Associated Press stories, Page 2200
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...
Elizabeth Warren ends presidential bid
WASHINGTON — Elizabeth Warren, who electrified progressives with her “plan for everything” and strong message of economic populism, dropped out of the Democratic presidential race on Thursday, according to a person familiar with her plans. The exit came days after the onetime front-runner couldn’t win a single Super Tuesday state,...
Dogs, cats can’t pass on coronavirus, but can test positive
HONG KONG — Pet cats and dogs cannot pass the new coronavirus on to humans, but they can test positive for low levels of the pathogen if they catch it from their owners. That’s the conclusion of Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department after a dog in quarantine tested...
How risky is that virus? Your mind may mislead
Anna Alexander, a property manager in Virginia Beach, Virginia, started the day Monday thinking that she might avoid shaking hands because of the coronavirus outbreak. Then somebody stuck out a hand to shake. She took it. “I’m a business person,” Alexander, 65, explained. “But if somebody else does it next...
U.S. worshippers grapple with virus burdens others have borne
A rising number of churches across the United States are making changes in response to the coronavirus outbreak, including a decision by numerous Catholic dioceses to suspend the serving of wine during Communion. Thus far, there’s been no indication of any widespread cancellations of worship services. However, Jamie Aten, a...
MLK’s son asks Alabama to stop inmate’s upcoming execution
MOBILE, Ala. — The son of Martin Luther King, Jr. has called on Alabama’s governor to stop Thursday’s plan to execute an inmate for the 2004 killings of three police officers in which authorities say a co-defendant did the shooting. Nathaniel Woods, 43, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection...
Pitt stretches losing streak to 7 with defeat vs. Georgia Tech
ATLANTA — Jose Alvarado scored 23 points, Michael Devoe added 13 and Georgia Tech won its third straight game with a 73-57 victory over Pitt on Wednesday night. Eric Hamilton finished with 12 points to pace Pitt (15-16, 6-14 ACC). Xavier Johnson connected from 3, and Hamilton hit two free...
Spencer Lee, Iowa wrestling hope dominance carries over to Big Ten meetVideo
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa’s top-ranked wrestling team made it through the regular season undefeated. Ten of the Hawkeyes’ 13 dual-meet wins came against nationally ranked teams, including a 13-day stretch in January in which they defeated Nebraska, Ohio State and Penn State — all teams that finished in the...
Penn State women lose to No. 11 Minnesota in Big Ten opening roundVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Jasmine Brunson scored a career-high 20 points, Taiye Bello had her 12th double-double of the season and Minnesota beat Penn State, 85-65, in the Big Ten tournament Wednesday. Siyeh Frazier’s short jumper gave Penn State (7-23) a seven-point lead 20 seconds into the second half, but the Nittany...
Arizona police plan community meeting on incident where father killed son with guitar
CLARKDALE, Ariz. — Clarkdale police have scheduled a community meeting Thursday evening to discuss a deadly incident in which a man used a guitar to fatally strike his 4-year-old son on the head and also injure his mother before being fatally shot by a police officer. A police announcement said...
Texas man gets jail for video of himself licking ice cream tub
PORT ARTHUR, Texas — A 24-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to 30 days in jail for posting on social media a video last August of himself removing an ice cream container from a Texas market freezer, licking the contents and returning the container to the freezer. D’Adrien Anderson, 24, also...
Pennsylvania State Police loosens ban on trooper arm tattoos
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania state troopers will now be allowed to have tattoos on their arms, but those who do will have to wear long-sleeved uniform shirts that conceal them when they are on duty, the agency announced Wednesday. In a statement, Col. Robert Evanchick, the state police commissioner, said the...
Critics of Oprah book club title put new novel, ‘American Dirt,’ on trial
When Oprah Winfrey chose the novel “American Dirt” for her book club, she imagined engaging in an impassioned television dialog about the narrative, which follows a Mexican mother and her son fleeing to the United States. Instead, Winfrey ended up organizing a show that put the book, author Jeanine Cummins...
Venezuela President Maduro urges all women to have 6 children
CARACAS, Venezuela — President Nicolás Maduro wants Venezuelan women to have many children as a way to boost the country, which has seen millions of people flee in recent years to escape its economic crisis. Maduro made the exhortation during a televised event Tuesday evening for a government program promoting...
