Associated Press stories, Page 2042
Alabama to require face masks as coronavirus surges in stateVideo
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama will begin requiring face masks in public as health officials try to quell a surge of new coronavirus cases that is filling up hospitals, Gov. Kay Ivey said Wednesday. In an announcement made a day after the state reported a pandemic-high of 40 deaths in a...
Obama, Biden, Gates Twitter accounts hacked in bitcoin scam
Unidentified hackers broke into the Twitter accounts of technology moguls, politicians, celebrities and major companies Wednesday in an apparent Bitcoin scam. The ruse included bogus tweets from former President Barack Obama, Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg and a number of tech billionaires including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Microsoft...
Dak Prescott set for franchise tag after no long-term deal with CowboysVideo
Dak Prescott will play whatever becomes of the 2020 season under the one-year franchise tag after the Dallas Cowboys and their star quarterback couldn’t agree on a long-term contract. Clubs had until Wednesday afternoon to reach multiyear deals with players given the franchise tag. Of the 14 tagged in March,...
Power-hitting DeChambeau stealing some of Tiger’s thunder at MemorialVideo
DUBLIN, Ohio — Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau pounded shots along the front nine of Muirfield Village, a nine-hole practice round Wednesday that no doubt would have attracted a capacity crowd if spectators were allowed at the Memorial. They are gobbling up most of the attention in golf, for entirely...
Trump’s former doctor wins House GOP nomination in Texas
AUSTIN — President Donald Trump’s former White House physician and onetime pick to head the Department of Veterans Affairs won the Republican nomination for a U.S. House seat in Texas in an election that unfolded amid an alarming spread of the coronavirus. Ronny Jackson, a retired Navy rear admiral, defeated...
Arkansas Racing Commission bans trainer Bob Baffert for 15 daysVideo
LOS ANGELES — Two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert was suspended for 15 days Wednesday by the Arkansas Racing Commission, and two of his horses were disqualified after testing positive for a banned substance. The commission said in a ruling the suspension will run from Aug. 1-15. The Oaklawn Park...
Coronavirus data is funneled away from CDC, sparking worriesVideo
NEW YORK — Hospital data related to the coronavirus pandemic in the United States will now be collected by a private technology firm, rather than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — a move the Trump administration says will speed up reporting but one that concerns some public health...
NYPD chief, cops hurt as protesters clash on Brooklyn BridgeVideo
NEW YORK — Several New York City police officers were attacked and injured Wednesday as pro-police and anti-police protesters clashed on the Brooklyn Bridge. At least four officers were hurt, including Chief of Department Terence Monahan, and 37 people were arrested, police said. Information on charges was not immediately available....
Titans, Derrick Henry reach agreement on contract, avoid franchise tagVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans agreed to a new contract with Derrick Henry, keeping the NFL rushing leader around and not playing under the franchise tag before the league deadline for an extension. The team announced the deal, saying only it was a “multi-year extension.” Henry reportedly received a...
Missouri Gov. Parson: Trump ‘focused’ on situation with St. Louis couple
O’FALLON, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said President Donald Trump is focused on and concerned about the possibility that a white St. Louis couple could face criminal charges for displaying guns as they defended their home during a racial injustice protest. Parson told reporters that he had just been...
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg released from hospital
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court said Wednesday that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was discharged from a hospital after being treated for a possible infection. A court spokeswoman said in an emailed statement that Ginsburg was “home and doing well.” Ginsburg had gone to a hospital in Washington on Monday evening...
Mail could be delayed as new postal head pushes cost-cutting
WASHINGTON — Mail deliveries could be delayed by a day or more under cost-cutting efforts being imposed by the new postmaster general. The plan eliminates overtime for hundreds of thousands of postal workers and says employees must adopt a “different mindset” to ensure the Postal Service’s survival during the coronavirus...
