Associated Press stories, Page 1996
Coyotes cut ties with draft pick who bullied Black classmateVideo
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Coyotes renounced their rights Thursday to their top 2020 draft pick after saying they learned more about his bullying of a Black classmate with developmental disabilities four years ago. The team parted ways with Mitchell Miller after taking criticism for selecting him in the fourth...
FBI warns ransomware assault threatens U.S. health care system
BOSTON — Federal agencies warned that cybercriminals could unleash a wave of data-scrambling extortion attempts against the U.S. health care system, an effort that, if successful, could paralyze hospital information systems just as nationwide cases of covid-19 are spiking. In a joint alert Wednesday, the FBI and two federal agencies...
Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence tests positive for covid-19Video
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence tested positive for covid-19, putting into doubt whether the face of college football will be available to play the top-ranked Tigers’ biggest game of the season. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said in a statement released by the school Thursday night Lawrence is in isolation with mild...
AP Explains: Trump pushes questions about Joe Biden’s son
WASHINGTON — Looking to undermine Democratic rival Joe Biden, President Donald Trump’s campaign is pushing a familiar line of attack: unverified allegations about Biden’s son and his foreign business ties. But reporting in the New York Post, and the emergence of a man who says he worked with Hunter Biden,...
Coronavirus surge threatens to reverse global economic rebounds
WASHINGTON — The resurgence of coronavirus cases engulfing the United States and Europe is imperiling economic recoveries on both sides of the Atlantic as millions of individuals and businesses face the prospect of having to hunker down once again. Growing fear of an economic reversal coincided with a report Thursday...
Walmart removes guns, ammunition on display at U.S. stores
NEW YORK — Walmart says it has removed ammunition and firearms from displays at its U.S. stores, citing “civil unrest” in some areas. The nation’s largest retailer, based in Bentonville, Ark., sells firearms in about half of its 4,700 stores. “We have seen some isolated civil unrest and as we...
Scarlett Johansson, Colin Jost marry in private ceremony
LOS ANGELES — Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost have tied the knot a year after engagement. Meals on Wheels America announced Thursday on Instagram that Johansson and Jost married over the weekend in an intimate ceremony. The post said the couple’s wedding followed the covid-19 safety precautions as “directed by...
2 Ohio political operatives plead guilty in bribery probe
COLUMBUS — Two Ohio political operatives pleaded guilty Thursday to charges that they conspired as part of what another defendant called an “unholy alliance” aimed at bailing out two aging Ohio nuclear power plants, court documents show. Former Republican House Speaker Larry Householder and four others were charged with racketeering...
Philadelphia council votes to limit police protest response
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia could soon join other cities in blocking police from using tear gas, rubber bullets or pepper spray on protesters as the city continues to churn over the fatal police shooting of a Black man days before the heated presidential election. The sharp political battles being drawn nationwide...
Florida judge resigns from vote-counting board over bias concerns
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A local judge in a north Florida county resigned Thursday from a vote-counting board after concerns were raised about his political partisanship. The Florida Times-Union reports that Senior County Judge Brent Shore resigned from the Duval County Canvassing Board after the newspaper reported he had donated $170...
Report: U.S. knew of problems family separation would cause
HOUSTON — Months before the Trump administration separated thousands of families at the U.S.-Mexico border, a “pilot program” in Texas left child-welfare officials scrambling to find empty beds for babies taken from their parents in a preview of bigger problems to come, according to a report released Thursday by congressional...
Exxon, Chevron to cut U.S. jobs as oil industry struggles
NEW YORK — Exxon Mobil is slashing 1,900 jobs from its U.S. workforce, and Chevron plans to cut a quarter of the employees at its recently-acquired Noble Energy as the pandemic saps demand for fuel. Exxon said Thursday the reductions will be both voluntary and involuntary and will largely come...
