Associated Press stories, Page 2293
Houseplants become more active as days get longer
Houseplants are quick to tell you when they need help. They display discolored leaves, drooping stems and little or no growth. That usually gives you enough time to make things right. “Plants send signals simply by the way they look,” said Dawn Pettinelli, an Extension educator at the University of...
After Jay Bouwmeester’s cardiac episode, Blues lean on their dadsVideo
LAS VEGAS — Jay Bouwmeester’s cardiac episode was a scary experience for the St. Louis Blues. Even for a bunch of tough hockey players, having dad around certainly helps. St. Louis is on its annual father’s trip, and the dads are providing some valuable counseling after the 36-year-old Bouwmeester collapsed...
Rush Limbaugh draws bipartisan criticism for Pete Buttigieg remarksVideo
WASHINGTON — Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh drew bipartisan criticism Thursday for saying the country won’t elect Pete Buttigieg president because he’s been “kissing his husband” on stage after debates. Limbaugh’s comments came eight days after President Donald Trump awarded him the nation’s top civilian honor during the State...
AJ Bramah a bull in leading Robert Morris past Mt. Saint Mary’s
EMMITSBURG, Md. — AJ Bramah came off the bench and scored a career-high 25 points on 11-of-18 shooting with seven rebounds, and Robert Morris beat Mount Saint Mary’s, 77-60, on Thursday night. The 6-foot-7 forward also distributed four assists and never turned over the ball. Robert Morris (15-11, 11-2 Northeast...
Greene County prosecutor fights child welfare agency over drug testing him
HARRISBURG — A lawyer who was recently sworn in as district attorney in southwestern Pennsylvania wants the state Supreme Court to rule that county child welfare officials investigating complaints about him do not have legal authority to compel him to take a drug test. David J. Russo, Greene County’s top...
Joey Logano wins 1st Daytona 500 qualifying raceVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Joey Logano won the first qualifying race for the Daytona 500 for the second consecutive year. Logano led 19 laps in the No. 22 Ford for Team Penske in Thursday night’s 60-lap qualifying race that sets the field for the Daytona 500. He will start from...
Trump Fed nominee Judy Shelton faces skepticism at Senate hearingVideo
WASHINGTON — One of President Donald Trump’s nominees for the Federal Reserve came under sharp questioning Thursday from senators over her unorthodox economic views, including from two Republicans whose doubts about her nomination could imperil it. The nominee, Judy Shelton, sought to make her unconventional views an asset by promising...
North Dakota, tribes reach settlement over voter ID lawsuit
BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota reached a proposed settlement agreement Thursday with American Indians who sued over the state’s voter ID laws requiring residents to provide a street address, arguing they are a form of voter suppression. American Indians argue that such addresses are not always evident on reservations. Many...
Warren Buffett’s son helps Colombia kick cocaine curse
TIBU, Colombia — With Colombian military snipers in position, Howard Buffett descends from a helicopter and trudges through the wet grass in steel-toe boots chewed through by his dog’s teeth. Waiting under a tin-roofed shack is a small group of coca farmers. They’ve never heard of multi-billionaire investor Warren Buffett,...
Brrrr! Arctic front brings dangerous wind chills to Midwest
MINNEAPOLIS — Students stayed home from school Thursday and several businesses were closed in parts of the upper Midwest as arctic air pushed wind chill readings to dangerously low temperatures. A wind chill warning was in effect for northeastern North Dakota and northern Minnesota, with wind chill readings plunging to...
Protests follow Northern Iowa denial of $10K in contestVideo
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Fans are calling foul against Northern Iowa and its business sponsor, who denied a $10,000 prize to a student who appeared to win a halftime basketball shooting promotion. The flap began Wednesday night when Northern Iowa student Dalton Hinsch got a chance at the prize if...
In win for Amazon, judge freezes work on Pentagon contract
NEW YORK — A federal judge on Thursday ordered a temporary halt of Microsoft’s work on a $10 billion military cloud contract, a win for Amazon, which sued the U.S. government last year for awarding the contract to its rival. Amazon’s lawsuit, filed in November, alleged that President Donald Trump’s...
