Associated Press stories, Page 2300
Ex-Massachusetts Gov. Patrick announces Democratic presidential bid
WASHINGTON — Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick announced Thursday he is running for president, making a late entry into the Democratic race less than three months before primary voting begins. In an announcement video, Patrick highlighted his poverty-stricken childhood on Chicago’s South Side, saying he’s running for the “people who...
AP: Data shows upswing in child exploitation cases
WASHINGTON — Homeland Security investigators who uncover child exploitation initiated more than 4,000 cases around the world in the 2019 budget year, resulting in thousands of arrests and the identification of more than 1,000 victims, according to new data obtained by The Associated Press. Their caseloads are growing because of...
Old dogs, new tricks: 10,000 pets needed for scienceVideo
SEATTLE — Can old dogs teach us new tricks? Scientists are looking for 10,000 pets for the largest-ever study of aging in canines. They hope to shed light on human longevity too. The project will collect a pile of pooch data: vet records, DNA samples, gut microbes and information on...
Fact check: GOP presses empty Ukraine meddling theory during impeachment hearingsVideo
WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans pressed the discredited theory that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 U.S. election in defending President Donald Trump in Wednesday’s impeachment hearings. A look at some of the remarks in the House Intelligence Committee proceeding: REP. DEVIN NUNES, top Republican on the panel: “The Democrats cooperated in...
Doctors: Warmer world is unhealthier place for children
WASHINGTON — Children are growing up in a warmer world that will hit them with more and different health problems than their parents experienced, an international report by doctors said. With increasing diarrhea diseases, more dangerous heat waves, air pollution and increases in mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever and...
Despite female push, Garth Brooks bests Carrie Underwood at CMA AwardsVideo
The Country Music Association Awards almost fully honored and highlighted the women of country music — whose songs have been heavily dismissed on country radio over the years — until two words were uttered when they named its entertainer of the year: Garth Brooks. Wednesday night’s show kicked off with...
As rockets rain down, Israel intensifies its strikes in Gaza
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli aircraft struck Islamic Jihad targets throughout the Gaza Strip on Wednesday while the militant group rained scores of rockets into Israel for a second straight day as the heaviest round of fighting in months showed no signs of ending. The death toll rose to...
Georgia executes man for store clerk’s killing in 1994
JACKSON, Ga. — A man convicted of killing a Georgia convenience store clerk 25 years ago was put to death late Wednesday night, authorities said. Inmate Ray Jefferson Cromartie, 52, was pronounced dead at 10:59 p.m. Wednesday after an injection of pentobarbital at the state prison in Jackson, authorities said...
Venice ‘on its knees’ after second-worst flood ever recordedVideo
VENICE, Italy — The worst flooding in Venice in more than 50 years prompted calls Wednesday to better protect the historic city from rising sea levels as officials calculated hundreds of millions of euros in damage. The water reached 6.14 feet above average sea level Tuesday, the second-highest level ever...
Court rejects Trump’s appeal in fight over financial records
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court will not take up President Donald Trump’s appeal of a ruling that his accounting firm must turn over financial records to Congress. The order was handed down Wednesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. It is almost certain...
Rescue: ‘Unicorn’ puppy doesn’t notice ‘tail’ growth on headVideo
JACKSON, Mo. — A rescued puppy is attracting a lot of attention because of his resemblance to a unicorn. The nearly 10-week-old puppy, named Narwhal, has a tail-like appendage growing from his forehead. Narwhal was rescued over the weekend and sent to Mac’s Mission in Jackson, which specializes in fostering...
Disney Plus hits 10 million subscribers in 1 dayVideo
NEW YORK — Disney Plus says it hit more than 10 million sign-ups on its first day of launch, far exceeding expectations. Disney’s mix of Marvel and Star Wars movies and shows, classic animated films and new series appears to be a hit out of the gate after its launch...
