Associated Press stories, Page 2097
New York attorney general seeks to dissolve NRAVideo
NEW YORK — New York’s attorney general sued the National Rifle Association on Thursday, seeking to put the powerful gun advocacy organization out of business over claims that top executives illegally diverted tens of millions of dollars for lavish personal trips, no-show contracts for associates and other questionable expenditures. Attorney...
Coroner: British TV host Caroline Flack killed herself before assault trial
A British coroner ruled Thursday that reality TV host Caroline Flack killed herself while facing an assault trial she feared would end her career and bring unbearable media scrutiny. Flack, the former host of “Love Island,” was found dead at her London apartment in February, weeks before she was due...
Wall Street perks up; S&P 500 edges even closer to record
NEW YORK — Stocks are perking higher on Wall Street Thursday after a report showed the pace of layoffs across the country is slowing, though it remains incredibly high. The S&P 500 was up 0.6% in afternoon trading after spending much of the day waffling between smaller gains and losses....
Playing electoral defense, Trump to promote recovery in Ohio
WASHINGTON — Forced to play defense in states he led comfortably months ago, President Donald Trump set his sights on Ohio on Thursday in an attempt to reframe the centerpiece of his reelection pitch. During his visit, Trump planned to promote the economic prosperity that much of the nation enjoyed...
Lebanon probes blast amid rising anger, calls for change
BEIRUT — Lebanese officials targeted in the investigation of the massive blast that tore through Beirut sought to shift blame for the presence of explosives at the city’s port, and the visiting French president warned Thursday that without serious reforms the country would “continue to sink.” The blast Tuesday, which...
1.2 million seek jobless aid after $600 federal check ends
WASHINGTON — Nearly 1.2 million laid-off Americans applied for state unemployment benefits last week, evidence that the coronavirus keeps forcing companies to slash jobs just as a critical $600 weekly federal jobless payment has expired. The Labor Department’s report Thursday marked the 20th straight week that at least 1 million...
Kaley Cuoco takes to skies in ‘The Flight Attendant’
Kaley Cuoco was looking for her next project three years before “The Big Bang Theory” ended. She found it reading a snippet about a book on Amazon. “The Flight Attendant” is a dark thriller with comedic overtones, letting Cuoco employ the love of laughter she honed for 12 seasons on...
‘Ren & Stimpy’ to make TV comeback in new Comedy Central show
The brazen humor of “The Ren & Stimpy Show” will be revisited in a new Comedy Central version of the animated series. The original program that was a hit for Nickelodeon will be reimagined in partnership with Nickelodeon Animation Studio, Comedy Central said Wednesday. Ren, a psychologically challenged Chihuahua, and...
MLB tightening virus protocols, including masks in dugouts
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball is cracking down on coronavirus safety protocols, mandating that players and staff wear face coverings at all times, including in the dugouts and bullpens, except for players on the field of play. The league sent a memo to teams Wednesday outlining changes to its...
5 dead in suspected arson in Denver
DENVER — Five people were found dead Wednesday after an early morning fire destroyed a suburban Denver home — a blaze authorities said they suspect was intentionally set. Three people escaped the fire by jumping from the home’s second floor. Investigators believe the victims were a toddler, an older child...
Facebook, citing coronavirus misinformation, deletes Trump post
Facebook has deleted a post by President Donald Trump for violating its policy against spreading misinformation about coronavirus. The post in question featured a link to a Fox News video in which Trump says children are “virtually immune” to the virus. Facebook said Wednesday that the “video includes false claims...
Rookie Cale Makar, Avs cruise to round-robin win over StarsVideo
EDMONTON, Alberta — High-scoring 21-year-old rookie defenseman Cale Makar connected on an early power-play goal, 30-year-old Pavel Francouz recorded a shutout in his postseason debut and the Colorado Avalanche cruised to a 4-0 round-robin win over the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night. Joonas Donskoi, Vladislav Namestnikov and Andre Burakovsky also...
