Latest Ohio reopenings include indoor dining, campgrounds
COLUMBUS, Ohio — After being abruptly shut down nearly two months ago to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Ohio restaurants are set to offer indoor dining again Thursday. Campgrounds are also reopening. Horse racing begins again Friday, but without spectators. Restaurants that allow diners inside must provide proper social...
13 workers die in Bangladesh road accident
DHAKA, Bangladesh — A speeding truck loaded with iron bars overturned Thursday in heavy rain after its driver apparently lost control, killing 13 passengers in northern Bangladesh, police said. The truck was traveling from Dhaka and the dead were day laborers who were riding in the back, local police chief...
Millions more people likely sought U.S. unemployment benefitsVideo
WASHINGTON — The government will provide its latest snapshot Thursday of the layoffs that have left tens of millions of people unemployed but that have begun to slow as states allow some businesses to reopen and fewer companies slash jobs. Millions more people likely filed for unemployment benefits last week,...
Oxfam to close 18 offices worldwide as virus drains finances
LONDON — Oxfam International, one of the world’s leading aid agencies, will severely curtail its work because of the financial strain caused by the coronavirus pandemic, including the closure of operations in 18 countries at the potential cost of 1,450 jobs. The organization, which currently operates in 66 countries and...
Colleges plan fall opening, but campuses won’t look the sameVideo
Growing numbers of U.S. colleges are pledging to reopen this fall, with dramatic changes to campus life to keep the coronavirus at bay. Big lectures will be a thing of the past. Dorms will will be nowhere near capacity. Students will face mandatory virus testing. And at some smaller schools,...
Buffalo, N.Y.-area police department brings levity to serious work
There aren’t many professions of more serious consequence than policework. Officers put their lives on the line for the communities they serve, and the way they do their jobs can make all the difference in the world for the quality of life of residents. That seriousness is usually reflected in...
Trump claims he will end his hydroxychloroquine regimen soonVideo
After hiding the claim that Donald Trump had been taking hydroxychloroquine for more than a week, the president revealed Wednesday he will end his regimen “in a day or two.” Trump, who said he has tested negative for the coronavirus, announced on Monday he was taking the anti-malaria drug to...
U.S. births fall, and coronavirus could drive them down more
NEW YORK — U.S. births continued to fall last year, leading to the fewest number of newborns in 35 years. The decline is the latest sign of a prolonged national “baby bust” that’s been going on for more than a decade. And some experts believe the coronavirus pandemic and its...
AP-NORC poll: Americans harbor strong fear of new infectionsVideo
Strong concern about a second wave of coronavirus infections is reinforcing widespread opposition among Americans to reopening public places, a new poll finds, even as many state leaders step up efforts to return to life before the pandemic. Yet support for public health restrictions imposed to control the virus’s spread...
Brazil expands use of unproven drug as coronavirus toll risesVideo
RIO DE JANEIRO — President Jair Bolsonaro unveiled rules Wednesday expanding the prescription of chloroquine, the predecessor of an anti-malaria drug promoted by President Donald Trump, for coronavirus patients despite a lack of clinical proof that it is effective. Chloroquine was already being used in Brazil for covid-19 patients who...
AP source: Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to be released from prison
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s longtime personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen will be released from federal prison Thursday and is expected to serve the remainder of his sentence at home, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Cohen has been serving a federal prison sentence at...
Senate panel approves subpoena in Hunter Biden probeVideo
WASHINGTON — A Senate committee has voted to issue a subpoena as part of its investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, a move that met immediate opposition from Democrats who said the panel should be focused on overseeing the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Senate Homeland...
New York opens the door to small religious gatheringsVideo
NEW YORK — New York will allow religious gatherings of up to 10 people as hospitalization rates continue to decline. More tests and outreach efforts are planned for hard-hit New York City neighborhoods. The Metropolitan Museum of Art could reopen its doors in mid-August. Coronavirus developments in New York: Religious...
Largest yet: $1.3 billion contract for border wall awarded to Trump-preferred firmVideo
PHOENIX — A North Dakota construction company favored by President Donald Trump has received the largest contract to date to build a section of Trump’s signature wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Republican U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota confirmed the $1.3 billion contract for building the 42-mile section of...
Despite risks, Texas pushes for kids to return to normal during pandemicVideo
AUSTIN — After months of home schooling and lost sports seasons, millions of Texas children may get a taste of a somewhat normal summer after all — if their parents go for it. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott this week said child care facilities can reopen immediately and set the...
Supreme Court blocks House from Mueller grand jury material
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday temporarily prevented the House of Representatives from obtaining secret grand jury testimony from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. The court’s unsigned order keeps previously undisclosed details from the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election out of the hands of Democratic...
Gov. Wolf talking with sports leagues, says it could take until vaccine for Pennsylvania to reach ‘normal’
Gov. Tom Wolf said Wednesday he is talking with professional sports leagues about holding events in Pennsylvania, but he doesn’t believe residents will be completely comfortable going back to pre-pandemic normalcy until there is a coronavirus vaccine. “Ultimately, I think what it’s going to take for everybody to feel safe...
CDC issues detailed reopening guidance after initial rejectionVideo
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a 60-page document that provides detailed suggestions for different phases of reopening workplaces, schools and restaurants, after an earlier draft was rejected by the White House for being too prescriptive. The document, which expands on several tools the agency released last...
Mike Pompeo denies retaliation but won’t explain watchdog ousterVideo
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday adamantly denied that he recommended firing the State Department’s independent watchdog in retaliation for investigations into Pompeo’s conduct as America’s top diplomat. But Pompeo again declined to provide specific reasons for Steve Linick’s dismissal as inspector general. Pompeo took an unusually...
Democrats decry ‘pandemic of pollution’ under Trump’s EPA
WASHINGTON — Democrats on Wednesday blasted the Trump administration’s moves to roll back environmental regulations during the coronavirus crisis, with one senator saying a “pandemic of pollution” has been released. The Environmental Protection Agency has weakened regulations dealing with fuel efficiency and mercury emissions and has allowed companies to determine...
AT&T to drop misleading ‘5G’ marketing for non-5G networks
AT&T says it will stop advertising its wireless network as “5G Evolution” after a division of the Better Business Bureau determined that its language was misleading. The network AT&T branded this way is not, in fact, 5G — a new technology for fast wireless data. While AT&T and other wireless...
Thousands evacuate ‘historic’ mid-Michigan flooding
MIDLAND, Mich. — Floodwaters have overtaken dams and forced the evacuation of about 10,000 people from communities in central Michigan, where the governor warned that Dow Chemical Co.’s hometown could end up under 9 feet of water by Wednesday evening and said the state will investigate the dam operators. Families...
3 barbers ticketed for cutting hair at Michigan CapitolVideo
LANSING, Mich. — Police ticketed three people for cutting hair during a protest outside the Michigan Capitol, where about a dozen barbers and hair stylists defied stay-at-home orders to give free hair cuts Wednesday. About 350 people were attending the demonstration that was organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition to...
State reports 143 more coronavirus deaths, 746 additional cases
Pennsylvania on Wednesday reported 143 more covid-19 deaths and 746 additional cases, bringing the state’s total number of cases to just over 64,400 , state officials said. There have been 4,767 people who have died from the virus, which has been reported in all of the state’s 67 counties. More...
Pennsylvania doles out $51 million to child care centers to help with reopening
More than $50 million from Pennsylvania’s first round of federal coronavirus aid will go to nearly 7,000 child care centers across the state, Gov. Tom Wolf said Wednesday. Wolf said reopening the state will require “robust and healthy” child care. Of the money, which is part of CARES Act funding...
