Associated Press stories, Page 2191
As virus roils markets, Trump again threatens Fed chairmanVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Saturday he had the power to fire or demote Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, adding new fuel to his long-running animus toward the central bank’s leader at a moment when the economy was at risk of edging into recession. Trump told reporters that he...
West Virginia schools out for at least 2 weeks
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia schools will remain closed through at least March 27, Gov. Jim Justice announced Saturday. Justice announced the school closings on Friday in response to the coronavirus pandemic, even though the state doesn’t have a confirmed case. A release from the governor’s office Saturday said no...
Virus doesn’t deter horse racing at U.S. tracks, but few fansVideo
Drayden Van Dyke hopped off Charlatan after winning the sixth race by 10¼ lengths at Santa Anita on Saturday and celebrated by trading elbow taps in the winner’s circle. No traditional post-race handshakes during the coronavirus pandemic. The jockey, like all riders at the Southern California track where no fans...
Wife of Spain’s prime minister tests positive for virusVideo
MADRID — Spain’s government said Saturday that the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has tested positive for the new coronavirus. It said Begoña Gómez and the prime minister are in good health and following the instructions of medical authorities at their residence in La Moncloa Palace in Madrid, the...
Fake coronavirus testing kits seized at Los Angeles airport
LOS ANGELES — Federal authorities warned consumers Saturday about fake home-testing kits for the coronavirus after customs agents intercepted a package at Los Angeles International Airport filled with vials labeled as covid-19 test kits. The parcel arriving from the United Kingdom this week was declared as purified water vials valued...
Doctor says Trump tests negative for coronavirus
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has tested negative for the new coronavirus, according to the president’s personal physician. The White House released the test results Saturday night after Trump told reporters hours earlier that he had taken the coronavirus test, following days of resisting being screened despite the fact that...
Georgia to postpone primaries over virus; 2nd state to do so
ATLANTA — Georgia’s March 24 presidential primaries will be postponed until May because of fears over the new coronavirus, state election officials announced Saturday, a day after Louisiana also pushed back its primaries. In-person early voting, which began statewide March 2, will be halted and the election will be moved...
Florida’s famed South Beach closed to stop virus
Florida’s famed South Beach has been closed to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Miami Beach officials ordered hundreds of college spring breakers and others from around the world off the beach Saturday as part of measures to prevent large gatherings. To cut down on crowds at clubs and restaurants in...
U.S. internet well-equipped to handle work from home surgeVideo
BOSTON — The U.S. internet won’t get overloaded by spikes in traffic from the millions of Americans now working from home to discourage the spread of the new coronavirus, experts say. But connections could stumble for many if too many family members try to videoconference at the same time. Some...
Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino hired by IonaVideo
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Hall of Famer Rick Pitino was named basketball coach at Iona on Saturday. Pitino coached at Louisville from 2001-17 before being fired in a pay-for-play scandal and had been coaching in Greece. He replaces Tim Cluess, who resigned Friday because of health concerns. He coached the...
West Va. gets FEMA grant for 2016 flooding
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia has received an additional $1 million in federal grants for debris removal in Greenbrier County after flooding in 2016. The flooding killed nearly two dozen people. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said the grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will help with property improvements...
Virus cases spread across Africa, nations prepare for moreVideo
JOHANNESBURG — Africa is seeing a steady spread of the coronavirus across the continent, with four new countries confirming cases on Saturday, so that 23 of Africa’s 54 countries have covid-19 patients. Namibia, Rwanda, Eswatini and Mauritania reported their first cases Saturday. All were brought to the continent by travelers...
Trump’s latest travel ban highlights gaps in containment net
NEW YORK — In the weeks before President Donald Trump spoke from the Oval Office to announce restrictions on travelers from more than two dozen countries in Europe, thousands of people from the region already had stepped off planes at U.S. airports, and an untold number of them carried the...
Spain to follow Italy into lockdown, U.S. expands travel banVideo
BARCELONA, Spain — Spain drew up plans to lock down its 46 million citizens, France closed the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, and more borders snapped shut around the world as governments took increasingly sweeping measures Saturday to reduce contact among people and contain the spread of the coronavirus. President...
Iran death toll from virus passes 600, Syria shuts schoolsVideo
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran said Saturday the coronavirus outbreak has killed another 97 people, pushing the death toll in the country to 611, as war-ravaged Syria announced a number of strict measures despite the government saying it has no confirmed cases. Iran is suffering from the worst outbreak in the...
Syracuse freshman guard Brycen Goodine to transferVideo
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse freshman Brycen Goodine is transferring. Goodine made the announcement Friday night on his Twitter account. “I would like to thank the Syracuse staff and fans for having me at the University this year, however it is time for me to seek out a new beginning. Thank...
Iditarod mushes on; fans being urged to skip finish in Nome
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — As Iditarod mushers drove their dog teams across Alaska on Saturday, race officials scrambled to make last minute changes prompted by concerns over the new coronavirus, including asking fans not to fly to Nome for the finish. Officials late Friday night urged race fans, especially those from...
Schachmann wins Paris-Nice cycle race held amid coronavirus outbreak
VALDEBLORE-LA COLMIANE, France — German cyclist Maximilian Schachmann won the Paris-Nice race on Saturday in a rare case of a sporting event still going ahead amid the coronavirus pandemic. While France’s soccer and rugby leagues scrapped their matches indefinitely on a hectic Friday — amid cancellations around the world —...
RSVP ‘maybe’? Coronavirus puts wedding industry on edge
NEW YORK — Guests are jittery, travel is tangled, and soon-to-be brides and grooms are facing tough choices because of the coronavirus outbreak: postpone, cancel or forge ahead with their weddings? Uncertainty as virus cases grow in the U.S. and elsewhere has sent ripples through the wedding industry, from photographers...
Wuhan soccer team leaving Spain to escape virus
MADRID — The Chinese soccer team that was originally stuck in Spain because of the coronavirus outbreak is going back home to try to avoid its rapid spread in Europe. Wuhan Zall was expected to return to China on Saturday, nearly 1½ months after it arrived in Spain for preseason...
Coronavirus-related shutdowns bringing U.S. economy to grinding halt
AUSTIN, Texas — It took 15 minutes for the coronavirus to wreck Shelley Hutchings’ carefully calculated financial plans. Hutchings, a bartender and performer, had lined up gigs in advance of the South by Southwest film, music and technology festival, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to Austin each year....
U.S. Hispanic Catholics are future, but priest numbers dismal
PHOENIX — Maria Chavira, a senior administrator in the Diocese of Phoenix, says Spanish-speaking Catholic parishes in her area are “bursting at the seams” and celebrates the emergence of Hispanics as the largest ethnic component of the church nationwide. Throughout the Southwest, where the surge has been dramatic, Roman Catholic...
Medical marijuana bills challenge Bible Belt politics
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Facing a potentially historic vote on whether to legalize medical marijuana in Kentucky, Republican lawmaker John Schickel is conflicted. A retired law enforcement officer, Schickel once steadfastly opposed medical cannabis, but his stance has softened. Now he says he’s approaching the question with an open mind. “One...
On eve of Disneyland closure, fun trumps virus fear
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Thousands flocked to Disneyland on Friday for glimpses of Mickey and Minnie, a ride on “It’s a Small World” and a last trip to the Galaxy’s Edge before a historically long closure because of the new coronavirus. It was a rare rainy day in Southern California, and...
EU urges border health checks as virus case count mounts
BRUSSELS — The European Union urged member countries Friday to put health screening procedures in place at their borders to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus but said they must coordinate so people can still quickly get the medical care they need. With Italy reporting the most virus cases...
