Associated Press stories, Page 2554
23 tornado deaths ‘gut wrenching’ in tiny Alabama community
BEAUREGARD, Ala. — With nearly two dozen people killed in a tornado outbreak that shattered a rural community in east Alabama, notifying the families of the dead was a huge, gut-wrenching task, done in the privacy of a country church. Pastor Rusty Sowell, with the county coroner behind him, would...
Pelosi: House to condemn ‘forms of hatred’ after Omar wordsVideo
WASHINGTON — Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday the House will vote on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, white supremacy and other forms of hate after freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar’s comments about Israel sparked turmoil among Democrats. Pelosi said she does not believe the Minnesota Democrat understood the “weight of her...
Mets great Tom Seaver diagnosed with dementia at 74
NEW YORK — Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver, the star of the Miracle Mets 1969 World Series championship team, has been diagnosed with dementia at age 74. His family made the announcement Thursday through the Hall and said Seaver has retired from public life and will continue to work...
Georgia House panel approves anti-abortion ‘heartbeat’ bill
ATLANTA — Amid tears, gasps and handshakes, a Georgia House committee approved legislation Wednesday to outlaw abortion after a fetus’ heartbeat can be detected, which is before many women know they are pregnant. Women in Georgia can currently seek an abortion up to 20 weeks of a pregnancy. A heartbeat...
LeBron James passes Michael Jordan for 4th in career scoring
LOS ANGELES — LeBron James moved past Michael Jordan into fourth place on the NBA’s career scoring list Wednesday night. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar scored his 32,293rd point on a driving layup in the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets, getting fouled in the act and hitting the ensuing...
Report: Government kept tabs on journalists, ‘instigators’
SAN DIEGO — The U.S. government ran an operation to screen journalists, activists and others while investigating last year’s migrant caravan from Mexico, a San Diego TV station reported Wednesday, citing leaked documents. Dossiers that included photos from their passports or social media accounts, date of birth and other details...
China’s Huawei launches court challenge to U.S. security law
SHENZHEN, China — Chinese tech giant Huawei is launching a U.S. court challenge to a law that labels the company a security risk and would limit its access to the American market for telecom equipment. Huawei Technologies Ltd.’s announcement Thursday comes as the biggest global maker of network equipment for...
Ghosn’s journey: Star auto executive to masked suspect
Carlos Ghosn, the star auto executive credited with rescuing both Renault and Nissan, left a drab Tokyo detention center Wednesday after more than three months in custody, his identity obscured by a surgical mask, hat and construction worker’s outfit. The jet-setting turnaround wizard was pursued by TV news helicopters as...
Philadelphia transit police strike over working conditions
PHILADELPHIA — Police officers for the Philadelphia region’s main transit system went on strike Wednesday, citing poor working conditions for the 178 officers that patrol stations. Members of the Fraternal Order of Transit Police Lodge 109 walked off the job for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority when they said a...
Rio Carnival winner paid tribute to slain councilwoman
RIO DE JANEIRO — The Brazilian samba school that paid tribute to a slain city councilwoman has won this year’s Carnival parade contest in Rio de Janeiro. The title announced Wednesday went to Mangueira, which is one of the oldest and most traditional samba schools. The group’s theme was Brazil’s...
Trudeau’s former top aide testifies in his defense
TORONTO — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s former top aide tried Wednesday to quell a Cabinet controversy that has shaken Canada’s government in an election year, testifying that the demotion of the attorney general had nothing to do with alleged efforts to pressure her into not prosecuting a Canadian company in...
Music museums keeping Michael Jackson exhibits on display
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Megastar Michael Jackson’s musical legacy has been getting critically reappraised after a new documentary rekindled allegations of child sexual abuse, but at least two music museums in Detroit and Tennessee aren’t scrubbing the King of Pop from their exhibits. The National Museum of African American Music says...
Bill to allow concealed carry on West Virginia campuses fails
CHARLESTON — Legislation to allow people with concealed weapons permits to carry guns on West Virginia college campuses has been defeated. The Senate judiciary committee voted Tuesday night by a narrow margin to keep the measure from going to the full Senate. The House of Delegates had passed the bill...
