Associated Press stories, Page 2136
No ‘Black Widow’ or ‘F9’ leaves a muted summer movie seasonVideo
LOS ANGELES — The six-year fan campaign for a standalone Black Widow movie was paying off: at long last, a film would put Scarlett Johansson’s popular Avenger front and center. And, like many of Marvel’s biggest spectacles, it was set to open the weekend of May 1. “Black Widow” was...
U.S. pending home sales sank 20.8% in March
BALTIMORE — U.S. home sales showed signs of collapsing in March, as the number of contract signs plunged sharply because of the coronavirus outbreak. The National Association of Realtors said Wednesday that its pending home sales index, which measures signed buyer contracts, plummeted a seasonally adjusted 20.8% in March from...
NTSB: 2018 duck boat tragedy could have been avoidedVideo
LIBERTY, Mo. — A duck boat sinking on a Missouri lake that killed 17 people two summers ago likely would not have happened if the U.S. Coast Guard had followed recommendations to improve the safety of such tourist attractions, federal safety regulators said Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board released...
U.K. leader Boris Johnson, fiancee announce birth of baby boyVideo
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds announced the birth of a son on Wednesday, just two days after Johnson returned to work following hospitalization for the coronavirus. Johnson’s office said Symonds gave birth to a “healthy baby boy” in a public hospital in London...
U.S. study finds Gilead drug works against coronavirusVideo
For the first time, a major study suggests that an experimental drug works against the new coronavirus, and U.S. government officials said Wednesday that they would work to make it available to appropriate patients as quickly as possible. In a study of 1,063 patients sick enough to be hospitalized, Gilead...
Pandemic brings fortunes to Amazon — and headaches, tooVideo
Amazon has spent years honing the business of packing, shipping and delivering millions of products to doorsteps around the world. Now it has a captive audience. With much of the globe in various stages of a lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic, the world’s largest online retailer has become a...
Laid-off U.S. workers face foreign world of insurance shoppingVideo
Mass layoffs are pushing many Americans into an unfamiliar role: shopping for health insurance that isn’t offered by an employer. A swirl of confusing terms and options await inexperienced shoppers as they sort health insurance plans. And there’s probably no one from human resources available to quickly answer questions. The...
Stocks charge higher on hopes for progress in fighting coronavirusVideo
Stocks around the world whipped higher Wednesday, riding a wave of optimism on encouraging data about a possible treatment for covid-19. The upswell of hope was so strong that investors completely sidestepped a report showing the outbreak drove the U.S. economy to its worst quarterly performance since the Great Recession....
NYC mayor takes heat after lashing out at Jewish funeralVideo
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio oversaw the dispersal of a large, tightly packed Hasidic Jewish funeral and lashed out at the mourners who had gathered in defiance of social distancing rules intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus. “My message to the Jewish community,...
NCAA board supports name, image and likeness compensation
The NCAA is moving forward with a plan to allow college athletes to earn money for endorsements and a host of other activities involving personal appearances and social media. The NCAA announced Wednesday that its Board of Governors supports a plan that gives athletes the ability to cash in on...
South Korea construction fire kills 38
SEOUL, South Korea — At least 38 people were killed Wednesday when one of South Korea’s worst fires in years broke out at a construction site near the capital, officials said. They said the death toll could rise because more people could be trapped inside the warehouse that was under...
Covid-19 showing suburbs are just as vulnerable as citiesVideo
NEW YORK — Haunting images of an empty Times Square and the daily accounting of hundreds of fatalities in New York City have reinforced the idea of the coronavirus as an urban contagion. That may obscure an equally sobering truth: Many of the city’s suburbs have been hit just as...
Israel marks its Independence Day under coronavirus lockdownVideo
JERUSALEM — Israelis celebrated their Independence Day at home Wednesday amid a nationwide lockdown aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The national holiday, which honors the creation of Israel after the end of the British Mandate in 1948, is usually a festive occasion, with people heading to...
U.S. economy shrank at 4.8% rate last quarter as virus struckVideo
WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy shrank at a 4.8% annual rate last quarter as the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the country and began triggering a recession that will end the longest expansion on record. The Commerce Department estimated Wednesday that the gross domestic product, the total output of...
Streaming films eligible for Oscars, but for 1 year only
Movies that debuted on a streaming service without a theatrical run will be eligible for the Oscars, but only for this year. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences on Tuesday announced the change for the 93rd Academy Awards as a response to how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted...
In NYC it’s ‘survival of fittest for fashion brands’
Felicia Lynch started a dream job last November as an assistant knitwear designer for a luxury brand working in lower Manhattan before the coronavirus pandemic took full swing in New York’s fashion capital and tossed her off the payroll. Now, the 23-year-old Fashion Institute of Technology graduate, whose resume includes...
Rep. Justin Amash exploring 2020 run for Libertarian nomination
WASHINGTON — Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan said Tuesday that he is launching an exploratory committee for the 2020 Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination. The Republican-turned-independent said on Twitter that the U.S. was ready for new leadership. He also posted a link to a new campaign website. “Americans are ready for...
MLB teams adjusting as pandemic affects draft preparation
The Detroit Tigers can feel certain about one thing: They have the No. 1 pick in the draft. What that MLB Draft will look like, when and where it will take place and how the selections will be made still isn’t clear. “It’s going to present different challenges, probably,” said...
Joe Biden wins Ohio’s mail-in primary delayed by coronavirusVideo
COLUMBUS — Joe Biden won Ohio’s presidential primary Tuesday, clinching a contest that was less about the Democratic nomination and more about how states can conduct elections in the era of the coronavirus. The primary was the first major test of statewide elections via mail amid an outbreak. And the...
Rams chasing 49ers, Seahawks, Cards in power-packed NFC WestVideo
A year ago, the Los Angeles Rams were fresh off a Super Bowl trip and back-to-back NFC West titles, feeling good about where they stood in the division. Now they seem to be looking up at the competition in the NFL’s toughest division. While the Rams got rid of cornerstone...
Oklahoma, Utah face scrutiny over malaria drug purchases
OKLAHOMA CITY — Republican state leaders in Oklahoma and Utah are facing scrutiny for spending millions of dollars combined to purchase malaria drugs promoted by President Trump to treat covid-19 patients that many other states obtained free and that doctors warned shouldn’t be used without more testing. While governments in...
Ex-NAACP leader Kweisi Mfume wins Maryland seat in Congress
BALTIMORE — Democrat Kweisi Mfume won a special election Tuesday to finish the term of the late Elijah Cummings, retaking a Maryland congressional seat Mfume held for five terms before leaving to lead the NAACP. Mfume defeated Republican Kimberly Klacik in the heavily Democratic district. Maryland opened only three polling...
Saints reach 1-year agreement with free agent QB Jameis WinstonVideo
NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints agreed to terms on a one-year contract with unrestricted free agent quarterback Jameis Winston. Winston, the first overall pick in the 2015 draft, will serve as the backup to Drew Brees. Winston is coming off a season in which he led the NFL...
52 positive cases tied to Wisconsin electionVideo
MADISON, Wis. — More than 50 people who voted in person or worked the polls during Wisconsin’s election earlier this month have tested positive for covid-19 so far. The state Department of Health Services reported the latest figures on Tuesday, three weeks after the April 7 presidential primary and spring...
Broncos, Raiders, Chargers add speed to try to catch ChiefsVideo
With their blazing speed on offense, the Kansas City Chiefs ran away from their AFC West brethren en route to their first Super Bowl title in half a century. So explosiveness was a common theme on the draft boards of rival general managers John Elway in Denver, Tom Telesco in...
