Associated Press stories, Page 2003
Mazda-Toyota boosts investment in Alabama plant by $830M
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, the new joint-venture between the two auto companies, on Thursday announced an additional $830 million investment in its new Alabama plant. Gov. Kay Ivey said in a news release that the investment in the new auto facility is now $2.3 billion, up from the...
Trump, Biden trade barbs on coronavirus response
WILMINGTON, Del. — President Donald Trump on Thursday attacked Joe Biden for calling on governors to mandate that all Americans wear masks for the next three months, accusing the Democratic presidential candidate of politicizing an issue Trump himself has used for political gain in recent months. Trump claimed Biden has...
EPA relaxes greenhouse gas emission limits on oil and gas industry
HARRISBURG — President Trump’s administration is undoing Obama-era rules designed to limit greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas fields and pipelines, formalizing the changes Thursday in the heart of the nation’s most prolific natural gas reservoir and in the premier presidential battleground state of Pennsylvania. Andrew Wheeler, the Environmental...
Trump opposes postal money that would help vote-by-mail
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared Thursday that he opposes additional funding for the U.S. Postal Service, acknowledging that his position would starve the agency of money Democrats say it needs to process an anticipated surge in mail-in ballots during the coronavirus pandemic. Trump also claimed anew — falsely —...
Georgia governor to drop lawsuit over Atlanta mask mandate
ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday said he’s dropping a lawsuit against the city of Atlanta in a dispute over the city’s requirement to wear masks in public and other restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kemp had sued Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the City Council....
Feds now investigating Florida man accused of making bombs
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — Federal agents are taking over the investigation of a Florida man who was arrested after police found more than two dozen pipe bombs near his home, including some that contained nails, screws and metal pellets. Boynton Beach police said Thursday that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,...
S&P 500 briefly rises above record close as stocks drift
NEW YORK — Wall Street is drifting on Thursday, and the S&P 500 is again on the verge of erasing the very last of its pandemic losses. The S&P 500 was 0.1% higher in afternoon trading at 3,383.64. Earlier in the afternoon, it briefly rose above 3,386.15, which was the...
Portland protest clashes re-emerge near U.S. courthouse
PORTLAND, Ore. — Protesters and police clashed in downtown Portland in a demonstration that lasted into the predawn hours of Thursday, with some in the crowd setting a fire and exploding commercial grade fireworks outside a federal courthouse that’s been a target in months of conflict for Oregon’s largest city....
For Americans waiting on virus aid, no new relief in sight
WASHINGTON — With talks on emergency coronavirus aid having stalled out, both sides played the blame game Thursday rather than make any serious moves to try to break their stalemate. Official Washington is emptying, national politics is consuming the airwaves and the chasm between the warring sides appears too great...
AMC to offer 15-cent tickets on first day of reopening
NEW YORK — AMC Theatres, the nation’s largest movie theater chain, will reopen in the U.S. on Aug. 20 with retro ticket prices of 15 cents per movie. AMC Entertainment, which owns the chain, said Thursday that it expects to open the doors to more than 100 cinemas — or...
AP source: Kittle agrees to 5-year extension with 49ers
All-Pro tight end George Kittle has agreed to a five-year extension with the San Francisco 49ers that reportedly is the richest contract ever at the position. A person familiar with the deal says the sides agreed Thursday on the deal to keep Kittle off the market next offseason. The person...
No. 1 Novak Djokovic says he’ll play at U.S. Open, after all
The Big Three will be represented at the U.S. Open, after all: Novak Djokovic announced Thursday he will enter the Grand Slam tournament and the hard-court tuneup preceding it in New York. Djokovic initially complained about the U.S. Tennis Association’s plans to try to protect people from the coronavirus pandemic...
Senators lay out plan for college athletes bill of rights
A group of senators led by Cory Booker of New Jersey and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut on Thursday released a plan for reforming college sports with an athletes bill of rights. The legislative plan calls for college athletes to have the ability to earn money for their names, images and...
