Associated Press stories, Page 2034
Biden, Obama pair in socially distanced video to decry TrumpVideo
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden is releasing a video of his first in-person meeting with Barack Obama since the coronavirus outbreak began, enlisting the former president to help slam his successor’s response to the pandemic. Snippets offered by Biden’s campaign showed the pair wearing masks while arriving at an office, then...
Florida governor wants schools to reopen, offers flexibilityVideo
TALLAHASSEE — Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis strongly emphasized the need to reopen schools in a rare address Wednesday, saying that keeping them closed will lead to depression, social isolation and a higher dropout rate, but acknowledged that parents should be able to keep children at home if they fear...
Officials: Fort Hood soldier believed to have drowned
BELTON, Texas — Authorities said Wednesday that a Fort Hood soldier found dead last week near the Texas Army base where he was stationed is believed to have drowned, according to the Bell County Sheriff’s Department. A preliminary autopsy shows the cause of death of Pvt. Mejhor Morta, 26, to...
FBI links killing of California lawyer to suspect in deadly attack on New Jersey judge’s familyVideo
LOS ANGELES — Federal investigators have unspecified evidence linking the killing of a men’s rights lawyer in California to the suspect in the ambush shooting of a federal judge’s family in New Jersey, authorities said Wednesday. The evidence allegedly connects Roy Den Hollander, another men’s rights attorney who was found...
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rejects GOP colleague’s apology in verbal spat
WASHINGTON — A Republican congressman offered an apology Wednesday for the “abrupt manner” he used in a verbal confrontation with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez but denied aiming a sexist slur at her. Ocasio-Cortez rejected her colleague’s words, saying they were “not an apology” and what she heard was a vulgar slur....
After recent struggles, Johnson, Koepka seek spark at 3M OpenVideo
BLAINE, Minn. — The presence of Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka in Minnesota this week has given the fledgling 3M Open two heavy-hitting stars of the PGA Tour to headline the second edition of the tournament. Perhaps their participation will be mutually beneficial. Johnson and Koepka could use a pick-me-up...
House votes to remove Confederate statues from CapitolVideo
WASHINGTON — The House has approved a bill to remove statues of Robert E. Lee and other Confederate leaders from the U.S. Capitol, as well as a bust of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, the author of the 1857 Dred Scott decision that declared African Americans couldn’t be citizens. Besides...
Shh! NHL gags teams on injury disclosure for player privacyVideo
Jakub Voracek thinks it is none of your business. When the Philadelphia Flyers winger missed practice over the weekend, no injury, illness or other reason was given. That is the NHL’s mandatory rule during the pandemic, adding another layer of secrecy to a sport already infamous for disclosing — at...
Ex-officer charged in George Floyd’s death faces tax evasion counts
MINNEAPOLIS — The former Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in the death of George Floyd was charged Wednesday with multiple felony counts of tax evasion. Derek Chauvin and his wife, Kellie May Chauvin, were each charged in Washington County with six counts of filing false or fraudulent tax returns...
Analysis: Behind health, stability a key to NFL successVideo
Chiefs, 49ers, Saints, Ravens. All powerhouses last season. All in excellent position to be so again if the NFL gets to play during the coronavirus pandemic. Anyone who believes continuity isn’t an essential part of pro football success will need to re-examine that philosophy. As NFL teams finally get together...
Democrats press McConnell on coronavirus aid, but some in GOP revoltVideo
WASHINGTON — Despite disarray in the Republican ranks, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pushed Wednesday to unveil a draft covid-19 aid package as the White House resists Democratic demands for more virus testing, state funding and housing eviction protections. Key GOP senators revolted over the emerging effort as the price...
Florida sheriff: 2 brothers, girlfriend arrested in triple homicide
FROSTPROOF, Fla. — Two brothers and a woman have been arrested in connection with the “massacre” of three best friends who set out on a fishing trip at a central Florida lake last week, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Wednesday. One of the suspects, Tony “TJ” Wiggins, 26, had...
