Associated Press stories, Page 1955
‘Unfathomable’: U.S. death toll from coronavirus hits 200,000
The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus topped 200,000 Tuesday, a figure unimaginable eight months ago when the scourge first reached the world’s richest nation with its state-of-the-art laboratories, top-flight scientists and stockpiles of medicines and emergency supplies. “It is completely unfathomable that we’ve reached this point,” said Jennifer Nuzzo,...
U.S. homes sales rise 2.4% in August
Sales of existing homes rose 2.4% in August to its highest level since 2006 as the housing market recovers from a widespread shutdown in the spring brought on by the coronavirus outbreak. The National Association of Realtors said Tuesday that sales rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6...
Louisville restricts access before decision in Breonna Taylor caseVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Officials in Kentucky’s largest city were preparing Tuesday for more protests and possible unrest as the public nervously awaits the state attorney general’s announcement about whether he will charge officers in Breonna Taylor’s shooting death. With timing of the announcement still uncertain, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer declared...
Louisiana trooper who faced firing in Black man’s death dies in crash
A Louisiana state trooper has died following a single-vehicle highway crash that happened just hours after he learned he would be fired for his role last year in the in-custody death of a Black man. Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth was pronounced dead Tuesday following a brief hospitalization, Warren Lee, chief...
Post Malone leads Billboard Awards nominationsVideo
Post Malone is the sunflower of the 2020 Billboard Music Awards. The multi-platinum 25-year-old star scored 16 nominations, dick clark productions and NBC announced Tuesday. Malone’s nominations include top artist, top male artist, top rap artist and top streaming songs artist. His 2019 album “Hollywood’s Bleeding” — which featured the...
Romney OKs voting on Supreme Court nominee, all but assures approvalVideo
WASHINGTON — Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney said Tuesday he supports voting to fill the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court, all but ensuring President Donald Trump has the backing needed to push the nomination over Democratic objections that it’s too close to the November election....
Unmasked: NFL fines coaches, teams for not covering faces
NFL coaches thumbed their collective — and exposed — noses at the NFL’s mask mandate in Week 2. The league responded with hefty fines of $100,000 per coach and $250,000 per club. The first three to get fined were Denver’s Vic Fangio, San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan and Seattle’s Pete Carroll,...
Complaint flushed: No charge in toilet election display
MASON, Mich. — A prosecutor in Michigan has flushed a complaint about a toilet that was promoted as a place to drop absentee ballots. The election clerk in Ingham County informed police about a toilet on the front lawn of a home in Mason, near Lansing. A sign said, “Place...
UN chief: ‘Epochal’ crisis as world powers meet remotelyVideo
UNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the U.N.’s first-ever virtual meeting of global leaders Tuesday that the world is facing an “epochal” health crisis, the biggest economic calamity and job losses since the Great Depression, threats to human rights and worries of a new Cold War between the U.S....
Trump calls Swedish lawmaker in thanks for Nobel nomination
STOCKHOLM — A Swedish lawmaker who nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the Middle East says he got a phone call of thanks from the American leader. Magnus Jacobsson, a member of Sweden’s Parliament for the Christian Democrats, wrote Tuesday on...
Pennsylvania launches new coronavirus exposure notification app
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s new coronavirus exposure notification app became available in app stores Tuesday and could soon be compatible with those of three neighboring states, including New York. The release of the app, named COVID AlertPa, is part of Pennsylvania’s effort to more quickly break chains of transmission by using...
Dog trapped in 30-foot hole lured to safety with beef jerky
MORGANTON, N.C. — A group of mountain bikers on a North Carolina trail spotted a dog trapped 30 feet down in a sinkhole — and it took a salty snack and some straps to lift him to safety. The group was riding the Sinkhole Trail at Pisgah National Forest, about...
