Associated Press stories, Page 2104
Spike in South Korea virus cases shows perils of reopeningVideo
SEOUL, South Korea — As Mediterranean beaches and Las Vegas casinos laid out plans to welcome tourists again, South Korea announced a spike in new infections Wednesday and considered reimposing social distancing restrictions, revealing the setbacks ahead for others on the road to reopening. The European Union was unveiling a...
Poll: Half of Americans would get a covid-19 vaccineVideo
Only about half of Americans say they would get a covid-19 vaccine if the scientists working furiously to create one succeed, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s surprisingly low considering the effort going into the global race for a vaccine against...
Tropical Storm Bertha forms, hits South Carolina coastVideo
MIAMI — Tropical Storm Bertha made landfall on South Carolina’s coast Wednesday morning shortly after it formed, becoming the second named storm before the official start of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season. A tropical storm warning was issued for South Carolina’s coast and the storm was expected to bring heavy...
Trump threatens social media after Twitter fact-checks him
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened social media companies with new regulation or even shuttering after Twitter moved a day earlier to add fact checks to two of his tweets. Claiming tech giants “silence conservative voices,” Trump said, “We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we...
Officials: Prison reform advocate rehearsed jail break plans
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A longtime prison reform advocate accused of preparing to stage an escape at a Tennessee jail that’s under construction had a builder create a concrete room in his condominium’s basement so he could learn how to break into the walls, authorities say. The room built in a...
U.S. priest who founded Knights of Columbus gets closer to sainthood
VATICAN CITY — The founder of the Knights of Colombus, the influential U.S.-based lay Catholic organization, is moving a step closer to possible sainthood. Pope Francis has approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Rev. Michael McGivney, a Connecticut priest who died at age 38 of pneumonia in...
EU proposes $825 billion coronavirus recovery fundVideo
BRUSSELS — The European Union’s executive arm is proposing a $825 billion recovery fund to help the bloc’s economy through the painful recession triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said Wednesday. Gentiloni, who is in charge of economic affairs at the commission, wrote in a tweet that the...
Pennsylvania preps short-term budget amid coronavirus uncertainty
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania state government began advancing a temporary, no-new-taxes budget plan Tuesday that maintains current spending levels while budget makers watch to see how badly coronavirus-related shutdowns damage tax collections and whether the federal government sends another aid package to states. Officials in the House and Senate Republican majorities...
Pandemic probe: Brazil police raid Rio governor’s residenceVideo
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian police targeted a staunch opponent of President Jair Bolsonaro’s push to lift measures to contain the spread of covid-19 in one of the world’s disease hot spots, searching the residence of the Rio de Janeiro state governor on Tuesday. The federal prosecutor’s office said in...
In a first, Twitter adds fact-check warnings to Trump tweets
For the first time, Twitter has flagged some of President Donald Trump’s tweets with a fact-check warning. On Tuesday, Twitter added a warning phrase to two Trump tweets that called mail-in ballots “fraudulent” and predicted that “mail boxes will be robbed,” among other things. Under the tweets, there is now...
Trump’s convention demand comes amid Charlotte coronavirus surgeVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — President Donald Trump’s demand for a full-capacity Republican convention in August is putting pressure on North Carolina health officials — and local Republicans — as coronavirus cases surge in the host county and statewide. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration has refused to give in, though, responding with...
Kansas City, St. Louis leaders urge Ozark lakegoers to quarantineVideo
O’FALLON, Mo. — Leaders in Kansas City, St. Louis and the state of Kansas urged people who partied close together at Lake of the Ozarks over the Memorial Day weekend to self-quarantine for two weeks, amid fears that the gatherings documented in social media postings will lead to a resurgence...
Big Oil loses appeal as climate suits go to California courts
LOS ANGELES — A U.S. appeals court ruled Tuesday against major oil companies in lawsuits brought by California cities and counties seeking damages for the impact of climate change. A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said state courts are the proper forum for lawsuits alleging Big...
