Associated Press stories, Page 2130
U.S. senators seek probe of veterans homes after virus deathsVideo
A group of U.S. senators is seeking an investigation into the Department of Veterans Affairs’ oversight of homes for aging veterans amid a spate of coronavirus deaths at the state-run centers. In a letter sent Tuesday, the senators asked the head of the Government Accountability Office to look into the...
U.S. service sector shrinks for first time since recessionVideo
WASHINGTON — The U.S. service sector shrank for the first time in a decade last month as the pandemic forced shutdowns and layoffs nationwide. The Institute for Supply Management said Tuesday that its service-sector index fell to 41.8 in April, compared with a March reading of 52.5. Any reading below...
Play ball: Korean baseball league begins in empty stadiums
SEOUL, South Korea — The new baseball season began in South Korea on Tuesday with the crack of the bat and the sound of the ball smacking into the catcher’s mitt echoing around empty stadiums. After a weeks-long delay because of the coronavirus pandemic, umpires wore protective masks and cheerleaders...
Biden pressed to choose a black woman as his running mate
DETROIT — After a devastating start to the Democratic primary, Joe Biden’s campaign was revived when black voters in South Carolina and throughout the South overwhelmingly sided with him. Now that he’s the presumptive Democratic nominee, black voters and leaders are pressing for him to pick a black woman as...
Here come covid-19 tracing apps – and privacy trade-offs
As governments around the world consider how to monitor new coronavirus outbreaks while reopening their societies, many are starting to bet on smartphone apps to help stanch the pandemic. But their decisions on which technologies to use — and how far those allow authorities to peer into private lives —...
Treasury says April-June borrowing will be a record $2.99T
WASHINGTON — The economic paralysis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic is forcing the U.S. Treasury to borrow far more than it ever has before — $2.99 trillion in the current quarter alone. The amount is more than five times the government’s previous record borrowing for a quarter, $569 billion, set...
Senate reopens despite risks as House preps more coronavirus aid
WASHINGTON — The Senate reopened Monday in a Capitol largely shuttered by the coronavirus, but prospects for quick action on a new aid package are uncertain with a deepening debate over how best to confront the deadly pandemic and its economic devastation. The 100 senators are convening for the first...
NFL to release complete 2020 schedule Thursday nightVideo
NEW YORK — The NFL will release its regular-season schedule Thursday night, the league announced Monday, as it continues conducting business mostly as usual amid the coronavirus pandemic. The schedule will be revealed in a 3-hour telecast on NFL Network starting at 8 p.m. Eastern. Thus far, the league has...
San Francisco police chief bans ‘thin blue line’ face masks
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco’s police chief said the city’s rank and file will wear neutral face coverings to defuse a controversy after officers sent to patrol a May Day protest wore masks adorned with the “thin blue line” flag. The police union ordered and distributed the masks emblazoned with...
Covid-19 vaccine hunt heats up globally, still no guaranteeVideo
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of people are rolling up their sleeves in countries across the world to be injected with experimental vaccines that might stop covid-19, spurring hope — maybe unrealistic — that an end to the pandemic may arrive sooner than anticipated. About 100 groups are pursuing vaccines with nearly...
Colts decide not to exercise 5th-year option on New Castle native Malik HookerVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts have decided not to exercise their fifth-year option on starting safety Malik Hooker, which could make the New Castle native an unrestricted free agent after next season. Team officials faced a Monday afternoon deadline to extend the deal but opted against it. Hooker was Indy’s...
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker sees hopeful covid-19 trends; shutdown sparks protestVideo
BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday that Massachusetts is seeing hopeful data about the state’s effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus. “In the course of the past few days we have seen some positive downward trends,” Baker said. But the Republican warned the extension of the state’s...
In fight over Brazil leader’s coronavirus test, crisis loomsVideo
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says he twice tested negative for the coronavirus but many, including a federal judge, are demanding he share the actual results. Still, the leader has refused. The surreal standoff is the latest flashpoint in a broader battle between a president who has...
