Trump bans dealings with Chinese owners of TikTok, WeChat
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered an unspecified ban on “transactions” with the Chinese owners of the consumer apps TikTok and WeChat, although it remains unclear if he has the legal authority to actually ban the apps from the United States. The twin executive orders — one...
Governor urges flu shots as Texas reports 300 new deaths
AUSTIN — Texas health officials warned Thursday that the approaching flu season threatens to further strain hospitals still dealing with thousands of coronavirus patients, and they urged the public to not wait on getting flu vaccinations this year. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott made the appeal as Texas reported more than...
GOP lawmaker calls for Jerry Falwell Jr. to step down as president of Liberty University
A North Carolina congressman with connections to Liberty University is calling on the school’s president to resign because of his “appalling” behavior. Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., a former instructor at the evangelical school in Virginia, contends Jerry Falwell Jr. should step down in the wake of a viral photo in...
Republicans push Kanye 2020. But will it really hurt Biden?Video
WASHINGTON — Kanye West’s unlikely White House bid is getting help qualifying for presidential ballots in key states from Republicans around the country, fueling suspicions he’s being pushed to run by allies of President Donald Trump hoping to siphon support away from Joe Biden. The rapper qualified for Colorado’s presidential...
Playing electoral defense, Trump claims Biden opposes GodVideo
CLEVELAND — President Donald Trump billed his trip to Ohio Thursday as a chance to promote economic recovery, but he quickly pivoted to a deeply personal attack on Joe Biden, even questioning without foundation the former vice president’s faith in God. Even for a president known for his blunt criticism,...
Florida man fractures neck in diving accident; young son saves him
PENSACOLA, Fla. — A 9-year-old Florida boy is being hailed a hero for pulling his father from the water after the man fractured his neck in a diving accident. Young Asaih Williams said he always plays a game in his head when he’s diving with someone. If the other person...
U.S. rescinds global ‘do not travel’ coronavirus warning
NEW YORK — The Trump administration on Thursday rescinded its warnings to Americans against all international travel because of the coronavirus pandemic, saying conditions no longer warrant a blanket worldwide alert. The State Department lifted its level-four health advisory for the entire world in order to return to country-specific warnings....
Michigan senator launches investigation into Postal Service delaysVideo
WASHINGTON — A Democratic senator said Thursday he is launching an investigation into changes at the U.S. Postal Service that are causing delays in mail deliveries across the country just as big volume increases are expected for mail-in election voting. A plan imposed by Louis DeJoy, a Republican fundraiser who...
Trump’s Iran envoy quits administration as U.S. pushes embargoVideo
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s top envoy for Iran is stepping down just as the United States tries to moves ahead with a major diplomatic effort that would extend a U.N. arms embargo against Tehran in the face of widespread international opposition. Brian Hook announced his departure on Thursday, a...
Georgia school district to begin year online amid staff coronavirus casesVideo
WINDER, Ga. — More than 90 staff members in one Georgia school district have been quarantined due to coronavirus exposure or infection, prompting the district to plan to begin the year entirely online. Barrow County Schools officials announced Wednesday that the district about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta would abandon...
Democrats sue Georgia election officials over lines at polls
ATLANTA — Democrats are asking a federal judge to order Georgia election officials to take steps to prevent long lines at the polls on Election Day. A lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court in Atlanta alleges that the causes of long lines that have forced Georgians to wait hours to...
Gov. Wolf says other states with coronavirus surges are causing Pa. test result delays
Long lags in getting covid-19 test results to patients have Pennsylvania health officials concerned, even as the state’s capacity to perform tests has grown. The delays — some of up to 14 days or more — come in part from what’s happening in other states, Gov. Tom Wolf said during...
French President Macron announces fundraising conference for LebanonVideo
BEIRUT — Residents of Beirut vented their fury at Lebanon’s leaders Thursday during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, blaming them for the deadly explosion that ravaged the capital. Lebanon’s customs chief told The Associated Press the Cabinet was warned in the past year that a stockpile of explosive...
Ohio Gov. DeWine tests positive for covid-19 ahead of Trump visit
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tested positive Thursday for the coronavirus just ahead a planned meeting with President Donald Trump. The Republican governor’s office said Thursday that he took the test as part of standard protocol before meeting Trump at an airport in Cleveland. He had planned to...
Arkansas woman pleads guilty to killing former lawmaker
POCAHONTAS, Ark. — An Arkansas woman pleaded guilty Thursday to killing a former state lawmaker who was found dead from multiple stab wounds outside her home last year. Rebecca Lynn O’Donnell pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse in the death of former Arkansas state Sen. Linda...
Hurricane Alpha? Amped up season forecast, names may run outVideo
Already smashing records, this year’s hyperactive Atlantic hurricane season is about to get even nastier, forecasters predict. In the coming months, they expect to run out of traditional hurricane names and see about twice as much storm activity as a normal year. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday...
Portland police, protesters clash for 2nd consecutive night
PORTLAND, Ore. — Police and protesters in Portland, Oregon, have clashed for the second night in a row and the city’s police chief says the ongoing violence is harming the city’s image. The high-profile clashes outside a U.S. courthouse in Portland, Oregon, have largely stopped since Democratic Gov. Kate Brown...
New York attorney general seeks to dissolve NRAVideo
NEW YORK — New York’s attorney general sued the National Rifle Association on Thursday, seeking to put the powerful gun advocacy organization out of business over claims that top executives illegally diverted tens of millions of dollars for lavish personal trips, no-show contracts for associates and other questionable expenditures. Attorney...
Pennsylvania’s covid-19 death toll rises by 38
On Thursday, while the Pennsylvania Department of Health continued to report new covid-19 cases below the 1,000 mark, its death count increased the most since June 25. The department reported 807 new cases of covid-19 across the state. It’s the ninth straight day the state saw triple-digit increases in its...
Playing electoral defense, Trump to promote recovery in Ohio
WASHINGTON — Forced to play defense in states he led comfortably months ago, President Donald Trump set his sights on Ohio on Thursday in an attempt to reframe the centerpiece of his reelection pitch. During his visit, Trump planned to promote the economic prosperity that much of the nation enjoyed...
Lebanon probes blast amid rising anger, calls for change
BEIRUT — Lebanese officials targeted in the investigation of the massive blast that tore through Beirut sought to shift blame for the presence of explosives at the city’s port, and the visiting French president warned Thursday that without serious reforms the country would “continue to sink.” The blast Tuesday, which...
1.2 million seek jobless aid after $600 federal check ends
WASHINGTON — Nearly 1.2 million laid-off Americans applied for state unemployment benefits last week, evidence that the coronavirus keeps forcing companies to slash jobs just as a critical $600 weekly federal jobless payment has expired. The Labor Department’s report Thursday marked the 20th straight week that at least 1 million...
5 dead in suspected arson in Denver
DENVER — Five people were found dead Wednesday after an early morning fire destroyed a suburban Denver home — a blaze authorities said they suspect was intentionally set. Three people escaped the fire by jumping from the home’s second floor. Investigators believe the victims were a toddler, an older child...
Facebook, citing coronavirus misinformation, deletes Trump post
Facebook has deleted a post by President Donald Trump for violating its policy against spreading misinformation about coronavirus. The post in question featured a link to a Fox News video in which Trump says children are “virtually immune” to the virus. Facebook said Wednesday that the “video includes false claims...
Prognosticator with perfect track record says Biden will beat TrumpVideo
Joe Biden is leading President Trump in the polls — nationally and in a number of swing states. But a voter could be forgiven for not putting too much stock in those numbers — especially after Hillary Clinton’s lead over Trump in 2016 turned into an electoral college win for...