Trump deploys more federal agents under ‘law-and-order’ pushVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will send federal agents to Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico, to help combat rising crime, expanding the administration’s intervention into local enforcement as he runs for reelection under a “law-and-order” mantle. Using the same alarmist language he has employed to describe...
Report: Veterans home failed to protect residents from coronavirus
HARRISBURG — A state-run veterans nursing home in Pennsylvania where 42 residents have died of covid-19 failed to take steps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, state Health Department inspectors concluded. Health inspectors said in a report that Southeastern Veterans’ Center, a 292-bed facility outside Philadelphia, ignored state and...
NCAA football oversight asks board for time on fall sportsVideo
The NCAA football oversight committee is asking the association’s Board of Governors to avoid making a decision later this week on whether to conduct fall championships as college sports tries to find a path to play through the pandemic. A letter dated July 21 was sent by committee chairman Shane...
Winner of $10M lottery prize in 2017 charged with murder
SHALLOTTE, N.C. — A North Carolina man who won a $10 million lottery prize in 2017 has been arrested on a murder charge in the death of a woman whose body was found at a hotel. The Shallotte Police Department charged Michael Todd Hill, 52, of Leland, with murder after...
AP-NORC poll: Very few Americans back full school reopeningVideo
BOSTON — Virtual instruction. Mandated masks. Physical distancing. The start of school will look very different this year because of the coronavirus — and that’s OK with the vast majority of Americans. Only about 1 in 10 Americans think daycare centers, preschools or K-12 schools should open this fall without...
Opening day amid virus: Masked men, empty parks, odd sounds
Opening day, at last. A baseball season that was on the brink before it ever began because of the virus outbreak is set to start Thursday night when excitable Max Scherzer and the World Series champion Washington Nationals host $324 million ace Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees. When...
World virus cases top 15M; U.S. labs buckle amid testing surge
WASHINGTON — Laboratories across the country are buckling under a surge of coronavirus tests, creating long processing delays that experts say are actually undercutting the pandemic response. With the U.S. tally of infections at 3.9 million Wednesday and new cases surging, the bottlenecks are creating problems for workers kept off...
Indy 500 to reduce capacity to 25%, lift blackout
The Indianapolis 500 will limit fan attendance, implement strict testing, social distancing and mask requirements, and lift the local broadcast blackout for just the second time in nearly seven decades when the postponed race is run next month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Speedway officials released a detailed 88-page plan Wednesday...
Lebanon County sues Gov. Wolf, seeking $13M in virus funding he withheld
A Pennsylvania county sued Wednesday to compel Gov. Tom Wolf to release $12.8 million in federal coronavirus relief funding that he withheld after county leaders defied his shutdown orders and sought to reopen on their own. Wolf yanked the funding from Lebanon County, where local Republican leaders voted in mid-May...
Lebanon County sues Gov. Wolf for withholding $13M in virus funding
A Pennsylvania county sued Wednesday to compel Gov. Tom Wolf to release $12.8 million in federal coronavirus relief funding that he withheld after county leaders defied his shutdown orders and sought to reopen on their own. Wolf yanked the funding from Lebanon County, where local Republican leaders voted in mid-May...
Kim Kardashian asks public to show compassion, empathy to Kanye West
NEW YORK — Kim Kardashian West is asking the public to show compassion and empathy to husband Kanye West, who caused a stir this week after fulminating in a series of social media posts. She says he is bipolar. The reality TV star and beauty mogul posted a lengthy message...
U.S. signs contract with Pfizer for covid-19 vaccine doses
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will pay Pfizer nearly $2 billion for a December delivery of 100 million doses of a covid-19 vaccine the pharmaceutical company is developing, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Wednesday. The United States could buy another 500 million doses under the agreement, Azar...
U.S. wildlife agency rejects protections for rare fish species
BILLINGS, Mont. — U.S. wildlife officials on Wednesday rejected special protections for a rare, freshwater fish related to salmon that’s been at the center of a long-running legal dispute, citing conservation efforts that helped increase Arctic grayling numbers in a Montana river. The Associated Press obtained details of the decision...
