Associated Press stories, Page 2153
Nancy Pelosi orders removal of Confederate portraits from CapitolVideo
WASHINGTON — Portraits honoring four former House speakers who served in the Confederacy were removed Thursday after Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared that the men “embody the violent bigotry and grotesque racism of the Confederacy.″ Pelosi directed the House clerk to oversee the immediate removal of portraits depicting former speakers from...
Philadelphia man charged with blowing up cash machine
PHILADELPHIA — A 24-year-old Philadelphia man has been charged with using explosives to blow up a cash machine as demonstrations rocked the city this month. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said it would oppose bail for David Elmakayes at a hearing scheduled for Friday. Elmakayes was charged Thursday with using an...
Kentucky AG urges patience amid probe of Breonna Taylor’s death
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky’s attorney general asked for patience Thursday as his office investigates the shooting death of a black woman by Louisville police and decides whether the police officers involved will face criminal charges. Attorney General Daniel Cameron declined to publicly set a timetable for completing his investigation into...
Why do some covid-19 patients get seriously sick? It may be blood type, study finds
A genetic analysis of covid-19 patients suggests that blood type might influence whether someone develops severe disease. Scientists who compared the genes of thousands of patients in Europe found that those who had Type A blood were more likely to have severe disease while those with Type O were less...
Florida Sen. Rubio introduces NIL bill to push NCAA changesVideo
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio introduced a bill Thursday that would protect the NCAA from being challenged in court if the association changes its rules to allow athletes to earn money for endorsement deals and personal appearances. Earlier this week, the NCAA was hit with a federal antitrust lawsuit seeking damages...
49ers receiver Deebo Samuel has surgery on broken footVideo
San Francisco 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel underwent surgery Thursday after breaking a bone in his left foot during informal workouts with teammates in Tennessee. The 49ers confirmed a report from NFL Network that Samuel suffered a Jones Fracture, which is a break between the base and the middle part of...
Facebook removes Trump ads with symbols once used by NazisVideo
WASHINGTON — Facebook has removed campaign ads by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence that featured an upside-down red triangle, a symbol once used by Nazis to designate political prisoners, communists and others in concentration camps. Nathaniel Gleicher, the company’s head of security policy, confirmed at a House...
Police capture 65-pound snapping turtle in Virginia suburb
A 65-pound alligator snapping turtle with a face only its mother could love has found a new home at a Virginia zoo after freaking out residents in a northern Virginia suburb. The turtle, dubbed Lord Fairfax, was repeatedly crossing a residential road in the Alexandria area, according to Fairfax County...
L.A. story: Rams, Chargers to appear on ‘Hard Knocks’
LOS ANGELES — It will be lights, cameras, Los Angeles again for “Hard Knocks,” but for the first time the show will feature two franchises. With the Rams and Chargers both moving into SoFI Stadium in Inglewood this year, HBO and NFL Films announced Thursday that the show will include...
Pa. Supreme Court: Counties can’t ban probationers from using medical marijuana
Counties may not ban people on probation or parole from using prescription cannabis if they are registered in Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday. In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court said that people holding a valid medical marijuana card are immune from “arrest, prosecution or...
Proof of life: Photos emerge of stolen Van Gogh painting
A Dutch art sleuth has received “proof-of-life” photos of a Vincent van Gogh painting stolen in late March from a Dutch museum that was closed at the time because of the coronavirus. Arthur Brand, an art detective with a long track record of recovering stolen works, said Thursday that he...
Florida shatters daily record for new coronavirus cases – again
ORLANDO — Florida’s confirmed coronavirus cases shot up again Thursday, setting another one-day record of more than 3,200 new infections, the fifth time in eight days a new mark has been set. The increases have come as the state’s economy reopens from a partial shutdown that began in March when...
Hollywood says Black Lives Matter, but more diversity needed
As protests erupted across the country following the death of George Floyd, every major entertainment company in Hollywood issued statements of support for the black community. But as unanimous as that show of solidarity was, it was also clear that this wasn’t a fight Hollywood could watch from the sidelines....
Britain scraps virus tracing app for Google-Apple system
LONDON — Britain is scrapping plans to launch its own coronavirus contact tracing smartphone app because of technical problems and will now work on building one using technology supplied by Apple and Google, health authorities said Thursday. The government’s app had been undergoing trials on the Isle of Wight, and...
EPA drops regulation for contaminant harming babies’ brains
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday ended an Obama-era drive to regulate a widespread contaminant in drinking water linked to brain damage in infants. The agency rejected warnings that the move will mean lower IQs for an unknown number of American newborns. Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s announcement was the latest in...
Injunction extended against removing Lee statue in VirginiaVideo
RICHMOND, Va. — A judge on Thursday indefinitely extended an injunction preventing the Virginia governor from removing a historic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Richmond’s famed Monument Avenue. Richmond Circuit Court Judge Bradley Cavedo made the decision after hearing from attorneys for the state and for the...
Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to end protections for young immigrants
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected President Donald Trump’s effort to end legal protections for 650,000 young immigrants, a stunning rebuke to the president in the midst of his reelection campaign. For now, those immigrants retain their protection from deportation and their authorization to work in the United...
1.5 million more laid-off workers seek unemployment benefits – Jun. 18, 2020
WASHINGTON — About 1.5 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, a historically high number, even as the economy increasingly reopens and employers bring some people back to work. The latest figure from the Labor Department marked the 11th straight weekly decline in applications since they peaked...
World War II forces sweetheart singer Vera Lynn dies at 103
LONDON — Dame Vera Lynn, the endearingly popular “Forces’ Sweetheart” who serenaded British troops abroad during World War II, has died at 103. During the war and long after, Lynn got crowds singing, smiling and crying with sentimental favorites such as “We’ll Meet Again,” and “The White Cliffs of Dover.”...
Bank of England unveils another big stimulus for U.K. economyVideo
LONDON — The Bank of England has unveiled another big stimulus for the U.K. economy as it tries to limit the scale of the coronavirus recession, which has already resulted in 18 years of growth wiped out in a matter of just two months. In a statement Thursday, the bank’s...
2 Garrison Keillor books set for release this fall
Garrison Keillor will have two books out this fall — a novel and a memoir — marking his first releases since sexual harassment allegations were made against the author and humorist three years ago. Arcade Publishing announced Thursday that Keillor’s “The Lake Wobegon Virus,” which continues his popular “Lake Wobegon”...
Jean Kennedy Smith, last surviving sibling of JFK, dies
NEW YORK — Jean Kennedy Smith, the last surviving sibling of President John F. Kennedy and a former ambassador to Ireland, died Wednesday, her daughter confirmed to The New York Times. She was 92. Smith died at her home in Manhattan, her daughter Kym told the Times. Smith was the...
State media: Iran test fires cruise missiles in naval drill
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran test fired cruise missiles in a naval exercise in the Gulf of Oman and northern Indian Ocean, state media reported Thursday. The report by the official IRNA news agency said the missiles destroyed targets at a distance of 170 miles. It said the tests took place...
Beijing’s daily covid-19 cases drop, India’s rise sharplyVideo
BEIJING — China’s capital reported a decline in newly confirmed cases of coronavirus Thursday, with a public health expert saying a recent outbreak in the city was under control and the number of new cases should drop in the coming days. Authorities have confirmed 158 cases in Beijing in the...
4 rockets hit Baghdad’s Green Zone in challenge to Iraqi PM
BAGHDAD — Four rockets exploded inside Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone near the American embassy, Iraq’s military said Thursday, in the third such attack since the United States embarked on strategic talks with Iraq’s new government. It wasn’t immediately clear who was responsible for the attack, which caused no casualties or...
