Associated Press stories, Page 2075
U.K. to allow emergency use of any effective covid-19 vaccineVideo
LONDON — Britain is preparing to revise its laws to allow the emergency use of any effective coronavirus vaccine before it is fully licensed — but only if the shots meet required safety and quality standards. In a statement Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government said it was adopting...
Longtime Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson dies at 85
TUCSON, Ariz. — Lute Olson, the Hall of Fame coach who turned Arizona into a college basketball powerhouse, has died. He was 85. Olson’s family said he died Thursday evening. The cause of death wasn’t given. “Coach Olson is the absolute best, one of the greatest coaches ever and one...
Trump lashes Biden, defies pandemic on White House stage
WASHINGTON — Facing a national moment fraught with racial turmoil and a deadly pandemic, President Donald Trump accepted his party’s renomination on a massive White House South Lawn stage Thursday night, boasting of helping African Americans and defying his own administration’s pandemic guidelines to address a tightly packed, largely maskless...
Ill. teen charged in Kenosha shooting that killed 2, hurt 1
KENOSHA, Wis. — Prosecutors on Thursday charged a 17-year-old from Illinois in the fatal shooting of two protesters and the wounding of a third in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during a night of unrest following the weekend police shooting of Jacob Blake. Kyle Rittenhouse faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide, one count...
Laura thrashes Louisiana, nearby states face tornado threats
LAKE CHARLES, La. — One of the strongest hurricanes ever to strike the U.S., Laura barreled across Louisiana on Thursday, shearing off roofs, killing at least six people and maintaining ferocious strength while carving a destructive path hundreds of miles inland. A full assessment of the damage wrought by the...
North Carolina man freed after 1976 rape conviction vacated
CONCORD, N.C. — A North Carolina man who spent 44 years in prison for a rape he says he didn’t commit was freed Thursday. Ronnie Long’s attorney broke the news of his impending release via Twitter on Wednesday, the Charlotte Observer reported. “The state said it will ask the district...
Wolf, Republicans at odds over Pennsylvania election law
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov. Tom Wolf and Republican state lawmakers remained at odds Thursday over how to update Pennsylvania’s voting laws to handle an expected avalanche of mail-in ballots in November’s presidential election in the battleground state, even as Philadelphia moved ahead with an ambitious election plan. Wolf, a Democrat,...
Parish votes to keep Confederate statue; Laura topples it
LAKE CHARLES, La. — Just days ago, officials in Louisiana’s Calcasieu Parish voted not to move a Confederate statue from its prominent place in front of the courthouse. Then Hurricane Laura came along and toppled it. The South’s Defenders Monument was knocked off its pedestal as the Category 4 monster...
A 2nd day of NBA playoff games halted over racial injustice
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — An unprecedented NBA walkout over racial injustice postponed a second day of the playoffs Thursday, although players pledged to finish the postseason even as they wrestled with their emotions about wanting to bring change in their communities. For now, the basketball courts in the NBA’s...
Biden: Trump sees Wisconsin unrest as ‘political benefit’
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden said Thursday that President Donald Trump is “rooting for more violence” amid racially charged unrest in Wisconsin, and that he’d be willing to visit the state himself to try and defuse tensions. “He views this as a political benefit,” the Democratic presidential nominee said of Trump...
Trump to blast Biden as ‘extreme’ in convention speech
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump plans to tell voters that Democratic rival Joe Biden would pursue the “most extreme set of proposals ever put forward by a major party nominee” when the president delivers his acceptance speech Thursday night at the Republican National Convention. Trump has complained that the Democrats’...
Stocks climb after Fed says rates may stay low for longer
NEW YORK — Stocks edged further into record heights on Wall Street Thursday after the Federal Reserve made a major overhaul to its strategy, one that could keep interest rates low for longer. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% after earlier veering through a jumbled day of trading. Prices for stocks,...
Fox’s Tucker Carlson takes heat for Kenosha commentary
NEW YORK — Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, no stranger to the hot seat for his commentary, is being criticized for suggesting that no one should be surprised by the killing of two demonstrators during social unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Authorities “stood back and watched Kenosha burn,” he said on Fox...
AP source: NBA players decide to continue season at Disney
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — A person with knowledge of the situation says NBA players decided Thursday that they want to continue the season, coming to that consensus one day after three postseason games were postponed in a protest of racial injustice. It was not clear yet when the season...
NFL teams cancel practice in response to Blake shooting
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Empty practice fields made for loud and powerful statements at facilities across the NFL. The Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans and Washington Football Team all chose to not practice Thursday in response to the shooting...
Innocent Florida inmate to be released after 37 years
TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida man who has spent the last 37 years in prison on a rape and murder charge was ordered released Thursday, after officials discovered new evidence that proved his innocence. Robert Duboise, who is 56, was serving a life sentence, convicted in 1983 for the murder...
U.S. rolls out free app for alerts on vehicle recalls
DETROIT — The U.S. government’s road safety agency is offering a smartphone app that will alert drivers if their vehicles are recalled. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was scheduled to roll out the free app for both Android and Apple phones Thursday. Owners key in or scan their 17-digit...
More than 1 million Americans file for unemployment, againVideo
WASHINGTON — Just over 1 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that the coronavirus outbreak continues to threaten jobs even as the housing market, auto sales and other segments of the economy rebound from a springtime collapse. The Labor Department reported Thursday that the number of...
U.S. economy plunged an annualized 31.7% in 2nd quarterVideo
BALTIMORE — The U.S. economy shrank at an alarming annual rate of 31.7% during the April-June quarter as it struggled under the weight of the viral pandemic, the government estimated Thursday. It was the sharpest quarterly drop on record. The Commerce Department downgraded its earlier estimate of the U.S. gross...
Katy Perry gives birth to a baby girl named Daisy
Katy Perry has given birth to a baby girl named Daisy Dove Bloom. The pop superstar and her partner, actor Orlando Bloom, got UNICEF to announce the news on its Instagram account. Both Perry and Bloom are goodwill ambassadors for the United Nations agency that helps children. View this post...
France warns Lebanon risks collapse after explosion, crisis
BEIRUT — Lebanon is in such a deep political and economic crisis the country risks collapsing altogether, France’s foreign minister said Thursday, ahead of the French president’s visit to the country next week. Lebanon’s government resigned amid accusations of entrenched corruption and negligence after the Aug. 4 explosion that killed...
NHL players discuss options for racial injustice protests
NHL players are discussing options to protest racial injustice after the NBA and other professional sports leagues postponed games, according to a person with knowledge of those talks. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity early Thursday because those discussions were private. The subject rose to...
Nazem Kadri, Avalanche regroup to beat Stars in Game 3
EDMONTON, Alberta — Nazem Kadri scored the go-ahead goal with 6 minutes, 6 seconds remaining in a wild third period as the Colorado Avalanche regrouped to beat the Dallas Stars, 6-4, in Game 3 on Wednesday night. Dallas has a 2-1 advantage in the second-round series. Game 4 will be...
Russia blames U.S. for military vehicles’ collision in Syria
MOSCOW — The Russian military on Thursday blamed the U.S. troops for a collision of Russian and U.S. military vehicles in Syria’s northeast. U.S. officials said Wednesday that a Russian vehicle sideswiped a light-armored U.S. military vehicle, injuring four Americans, while two Russian helicopters flew overhead, one as close as...
WVU students get probation for covid violations
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Seventeen West Virginia University students have been placed on probation for conduct violations related to the coronavirus pandemic. The Office of Student Conduct made the decision following hearings for the students, the university said Wednesday in a statement. An additional 15 students will undergo similar hearings and...
