Associated Press stories, Page 2108
Fox taking fans to the ballgame with a virtual crowd
LOS ANGELES — Fox will be taking viewers out to the ballgame by adding a virtual crowd in parks during its baseball telecasts this season. The network revealed on Thursday that it will include computer-generated fans in the stands beginning with their three games on Saturday. Fox begins its coverage...
Pandemic grips commerce and hits railroader Union Pacific
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific’s second-quarter profit fell 28% from a year ago as carload revenue tumbled in the coronavirus pandemic. The railroad expects improvement in the second half with full-year carload volumes to be down around 10% compared with 2019, assuming there isn’t a second wave of virus-related economic...
Wildfire in Greece rages for 2nd day, more homes evacuated
ATHENS, Greece — Firefighters and water-dropping aircraft were fighting for a second day Thursday to contain a large wildfire in southern Greece that forced evacuations and a night-long battle to save homes. The Fire Service said the blaze to the east of the southern town of Corinth was in full...
Chief U.K. negotiator says ‘gaps’ remain in Brexit talksVideo
LONDON — Negotiators working to establish new trade relations between Britain and the European Union admitted Thursday there was a long way to go despite progress being made in the complex talks. In comments delivered at the end of the latest round of talks, Chief U.K. negotiator David Frost said...
White House drops payroll tax cut as GOP unveils virus aid
WASHINGTON — The White House has dropped a bid to cut Social Security payroll taxes as Republicans unveil a $1 trillion covid-19 rescue package on Thursday, ceding to opposition to the idea among top Senate allies. “It won’t be in the base bill,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, speaking on...
China cites ‘malicious slander’ as Houston consulate closes
BEIJING — China said Thursday that “malicious slander” is behind an order by the U.S. government to close its consulate in Houston, Texas, maintaining that its officials never operated outside ordinary diplomatic rules. Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the move against the consulate, the first one China opened in...
Saudi king, 84, undergoes surgery to remove gallbladder
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia’s King Salman underwent a successful surgery that removed his gallbladder, the kingdom said Thursday, just days after being admitted to the hospital over an inflammation of the organ. Surgeons at Riyadh’s King Faisal Specialist Hospital operated on the king, the state-run Saudi Press...
Tesla makes $104M profit in 2Q despite factory shutdown
Tesla overcame a seven-week pandemic-related shutdown at its California assembly plant to post a surprising $104 million net profit for the second quarter. It was the electric car and solar panel maker’s fourth-straight profitable quarter, qualifying it to be included in the S&P 500 index of corporate titans. That decision...
1.4 million seek jobless aid, first increase since MarchVideo
WASHINGTON — The number of laid-off Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose last week for the first time since the pandemic struck in March, evidence of the deepening economic pain the outbreak is causing to the economy. The rise in weekly jobless claims to 1.4 million underscores the outsize role the...
New literary prize is $50,000 honor for best New York story
A new literary award with a $50,000 cash prize will honor those best at telling a New York story. The Gotham Literary Prize, announced Thursday, came out of a conversation between businessman-philathropist Bradley Tusk and political strategist Howard Wolfson, who told The Associated Press that they first thought of the...
World in isolation, a surge of new users for Twitter
LONDON — The global pandemic is forcing a pullback by advertisers on Twitter, but it’s also led to an unprecedented surge of users. Average daily user growth spiked 34% in the second quarter, the company said Thursday, the largest jump in users ever recorded by the company. Shares of Twitter...
German court convicts former concentration camp guard, 93
BERLIN — A German court on Thursday convicted a 93-year-old former SS private of being an accessory to murder at the Stutthof concentration camp, where he served as a guard in the final months of World War II. He was given a two-year suspended sentence. Bruno Dey was convicted of...
South Africa sees ‘huge discrepancy’ in virus, total deaths
JOHANNESBURG — The South African Medical Research Council is reporting a “huge discrepancy” between the country’s confirmed covid-19 deaths and the number of excess deaths from natural causes, while Africa’s top health official says the virus is spreading there “like wildfire.” The new report, which came out late Wednesday, shows...
