Associated Press stories, Page 2178
On SpaceX rocket, Americans take off for space from U.S. after long hiatus
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A rocket ship built by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company thundered away from Earth with two Americans on Saturday, ushering in a new era of commercial space travel and putting NASA back in the business of launching astronauts from U.S. soil for the first time in nearly...
Trump claims protesters in D.C. risked facing ‘vicious dogs’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Saturday claimed that many Secret Service agents were “just waiting for action” and ready to unleash “the most vicious dogs, and the most ominous weapons, I have ever seen” if protesters angered by his response to George Floyd’s death had crossed the White House’s...
Outsiders blamed for havoc in Detroit, Minneapolis
Nearly two-thirds of the 60 people arrested Friday night during protests in downtown Detroit over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis were from the city’s predominantly white suburbs. Thirty-seven of those taken into custody were from places such as Warren, Farmington Hills, West Bloomfield and even Grand Blanc, which...
Biden ally sees Klobuchar as less likely Biden running mate
WASHINGTON — Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar seems a less likely choice to become Joe Biden’s running mate on his presidential ticket following this week’s death of a black man in police custody in Minneapolis, a key ally of the former vice president said. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., told reporters on...
Number of eliminated college sports programs nearing 100
Four-year colleges facing budget shortfalls stemming from the pandemic are approaching an unwelcome milestone: In coming days, the number of eliminated sports programs will almost surely pass 100. Research by The Associated Press found a total of 97 teams eliminated at four-year schools through Friday. The count includes only teams...
Trump, N.C. governor speak about GOP convention details
RALEIGH, N.C. — President Donald Trump and North Carolina’s governor disagreed on Friday over the viability of a full-fledged Republican National Convention, the governor’s office said, as Trump does not want to see signs of the pandemic in his renomination audience. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Trump spoke by phone,...
Trump WHO funding cut prompts criticism as virus spreads
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s announcement he was cutting U.S. funding for the World Health Organization prompted criticism Saturday, as spiking infection rates in India and elsewhere served as a reminder the global pandemic is far from contained. Trump on Friday charged that the WHO didn’t respond adequately to the...
China says U.S. action on Hong Kong ‘doomed to fail’
BEIJING — The mouthpiece newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party said Saturday that the U.S. decision to end some trading privileges for Hong Kong “grossly interferes” in China’s internal affairs and is “doomed to fail.” The Hong Kong government called President Donald Trump’s announcement unjustified and said it is “not...
National Guard summoned to aid cities amid police clashes
MINNEAPOLIS — Governors in several states called in National Guard troops as protests over repeated police killings of black men grew Saturday from New York to Tulsa to Los Angeles, where police fired rubber bullets to scatter crowds and at least one police car burned. The protests, which began in...
Thousands ignore Minneapolis curfew as U.S. protests spread
MINNEAPOLIS — Thousands of protesters ignored a curfew and vows of a forceful police response to take to the Minneapolis streets for a fourth straight night, as the anger stoked by the police killing of George Floyd spread to more cities across the U.S. The Pentagon on Saturday ordered the...
Protests, some violent, spread in wake of George Floyd death
ATLANTA — Demonstrators marched, stopped traffic and in some cases lashed out violently at police as protests erupted Friday in dozens of U.S. cities following the killing of George Floyd after a white officer pressed a knee into his neck during a stop in Minnesota. In Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas,...
Big 12 revenue distribution down only slightly amid pandemicVideo
The Big 12’s revenue distribution to its 10 schools decreased only slightly because of the pandemic that led to the cancellation of spring sports, though there is still plenty of uncertainty ahead. Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said Friday at the end of the league’s virtual spring meetings the league was distributing...
Hundreds of minor league ballplayers releasedVideo
NEW YORK — Major league teams released hundreds of young players with the minor league season in doubt because of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 200 players were cut Friday, and more than 400 have been released over the past month according to transactions posted at MiLB.com. The start of...
War hero McRaven tells MIT grads they’re the ‘real heroes’
William McRaven, the retired U.S. Navy admiral who directed the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, told members of MIT’s graduating class Friday that they are the “real heroes” who will save the world from pandemics, war, climate change, poverty and racism. McRaven, who delivered his address online to the...
Phoenix march to protest George Floyd’s death turns violent
PHOENIX — A rally in downtown Phoenix to protest the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis turned violent when protesters in Arizona’s largest city threw rocks and bottles at officers, broke windows at police headquarters, and damaged businesses and vehicles, officials said. Phoenix police say hundreds...
Michigan sheriff: Woman hit by deputy had bitten him first
DETROIT — A black woman who was seen on video being punched by a Michigan sheriff’s deputy bit the officer before she was struck, the sheriff said Friday. Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton played video and audio from the confrontation with Sha’Teina Grady El, which occurred Tuesday night while deputies...
Minneapolis protest misinformation stokes racial tensions
CHICAGO — The false social media posts started just hours after protesters first began chanting and carrying banners around the Minneapolis neighborhood where George Floyd, an African American man, died handcuffed in police custody. “The cop who killed George Floyd,” Facebook and Twitter users claimed, wrongly identifying a man pictured...
Power Five leagues ask Congress for athlete compensation lawVideo
The Power Five conference commissioners are asking Congress to move forward with federal legislation regarding compensation for college athletes. The commissioners of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC sent a letter dated May 23 to congressional leaders. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter Friday....
U.S. cuts World Health Organization ties over virus response
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. will be terminating its relationship with the World Health Organization, saying it had failed to adequately respond to the coronavirus because China has “total control” over the global organization. He said Chinese officials “ignored” their reporting obligations to the WHO...
Virus ignited in U.S. no earlier than mid-January, study says
NEW YORK — The spark that started the U.S. coronavirus epidemic arrived during a three-week window from mid-January to early February, before the nation halted travel from China, according to the most comprehensive federal study to date of when the virus began spreading. That means anyone in the U.S. who...
Pocono will hold NASCAR weekend without fansVideo
Pocono Raceway will hold its NASCAR weekend without fans. The Cup Series is scheduled to race June 27-28, and Truck and second-tier Xfinity races also will be held that weekend. Pocono said in a message to fans “it will certainly miss your passion, laughs, cheers, and smiles as the green...
Colts hoping for lucrative payoff from betting big on Philip RiversVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Frank Reich jumped right into research mode when he knew Philip Rivers would hit free agency. The Indianapolis Colts coach studied tapes of Rivers’ throws from an uncharacteristically poor 2019 season to compare with those he made earlier in his career. Reich saw no difference. When offensive coordinator...
Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in death of George Floyd
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis police officer who was seen on video kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died in custody after pleading that he could not breathe, was arrested Friday and charged with murder. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Derek Chauvin was charged...
Minnesota governor apologizes for arrest of CNN crewVideo
NEW YORK — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz apologized to CNN, saying he takes total responsibility for the arrest of one of the network’s crews Friday as they reported on violent protests in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd. “This is a very public apology to that team,” Walz said...
Ruling means Missouri’s last abortion clinic stays open
O’FALLON, Mo. — Missouri’s only abortion clinic will be able to keep operating after a state government administrator decided Friday that the health department was wrong not to renew the license of the Planned Parenthood facility in St. Louis. Missouri Administrative Hearing Commissioner Sreenivasa Rao Dandamudi’s decision means Missouri will...
