Associated Press stories, Page 2182
Trump threatens funds for states easing voting in pandemicVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to hold up federal funds for two election battleground states that are trying to make it easier and safer to vote during the coronavirus pandemic. The president’s tweets targeting Michigan and Nevada marked an escalation in his campaign against voting by mail,...
Target’s online push readied it for pandemicVideo
NEW YORK — Online sales at Target more than doubled as the pandemic put millions in lockdown during the first quarter, revealing further the critical role big box stores played in getting supplies to an immobilized population. The Minneapolis company reported Wednesday that comparable-store sales, which include online purchases, rose...
Israel court orders Netanyahu to appear for opening of trialVideo
JERUSALEM — An Israeli court on Wednesday ordered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to appear for the opening of his criminal trial in Jerusalem on Sunday. Netanyahu’s attorneys had asked the court for an exemption from appearing for the opening of proceedings. The court rejected the request, saying the accused appearing...
Uncertain future rattles Italy’s famed restaurantsVideo
ROME — Italy’s restaurants and pizzerias, for foodies the world over a key reason to visit, are facing an existential threat. Those that didn’t fold after 10 weeks of a strict coronavirus lockdown are emerging to find that new social distancing requirements might yet drive them out of business. While...
Baby goat stolen from Baltimore garden reunited with owners
BALTIMORE — A stolen baby goat was returned home to its community garden in Baltimore late Tuesday night, police said. Baltimore police were notified just before 10 p.m. that the young Nigerian Dwarf goat named Ed had been “anonymously returned” to his owners, according to a statement from the department....
Cyclone batters coast of India, Bangladesh, millions fleeVideo
NEW DELHI — A powerful cyclone slammed ashore Wednesday along the coastline of India and Bangladesh, where more than 2.6 million people fled to shelters in a frantic evacuation made all the more challenging by the coronavirus pandemic. Cyclone Amphan, the equivalent of a category 3 hurricane, was packing winds...
Afghan officials: Attacks kill 14 civilians, 9 militiamen
KABUL, Afghanistan — Gunmen killed 14 people in two separate attacks in Afghanistan while the Taliban targeted pro-government checkpoints in the northeast, killing nine militiamen, officials said Wednesday, the latest in relentless violence that continues to plague the war-torn nation. The attacks came against the backdrop of renewed U.N. calls...
U.S., China standoff ensnares WHO meeting on covid-19 fightVideo
GENEVA — Facing the most disruptive pandemic in generations, the technocratic halls of the World Health Organization are now the scene of pitched battles in an increasingly bitter proxy war between the China and the United States. At the U.N. health agency’s annual assembly this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping...
Federal judge orders expansion of mail-in voting in Texas
AUSTIN — A federal judge Tuesday ordered Texas to allow any of the state’s 16 million voters to cast a ballot by mail over fears of the coronavirus, paving the way for what would be one of the most dramatic expansions of mail-in voting in the country. The decision is...
Power 5 conferences spend big on lobbying Congress about athlete compensationVideo
The Power 5 conferences spent $350,000 on lobbying in the first three months of 2020, more than they had previously spent in any full year, as part of a coordinated effort to influence Congress on legislation affecting the ability of college athletes to earn endorsement money. The SEC was the...
Nationals to unveil World Series rings in virtual ceremonyVideo
WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals will unveil their World Series championship rings during a “virtual” ceremony shown on television and online Sunday — an unprecedented approach brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. With the start of the MLB season on hold because of the covid-19 outbreak, Nationals owner Mark Lerner...
Johnson & Johnson to stop selling talc-based baby powder in U.S., Canada
FAIRLESS HILLS — Johnson & Johnson is ending sales of its iconic talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in the United States and Canada, where demand has dwindled amid thousands of lawsuits claiming it has caused cancer. The world’s biggest maker of health care products said Tuesday the talc-based powder will still...
