Associated Press stories, Page 2220
401(k)s hit records as workers sock away more, stocks jump
NEW YORK — How’s your 401(k) doing? President Trump likes to ask that question around the country, sometimes throwing out big gains like 90% or 95%. The average 401(k) did indeed hit a record last year, although its growth was considerably less than that. The average 401(k) balance rose 17%...
Trump’s story at State of the Union about veteran’s comeback was not quite trueVideo
NEW YORK — Tony Rankins, a formerly homeless, drug-addicted Army veteran, got a standing ovation at the State of the Union after President Donald Trump described how he turned his life around thanks to a construction job at a company using the administration’s “Opportunity Zone” tax breaks targeting poor neighborhoods....
AG William Barr: Trump tweets on cases make it ‘impossible’ to do job
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr took a public swipe at President Donald Trump on Thursday, saying that the president’s tweets about Justice Department prosecutors and cases “make it impossible for me to do my job.” Barr made the comment during an interview with ABC News just days after his...
Virus cases surge after China revises way count is tallied
BEIJING — China reported a surge in deaths and infections from a new virus Thursday after changing the way the count is tallied, further clouding an epidemic that has stirred fear as it spread to more than two dozen countries. The spike came after two days in which the number...
Trump to transfer $3.8B from military to fund his wall
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is transferring $3.8 billion in recently passed military funding to finance construction of the president’s long-sought U.S.-Mexico border wall, angering not just Democrats but also GOP defense hawks. Thursday’s move by the Pentagon would transfer money from National Guard units, aircraft procurement and shipbuilding to...
Court halts Pentagon work with Microsoft on cloud contract
NEW YORK — A federal court has ordered the Pentagon to temporarily halt work with Microsoft on a $10 billion military cloud contract that Amazon was initially favored to win. Amazon subsequently sued, alleging that President Donald Trump’s bias against the company hurt its chances to win the project. Amazon...
Senate acts to restrain Trump’s military powers against Iran
WASHINGTON — The Senate approved a bipartisan measure Thursday limiting President Donald Trump’s authority to launch military operations against Iran. The measure, authored by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., says Trump must win approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran. Eight Republicans joined with Democrats to pass...
U.S. brings new charges against Chinese tech giant Huawei
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has added new criminal charges against Chinese tech giant Huawei and two of its U.S. subsidiaries, accusing the company in a plot to steal trade secrets from competitors in America, federal prosecutors announced Thursday. The case comes as the Trump administration is raising national security...
Trump Fed nominee Shelton faces skepticism at Senate hearing
Washington — One of President Donald Trump’s nominees for the Federal Reserve came under sharp questioning Thursday from senators over her unorthodox economic views, including from two Republicans whose doubts about her nomination could imperil it. The nominee, Judy Shelton, sought to make her unconventional views an asset by promising...
DA deciding whether to investigate James Brown’s death
ATLANTA — A prosecutor in Atlanta will decide whether to open a formal investigation after meeting with a woman who says she has evidence legendary singer James Brown’s death was caused by another person, his spokesman said. Brown, known as the Godfather of Soul, was 73 when he died of...
Trump slams former chief of staff John Kelly, who defended key impeachment witness
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday lashed out against former White House chief of staff John Kelly for being disloyal after the ex-adviser came to the defense of a former national security aide who offered key testimony in the impeachment inquiry. The president’s comments targeting Kelly came after Kelly...
Amsterdam bans tour groups from sex workers’ windows
AMSTERDAM — The local government in Amsterdam has banned guided tours that take groups past the famed windows in the city’s red-light district where visitors watch semi-naked sex workers pose. The move announced Thursday is the city government’s latest attempt to address over-tourism and to clean up and to protect...
Astros’ Bregman, Altuve apologize for sign-stealing scheme
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Alex Bregman spoke for about 30 seconds and said he was sorry but did not say why. He said he had learned, but did not say what. On a patch of grass between the Houston Astros’ spring training building and fields, under a sun obscured...
Hope Hicks returning to White House
WASHINGTON — Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump’s most trusted and longest-serving aides, is returning to the White House as his reelection campaign moves into high gear. Hicks will be serving as counselor to the president, working with presidential son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, according to a person...
Longest-serving federal judge, named by LBJ, retires at 98
NEW YORK — A federal judge in New York City who was nominated by President Lyndon Johnson and who contributed to the landmark case that struck down racial segregation in public schools is retiring at age 98. U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein was known for favoring lenient sentences and rehabilitation....
Fiery train derailment in Kentucky spills ethanol into river
PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A fiery train derailment Thursday morning in eastern Kentucky trapped two crew members and caused a chemical leak into a river, authorities said. Two crew members of the CSX train were initially trapped before getting out and a flammable liquid was leaking into a river, said Charles...
U.K. Treasury chief quits as Johnson shakes up Cabinet
LONDON — U.K. Treasury chief Sajid Javid unexpectedly resigned on Thursday after resisting a reduction in his power, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson sought to tighten his grip on the government with a Cabinet shake-up. Javid had been widely expected to keep his job — the second most powerful in...
Twitter, Facebook fined for not moving user data to Russia
MOSCOW — A court in Moscow fined Twitter and Facebook 4 million rubles each Thursday for refusing to store the personal data of Russian citizens on servers in Russia, the largest penalties imposed on Western technology companies under internet use laws. The fines of nearly $63,000 are the first five-figure...
Flooding forces Alabama school system to shut downVideo
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — An Alabama school system called off classes Thursday because flooding affected its public water supply, and officials asked residents to conserve water. Hartselle schools canceled for the day because water from a rising creek flooded a water pumping station, the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office said in a...
McClatchy files for bankruptcy protectionVideo
The publisher of the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star and dozens of other newspapers across the country is filing for bankruptcy protection. McClatchy Co.’s 30 newsrooms, including The Charlotte Observer, The News & Observer in Raleigh, and The Star-Telegram in Fort Worth, will continue to operate as usual as...
Payton Pritchard keeps building legacy at OregonVideo
EUGENE, Ore. — After Oregon’s run to the Sweet 16 last season, guard Payton Pritchard explored going pro. It certainly wasn’t a futile exercise. Pritchard resolutely had picked up the Ducks and carried them to a Pac-12 tournament championship and on to a run in the NCAA Tournament. In the...
Detail-oriented DeBoer hoping to get Vegas back in playoffsVideo
LAS VEGAS — Peter DeBoer could have chosen a life inside a courtroom arguing in front of a judge’s bench, considering he has law degrees from the University of Windsor and the University of Detroit. Instead, he’s enjoyed a mostly successful career behind an NHL bench. In each of his...
Survey finds smaller decline in medical bill worries
The proportion of people in families struggling to pay medical bills is down, but the number isn’t dropping like it used to, according to a big government study. In a 2018 national survey, just over 14% of people said they belonged to a family struggling with those bills, the Centers...
West Virginia men give up 9-0 run to end home loss against KansasVideo
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Kansas caught West Virginia in a rare late lapse at home. Devon Dotson scored 11 of his 15 points after halftime, Isaiah Moss had seven of his 13 points during a second-half burst and the third-ranked Jayhawks finished the game with a nine-point run to beat the...
Jeremy Roenick won’t return to NBC Sports as a result of suspension
Jeremy Roenick will not be returning to NBC Sports after his suspension for making inappropriate comments about coworkers. A network spokesman confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that Roenick will not be back on the air. The spokesman said NBC Sports would have no further comment. Roenick announced the...