Kevin Hart inks new multi-platform deal with SiriusXM
Kevin Hart is bringing more of his funny back to SiriusXM. The satellite radio company announced on Tuesday a new multi-platform deal with Hart and his comedy network Laugh Out Loud. The superstar comedian-actor will host new regular and live programs on his channel, Laugh Out Loud Radio, while expanding...
In battleground states, Catholics are a pivotal swing vote
For decades, Roman Catholic voters have been a pivotal swing vote in U.S. presidential elections, with a majority backing the winner — whether Republican or Democrat — nearly every time. How they vote in the battleground states this year could well decide the outcome, and the rival campaigns are targeting...
U.K.’s Boris Johnson slams brakes on reopening as covid cases surgeVideo
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson slammed the brakes Tuesday on the country’s return to offices and a normal social life, saying the U.K. was at a “perilous turning point” in its fight against coronavirus. Saying that Britain had to act now or face a huge second wave of...
Professor put on leave for comments about Trump supporters
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A university professor who told her students in West Virginia that she hopes people who attend political rallies without masks get the coronavirus and die has been placed on administrative leave. The video posted on social media last week identifies the professor as Jennifer Mosher, who teaches...
National park sign vandalized with racist message, bear skin
WALLAND, Tenn. — The National Park Service is trying to identify who mounted a cardboard sign with a racist message and hung a black bear skin over an entrance sign at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Visitors reported seeing the bear skin and sign on Saturday morning on a welcome...
Beta weakens to tropical depression, stalls over Texas coastVideo
HOUSTON — Beta weakened to a tropical depression Tuesday as it parked itself over the Texas coast, raising concerns of extensive flooding in Houston and areas farther inland. Beta made landfall late Monday as a tropical storm just north of Port O’Connor, Texas, and has the distinction of being the...
This day in sports history: Sept. 22
1905 — Willie Anderson wins the U.S. Open for the fourth time in five years, beating Alex Smith with a 314-total. 1911 — Cy Young, 44, beats the Pittsburgh Pirates, 1-0, for his 511th and final major league victory. 1927 — Gene Tunney wins a unanimous 10-round decision over Jack...
Denny Hamlin, Michael Jordan start NASCAR team, hire Bubba Wallace to drive
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Denny Hamlin has joined Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan to form a NASCAR team with Bubba Wallace as the driver, a high-profile pairing of a Black majority team owner and the only Black driver at NASCAR’s top level. The partnership was announced Monday night in coordinated social...
Raiders open Las Vegas stadium with win over Saints
LAS VEGAS — Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders delivered a performance worthy of their fancy new home. Too bad none of their fans were able to see it in person. Carr threw three touchdown passes and the Raiders gave their new fans in Las Vegas plenty to celebrate...
Lightning beat Stars 3-2 in Game 2, get even in Stanley CupVideo
EDMONTON, Alberta — Nikita Kucherov and the Tampa Bay Lightning got themselves up off the ice to get even in the Stanley Cup Final. Kucherov had the primary assists on power-play goals by Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat in the first period before Kevin Shattenkirk scored and the Lightning held...
DA seeking Trump’s taxes cites ‘mountain’ of allegations
NEW YORK — The Manhattan district attorney’s office told a federal appeals court Monday that its quest to gain access to President Donald Trump’s tax returns is supported by “a mountainous record” of public allegations of misconduct. The president and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. have been battling for...
Jenna Fryer: NASCAR’s dizzying silly season will change landscapeVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There were two early warning signs NASCAR was heading into its most unpredictable “silly season” in decades. Former series champion Brad Keselowski accepted a one-year extension with Team Penske, and rookie Tyler Reddick renewed with Richard Childress Racing with barely a glance at other options. Those moves...
Federal judge: Postal Service must process election mail on time
NEW YORK — For the second time in a week, a federal judge said a nationwide order is necessary to ensure mail for November’s election is delivered on time, and he is threatening to demand weekly updates on efforts by the U.S. Postal Service to process election mail. On Monday,...
