Tennessee man accused of sexual assault at tornado shelter
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee man has been charged with drugging and sexually assaulting two women in a temporary tornado shelter. The women told police that Cory Sullivan was on a cot beside theirs at the shelter in a Nashville recreation center, according to an affidavit filed in General Sessions...
Princess cruise ship in Caribbean kept at sea pending coronavirus tests
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Thousands of passengers on a third Princess Cruises ship are being kept on board while crew members get tested for COVID-19. The Caribbean Princess, on a 10-day trip to the Panama Canal, was scheduled to dock in Grand Cayman on Monday. But the Çalifornia-based cruise line...
U.S. begins troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, official says
WASHINGTON — American troops have begun leaving Afghanistan for the initial troop withdrawal required in the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement, a U.S. official said on Monday, amid political chaos in Kabul that threatens the deal. Hundreds of troops are heading out of the country as previously planned, but they will not...
Photos: Reactions after global markets tumble amid coronavirus, oil concerns
Global stock markets and oil prices plunged Monday after a fight among major crude-producing nations jolted investors who already were on edge about the surging costs of the coronavirus outbreak. Here is a look at Associated Press photos from around the world as global markets continue to feel the wrath...
Boston braces for large crowds as 1st pot shop opens
BOSTON — The first recreational marijuana shop in Boston opened Monday, where owners are bracing for large crowds. Pure Oasis owners Kobie Evans and Kevin Hart say they’re preparing for up to 1,000 customers a day to visit the store, which is also the first pot shop owned and operated...
‘Several’ lawmakers had contact with person who got covid-19Video
WASHINGTON — The Capitol’s attending physician said Monday that “several” members of Congress had contact with a person who attended a recent political conference and who subsequently developed covid-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. They “remain in good health,” the physician’s office said. In a note to lawmakers,...
Cory Booker endorses Biden, says he’ll ‘restore honor’ to officeVideo
WASHINGTON — Former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey has endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden. Booker announced on Twitter early Monday that Biden will “restore honor to the Oval Office and tackle our most pressing challenges.” Booker ended his own presidential bid in January, pledging to...
Firefighter, woman killed when fire roars through log cabin in Central Pa.
BOILING SPRINGS — A fast-moving fire roared through a log cabin in Pennsylvania early Monday, killing a woman and a firefighter and injuring the woman’s husband, state police said. The fire in Boiling Springs was reported around 1:30 a.m., state police said. The cabin was fully engulfed in flames when...
Florida theme parks keep eye on virus as spring break nears
ORLANDO, Fla. — As Florida’s busy spring break season kicked off this month, coronavirus czar Vice President Mike Pence addressed something that’s been on the mind of tens of thousands of families preparing to travel to theme parks: Is it safe? Over the weekend, Pence stressed it is safe for...
15 horses killed when fire erupts at training facility
BETHEL — Fifteen horses were killed when a fire destroyed a barn at a horse training facility in southeastern Pennsylvania, authorities said. Employees were able to rescue seven other horses from the flames, which erupted around 4:45 p.m. Saturday at Crane Thoroughbreds in Bethel. Firefighters soon arrived on scene and...
SpaceX’s 20th station shipment arrives with candy, science
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A SpaceX cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station on Monday, delivering the company’s 20th batch of gear and treats. The Dragon capsule reached the orbiting lab after launching late Friday night. NASA astronauts Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir used the station’s robot arm to...
Dueling Afghan leaders both declare themselves president
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan’s rival leaders were each sworn in as president in separate ceremonies on Monday, throwing plans for negotiations with the Taliban into chaos and creating a dilemma for the United States as it figures out how to move its peace deal with the Taliban forward. The U.S.-Taliban...
Officials set to receive thousands in California from ship hit by virusVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — Federal and state officials in California were preparing Monday to receive thousands of people from a cruise ship that has been idling off the coast of San Francisco with at least 21 people aboard infected with the coronavirus. Fences were being installed at an 11-acre site at...
Saudi Arabia cuts off travel over virus as markets tumble
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia closed off air and sea travel to nine countries affected by the new coronavirus Monday as Mideast stock markets tumbled over fears about the widening outbreak’s effect on the global economy. The state oil giant Saudi Aramco led the financial losses, dropping by...
Sudan’s PM says he survived assassination attempt in capital
CAIRO — Sudan’s prime minister said he survived an assassination attempt Monday after an explosion went off near his convoy in the capital of Khartoum. Abdalla Hamdok, a longtime economist, tweeted he was “safe and in good shape” following the explosion. Sudanese state TV said Hamdok had been heading to...
Don’t travel on cruise ships due to coronavirus risk, State Department urges
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — U.S. citizens should avoid traveling on cruise ships because of the risks of coronavirus, the State Department said in an advisory Sunday. The extraordinary statement came on the day a cruise ship due to dock at Port Everglades after a Caribbean tour was held off Fort...
North Korea fires weapons after threatening ‘momentous’ action
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired three unidentified projectiles off its east coast on Monday, South Korea’s military said, two days after the North threatened to take “momentous” action to protest outside condemnation over its earlier live-fire exercises. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement it detected...
Ted Cruz staying at home after exposure to man with coronavirus
WASHINGTON — GOP Sen. Ted Cruz said Sunday he will remain at his home in Texas after learning that he shook hands and briefly chatted with a man in suburban Washington who has tested positive for coronavirus. Meanwhile, Maryland reported two new cases on Sunday, raising to five the total...
California public venues, schools close to stop coronavirus spreadVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — A cruise ship with at least 21 cases of the new coronavirus is headed to the port of Oakland, California, but will remain in international waters for at least another day as officials worked on plans to transport American passengers to military bases around the United States...
Lawmakers pass bill allowing Confederate monument removals
RICHMOND, Va. — Some of Virginia’s scores of Confederate monuments could soon be removed under legislation state lawmakers approved Sunday. The Democratic-led House and Senate passed measures that would undo an existing state law that protects the monuments and instead lets local governments decide their fate. The bill’s passage marks...
Targets of crackdown on Uighurs in China fear government’s reach in U.S.
WASHINGTON — The photo of his father was barely recognizable. The old man looked unusually pale and tired, and his customary beard was shaved off. The son who received the photo over WhatsApp was immediately suspicious. He hadn’t heard from his family in western China for two years while he...
Police: Officer shot, killed man after report of stabbing
TOBYHANNA — Authorities say a police officer shot and killed a man after a woman was reported stabbed in eastern Pennsylvania during the weekend. State police say the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department was dispatched to a Coolbaugh Township home shortly before 1:30 p.m. Saturday when a woman said she...
Trump to skip St. Patrick’s Day Hill luncheon, blames Pelosi
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Irish eyes at the U.S. Capitol will not smile on President Donald Trump on St. Patrick’s Day. Trump is skipping an annual bipartisan luncheon with House and Senate lawmakers celebrating the ties that bind the U.S. and Ireland, a White House spokesman said. Trump blamed...
Official: White House didn’t want to tell seniors not to fly
NEW YORK — The White House overruled health officials who wanted to recommend that elderly and physically fragile Americans be advised not to fly on commercial airlines because of the new coronavirus, a federal official told The Associated Press. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention submitted the plan as...
Protest and celebration mark Women’s Day, despite threats
NEW YORK — From the streets of Manila to a school in East London, people around the world marked International Women’s Day on Sunday with calls to end exploitation and increase equality. But tensions marred some celebrations, with police arresting demonstrators at a rally in Kyrgyzstan and separatists detonating a...