Trump’s bank subpoenaed by New York prosecutors in criminal inquiry
NEW YORK — The New York prosecutor who has been fighting, unsuccessfully so far, to get President Donald Trump’s tax returns had better luck last year getting a bank to turn over his financial records. The office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance sent a subpoena last year to...
Lightning beat Bruins, improve to 2-0 in seeding roundVideo
TORONTO — Tyler Johnson scored the winning goal with 87 seconds left to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-2 victory over Boston on Wednesday and send the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins to their second straight loss in the NHL’s playoff seeding round. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 25 shots for the...
Leafs’ Jake Muzzin out of the hospital, will not return in seriesVideo
TORONTO — Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin has been discharged from the hospital and is back at the team’s hotel, and he will not return to the lineup during Toronto’s playoff qualification series with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Maple Leafs said in a statement Muzzin will remain in...
Bills CB Tre’Davious White considers opting outVideo
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White is unsure if he will opt in or opt out of the upcoming NFL season. White has until 4 p.m. Thursday to decide on his status for the year. The 25-year-old has established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the league...
Coyotes storm past Predators in Game 3 of qualifying roundVideo
EDMONTON, Alberta — Conor Garland and Taylor Hall each scored in the third period, and the Arizona Coyotes beat the Nashville Predators, 4-1, on Wednesday. Now the Coyotes, seeded 11th in the West in the NHL’s restart, can eliminate the sixth-seeded Predators in Game 4 on Friday in this best-of-five...
Panthers avoid elimination, beat Islanders in Game 3Video
TORONTO — Brian Boyle and the Florida Panthers turned the tables on the New York Islanders by playing with more discipline and patience to avoid being swept from the playoffs. Boyle and Mike Hoffman scored goals 2 minutes, 47 seconds apart, and the Panthers took advantage of several miscues in...
Chicago schools to begin fall remotely, dropping hybrid planVideo
CHICAGO — Chicago’s mayor on Wednesday announced that the nation’s third-largest school district will not welcome students back to the classroom, after all, and will instead rely only on remote instruction to start the school year. The city’s decision to abandon its plan to have students attend in-person classes for...
U.S. officials dispute Trump’s claim that Beirut was attacked
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday that most people think the deadly explosion Tuesday in Lebanon that killed at least 130 people was an accident, contradicting President Donald Trump, who said American generals told him it was likely caused by a bomb. Esper said the United States was...
Ravens WR Marquise Brown sporting larger frame, more speedVideo
Marquise Brown put up respectable numbers as a rookie last year with the Baltimore Ravens, leading the team’s wide receivers in receptions and touchdowns as the primary downfield target for NFL MVP Lamar Jackson. Now, after an offseason in which Brown fastidiously lifted weights and finally put a lingering injury...
Florida becomes 2nd state to top 500K coronavirus cases as testing resumes after stormVideo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida surpassed 500,000 coronavirus cases Wednesday as testing ramped up following a temporary shutdown of some sites because of Tropical Storm Isaias, state officials said. That makes Florida second only to California among states with people diagnosed with the disease. A long line of cars waited...
2 tornadoes confirmed in eastern Pennsylvania during storm
PHILADELPHIA — The National Weather Service has confirmed that tornadoes touched down in Bucks and Montgomery counties during Tuesday’s storm. The weather service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey said more details would be provided later such as the strength and exact location of the storms, which were among six...
Trump considering giving convention speech from White House
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’s considering delivering his Republican convention acceptance speech from the White House after his initial plans to hold the event in two battleground states were foiled by coronavirus concerns and health restrictions. The move would mark an unprecedented use of public property...
NCAA board hands call on fall championships to each division; Division III cancels
The NCAA Board of Governors on Wednesday directed each division of the association to decide independently by Aug. 21 whether it will be able to conduct championship events safely in fall sports such as soccer, volleyball and lower levels of football during the coronavirus pandemic. The association’s highest governing body...