Battle over how quickly Kansas reopens increasingly bitter
TOPEKA — A battle in Kansas between the Democratic governor and Republican-controlled Legislature over reopening the economy has grown increasingly bitter, clouded by election year politics present and past. Gov. Laura Kelly has joined Democratic colleagues in other states including Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in facing a GOP backlash over...
Live sports draw strong TV ratings over weekend
Fans who had been starving for live sporting events had their appetites sated last weekend. At least a little. Network executives knew the first weekend with multiple live events would draw good numbers, but, for the most part, they exceeded expectations. The Bundesliga’s return drew record numbers on Fox Sports...
Outbreak on edge of Navajo Nation overwhelms rural hospitalVideo
GALLUP, N.M. — On the eve of New Mexico’s shutdown of bars and restaurants to stem the spread of the coronavirus, the city of Gallup came alive for one last night of revelry. Before the night was out in the desert oasis on the fringes of the Navajo Nation, 98...
Trump allies lining up doctors to prescribe rapid reopening
WASHINGTON — Republican political operatives are recruiting “pro-Trump” doctors to go on television to prescribe reviving the U.S. economy as quickly as possible, without waiting to meet safety benchmarks proposed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. The plan was...
NFLPA president Tretter says ‘hurdles’ remain for NFL to get backVideo
CLEVELAND — Browns center JC Tretter is cautiously optimistic the NFL season — at least some version of it — will take place in 2020. He is just not certain when it will start. The newly elected president of the NFL Players Association, Tretter said Tuesday the covid-19 virus outbreak...
Steelers, other NFL teams reopen facilities with government OKVideo
A limited number of NFL teams reopened their training facilities Tuesday, while many are prohibited by government restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioner Roger Goodell gave the 32 clubs the go-ahead for limited reopenings as long as state and local municipalities allow them. Coaching staffs and all players except those...
Tom Brady, small group of Buccaneers teammates work out in TampaVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady isn’t letting the coronavirus pandemic — or NFL rules against players working out at team facilities — keep him from preparing for a new season with his new Tampa Bay team. Brady gathered some of his Buccaneers teammates on a high school field early Tuesday...
Flooding hits parts of Midwest, with evacuations in MichiganVideo
EDENVILLE, Mich. — People living along two mid-Michigan lakes and parts of a river were evacuated Tuesday following several days of heavy rain that produced flooding and put pressure on dams in the area. Two Midland-area schools were opened for evacuees, and more than 50 roads have been closed. The...
States accused of fudging or bungling covid-19 testing dataVideo
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — As large parts of the United States ease their lockdowns against coronavirus, public health officials in some states are being accused of bungling infection statistics or even deliberately using a little sleight of hand to make things look better than they are. The result is that politicians,...
Study: World carbon pollution falls 17% during pandemic peak
KENSINGTON, Md. — The world cut its daily carbon dioxide emissions by 17% at the peak of the pandemic shutdown last month, a new study found. But with life and heat-trapping gas levels inching back toward normal, the brief pollution break will likely be “a drop in the ocean” when...
Steven Mnuchin and Jerome Powell push differing priorities to aid economyVideo
WASHINGTON — Facing the gravest U.S. economic crisis in decades, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell offered Congress contrasting views Tuesday of what the government’s most urgent priority should be. Striking a theme frequently pushed by President Donald Trump, Mnuchin warned that prolonged business shutdowns would...
Boy Scout councils under pressure to share sex abuse costs
NEW YORK — Nine sex abuse lawsuits were filed Tuesday in New York against three Boy Scout local councils, signaling an escalation of efforts to pressure councils nationwide to pay a big share of an eventual settlement in the Scouts’ bankruptcy proceedings. The lawsuits were filed shortly after an easing...
Maryland to expand coronavirus testing to people without symptomsVideo
ANNAPOLIS — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced new steps Tuesday to expand testing for the coronavirus, including appointment-free testing at new sites for those showing no symptoms and authorizing licensed pharmacists to administer tests. The governor said drive-thru, appointment-free testing will begin Thursday at the Timonium Fairgrounds in Baltimore County....