UK airline says female flight attendants can drop makeup
DALLAS — Britain’s Virgin Atlantic has dropped a requirement that female flight attendants wear makeup, joining other major carriers that have eased their dress and grooming requirements after complaints about turning female employees into sex objects. Virgin Atlantic announced this week that female cabin crew members can skip the makeup....
State bans dispensaries from joining Pennsylvania Cannabis Festival
SCRANTON — The Pennsylvania Department of Health has banned dispensaries from participating in one of the state’s largest cannabis festivals. A spokesperson for the department tells The Philadelphia Inquirer they issued the ban last week because the Pennsylvania Cannabis Festival in Scranton is not a “medically focused event.” Festival organizer...
Nevada cites U.S. warnings in bid to block plutonium shipments
RENO, Nev. — Nevada’s latest bid to block incoming shipments of weapons-grade plutonium points to the U.S. Energy Department’s own scientific warnings about the dangers of prematurely moving the highly radioactive material out of South Carolina. State lawyers say in briefs filed this week with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court...
The Cruze cruises: General Motors assembly plant closing, maybe for good
LORDSTOWN, Ohio — The last compact car rolled off the line Wednesday at General Motors’ massive assembly plant in Ohio as the automaker began moving toward its future while workers wondered about theirs. GM is eliminating all 1,700 hourly positions, perhaps for good, at the factory near Youngstown, the first...
‘Jeopardy!’ host Alex Trebek announces he has advanced pancreatic cancer
LOS ANGELES — “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek said he has been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer but intends to fight the disease and keep on working. In a video posted online Wednesday, the 78-year-old said he was announcing his illness directly to “Jeopardy!” fans in keeping with his long-time policy...
Judge eases wildfire safety plan for California utility
SAN FRANCISCO — A U.S. judge overseeing a criminal case against Pacific Gas & Electric Co. called the California utility’s efforts to prevent trees from hitting its power lines and starting wildfires “dismal” but scaled back his proposals to prevent its equipment from causing more blazes. Judge William Alsup said...
U.S. envoy Elliott Abrams dismisses military force in Venezuela in prank call
WASHINGTON — The U.S. envoy for Venezuela dismissed the possibility of American military action in the South American country in a recording made by two Russian pranksters and released Wednesday. Special Representative Elliott Abrams said in the recording that the United States wouldn’t use force in Venezuela unless the government...
R. Kelly taken back into custody after child-support hearing
CHICAGO — R. Kelly was taken back into custody Wednesday after appearing at a child-support hearing, authorities said, hours after the broadcast of an interview in which the R&B star cried and ranted about being “assassinated” by allegations of sexual abuse. A Cook County Sheriff’s Office official says singer Kelly...
Stocks slide a 3rd straight day with health companies showing the way
Health care companies led U.S. stocks broadly lower Wednesday, giving the market its third straight loss. Technology and energy stocks also bore the brunt of the selling, offsetting gains in materials and utilities companies. Several retailers also rose. Smaller companies fell more than the rest of the market. The latest...
Helen Hunt, Paul Reiser reunite for ‘Mad About You’ sequel
LOS ANGELES — Paul and Jamie Buchman are picking up where they left off 20 years ago on “Mad About You.” On-demand service Spectrum Originals said Wednesday a limited series will bring Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser back as the New York City couple. The original series, which aired from...
Arizona Sen. Martha McSally, ex-Air Force pilot, says officer raped her
WASHINGTON — Sen. Martha McSally, the first female Air Force fighter pilot to fly in combat, said Wednesday that she was sexually assaulted by a superior officer, and later, when she tried to talk about it to military officials, she “felt like the system was raping me all over again.”...
Dissent among Dems over response to Omar’s Israel remarks
WASHINGTON — A meeting of House Democrats turned contentious Wednesday as some new members who helped deliver the House majority confronted leaders over a resolution implicitly rebuking Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota over her comments on Israel. In the party’s weekly closed meeting, Democrats protested the way Speaker Nancy Pelosi...
