Associated Press stories, Page 2200
U.S. job market looked robust before coronavirus outbreak escalated
WASHINGTON — Hiring in the United States jumped in February as employers added 273,000 positions, evidence that the job market was in strong shape before the coronavirus began to sweep through the nation. The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment rate fell to 3.5% last month, matching a 50-year...
At sea: Passengers off California await virus test results
SAN FRANCISCO — Passengers on a cruise ship off the California coast were instructed to stay in their cabins as they awaited test results Friday that could show whether the coronavirus is circulating among the more than 3,500 people aboard. A military helicopter crew lowered test kits onto the 951-foot...
Putin says stability needed but won’t lift lid on his futureVideo
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he doesn’t want to scrap presidential term limits or resort to other suggested ways of extending his rule, but otherwise he kept mum about his plans. Putin has proposed a sweeping set of constitutional amendments, which are seen by his critics as...
Vatican confirms 1st virus case as pope recovers from cold
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican confirmed the walled city-state’s first case of the new coronavirus Friday and closed some offices as a precaution while Pope Francis continued recovering from a cold. Vatican City’s health clinic, which is used by Vatican employees and their families, was shuttered for sanitizing following the...
Trump CDC visit back on after false coronavirus scare there
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s trip to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, briefly scuttled Friday because of unfounded fears that someone there had contracted the coronavirus, was back on, giving the president another chance to calm growing alarm about the spread of the virus in America. “Be calm....
Trump signs $8.3B bill to combat coronavirus outbreak in U.S.Video
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday signed an $8.3 billion measure to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak that has killed 12 people in the United States and infected more than 200. The legislation provides federal public health agencies with money for vaccines, tests and potential treatments and helps state...
Individuals’ exposure to coronavirus shuts 5 Central Bucks schools
Central Bucks School leaders, “out of an abundance of caution,” decided to close five schools Friday for all students and employees after being made aware of individuals in the district who were exposed to a confirmed case of the coronavirus. After consulting with local and state health authorities, school district...
Migrants, police clash again on Greek-Turkish borderVideo
KASTANIES, Greece — Clashes between Greek riot police and migrants attempting to cross the border from Turkey erupted anew Friday as European Union foreign ministers held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation on the Turkey-Greece border and in Syria, where Turkish troops are fighting. Greek riot-control police used tear...
Man gets probation for tossing water on Iowa Rep. King
SIOUX CITY, Iowa — A Colorado man who threw a cup of water on Iowa Congressman Steve King has been sentenced to two years of probation. The sentence was handed down Thursday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to Blake Gibbins, of Lafayette, Colo. He’d pleaded guilty to misdemeanor...
Gunmen kill at least 27 at memorial for Afghan Shiite leader
KABUL, Afghanistan — Gunmen killed at least 27 people and wounded at least 55 others in Afghanistan’s capital on Friday at a remembrance ceremony for a minority Shiite leader, officials said. Heath Ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar said the injured had been taken to hospitals in Kabul. All of the casualties...
Alabama executes inmate convicted in killing of 3 officers
ATMORE, Ala. — A man convicted in the 2004 killings of three police officers in Alabama who were shot by another man was executed Thursday evening. Inmate Nathaniel Woods, 43, was pronounced dead at 9:01 p.m. CST Thursday following a lethal injection at the state prison in Atmore, authorities said....
Pitt women’s ACC tourney run ends in 2nd round with loss to Georgia TechVideo
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Francesca Pan scored 12 of her 26 points in the fourth quarter, and seventh-seeded Georgia Tech pulled away from 15th-seeded Pitt on Thursday night for a 68-58 win in the second round of the ACC tournament. Dayshanette Harris scored 21 points for Pitt (5-26), which was coming...
Meet Perseverance: Mars rover gets name ahead of July launch
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s next Mars rover finally has a name. Perseverance, a six-wheeled robotic explorer, will blast off this summer to collect Martian samples for eventual return to Earth. The name was suggested by Alex Mather, a Virginia seventh-grader, as part of a naming contest for U.S. schoolchildren....