Virus-proofing NFL facilities is a tall, masked task
The captivation and celebration of the NFL have long stemmed from the speed, strategy, strength and teamwork that make the game go. Football is just as much a sport of pattern and detail, too, never more than at training camps around the league in the time of covid-19. Like the...
Pompeo, in Slovenia, pushes 5G security, warns about China
BLED, Slovenia — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Slovenia to make the case for high-speed wireless networks that bar Chinese companies like Huawei. On the second leg of a four-nation tour of central and eastern Europe, Pompeo was meeting Slovenian officials in the mountain lake town of...
Biden raises $26M in 24 hours after Harris VP announcement
WILMINGTON, Del. — Joe Biden raised $26 million in the 24 hours after he named Kamala Harris as his running mate, doubling his previous one-day record and signaling enthusiasm among Democrats following the selection of the first Black woman on a major party’s presidential ticket. “It’s really palpable, the excitement,”...
Thousands in Belarus form ‘lines of solidarity’ in protest
MINSK, Belarus — Thousands of people were back on the streets of Belarus’ capital on Thursday to keep protesting against a vote that extended the 26-year rule of the country’s authoritarian leader, and against a brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrations. In several areas of Minsk, hundreds of women formed long...
Flyers edge Montreal in series opener
TORONTO — Carter Hart made 27 saves, Joel Farabee scored 16 seconds after Montreal tied it, and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Canadiens 2-1 on Wednesday night in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Ivan Provorov also scored for the Flyers. Shea Weber scored for the Canadiens, and Carey...
QAnon-supporting candidate unrepentant despite GOP criticismVideo
ATLANTA — Political newcomer Marjorie Taylor Greene was mocked as a supporter of QAnon conspiracies and denounced for videos deemed racist even by fellow Republicans who withdrew endorsements and declared her unfit for Congress. The businesswoman from northern Georgia had a blunt message for her critics as she coasted to...
Plan for Kentucky Derby eliminates general admission tickets
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Churchill Downs officials expect less than 23,000 fans will be able to attend next month’s rescheduled Kentucky Derby under an updated health and safety plan. The plan eliminates general admission and standing room only areas, with total capacity limited to less than 14% of the 2015 attendance...
Anders Lee stakes Islanders to series lead over CapitalsVideo
TORONTO — New York Islanders coach Barry Trotz isn’t surprised the Washington Capitals, his former team, is unhappy with Anders Lee. Trotz didn’t see anything wrong with Lee’s play in a 4-2 first-round series playoff-opening victory in which the New York captain set the tone with a big hit on...
Bruins win opener against Hurricanes in double overtimeVideo
TORONTO — After being told to come back the next morning because another game lasted five overtimes, the Boston Bruins didn’t want to repeat history so quickly. “We talked about trying to end this before the fifth overtime,” Patrice Bergeron said. Bergeron accomplished that by scoring early in double overtime,...
Texas surpasses 9,000 coronavirus deaths as testing remains low
AUSTIN — Texas surpassed 9,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths Wednesday while testing again dropped to the lowest levels since June, and infection rates hit another record. The state on Wednesday reported 324 additional deaths, bringing the total number of confirmed new deaths added from covid-19 over the past week alone to...
Avalanche score 3 third-period goals to shut out CoyotesVideo
EDMONTON, Alberta — Nazem Kadri and J.T. Compher scored 10 seconds apart in the third period, Philipp Grubauer stopped 14 shots and the Colorado Avalanche opened the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 3-0 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday. Colorado dominated the Coyotes through the first two periods, outshooting...
United plans more Florida flights, but coronavirus gets final say
DALLAS — United Airlines said Wednesday it plans to add up to 28 daily flights to Florida this winter, but the airline is prepared to reverse course if the rate of coronavirus cases in the state remains high. United said that it will increase flights from New York, Boston and...