Trump’s anti-China rhetoric aimed at boosting U.S. leverageVideo
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is making ever louder pronouncements casting blame on China for the covid-19 pandemic, aiming to sidestep domestic criticism of the president’s own response, tarnish China’s global reputation and give the U.S. leverage on trade and other aspects of U.S.-China competition. President Donald Trump has vowed...
Baseball artists, writers shut out by coronavirus pandemicVideo
NEW YORK — Anika Orrock was all warmed up for her big pitch. On the mound at Yankee Stadium, tossing out the ceremonial first ball. On Tuesday night, though, the baseball illustrator and cartoonist will be far from the Bronx. Instead of starting off the Pittsburgh Pirates-New York Yankees game,...
Novak Djokovic appears to break confinement rules in SpainVideo
MADRID — Novak Djokovic apparently broke confinement rules in Spain by going back to a tennis court Monday. Djokovic posted a video on Instagram showing him exchanging shots with another man at a tennis club in the coastal city of Marbella, where the Serb has reportedly stayed. Djokovic filmed the...
U.S. to rein in flood of virus blood tests after lax oversight
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators Monday pulled back a decision that allowed scores of coronavirus blood tests to hit the market without first providing proof they worked. The Food and Drug Administration said it took the action because some sellers have made false claims about the tests and their accuracy. Companies...
ESPN to televise Korea’s pro baseball league (KBO) beginning Tuesday
BRISTOL, Conn. — ESPN will begin airing six regular-season games per week from South Korea’s KBO baseball league. The agreement with Eclat Media Group was announced Monday, the day before the league is scheduled to open its season. The first game featuring the NC Dinos taking on the Samsung Lions...
Famed Seminole Golf Club set to host covid-19 relief event featuring McIlroy, DJVideo
Live golf returns to television in just under two weeks with a $3 million charity skins match for covid-19 relief that includes Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and the broadcast debut of fabled Seminole Golf Club. McIlroy and Johnson, major champions who have reached No. 1 in the world, will face...
Smithfield Foods, Tyson plants cautiously reopen plants amid coronavirus fears
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A South Dakota pork processing plant took its first steps toward reopening Monday after being shuttered for over two weeks because of a coronavirus outbreak that infected more than 800 employees. As two departments opened at the Sioux Falls plant operated by Smithfield Foods, employees filed...
Billions projected to suffer nearly unlivable heat in 2070
KENSINGTON, Md. — In just 50 years, 2 billion to 3.5 billion people, mostly the poor who can’t afford air conditioning, will be living in a climate that historically has been too hot to handle, a new study said. With every 1.8 degree increase in global average annual temperature from...
Women’s flag football to become NAIA varsity sport next year
Women’s flag football will become a varsity sport for NAIA schools by next year, the organization announced Monday. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics secured a two-year partnership with the NFL and its NFL FLAG arm, and Reigning Champs Experiences (RCX). The NAIA will develop league infrastructure and operations for...
World leaders pledge billions for virus vaccine research; U.S., absent for now
BRUSSELS — World leaders, organizations and banks on Monday pledged 7.4 billion euros, or $8 billion, for research to find a vaccine against the new coronavirus, but warned that it is just the start of an effort that must be sustained over time to beat the disease. The funds, pledged...
U.S.: Russia could try to covertly advise candidates in 2020
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security and FBI warned states earlier this year that Russia could look to interfere in the 2020 U.S. elections by covertly advising political candidates and campaigns, according to a law enforcement memo obtained by The Associated Press. The Feb. 3 document details tactics U.S....
‘Fowl’ play: Alabama police search for ‘aggressive chicken’
WALKER, Ala. — Police are searching for an “aggressive chicken” accused of engaging in fowl play at an Alabama bank. The Walker Police Department responded to a complaint about the brazen animal Friday, the agency said in a social media post over the weekend. Witnesses told police the chicken had...
