Associated Press stories, Page 2031

MINNEAPOLIS — Demonstrations in cities across the United States to condemn racism and police abuses remained large but turned notably more subdued on the eve of a Thursday memorial service for George Floyd that kicks off a series of events to mourn the man whose death empowered a national movement....

HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s legislature approved a contentious bill Thursday that makes it illegal to insult the Chinese national anthem. The legislation was approved after pro-democracy opposition lawmakers tried to disrupt the vote. It passed with 41 lawmakers voting for it and just one voting against. Most of the...

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The police department in North Carolina’s largest city is coming under criticism after a video posted to social media appeared to show officers using chemical agents on demonstrators who were boxed in while protesting the death of George Floyd. The video was recorded on Tuesday night by...

WASHINGTON — In an extraordinary rebuke, former defense secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday denounced President Donald Trump’s heavy-handed use of military force to quell protests near the White House and said his former boss was setting up a “false conflict” between the military and civilian society. “I have watched this...

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Arizona officials reported nearly 1,000 new coronavirus cases Wednesday amid a recent surge in hospitalizations, a little over two weeks after Gov. Doug Ducey ended his stay-at-home order. The surge of new cases is a troubling sign for former state health director Will Humble, who said the...

NEW ORLEANS — Drew Brees was criticized sharply by fellow high-profile athletes including some of his own teammates on Wednesday after the Saints’ quarterback reiterated his opposition to kneeling during the National Anthem. In an interview with Yahoo, Brees was asked to revisit former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s 2016 protest...

A racehorse named for Dr. Anthony Fauci finished second in his debut Wednesday at Belmont Park in New York. Fauci, a 2-year-old colt, was beaten by a horse named Prisoner in the third race. Fauci was the even-money favorite. Co-owner Phillip Antonacci named the horse for Fauci in mid-March after...

Former President Barack Obama is taking on an increasingly public role as the nation confronts a confluence of historic crises that has exposed deep racial and socioeconomic inequalities in America and reshaped the November election. In doing so, Obama is signaling a willingness to sharply critique his successor, President Donald...

WASHINGTON — The White House said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s visit to a nearby church where he held up a Bible was a “leadership moment” akin to Winston Churchill’s inspection of bomb-damaged London during World War II, a comparison that drew swift condemnation from the author of a new...

The NBA has told the National Basketball Players Association that it will present a 22-team plan for restarting the season to the league’s board of governors on Thursday, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The teams that will be going to the ESPN Wide World...

Sean Miller has reeled in some of nation’s best recruiting classes during his 11-year stint at Arizona, players who starred in college, won multiple NCAA Tournament games, went on to the NBA. His latest group has a distinctly international flavor to it. Filling the gaps left by three potential first-round...

WASHINGTON — Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein told lawmakers Wednesday that he would not have approved an FBI surveillance application for a former Trump campaign aide during the Russia investigation had he known at the time about the problems that have since been revealed. Rosenstein’s comments amounted to a...

HARRISBURG — Philadelphia will be under curfew again for a fifth straight night Wednesday, as Gov. Tom Wolf marched in Harrisburg with demonstrators protesting police violence against black people and racial injustice following the killing of George Floyd. Wolf, with officials from Harrisburg, marched from the Capitol steps to a...

The PGA Tour announced a deal with Sanford Health to conduct covid-19 testing of players, caddies and essential personnel five days before the season resumes. That applies to every stop on the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions and the developmental Korn Ferry Tour. Sanford Health is based in South Dakota...

NEW YORK — MLB rejected the players’ proposal for a 114-game schedule in the pandemic-delayed season with no additional salary cuts, telling the union that teams have no reason to think 82 games is possible and now will discuss even fewer. Players made their proposal Sunday, five days after management’s...