craziest thing because you’re in the locker room...
Duke basketball cancels remainder of nonconference games
Duke won’t play any more nonconference men’s basketball games in the regular season. The school announced the move Thursday. That followed coronavirus-related postponements of three nonconference games this year, though only one had been rescheduled. In a release, the school said it was a cautionary step because of the pandemic...
Exposure feared after New Hampshire speaker dies of covid-19
The speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives died of covid-19, a medical examiner ruled Thursday, a day after the Republican’s unexpected death, raising concerns that other members of one of the world’s largest legislative bodies might have been exposed at their swearing-in last week. Dick Hinch, who was...
Amy Olson comes up aces and takes 1-shot lead in Women’s Open
HOUSTON — Amy Olson got back to under par with one swing, an 8-iron for a hole-in-one on her seventh hole Thursday, and kept right on going until she had a 4-under-par 67 and a one-shot lead in the U.S. Women’s Open. On a perfect day, the scores made it...
Pennsylvania blasts Texas’ bid in Supreme Court to overturn Biden’s election
HARRISBURG — Lawyers for Pennsylvania responded in the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to Texas’ effort to overturn the election result in four states for President-elect Joe Biden, calling it a “seditious abuse” of the courts that rests on conspiracy theories and falsehoods. Texas lacks standing to bring the challenge,...
FDA panel endorses widespread use of Pfizer covid-19 vaccine
WASHINGTON — A government advisory panel endorsed widespread use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine Thursday, putting the country just one step away from launching an epic vaccination campaign against the outbreak that has killed close to 300,000 Americans. Shots could begin within days, depending on how quickly the Food and Drug...
5 bicyclists killed, 3 injured in crash on Nevada highway
BOULDER CITY, Nev. — Five bicyclists were killed and three others injured in a crash Thursday involving a box truck on U.S. Highway 95 north of Searchlight, Nevada Highway Patrol officials said. Authorities said the truck driver remained on the scene and commercial units were called to inspect the vehicle’s...