Virginia Military Institute to remove statue of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson
LEXINGTON, Va. — The Virginia Military Institute’s board voted Thursday to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson that currently stands in front of the historic barracks on campus, a school spokesperson said. Spokesman William “Bill” Wyatt said the board also voted to take a number of other...
White Sox reunite with Tony La Russa, hire Hall of Fame managerVideo
CHICAGO — Tony La Russa, the Hall of Famer who won a World Series with the Oakland Athletics and two more with the St. Louis Cardinals, is returning to manage the Chicago White Sox 34 years after they fired him. The 76-year-old La Russa rejoins the franchise where his managing...
Asteroid samples tucked into capsule for return to Earth
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A NASA spacecraft more than 200 million miles away has tucked asteroid samples into a capsule for return to Earth, after losing some of its precious loot. Flight controllers moved up the crucial operation after some of the collected rubble spilled into space last week. The...
Trump, Biden fight for Florida, appeal for Tuesday turnout
TAMPA, Fla. — President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden are chasing votes Thursday in Florida, a state all but essential to the Republican’s pathway to another term, as both nominees turn their focus to encouraging voters to turn out in person on Election Day. More than 73 million...
Trump officials end gray wolf protections across most of U.S.
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Trump administration officials on Thursday stripped Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in most of the U.S., ending longstanding federal safeguards and putting states in charge of overseeing the predators. The U.S. Department of Interior announcement just days ahead of the Nov. 3 election could lead...
Girl Scouts tweet, then delete post about Amy Coney Barrett
A tweet by the Girl Scouts congratulating new Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett drew such outrage from Barrett’s critics that the youth organization swiftly deleted it — only to draw a new backlash from Barrett’s supporters. The original tweet, posted Wednesday evening, said, “Congratulations Amy Coney Barrett on becoming...
‘So frustrating’: Grave missteps seen in U.S. virus response
NEW YORK — A president who downplayed the coronavirus threat, scorned masks and undercut scientists at every turn. Governors who resisted or rolled back containment measures amid public backlash. State lawmakers who used federal COVID-19 aid to plug budget holes instead of beefing up testing and contact tracing. As a...
Trump rule says health plans must disclose costs up front
WASHINGTON — Trying to pull back the veil on health care costs to encourage competition, the Trump administration on Thursday finalized a requirement for insurers to tell consumers up front the actual prices for common tests and procedures. A major health insurance industry group said the regulation would have the...
Evacuation orders lifted for many Californians who fled fire
LOS ANGELES — Thousands of Californians were allowed to return to their homes Wednesday as calmer winds helped firefighters beat back two wind-driven wildfires that had spurred widespread evacuations. Roughly 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate Monday after the wildfires broke out in brushy hills above cities in Southern California’s...
Defendant pleads guilty in Rudy Giuliani associates’ case
NEW YORK — Prosecutors secured a guilty plea Thursday from a Florida businessman who hired one of President Donald Trump’s lawyers, Rudy Giuliani, to lend credibility to a supposedly fraud-busting company authorities say was a fraud itself. The plea by David Correia, 45, a former golf professional, came to charges...
Falwell sues Liberty, saying school damaged his reputation
RICHMOND, Va. — Jerry Falwell Jr. has sued Liberty University, alleging the evangelical school founded by his late pastor father damaged his reputation after he resigned as president and chancellor in August amid a series of scandals. The lawsuit filed in Lynchburg Circuit Court on Wednesday includes claims of defamation...
Freshmen duo leads No. 16 Kansas State to West Virginia
A pair of freshman have helped lead No. 16 Kansas State’s rise to the top of the Big 12 standings. Quarterback Will Howard and running back Deuce Vaughn haven’t done it by themselves, thanks to some special teams magic and defensive stops along the way. The Wildcats (4-1, 4-0 Big...
Florida, butt of election jokes, believes system is ready
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Even if the presidential election hinges on a Florida recount like 20 years ago, hanging chads and butterfly ballots won’t be around to trip up voters and officials — changes to ballots, equipment and laws have made the Bush-Gore circus a relic never to be revisited,...