Astros’ Justin Verlander, Mets’ Jacob deGrom get 2nd Cy Young Awards
NEW YORK — Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander was awarded his second AL Cy Young Award on Wednesday. Verlander beat out teammate Gerrit Cole in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Verlander got 17 first-place votes compared to 13 for Cole, who became a free agent after the...
U.S. government says Roger Stone ‘undermined’ Russia inquiry
WASHINGTON — Republican political operative Roger Stone undermined the effectiveness of the congressional investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election by repeatedly and deliberately lying under oath to help Donald Trump’s presidential campaign avoid embarrassment, prosecutors told jurors in closing arguments at his trial Wednesday. Defense attorneys countered that...
Florida hunter thought he would die in the swamp when gator attacked himVideo
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Hours after an alligator bit James Boyce on the leg deep inside a swamp, the avid hunter had resigned himself to dying. He made his goodbyes with his wife, Terisa. They had tightened their belts around his thigh as a tourniquet, but he was bleeding...
Dauphin County resists Pennsylvania’s push for new voting machines
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania county is signaling that it won’t go along with Gov. Tom Wolf’s insistence that counties buy new voting systems as a security measure in 2020’s election, when the state is expected to be a premier presidential battleground. Dauphin County Commissioner Mike Pries said Wednesday that he’s...
Maryland police identify, charge suspect in fatal Popeyes stabbing
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — Police say they have identified and charged a suspect wanted in the fatal stabbing of a man outside a Popeyes restaurant in Maryland. The Prince George’s County Police Department said in news release Tuesday that 30-year-old Ricoh McClain is wanted on murder charges in the death...
Trade war puts cork in wine sales to China
LIVERMORE, Calif. — Caught in the crossfire of President Trump’s trade war with China, U.S. vineyards are struggling to sell Syrah in Shanghai and Chardonnay in Shenzhen. They risk losing their foothold in one of the world’s fastest-growing wine markets. The 16-month dispute between the world’s two biggest economies has...
Florida man accused of killing man after losing card game
HUDSON, Fla. — Authorities say a 21-year-old Florida man was so angry about losing several thousand dollars in a card game that he set the man’s car on fire with him inside. A Pasco County Sheriff’s arrest report says the victim was burned beyond recognition after playing cards with Michael...
Chinese, other students flee Hong Kong as violence worsensVideo
HONG KONG — University students from mainland China and Taiwan are fleeing Hong Kong, while those from three Scandinavian countries have been moved or urged to leave as college campuses become the latest battleground in the city’s 5-month-long anti-government unrest. Marine police used a boat Wednesday to help a group...
At least 12 killed in Slovakia bus crash including children
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — A bus collided with a truck in Slovakia on Wednesday, killing at least 12 people and injuring at least 17 more, officials said. Online news site tvnoviny.sk reported that the bus was carrying high school students. Health Minister Andrea Kalavska, who was at the site, said four...
FBI investigating Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration over Mariner East pipeline permits
HARRISBURG — The FBI has begun a corruption investigation into how Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration came to issue permits for construction on a multibillion-dollar pipeline project to carry highly volatile natural gas liquids across Pennsylvania, The Associated Press has learned. FBI agents have interviewed current or former state employees in...
Massachusetts fire lieutenant dies battling house fire
WORCESTER, Mass. — A Massachusetts fire lieutenant scheduled to leave on a Disney vacation with his family after his shift ended died early Wednesday while investigating a report of a trapped baby in a burning home, his chief said. Lt. Jason Menard, 39, and his crew became trapped on the...
Fed’s Powell sees steady growth, signals pause in rate cutsVideo
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell expects the U.S. economy to continue growing at a solid pace, though it still faces risks from slower growth overseas and trade tensions. Powell also said the Fed is likely to keep its benchmark short-term interest rate unchanged in the coming months, unless...
Watch live: Diplomats testify on Trump impeachmentVideo
WASHINGTON — For the first time a top diplomat testified Wednesday that President Donald Trump was overheard asking about “the investigations” he wanted Ukraine to pursue that are central to the impeachment inquiry. William Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, revealed the new information as the House Intelligence Committee...