23 AGs sue Betsy DeVos over student loan forgiveness policy
Democratic attorneys general in more than 20 states sued Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Wednesday, seeking to repeal her overhaul of a student loan forgiveness program. Congress voted to strike down her policy, which makes it more difficult to get federal student loans erased, but President Donald Trump saved it...
Massachusetts mayor steps in to save Pittsburgh couple’s wedding that was missing officiantVideo
MASHPEE, Mass. — A couple gathered with family for a Cape Cod wedding found themselves without an officiant minutes before being wed, until a Massachusetts mayor wrangled special permission to perform the ceremony. Carlo DeMaria, the mayor of Everett, Mass., was on vacation Saturday near the venue in West Yarmouth,...
New peak of 71K U.S. overdose deaths in 2019 dashes hopes
Nearly 71,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, a new record that predates the covid-19 crisis, which the White House and many experts believe will drive such deaths even higher. Preliminary numbers released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the trend is driven by fentanyl...
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt says he has tested positive for covid-19Video
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Wednesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus and that he is isolating at home, making him the first U.S. governor to report testing positive. Stitt, 48, said he mostly feels fine, although he started feeling “a little achy” Tuesday and...
Philadelphia schools: Most kids in class 2 days per week this fall
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia school district announced Wednesday that it plans to resume limited in-person instruction in the fall, with most students in class just two days per week and learning remotely the other three. District officials also warned that it’s “highly likely” that evolving COVID-19 conditions will require individual...
JC Penney cuts 1,000 jobs as it closes stores
JC Penney says it will cut 1,000 jobs as it tries to fight its way out from under bankruptcy protection. The company last month said it had identified just over 150 stores for closure in the first phase of a restructuring in which it will become a smaller operator. The...
Virus resurgence forces countries to reimpose restrictions
PROMACHONAS, Greece — Countries around the world are reimposing lockdowns and implementing new health checks at their borders in an effort to curb a resurgence of the coronavirus before it spins even further out of control. Starting Wednesday, all travelers arriving in Greece from a land border with Bulgaria were...
‘I’m not a bad guy’: Police video captures distraught George FloydVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — Body-camera footage made public Wednesday from two Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyd’s arrest captured a panicked and fearful Floyd pleading with the officers in the minutes before his death, saying “I’m not a bad guy!” as they tried to wrestle him into a squad car. “I’m...
Police charge suspect in slaying of 8-year-old Atlanta girl
ATLANTA — A teen suspect has been charged with felony murder and aggravated assault in the shooting that killed an 8-year-old Atlanta girl near the site of an earlier police shooting, police said Wednesday. Police issued warrants a day earlier for 19-year-old Julian Conley in the slaying of Secoriea Turner,...
Tyra Banks waltzing in as new ‘Dancing With the Stars’ host
Tyra Banks will be showing off her moves as solo host of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.” The supermodel, actor and businesswoman who co-created “America’s Next Top Model” will replace longtime host Tom Bergeron and take on the role of executive producer, ABC said late Tuesday. In a statement, Banks...
Banksy’s covid-19 tags scrubbed from London Tube trainVideo
Even if you are Banksy, tagging is forbidden on London’s Underground. Transport for London, the transportation agency for the greater London area, scrubbed the acclaimed street artist’s latest work on the subject of COVID-19 from one of its trains, erasing a visual warning on the dangers of skipping face coverings....
Trump trades arenas for Rose Garden in attack on Biden
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump transformed an event that was supposed to highlight his China policy into an impromptu campaign rally, delivering an expansive and often meandering broadside against Democratic rival Joe Biden on trade, policing and his son’s business practices, among other topics. The Republican president traded the arena-style...
Russian prankster gets through by phone to Polish presidentVideo
WARSAW, Poland — A Russian prankster posing as the U.N. secretary-general, managed to get through to Poland’s reelected president, Andrzej Duda, on the telephone, rendering him speechless following questions about Ukraine, Russia and the outcome of Sunday’s election. The prankster, Vladimir Kuznetsov, known as Vovan, posted a recording of the...