Federal judge sharply rebukes AG William Barr’s handling of Mueller report
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday sharply rebuked Attorney General William Barr’s handling of the special counsel’s Russia report, saying Barr had made “misleading public statements” to spin the investigation’s findings in favor of President Donald Trump and had shown a “lack of candor.” U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton...
U.S. labs await virus-testing kits promised by administrationVideo
WASHINGTON — Trump administration officials doubled down on their promise to deliver 1 million tests for the coronavirus this week as states reported limited testing supplies and federal lawmakers expressed doubts about the government’s timeline. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told reporters Thursday that a private manufacturer authorized...
$1.25B West Virginia opioid settlement trial date set
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia communities seeking a $1.25 billion settlement with the opioid industry are set to go on trial against the companies in late August, a federal judge said Thursday. The trial date, scheduled for Aug. 31, will serve as a deadline for the proposed settlement, which would...
Worker: Olive Garden customer demanded and got white server in Indiana
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Olive Garden has fired the manager of one of its restaurants in southwestern Indiana who was accused of complying with a white customer’s demand to replace her table’s black server with one who wasn’t black. An Olive Garden spokeswoman, Meagan Bernstein, said Wednesday that the company does...
Michigan lawmaker Pete Lucido disciplined after sexual harassment probe
LANSING, Mich. — A Michigan lawmaker was stripped of a committee chairmanship and ordered to undergo training Thursday after the state Senate concluded allegations of sexual harassment lodged by several women, including a legislator, were credible. Republican Sen. Peter Lucido of Macomb County’s Shelby Township lost his position leading the...
Virus fears grip markets again; stocks and bond yields plungeVideo
NEW YORK — Fear dominated financial markets again on Thursday, and stocks fell sharply on worries about the fast-spreading virus outbreak. It’s the latest shudder in Wall Street’s wildest week in more than eight years. Major U.S. indexes lost roughly 3.5%, and Treasury yields touched more record lows in their...
Former Fox News White House reporter Wendell Goler dies at 70Video
NEW YORK — Wendell Goler, a longtime White House correspondent for Fox News Channel who reported on government since the presidency of Ronald Reagan, has died at age 70. He died this week of apparent kidney failure, said a former Fox colleague, Brit Hume. Very sad to report that longtime...
Prosecution doctor: Florida killer was insane when he bit victim’s faceVideo
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A prosecution psychiatrist says a Florida college student was legally insane when he fatally attacked a couple outside their home, chewing off part of the man’s face, court documents filed this week show. Dr. Gregory C. Landrum’s finding bolsters the case of Austin Harrouff’s attorneys, who...
Pennsylvania Senate hides some details in expense records
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Senate is hiding thousands of detailed explanations about its expenses from official records it provided under public records requests about how it spends taxpayer money, news organizations reported Thursday. Before turning over the documents, Senate officials edited out the explanations, making it appear as though they...
Russia, Turkey reach cease-fire deal in northwestern SyriaVideo
MOSCOW — The presidents of Russia and Turkey said they reached agreement on a cease-fire to begin at midnight Thursday in northwestern Syria, where escalating fighting had threatened to put forces from the two countries into direct conflict. The deal struck by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep...
Missouri man dressed as Joker charged in terrorist threats
UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. — A suburban St. Louis man accused of livestreaming threats to bomb and kill people in a bustling entertainment district while dressed as the Batman villain the Joker has been charged with terrorism. Forty-eight-year-old Jeremy Garnier, of University City, was charged Tuesday with a felony count of...
Cerebral new FX series ‘Devs’ likely to blow some mindsVideo
The new FX series “Devs” may be set in the world of high tech, but its creator is politely asking you to put yours down while checking it out. Alex Garland wants you to choose to watch his show — really be present — not half-watch while fiddling with your...