Tim Dahlberg: Cheating Astros just don’t seem to get itVideo
Ah, the Houston Astros. Good at stealing signs. Not so good at pretending they’re sorry about it. The team’s official mea culpa Thursday in Florida turned out to be as predictable as it gets. From owner to star players, the message was the same, almost as if it had been...
New Jersey teacher investigated for telling students to act as slaves
TOMS RIVER, N.J. — A New Jersey school district is investigating a teacher’s history lesson that had students pretend to be slaves, officials said. According to social media posts by a student in the class, 8th-grade social studies teacher Lawrence Cuneo forced Toms River Intermediate School students to act as...
401(k)s hit records as workers sock away more, stocks jump
NEW YORK — How’s your 401(k) doing? President Trump likes to ask that question around the country, sometimes throwing out big gains like 90% or 95%. The average 401(k) did indeed hit a record last year, although its growth was considerably less than that. The average 401(k) balance rose 17%...
Trump’s story at State of the Union about veteran’s comeback was not quite trueVideo
NEW YORK — Tony Rankins, a formerly homeless, drug-addicted Army veteran, got a standing ovation at the State of the Union after President Donald Trump described how he turned his life around thanks to a construction job at a company using the administration’s “Opportunity Zone” tax breaks targeting poor neighborhoods....
AG William Barr: Trump tweets on cases make it ‘impossible’ to do job
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr took a public swipe at President Donald Trump on Thursday, saying that the president’s tweets about Justice Department prosecutors and cases “make it impossible for me to do my job.” Barr made the comment during an interview with ABC News just days after his...
Virus cases surge after China revises way count is tallied
BEIJING — China reported a surge in deaths and infections from a new virus Thursday after changing the way the count is tallied, further clouding an epidemic that has stirred fear as it spread to more than two dozen countries. The spike came after two days in which the number...
Trump to transfer $3.8B from military to fund his wall
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is transferring $3.8 billion in recently passed military funding to finance construction of the president’s long-sought U.S.-Mexico border wall, angering not just Democrats but also GOP defense hawks. Thursday’s move by the Pentagon would transfer money from National Guard units, aircraft procurement and shipbuilding to...
Court halts Pentagon work with Microsoft on cloud contract
NEW YORK — A federal court has ordered the Pentagon to temporarily halt work with Microsoft on a $10 billion military cloud contract that Amazon was initially favored to win. Amazon subsequently sued, alleging that President Donald Trump’s bias against the company hurt its chances to win the project. Amazon...
Senate acts to restrain Trump’s military powers against Iran
WASHINGTON — The Senate approved a bipartisan measure Thursday limiting President Donald Trump’s authority to launch military operations against Iran. The measure, authored by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., says Trump must win approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran. Eight Republicans joined with Democrats to pass...
U.S. brings new charges against Chinese tech giant Huawei
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has added new criminal charges against Chinese tech giant Huawei and two of its U.S. subsidiaries, accusing the company in a plot to steal trade secrets from competitors in America, federal prosecutors announced Thursday. The case comes as the Trump administration is raising national security...
Trump Fed nominee Shelton faces skepticism at Senate hearing
Washington — One of President Donald Trump’s nominees for the Federal Reserve came under sharp questioning Thursday from senators over her unorthodox economic views, including from two Republicans whose doubts about her nomination could imperil it. The nominee, Judy Shelton, sought to make her unconventional views an asset by promising...
DA deciding whether to investigate James Brown’s death
ATLANTA — A prosecutor in Atlanta will decide whether to open a formal investigation after meeting with a woman who says she has evidence legendary singer James Brown’s death was caused by another person, his spokesman said. Brown, known as the Godfather of Soul, was 73 when he died of...
Trump slams former chief of staff John Kelly, who defended key impeachment witness
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday lashed out against former White House chief of staff John Kelly for being disloyal after the ex-adviser came to the defense of a former national security aide who offered key testimony in the impeachment inquiry. The president’s comments targeting Kelly came after Kelly...
