Associated Press stories, Page 2056
In shake-up, U.K. government plans televised media briefings
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says his government will introduce White House-style televised media briefings, in a shake-up to the traditional system of political communication. For years, political journalists have been briefed off-camera but on the record by the prime minister’s official spokespeople, who are civil servants rather...
4 dead, 97 injured in blast at Turkish fireworks factoryVideo
ANKARA, Turkey — An explosion at a fireworks factory in northwestern Turkey on Friday killed four people and injured 97 others, officials said. At least three people were reported missing. There were 186 workers at the factory outside the town of Hendek, in Sakarya province, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca told...
19 dead as train hits bus carrying Sikh pilgrims in Pakistan
LAHORE, Pakistan — A passenger train crashed into a bus carrying Sikh pilgrims at an unmanned railway crossing in eastern Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 19 people and injuring several others, officials said. The accident happened in the district of Sheikhupura in Punjab province, Raja Ijaz, an official at...
Supreme Court blocks curbside voting in Alabama
MONTGOMERY, Ala. —The U.S. Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision Thursday blocked a lower court ruling allowing curbside voting in Alabama and waiving some absentee ballot requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conservative justices granted Alabama’s request to stay a federal judge’s order that would allow local officials to offer curbside...
US jobs surge: Trump sees sunshine, Biden ‘no victory yet’
NEW YORK — The U.S. economy just posted its best single-month job gain in history. U.S. unemployment is at one of its worst points since the Great Depression. Both are true. As Republicans and Democrats fought to spin Thursday’s jobs numbers to their advantage, both sides face tremendous political risks...
Harley-Davidson cuts ties with dealership over racist posts
MILWAUKEE — Harley-Davidson said it is pulling its Facebook ads for the month of July and severing ties with a Tennessee dealership whose owner was accused of posting racist comments on social media disparaging Black Lives Matter protesters. The post was allegedly made on the Facebook page of Abernathy’s Cycles,...
Booker reaches out to unite Democrats against McConnell
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Looking to flex his newfound influence among Kentucky Democrats after his Senate campaign fell just short, Charles Booker reached out Thursday to unite behind Amy McGrath’s uphill fight to unseat Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Booker, a progressive who lost to McGrath by about 15,100 votes...
Zooming in to start unprecedented MLB summer camp amid virusVideo
Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward was going to address his entire team before the start of MLB’s unprecedented summer training camp, just like he did when spring training opened about 4 1/2 months ago. It was on a Zoom call instead of in person this time. When the New York...
Military chief: Troops were issued bayonets in DC unrest
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has confirmed a report by The Associated Press that some of the service members who were mobilized to Washington, D.C., last month in response to civil unrest over the killing of George Floyd were issued bayonets. Defense documents obtained...
One officer shown in Elijah McClain photos resigns
AURORA, Colo. — One of the police officers investigated over photographs connected with the death of Elijah McClain in Colorado has resigned, Aurora police said Thursday. In a tweet, the department said that Jaron Jones was one of those depicted in the photos, which were taken sometime after McClain’s death...
NASCAR, IndyCar collide for racing extravaganza at IndyVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — The once-frosty schism between the two biggest racing series in the United States has finally thawed, and the result is a blockbuster event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — even without fans. NASCAR’s elite Cup Series will share a venue with IndyCar on the same weekend for the first...
Iowa governor signs abortion law amid court challenge
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday signed into law a bill that requires women to wait 24 hours before getting an abortion, trying again to institute a restriction similar to one struck down two years ago by the Iowa Supreme Court. Reynolds signed the measure into law just after lawyers...
Judge: N.Y. lockup’s covid-19 response lacked common sense
NEW YORK — A Manhattan federal lockup failed to implement common-sense measures to protect prisoners after a COVID-19 outbreak infected dozens of inmates at the facility, a judge said Thursday. U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos said four inmates who sued over conditions at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on behalf of...
Zion Williamson confident in his health, Pelicans’ prospects
NEW ORLEANS — Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson credits his mother’s wisdom with helping him manage life’s unanticipated twists and inevitable assortment of successes and setbacks. It has served the NBA’s top overall draft choice well during a highly unusual debut season that has gone nothing like he imagined, yet still...
Sponsor FedEx asks Redskins to change their nameVideo
WASHINGTON — The title sponsor of the Washington Redskins’ stadium wants the NFL team to change its name. “We have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name,” FedEx said in a statement Thursday. The company paid the team $205 million in 1999 for...
Lee button found in time capsule under Confederate monument
RALEIGH, N.C. — A button that experts believe was from Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s dress coat and a strand of hair from his horse are among the items found inside a time capsule discovered when workers removed the base of a Confederate monument from the grounds of the North...
Couple arrested after white woman pulls gun on Black mom, teen daughter outside ChipotleVideo
A Michigan woman and her husband were charged with felony assault Thursday after she was caught on video pointing a gun at a Black mom and daughter following a fiery shouting match outside a fast-food restaurant this week. The confrontation, part of which was captured on video and included accusations...
Fewer preseason games is another challenge for NFL coachesVideo
Fewer preseason games following an offseason without on-field workouts creates more challenges for new coaches, players who changed teams and rookies. The NFL is cutting the exhibition schedule in half and pushing back the start of the preseason to allow teams more time to train because the coronavirus pandemic forced...
Texas governor issues mask order to fight coronavirus
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday ordered that face coverings must be worn in public across most of the state, a dramatic ramp-up of the Republican’s efforts to control spiking numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. Abbott, who had pushed Texas’ aggressive reopening of the state...
2 arrested in Wendy’s fire after Rayshard Brooks’ shooting
ATLANTA — Authorities on Thursday arrested two more people on suspicion of arson in the burning of an Atlanta Wendy’s restaurant where a police officer fatally shot Rayshard Brooks. The arrests of John Wade, 33, and Chisom Kingston, 23, were confirmed by Atlanta fire spokesman Sgt. Cortez Stafford, the Atlanta...
Doc Redman in 3-way tie for lead at Rocket Mortgage ClassicVideo
DETROIT — Doc Redman is playing his best golf, priming him to perhaps earn his first PGA Tour victory. Redman shot a 7-under-par 65 on Thursday to share the first-round lead with Scott Stallings and Kevin Kisner in the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Bryson DeChambeau, the only player with top-10 finishes...
US issues guidelines but no new rules for safe air travel
Federal officials said Thursday that airlines should consider limiting capacity on planes to promote social distancing, but they are not considering making the airlines do it. The officials also recommended — but did not move to require — that travelers wear face coverings in airports and on planes. All leading...
Confirmed coronavirus cases are rising in 40 of 50 states
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Four U.S. states — Arizona, California, Florida and Texas — reported a combined 25,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases Thursday as the infection curve rose in 40 of the 50 states heading into the July Fourth holiday weekend. With the number of daily confirmed coronavirus cases nationwide...
Source: NFL to play Black anthem before national anthemVideo
“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” will be performed live or played before “The Star-Spangled Banner” prior to each NFL game during Week 1, and the league is considering putting names of victims of police brutality on helmet decals or jersey patches, a person familiar with the discussions told the Associated...
NASCAR meets with minister pushing for racial equalityVideo
As the Rev. Greg Drumwright watched members of his ministry crowd the fence at Talladega Superspeedway to cheer for Black driver Bubba Wallace, he realized his first NASCAR race was the start of his immersion into stock car racing. Less than three weeks later, Drumwright has a seat at NASCAR’s...
