U.S./World category, Page 1028
Cuomo orders shift in ventilators to overwhelmed hospitals
NEW YORK — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he would order the redistribution of critically needed ventilators. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called for a national enlistment program for doctors and nurses. And the coronavirus outbreak picked up speed with more deaths and more hospitalizations. The latest...
Face coverings recommended, but Trump says he won’t wear one
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced new federal guidelines Friday recommending that Americans wear face coverings when in public to help fight the spread of the new coronavirus. The president immediately said he had no intention of following the advice himself, saying, “I’m choosing not to do it.” The new...
US long-term mortgage rates drop; 30-year at 3.33%
WASHINGTON — U.S. long-term mortgage rates fell this week for the second straight week as anxiety has spiraled over devastation to the economy from the coronavirus pandemic. Home-loan rates have been hitting all-time lows. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year loan dipped...
Florida finally takes cruise passengers, some on stretchers
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Passengers from an ill-fated cruise were carefully freed from their cabins and allowed to touch dry land Friday for the first time in weeks, following the removal of 14 critically ill people who were wheeled off to Florida hospitals bracing for an onslaught of coronavirus patients....
Search underway for Kathleen Kennedy Townsend’s daughter, grandson
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Authorities were searching Friday for the daughter and a grandson of former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend after a canoe they were paddling in the Chesapeake Bay didn’t return to shore. Gov. Larry Hogan identified the missing relatives as Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, 40, and McKean’s...
Stocks fall on Wall Street, heading for another weekly loss
NEW YORK — Stocks are falling in afternoon trading Friday, putting Wall Street on track for its third losing week in the last four. The losses came after the government said U.S. employers cut 701,000 more jobs than they added last month, the first drop in nearly a decade. Many...
Field hospital to be set up at University of Kentucky
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A 400-bed field hospital will be set up at the University of Kentucky as health officials prepare for a potential surge of coronavirus patients, UK HealthCare officials said Friday. The goal is to have the makeshift hospital ready in the next two weeks at Nutter Field House,...
Governor to take ventilators for NYC as hospitals buckle
NEW YORK — With coronavirus deaths climbing rapidly in New York, the governor announced Friday he will use his authority to take ventilators and protective gear from private hospitals and companies that aren’t using them, complaining that states are competing against each other for vital equipment in eBay-like bidding wars....
100,000 tourists stuck in New Zealand to leave as rules ease
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — About 100,000 tourists stuck in New Zealand since it began a lockdown last week were starting to fly to their home countries Friday. The initial problem for many tourists had been that they were banned from catching domestic flights during the strict monthlong lockdown, which is...
Dr. Fauci’s face will soon be on a bobblehead
MILWAUKEE — The United States’ top infectious disease specialist is getting his own bobblehead. The creation from the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee features Dr. Anthony Fauci wearing a suit as he makes a motion showing how the nation needs to “flatten the curve” in the...
Cardboard cutouts pose as guests for wedding amid covid-19
DOWAGIAC, Mich. — Cardboard cutout wedding guests will make for a not-so-cookie-cutter wedding as a Michigan couple prepares to tie the knot during the coronavirus pandemic. After Amy Simonson and Dan Stuglik’s wedding plans were disrupted amid the outbreak, a packaging company donated more than 100 cardboard cutouts to pose...
NYC mayor urges national enlistment program for doctors
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called Friday for a national enlistment program for doctors and nurses to handle an expected surge in coronavirus cases in New York and other places around the country where virus cases are straining existing health care systems. “Next week in New York City...
U.S. sheds 701,000 jobs, ending a record-long hiring streak
WASHINGTON — A record-long streak of U.S. job growth ended suddenly in March after nearly a decade as employers cut 701,000 jobs because of the viral outbreak that’s all but shut down the U.S. economy. The unemployment rate jumped to 4.4% from a 50-year low of 3.5%. The monthly job...
Florida finally takes cruise passengers, some on stretchersVideo
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Passengers from an ill-fated cruise were carefully freed from their cabins and allowed to touch dry land on Friday for the first time in weeks, following the removal of 14 critically ill people who were wheeled off to Florida hospitals bracing for an onslaught of coronavirus...
Mexican brewer of Corona beer suspends productionVideo
Looks like we won’t have Corona beer to kick around anymore. For a little while, at least. Grupo Modelo announced Thursday that it is suspending production of its Corona beer and other brands, including Modelo and Pacífico, after it was declared among the nonessential businesses in a Mexican government order...
World virus roundup: Death toll in Spain nears 11,000; Merkel returns to workVideo
Here’s the latest on the coronavirus pandemic from around the world. From Spain Spain is closing Friday a black week with its death toll for the new coronavirus nearing 11,000, more than half of those during the past seven days, and more infections than any other country in Europe. The...
Navy captain who pleaded for help in coronavirus outbreak on carrier relieved of commandVideo
The Navy on Thursday has relieved the captain of the coronavirus-stricken USS Roosevelt shortly after his plea for help for his sailors went public. Capt. Brett Crozier, who commands the aircraft carrier with a crew of about 5,000, will be relieved of his command but keep his rank and remain...
EPA: Do not flush anything other than toilet paper to help keep sewage systems running efficiently
With increased sanitary measures taking center stage amid the coronavirus pandemic, federal environmental officials are asking Americans to stop flushing disinfecting wipes in an effort to keep sewage systems functioning properly. “Flushing anything other than toilet paper, including disinfecting wipes, can damage internal plumbing, local sewer systems and septic systems,”...
West Virginia doctor charged with groping VA patient
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A doctor at a Veterans Affairs hospital in West Virginia has been charged with groping and injuring a patient. Dr. Jonathan Yates was charged in a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law — language used to describe crimes...
Ill-fated cruise ships given approval to dock in FloridaVideo
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Passengers aboard two cruise ships that have had coronavirus cases and deaths have been given the green light to disembark at a Florida port, an official said Thursday. An agreement was reached between local, state and federal officials and Carnival Corp., which owns the Zaandam and...
Memo: Some in U.S. may not get stimulus checks until AugustVideo
WASHINGTON — The federal government expects to begin making payments to millions of Americans under the new stimulus law in mid-April, but some people without direct deposit information may not get checks until mid-August or later, according to a memo obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. The document from the...
Philips Respironics ramping up ventilator production, soon to include a lower-cost unit
A Dutch manufacturer says it hopes to triple the production of hospital ventilators being assembled in Murrysville and Carlsbad, Calif., between now and the end of September. “In March, our production capacity was 1,000 ventilators per week. In two months, we hope to double that … and by the end...
U.S. border construction projects spur rural coronavirus fears
BILLINGS, Mont. — Major construction projects moving forward along the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico are raising fears that the coronavirus could race through temporary camps and workers could spread it to nearby rural communities that would not be able to handle an outbreak. Despite a clampdown on people’s...
Fauci says he feels safe despite threats, is focusing on job
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease official, said Thursday he feels safe despite reports he’s received online threats and has had uncomfortable personal encounters with admirers that prompted the Trump administration to assign him a security detail. Fauci, a key member of the White House coronavirus...
Record 6.6 million Americans apply for unemployment in 1 weekVideo
WASHINGTON — More than 6.6 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week — doubling a record high set just one week earlier — a sign that layoffs are accelerating in the midst of the coronavirus. The stunning report Thursday from the Labor Department showed that job cuts are mounting...