Biden, Obama pair in socially distanced video to decry TrumpVideo
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden is releasing a video of his first in-person meeting with Barack Obama since the coronavirus outbreak began, enlisting the former president to help slam his successor’s response to the pandemic. Snippets offered by Biden’s campaign showed the pair wearing masks while arriving at an office, then...
Florida governor wants schools to reopen, offers flexibilityVideo
TALLAHASSEE — Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis strongly emphasized the need to reopen schools in a rare address Wednesday, saying that keeping them closed will lead to depression, social isolation and a higher dropout rate, but acknowledged that parents should be able to keep children at home if they fear...
Officials: Fort Hood soldier believed to have drowned
BELTON, Texas — Authorities said Wednesday that a Fort Hood soldier found dead last week near the Texas Army base where he was stationed is believed to have drowned, according to the Bell County Sheriff’s Department. A preliminary autopsy shows the cause of death of Pvt. Mejhor Morta, 26, to...
FBI links killing of California lawyer to suspect in deadly attack on New Jersey judge’s familyVideo
LOS ANGELES — Federal investigators have unspecified evidence linking the killing of a men’s rights lawyer in California to the suspect in the ambush shooting of a federal judge’s family in New Jersey, authorities said Wednesday. The evidence allegedly connects Roy Den Hollander, another men’s rights attorney who was found...
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rejects GOP colleague’s apology in verbal spat
WASHINGTON — A Republican congressman offered an apology Wednesday for the “abrupt manner” he used in a verbal confrontation with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez but denied aiming a sexist slur at her. Ocasio-Cortez rejected her colleague’s words, saying they were “not an apology” and what she heard was a vulgar slur....
After recent struggles, Johnson, Koepka seek spark at 3M OpenVideo
BLAINE, Minn. — The presence of Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka in Minnesota this week has given the fledgling 3M Open two heavy-hitting stars of the PGA Tour to headline the second edition of the tournament. Perhaps their participation will be mutually beneficial. Johnson and Koepka could use a pick-me-up...
House votes to remove Confederate statues from CapitolVideo
WASHINGTON — The House has approved a bill to remove statues of Robert E. Lee and other Confederate leaders from the U.S. Capitol, as well as a bust of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, the author of the 1857 Dred Scott decision that declared African Americans couldn’t be citizens. Besides...
Shh! NHL gags teams on injury disclosure for player privacyVideo
Jakub Voracek thinks it is none of your business. When the Philadelphia Flyers winger missed practice over the weekend, no injury, illness or other reason was given. That is the NHL’s mandatory rule during the pandemic, adding another layer of secrecy to a sport already infamous for disclosing — at...
Ex-officer charged in George Floyd’s death faces tax evasion counts
MINNEAPOLIS — The former Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in the death of George Floyd was charged Wednesday with multiple felony counts of tax evasion. Derek Chauvin and his wife, Kellie May Chauvin, were each charged in Washington County with six counts of filing false or fraudulent tax returns...
Analysis: Behind health, stability a key to NFL successVideo
Chiefs, 49ers, Saints, Ravens. All powerhouses last season. All in excellent position to be so again if the NFL gets to play during the coronavirus pandemic. Anyone who believes continuity isn’t an essential part of pro football success will need to re-examine that philosophy. As NFL teams finally get together...
Democrats press McConnell on coronavirus aid, but some in GOP revoltVideo
WASHINGTON — Despite disarray in the Republican ranks, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pushed Wednesday to unveil a draft covid-19 aid package as the White House resists Democratic demands for more virus testing, state funding and housing eviction protections. Key GOP senators revolted over the emerging effort as the price...
Florida sheriff: 2 brothers, girlfriend arrested in triple homicide
FROSTPROOF, Fla. — Two brothers and a woman have been arrested in connection with the “massacre” of three best friends who set out on a fishing trip at a central Florida lake last week, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Wednesday. One of the suspects, Tony “TJ” Wiggins, 26, had...