Homeless people at idled Philadelphia airport venue to be tested, moved
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia officials on Tuesday began removing dozens of people who have been sleeping at the airport during the coronavirus pandemic, and they plan to administer rapid covid-19 tests before taking them to homeless shelters. Officials at Philadelphia International Airport had initially planned Friday to remove the 50 to...
Several big-name NFL players, including Newton and Clowney, remain unsignedVideo
NEW YORK — Offseason shopping is still in full swing in the NFL. Even with the status of the upcoming season uncertain because of the coronavirus pandemic, teams continue to tinker with their rosters by adding players they hope will help them win — whenever or if they actually play....
Keselowski has shot at another win, Elliott at redemption with NASCAR back at CharlotteVideo
CONCORD, N.C. — The caution that sent the Coca-Cola 600 to overtime both continued Chase Elliott’s bad week and gave Brad Keselowski a much-needed break. Keselowski is in a contract year during a season disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Business was closed for 10 weeks, meaning zero movement between Keselowski...
World TeamTennis plans to have fans at West Virginia matches
If World TeamTennis gets its way, Grand Slam champions Sofia Kenin and Sloane Stephens could be among the first tennis players to compete in front of fans after the coronavirus pandemic prompted lockdowns around the globe. WTT said Tuesday it is planning to allow up to 500 spectators at each...
Woman fired as a result of backlash from racist Central Park confrontationVideo
NEW YORK — The verbal dispute between a white woman walking her dog and a black man bird watching in Central Park might normally have gone unnoticed in a city preoccupied by the coronavirus pandemic. That changed when birdwatcher Christian Cooper pulled out his phone and captured Amy Cooper calling...
Coroner: Boy, 1, dies after crash killed mother, grandmother
GETTYSBURG — A toddler died a day after a Memorial Day weekend crash in central Pennsylvania that killed his mother and grandmother, authorities said. Adams County Coroner Patricia Felix said Tuesday that 1-year-old Hudson Dutterer died Sunday night at Penn State Hershey Medical Center. State police said the three were...
Transgender bathroom ban heard by federal appeals court
RICHMOND, Va. — A Virginia school board defended its transgender bathroom ban before a federal appeals court Tuesday, as a transgender man who was barred as a student from using the boys’ bathrooms at his high school argued that the policy discriminated against him and violated his constitutional rights. A...
JK Rowling publishes first chapters of new story online
LONDON — JK Rowling is publishing a new story called “The Ickabog,” which will be free to read online to help entertain children and families stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic. The “Harry Potter” author said Tuesday she wrote the fairy tale for her children as a bedtime story...
Costa Rica latest country to legalize same-sex marriage
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — Costa Rica became the latest country to legalize same-sex marriage early Tuesday when a ruling from its supreme court went into effect ending the country’s ban. Couples held ceremonies — mostly private due to the covid-19 pandemic, but some that were broadcast — to celebrate...
#MeToo, phase 2: Documentary explores heavy burden on women of colorVideo
There’s an elegant, almost poetic silence to one of the most compelling scenes of “On the Record,” a powerful new documentary about sexual violence that knows just when to dial down to a hushed quiet. In the early morning darkness of Dec. 13, 2017, former music executive Drew Dixon walks...
Twitter gives Trump a pass on unfounded ‘murder’ allegationsVideo
President Donald Trump is again pushing the limits of Twitter’s attempts to deal with national leaders who spread misinformation and engage in personal abuse, this time with a barrage of baseless tweets suggesting that a television host he has feuded with committed murder. Twitter, which has tried to devise penalties...
New York Stock Exchange reopens as U.S. closes in on 100,000 covid-19 deathsVideo
NEW YORK — The trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange reopened Tuesday in a largely symbolic step toward economic recovery, and stocks surged, even as the official U.S. death toll from the coronavirus closed in on 100,000, a mark President Donald Trump once predicted the country would never...
