Associated Press stories, Page 2690
Pelosi asks Trump to delay State of Union speech
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has asked President Donald Trump to postpone his State of the Union address to the nation — set for Jan. 29 — until the government reopens. The White House hasn’t immediately responded to a request for comment about Pelosi’s request, which she made in...
Suicide blast kills 4 Americans in Syria, a sign of remaining extremist danger
Four Americans were killed in a suicide attack in Syria on Wednesday, the largest loss of life in the Pentagon’s war against Islamic State militants there and a sign of the potent threat that remains as the Trump administration begins to withdraw. The attack occurred in the northern city of...
Sears staves off liquidation, stores to remain open
NEW YORK — Sears will live on— at least for now. The company’s chairman and largest shareholder, Eddie Lampert, won a bankruptcy auction for Sears, averting liquidation of the iconic chain, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. The person agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because they...
Congress prepares to skip planned recess if shutdown goes on
WASHINGTON — Staring down the next deadline to pay federal workers, the White House shifted tactics, trying to bypass House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to negotiate with rank-and-file lawmakers even as President Donald Trump dug in for a prolonged shutdown. The House and Senate announced Tuesday they would stay in session,...
From travel to IPOs, how shutdown is upsetting U.S. economy
WASHINGTON — Delta Air Lines can’t get eight new aircraft in the air. Roughly a million government employees and contractors aren’t being paid. Some Americans who are trying to start small businesses face delays in obtaining the required tax identification number from the IRS. As the partial government shutdown moves...
Craft beer taps squeezed as shutdown delays new releasesVideo
MILWAUKEE — The nation’s craft beer taps are being squeezed by the government shutdown, which has put new releases on hold, prevented new breweries from opening and stopped shipments of some suds across state lines. The partial shutdown halted operations at the federal agency that regulates alcohol production and distribution....
Super Bowl planners: Shutdown brings ‘uncharted territory’
ATLANTA — A day after travelers waited nearly 90 minutes in snail-speed security lines at the world’s busiest airport, Atlanta’s mayor is concerned about the waits that could result when the city hosts the 2019 Super Bowl. The ongoing partial government shutdown is “uncharted territory” amid planning for one of...
Satisfaction: Rolling Stones to headline 50th Jazz Fest
NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival has got satisfaction: The Rolling Stones are among the headliners for the 50th anniversary festival. Organizers on Tuesday confirmed reports that the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will play. Also headlining the 8-day event, which runs April 25-28 and...
John Bogle dies at 89; fought for lower fees for investors
VALLEY FORGE — John C. Bogle, who simplified investing for the masses by launching the first index mutual fund and founded Vanguard Group, died Wednesday. He was 89. Bogle did not invent the index fund, but he expanded access to no-frills, low-cost investing in 1976 when Vanguard introduced the first...
Matt Murray’s hot streak ends in Penguins’ loss to Sharks
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Tomas Hertl needed just three games to get his first NHL hat trick. It was more than a five-year wait for the second one, which came while he’s playing perhaps the best hockey of his career. Hertl knocked down Evgeni Malkin with his backside to score...
American Sloane Stephens advances at Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia — Sloane Stephens advanced at the Australian Open at the expense of her former doubles partner, Timea Babos, in a second-round match the women’s tour billed as a battle of the so-called “frenemies.” Fifth-seeded Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, dominated the Rod Laver Arena opener 6-3, 6-1...
Earthquake reported off coast of Maryland
OCEAN CITY, Md. — A light earthquake has been recorded off the coast of Maryland. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 4.7-magnitude earthquake struck Tuesday evening in the Atlantic Ocean, about 136 miles southeast of Ocean City, Md. No tsunami warning has been issued. In a Facebook post, Ocean City...
California storms bring mudslide fears, blizzard warning
LOS ANGELES — Authorities told residents to evacuate hundreds of Southern California homes in areas burned by wildfires as storms brought steady rainfall Tuesday and forced a rare blizzard warning for much of the Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe in the northern part of the state. Mandatory or voluntary evacuations...
Saints’ Mark Ingram cherishing playoff run as uncertainty loomsVideo
METAIRIE, La. — Mark Ingram readily acknowledges his last game with the Saints could come Sunday, when New Orleans hosts the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC championship game. But Ingram hasn’t given up on bucking conventional wisdom and remaining with New Orleans, even though his contract is expiring and...
Edelman again proves to be valuable playoff performer for New England
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — His face still was a little flushed from stepping out of the subfreezing temperatures at Gillette Stadium just minutes after the Patriots’ 41-28 divisional-round win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Still, Julian Edelman stood at his locker satisfied — at least for a moment. Then...
Super Bowl planners: Shutdown brings ‘uncharted territory’
ATLANTA — A day after travelers waited nearly 90 minutes in snail-speed security lines at the world’s busiest airport, Atlanta’s mayor is concerned about the waits that could result when the city hosts the 2019 Super Bowl. The ongoing partial government shutdown is “uncharted territory” amid planning for one of...
New postings show wide range of Pennsylvania college hazing
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania colleges and universities began posting online reports Tuesday on documented cases of hazing over the past five years, from forced drinking and toe-licking to the dunking of students in ice water, as required by a law passed as a result of the 2017 death of a Penn...
New postings show wide range of Pennsylvania college hazing
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania colleges and universities began posting online reports Tuesday on documented cases of hazing over the past five years, from forced drinking and toe-licking to the dunking of students in ice water, as required by a law passed as a result of the 2017 death of a Penn...
IRS recalling 46,000 workers to handle taxes
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service is recalling about 46,000 of its employees furloughed by the government shutdown — nearly 60 percent of its workforce — to handle tax returns and pay out refunds. The employees won’t be paid. With the official start of the tax filing season coming Jan....
House rebukes GOP’s Steve King over racist remarks
WASHINGTON — A Democratic measure rebuking Republican Rep. Steve King for his comments about white supremacy won easy approval Tuesday in the House. In a twist, the nine-term Iowa congressman was among those supporting the measure of disapproval, which was adopted, 416-1. King said he agreed with Majority Whip James...
Burger King trolls Trump on Twitter
DETROIT — Burger King is needling President Trump for his tweet about ordering more than 1,000 “hamberders” for the Clemson University Tigers’ visit to the White House after winning the college football championship. The spelling error was quickly corrected. But Burger King jumped in with a tweet of its own:...
Tom Wolf begins second term as Pennsylvania governor
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf kicked off his second term Tuesday with a call for Pennsylvanians to work together to build a stronger, fairer and more prosperous future, and said progress in his first term is proof the state can overcome its challenges. Wolf, 70, returns for a second term...
Feds to ease rules on drone flights over crowds and at night
Federal officials plan to ease restrictions on flying small drones over crowds and at night, which would give a boost to the commercial use of unmanned aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration outlined draft rules Monday that would let drone operators do those things without a special waiver from current rules....
Silicon Valley landlord rents $1,500 studio to 2 cats
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Two cats are living large at a $1,500-a-month studio apartment their owner rents for them in Silicon Valley, where a housing shortage has sent rents skyrocketing. The Mercury News reports the 20-pound (9-kilogram) cats named Tina and Louise moved to the studio in San Jose after...
Ambulance driver gets 6 to 23 months in Lancaster crash that killed 2
LANCASTER, Pa. — An ambulance driver wept as he was sentenced to six to 23 month in prison in a crash that killed his passenger and another driver. LNP newspaper reports that 22-year-old Jeffrey Gable told a Lancaster County judge Monday that he never intended to hurt anyone in the...
