Associated Press stories, Page 1848
Biden choice for consumer watchdog agency makes debut in nomination hearing
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — President Joe Biden’s nominee to run the federal consumer watchdog agency faced some hostile questioning from Republican Senators on Tuesday, but appeared to be likely to be confirmed with Democrats controlling a majority in the Senate. Rohit Chopra, currently a Democratic commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission,...
Senate Dems sorting final details of $1.9T virus relief bill
WASHINGTON — Democrats sorted through lingering disagreements over emergency jobless benefits and other issues Tuesday and prepared to commence Senate debate on a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan that would deliver a major victory to President Joe Biden. With Democrats having no margin for error in the evenly split 50-50...
Police: 13 killed when big rig hits SUV carrying 25 people in California
HOLTVILLE, Calif. — Thirteen people were killed Tuesday when an SUV carrying 25 people and a big rig collided on a Southern California highway near the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities said. Twelve people were found dead when first responders reached the highway, which winds through fields in the agricultural southeastern corner...
Stocks drift lower on Wall Street; yields continue to ease
Stocks are closing lower on Wall Street after a wobbly day, giving back some of their big gains from a day earlier. The S&P 500 lost 0.8% Tuesday after flipping between small gains and losses throughout the day. A day before, it leaped 2.4% for its best performance since June....
CNN’s Chris Cuomo says he ‘obviously’ can’t cover allegations against brother, N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo
NEW YORK — CNN host Chris Cuomo told viewers Monday that he “obviously” couldn’t cover the stories surrounding his older brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been accused of sexual harassment by three women. The prime time host addressed the topic immediately at the start of his show,...
U.S. sets sanctions over Russia opposition leader’s poisoning
The Biden administration announced sanctions of Russian officials and businesses Tuesday for a nearly fatal nerve-agent attack upon opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his subsequent jailing. Senior administration officials did not immediately identify the Russian officials targeted. The Biden administration also announced sanctions under the U.S. Chemical and Biological Weapons...
Vatican defends pope Iraq trip as act of love
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican is defending Pope Francis’ decision to go ahead with his trip to Iraq this weekend despite rising coronavirus infections there, saying Tuesday all health care precautions have been taken and that the trip is an “act of love for this land, for its people, and...
Vernon Jordan, activist, former Clinton adviser, has died
ATLANTA — Vernon Jordan, who rose from humble beginnings in the segregated South to become a champion of civil rights before reinventing himself as a Washington insider and corporate influencer, has died, according to a statement from his daughter. He was 85. Jordan’s daughter, Vickee Jordan Adams, released the statement...
Kohl’s reports mixed 4Q results but offers upbeat outlook
NEW YORK — Kohl’s reported mixed results for its fiscal fourth quarter, delivering a 30% increase in profits but a 10% drop in sales. Results handily beat Wall Street estimates. Online sales growth remained strong, up 22% for the latest quarter, and accounted for 42% of net sales. The Menomonee...
Official: Merck to help produce rival Johnson & Johnson’s covid vaccine
WASHINGTON — Drugmaker Merck & Co. will help produce rival Johnson & Johnson’s newly approved coronavirus vaccine in an effort to expand supply more quickly, a Biden administration official confirmed Tuesday. The announcement comes as the White House looks to speed the production of the single-dose vaccine. Officials have said...
6 Dr. Seuss books won’t be published for racist images
BOSTON — Six Dr. Seuss books — including “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” and “If I Ran the Zoo” — will stop being published because of racist and insensitive imagery, the business that preserves and protects the author’s legacy said Tuesday. “These books portray people...
Irish jockey apologizes for sitting on dead horse
DUBLIN — An amateur jockey from Ireland apologized on Tuesday after video of him sitting on a dead horse was posted on social media, following one of the country’s leading trainers being banned from entering runners in British races because of similar conduct. Rob James, a winner at the Cheltenham...
