Associated Press stories, Page 2196
Trump wants payroll tax relief to calm virus-spooked marketsVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday his administration will ask Congress to pass payroll tax relief and other quick measures as a public health and economic maelstrom brought on by the coronavirus drew closer to him personally. Intending to calm the fears of financial markets over the impact of...
Stakes rise for Sanders heading into Michigan primary
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Bernie Sanders proved his 2016 presidential bid was serious with an upset victory in Michigan powered by his opposition to free trade and appeal among working-class voters. Four years later, the same state could either revive the Vermont senator’s campaign or relegate him to the role...
Cruise ship hit by coronavirus pulls into California portVideo
OAKLAND, Calif. — The cruise ship forced to idle for days off the coast of California because of a cluster of novel coronavirus cases aboard arrived in port Monday as state and U.S. officials prepared to transfer its thousands of passengers to military bases for quarantine or return them to...
U.S. begins troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, official says
WASHINGTON — American troops have begun leaving Afghanistan for the initial troop withdrawal required in the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement, the U.S. military confirmed Monday, amid political chaos in Kabul that threatens the deal. Army Col. Sonny Leggett, spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said in a statement that the United...
Italy imposes nationwide restrictions to contain new virusVideo
MILAN — Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte says travel restrictions and other strict public health measures will be imposed nationwide starting Tuesday to try to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. Conte said Monday night that a new government decree will require people throughout the country of 60 million people...
First recreational pot shop in a major East Coast city opensVideo
BOSTON — Boston’s first pot shop opened Monday, marking the first recreational marijuana store to open in a major East Coast city. Pure Oasis is also among the few retail stores in the country owned and operated by people of color, who experts say have struggled to break into the...
Florida school officials criticized after 7-year-old handcuffed
CLEARWATER, Fla. — A school security officer handcuffed a 7-year-old Florida boy with special needs who acted out in class and had him taken to a mental health facility, a decision the boy’s mother is criticizing and school officials are defending. It’s the second time in weeks that Florida school...
Tennessee man accused of sexual assault at tornado shelter
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee man has been charged with drugging and sexually assaulting two women in a temporary tornado shelter. The women told police that Cory Sullivan was on a cot beside theirs at the shelter in a Nashville recreation center, according to an affidavit filed in General Sessions...
Princess cruise ship in Caribbean kept at sea pending coronavirus tests
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Thousands of passengers on a third Princess Cruises ship are being kept on board while crew members get tested for COVID-19. The Caribbean Princess, on a 10-day trip to the Panama Canal, was scheduled to dock in Grand Cayman on Monday. But the Çalifornia-based cruise line...
U.S. begins troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, official says
WASHINGTON — American troops have begun leaving Afghanistan for the initial troop withdrawal required in the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement, a U.S. official said on Monday, amid political chaos in Kabul that threatens the deal. Hundreds of troops are heading out of the country as previously planned, but they will not...
Boston braces for large crowds as 1st pot shop opens
BOSTON — The first recreational marijuana shop in Boston opened Monday, where owners are bracing for large crowds. Pure Oasis owners Kobie Evans and Kevin Hart say they’re preparing for up to 1,000 customers a day to visit the store, which is also the first pot shop owned and operated...
‘Several’ lawmakers had contact with person who got covid-19Video
WASHINGTON — The Capitol’s attending physician said Monday that “several” members of Congress had contact with a person who attended a recent political conference and who subsequently developed covid-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. They “remain in good health,” the physician’s office said. In a note to lawmakers,...
Dow drops 7.8% as free-fall in oil, virus fears slam marketsVideo
NEW YORK — The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 7.8% Monday, its steepest drop since the financial crisis of 2008, as mounting fears over the coronavirus combined with a crash in oil prices to send a shudder through world markets. The drop on Wall Street was so sharp that it...
Cory Booker endorses Biden, says he’ll ‘restore honor’ to officeVideo
WASHINGTON — Former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey has endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden. Booker announced on Twitter early Monday that Biden will “restore honor to the Oval Office and tackle our most pressing challenges.” Booker ended his own presidential bid in January, pledging to...
‘Exorcist’ actor Max von Sydow dies at age 90
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Max von Sydow, the self-described “shy boy”-turned-actor known to art house audiences through his work with Swedish director Ingmar Bergman and later to moviegoers everywhere when he played the priest in the horror classic “The Exorcist,” has died. He was 90. His agent Jean Diamond said Monday...
Firefighter, woman killed when fire roars through log cabin in Central Pa.
BOILING SPRINGS — A fast-moving fire roared through a log cabin in Pennsylvania early Monday, killing a woman and a firefighter and injuring the woman’s husband, state police said. The fire in Boiling Springs was reported around 1:30 a.m., state police said. The cabin was fully engulfed in flames when...
Florida theme parks keep eye on virus as spring break nears
ORLANDO, Fla. — As Florida’s busy spring break season kicked off this month, coronavirus czar Vice President Mike Pence addressed something that’s been on the mind of tens of thousands of families preparing to travel to theme parks: Is it safe? Over the weekend, Pence stressed it is safe for...
15 horses killed when fire erupts at training facility
BETHEL — Fifteen horses were killed when a fire destroyed a barn at a horse training facility in southeastern Pennsylvania, authorities said. Employees were able to rescue seven other horses from the flames, which erupted around 4:45 p.m. Saturday at Crane Thoroughbreds in Bethel. Firefighters soon arrived on scene and...
Harry, Meghan do their last royal job at Commonwealth event
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, will make their final appearance as senior royals Monday when they appear with Queen Elizabeth II at the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey. The televised event will mark the last time they will work alongside the entire Windsor clan before flying off into...
SpaceX’s 20th station shipment arrives with candy, science
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A SpaceX cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station on Monday, delivering the company’s 20th batch of gear and treats. The Dragon capsule reached the orbiting lab after launching late Friday night. NASA astronauts Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir used the station’s robot arm to...
Dueling Afghan leaders both declare themselves president
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan’s rival leaders were each sworn in as president in separate ceremonies on Monday, throwing plans for negotiations with the Taliban into chaos and creating a dilemma for the United States as it figures out how to move its peace deal with the Taliban forward. The U.S.-Taliban...
Officials set to receive thousands in California from ship hit by virusVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — Federal and state officials in California were preparing Monday to receive thousands of people from a cruise ship that has been idling off the coast of San Francisco with at least 21 people aboard infected with the coronavirus. Fences were being installed at an 11-acre site at...
Saudi Arabia cuts off travel over virus as markets tumble
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia closed off air and sea travel to nine countries affected by the new coronavirus Monday as Mideast stock markets tumbled over fears about the widening outbreak’s effect on the global economy. The state oil giant Saudi Aramco led the financial losses, dropping by...
Sudan’s PM says he survived assassination attempt in capital
CAIRO — Sudan’s prime minister said he survived an assassination attempt Monday after an explosion went off near his convoy in the capital of Khartoum. Abdalla Hamdok, a longtime economist, tweeted he was “safe and in good shape” following the explosion. Sudanese state TV said Hamdok had been heading to...
Bold decor, and you still get the security deposit back
Noelle Daumeyer and her roommates knew they needed a big, bold art piece to decorate the bland, white walls in the living room of their rented apartment, but they also worried about damaging the paint. They solved the problem by painting their own version of Henri Matisse’s “Dance” and using...