Target powers through pandemic; sales growth explodes in 2020
NEW YORK — Target extended its strong streak through the holiday quarter and sales grew by more than $15 billion in a pandemic year, exceeding the company’s annual sales growth over the past 11 years combined. With the habits of millions altered because of the spread of covid-19 in 2020,...
This date in sports history: March 2Video
1918 — Joe Malone is held scoreless in the Montreal Canadiens’ 5-3 season-ending loss to the Toronto Arenas, but finishes the first NHL season with a league-high 44 goals in 22 games. The 44 goals remains an NHL record that stands until 1944-45 when Maurice Richard scores 50 goals in...
States easing coronavirus restrictions despite experts’ warningsVideo
MISSION, Kan. — With the U.S. vaccination drive picking up speed and a third formula on the way, states eager to reopen for business are easing coronavirus restrictions despite warnings from health experts that the outbreak is far from over and that moving too quickly could prolong the misery. Massachusetts...
Gov. Andrew Cuomo accuser blasts attempted apology, ‘predatory behavior’Video
NEW YORK — A former aide accusing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment condemned him Monday as a manipulative predator, as another woman said the governor had left her “shocked and embarrassed” after trying to kiss her at a 2019 wedding. The woman, Anna Ruch, became the third...
California serial killer who was spared execution is killed in prison
SACRAMENTO — A California serial killer known as the “I-5 Strangler” in the 1970s and 1980s has been killed in the prison where he was serving multiple life sentences, state correctional officials said Monday. A correctional officer doing rounds spotted Roger Reece Kibbe, 81, unresponsive in his cell at Mule...
Texas top utility regulator quits in fallout over blackouts
AUSTIN — Texas’ top utilities regulator resigned Monday in the widening fallout from blackouts triggered by an unusually heavy and widespread winter storm that left millions in the state without power and water for days. DeAnn Walker, the chairwoman of the Public Utility Commission, is the highest-ranking official to step...
Senate confirms Miguel Cardona as Biden’s education secretary
The Senate voted Monday to confirm Miguel Cardona as education secretary, clearing his way to lead President Joe Biden’s effort to reopen the nation’s schools amid the coronavirus pandemic. Cardona, 45, a former public school teacher who went on to become Connecticut’s education chief, was approved on a 64-33 vote....
Ohio to receive nearly 450K coronavirus vaccines this week
COLUMBUS — Ohio will receive nearly 450,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine this week thanks to the approval of a third vaccine, and the state is expanding eligible recipients to people 60 and over, pregnant women, day care workers, and police officers, among others, Gov. Mike DeWine said Monday. The...
NIT moving entire tournament to Texas for 2021Video
DALLAS — The NIT is moving the 2021 event to Texas, taking the semifinals and championship game out of New York’s Madison Square Garden for the first time in the 83-year history of college basketball’s oldest postseason tournament. The pandemic also is reducing the field to 16 teams from the...
Churchill painting owned by Angelina Jolie sells for $11.5M
LONDON — A Moroccan landscape painted by Winston Churchill and owned by Angelina Jolie sold at auction on Monday for more than $11.5 million, smashing the previous record for a work by Britain’s World War II leader. “Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque” sold at Christie’s in London for $11,590,715. The...
Questions surround death of former NFL player Louis Nix IIIVideo
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Louis Nix III, a standout nose guard at Notre Dame before being drafted into the NFL, has died in Florida after being missing for several days, but many questions linger about the circumstances of his death. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the 29-year-old Nix was reported missing...
Georgia House passes GOP bill rolling back voting accessVideo
ATLANTA — Republican lawmakers in Georgia muscled legislation through the state House on Monday that would roll back voting access, over the objection of Democrats and civil rights groups gathered at the Capitol to protest. The bill comes after record turnout led to Democratic wins in Georgia’s presidential election and...
Texas power company seeks bankruptcy protection after storm
The largest and oldest power cooperative in Texas is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing last month’s winter storm that left millions without power. Brazos Electric Power Cooperative, which serves 16 distribution member cooperatives that cater to more than 1.5 million Texans across 68 counties from the Texas Panhandle...
